Car Rentals during the holidays?

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

The last time we rented a car @ MCO during a summer trip, I swore I would never do it again. Between the 90 min wait at the Avis counter, to the ~$40 per day parking fee at the Swan it was not worth it.

In hindsight, I'm attributing the madness at MCO (partially) to covid and now with DVC I would no longer need to pay for parking.

My question - has anyone rented a car around the holidays? WDW transportation was super crowded last year so I'm thinking this could give us more flexibility...especially to visit other resorts.

Would appreciate any advice from folks who have done this recently/regularly. TTIA!

 

[CarolynFH]

You'll get some good feedback here, but I'd also ask on the Transportation forum, to get input from non-DVC guests.

 

[Massachusetts]

We have rented cars/minivans on every trip the past 20 years. The airport can be a bit of a pain but I think it has improved.

Generally I pick up the vehicle while the rest of the travel party hop on the bus. I hit Walmart/Target on the way to the hotel. I have used Hertz, Enterprise and Alamo. I know Enterprise has virtually contactless check-in - you just walk right to the garage, show the attendant your reservation and you are good to go. Although my January trip they did need to bring the vehicle in from a secondary parking lot. Probably took about 20 minutes from the time we spoke to the attendant to the time we drove away.

 

[achinforsomebacon]

We always try to go with a company that allows you to skip the line and go right to the car. This can save a ton of time and also avoids having to deal with the pushy upsell at the counter.

 

[dunhill76]

The last time we rented a car @ MCO during a summer trip, I swore I would never do it again. Between the 90 min wait at the Avis counter, to the ~$40 per day parking fee at the Swan it was not worth it.

In hindsight, I'm attributing the madness at MCO (partially) to covid and now with DVC I would no longer need to pay for parking.

My question - has anyone rented a car around the holidays? WDW transportation was super crowded last year so I'm thinking this could give us more flexibility...especially to visit other resorts.

Would appreciate any advice from folks who have done this recently/regularly. TTIA!

It wasn't during the holidays but I used the turo app for our last trip in august of 23 and it was really easy and so much cheaper than the rental prices I was seeing.

 

[PHXscuba]

I use the skip-the-line feature where you put your info in before the trip and it has gone pretty smoothly. I figure my time putting the info in at a leisurely pace at home is much better than waiting in line for an agent and having them enter it all in and trying to upsell me.

FYI: I booked a car in April for the first week of December and it has shot up since and stayed up since then. So i'd get a refundable reservation (I use Costco) ASAP, especially for a busy time.

PHXscuba

 

[achinforsomebacon]

FYI: I booked a car in April for the first week of December and it has shot up since and stayed up since then. So i'd get a refundable reservation (I use Costco) ASAP, especially for a busy time.

PHPHXscuba

This is another great point. The prices can change so much. It's good to get a cancellable reservation and then just periodically check for better deals. I've had situations where I canceled and rebooked 4-5 times for a trip because I kept getting a better price.

 

[_19disnA]

I use Avis and they have a skip the line club. Never had to wait in line and we exit directly to our assigned vehicle. I believe the FIRST time you use that feature you have to visit the counter to show ID and prove you are the person with the reservation. Have traveled on various holidays and never found that changes how any of this works.