Closest car rental from Disneyland?

[NOLA_Tink]

Hello! We're re-evaluating our transportation options. What's the nearest car rental place from the Grand Californian? Thanks!

 

[Geemo]

Hello! We're re-evaluating our transportation options. What's the nearest car rental place from the Grand Californian? Thanks!

Alamo at the end of DTD

 

[SteveMP]

Alamo at the end of DTD

Yep and i have seen coupons for them in various places like those Entertainment books, etc.

 

[Geemo]

Yep and i have seen coupons for them in various places like those Entertainment books, etc.

Do you recall the value of the coupon for Alamo?

I'm flying into Burbank with grandkid in a few weeks to hit USH for the day. We're renting a car from Alamo.
Once we make it to GCH I'll be turning it in. My rate for the day is about $90 for a full size car.

Geemo

 

[smartlabelprint]

Do you recall the value of the coupon for Alamo?

I'm flying into Burbank with grandkid in a few weeks to hit USH for the day. We're renting a car from Alamo.
Once we make it to GCH I'll be turning it in. My rate for the day is about $90 for a full size car.

Geemo

That seems high. Did you try booking through costcotravel.com?

 

[Geemo]

That seems high. Did you try booking through costcotravel.com?

It was more through Costco.
I thought it was high too.
Booked with Alamo using the Costco code for 10-2@9am to 10-2@10:30pm = $89.50 ($16.99 is insurance)
I tried all kinds of timelines to get a better rate. this was the best
Seems the rates drop when you book over a Sat night.

 

[SteveMP]

Do you recall the value of the coupon for Alamo?

I'm flying into Burbank with grandkid in a few weeks to hit USH for the day. We're renting a car from Alamo.
Once we make it to GCH I'll be turning it in. My rate for the day is about $90 for a full size car.

Geemo

Hmm, the website shows some but with some pretty limoting stipulations. I'll check when i get to work, we have some areas in the breakroom that have random coupons etc. i know some venues have added fees(like DIsney and airports etc), so could possibly get cheaper if you picked up and/or dropped off at other locations. Some places have free "shuttle" service. There are a few Enterprise and Hertz(AAA discount) not far from DL(within shuttle service)

https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-ren.../affinity/7016629-entertainmentbook-2017.html

 

[StormyCA]

We looked into this at one point. Alamo DTD was pretty expensive compared to the others, but I expect you're paying for the convenience. They did seem to be the only one with an out-of-hours hours 'drop box' for keys. The other places were strictly business hours for drop off. The hours for most of the locations around DLR were somewhat awkward, most of them closed at 6pm weekdays, 1 pm weekends, with some closed Sundays! So if you're wanting a car for a trip to USH, you have to return it the next day where with Alamo you can put the keys in the drop box. Most of them don't open til 8 am, so there goes EMH and rope drop!

The cheapest (price checked about 6 months ago) for a 24 hr rental was Enterprise on Katella at around $25.00 total (no addl insurance). They do pick up/drop off but sometimes you have to wait around to be 'worked in' for someone to shuttle you. We had decided to use Uber instead of their service since it's only like $5.00 each way and we figured it'd be faster.

One way rentals seem to have much higher rental rates, some of them were triple the daily rate! I can't remember for sure, but it was either Enterprise or Avis that didn't charge a higher rate for one-way rentals. And what I seemed to see at times was that when you price checked online, it gave you the usual rate, but when you called the 800# they quoted you the higher one-way rate. We ended up not renting so I don't know what might have happened when it came down to actually reserving a car.

I also just got a great deal on a rental from Hertz at ONT, 8 days for under $200.00 thru AAA. The daily rate was $17.00 for each day for a mid-size no higher rates for the weekdays. In most cases, offsite rentals are cheaper than airport rentals.

A good way to check rates is to use Expedia to get a 'baseline' for all rental companies. Then check individual companies that work for you with location/hours using what discounts you may have. I found that Expedia rates beat pretty much every discount I was eligible for with the exception of the AAA deal. And do call to confirm any one way rental rates you see online!

 

[elaine amj]

I also just got a great deal on a rental from Hertz at ONT, 8 days for under $200.00 thru AAA. The daily rate was $17.00 for each day for a mid-size no higher rates for the weekdays. In most cases, offsite rentals are cheaper than airport rentals.

That's a steal! i was surprised in general with how expensive Cali rental rates are - much more expensive than Orlando.

I needed a one way rental during my California trip in 2015. Both Hertz and Avis didn't charge for one way. These were the best rates I could find (and I checked multiple coupons/discounts, including Costco):

Reservation #1:
Booked: March 2015 for July 2015 trip
Hertz 1 week intermediate vehicle. pick up San Jose (offsite), drop off Anaheim. $314 incl all taxes and fees (watch for that - the car was only $282), AAA discount.

Reservation #2:
Booked: June 17 2015 for July 10 2015 pickup
Hertz 1 week intermediate vehicle, pick up Burbank (offsite), dropoff Anaheim. $249.85 incl all taxes and fees. AAA discount + $20 coupon from Hertz website

Reservation #3:
Booked: June 17 2015 for July 10 pickup
Avis 1 week convertible, pick up Burbank (offsite), dropoff Anaheim. $356.09 incl all taxes and fees. Maybe AAA discount? I forget. I also used a $30 off coupon from somewhere.

For my dropoff, I ended somewhere about a 15? min walk away. It was very close to the Cheesecake Factory, so we happily ate there and then walked back. Also, it didn't work out to be convenient for me to dropoff the day I didn't need the car anymore (because of their open/close hours). I ended up paying an extra $20 to park it at my hotel and then dropped it off around 4pm-ish the next day.

 

[bumbershoot]

Geemo, renting from a smaller place like Burbank is also driving up your rental cost.

OP, the DTD Alamo is right there. There's also an Alamo National Enterprise on Katella. I personally have never found there to be a difference in cost between the two.

Rental car costs vary wildly from exact trip to exact trip. Gotta do each trip's math. And do it before choosing the airport, imo.

 

[Pamela M]

Only renting the car for a day or 2 will also drive up the cost for your rental. I'm renting a standard size car for a week for $208(that includes taxes) plus a $20 costco cash card. I only need the car for 6 days but if I returned a day earlier it was an additional $100! The place I'm staying has free parking so I don't have to worry about paying for parking.

Also I checked the Costco site regularly to get the best deal. Originally I had a SUV for $278 that I booked in May in August the price dropped to the cost I got above(but just on one particular day). The next day the price had jumped $50. So I've found you just have to keep looking and you might be able to get a better deal.

 

[elaine amj]

Also, although I flew into Burbank, it was cheaper to take an uber to the offsite place (5-10 mins away) and then get my car vs renting onsite from Burbank airport. i think I saved something like $50?

 

[bumbershoot]

Also, although I flew into Burbank, it was cheaper to take an uber to the offsite place (5-10 mins away) and then get my car vs renting onsite from Burbank airport. i think I saved something like $50?

Definitely always check all the transportation costs! The only absolute with car rentals is that there are no absolutes.


I once destroyed all savings from flying into ONT because I assumed the pricing structure for super shuttle was the same as at LAX and SNA. I didn't price it out ahead of time.

 

[SteveMP]

Definitely always check all the transportation costs! The only absolute with car rentals is that there are no absolutes.


I once destroyed all savings from flying into ONT because I assumed the pricing structure for super shuttle was the same as at LAX and SNA. I didn't price it out ahead of time.

Yeah its crazy. When i was looking to rent a car in Orlando near my hotel and drop off at MCO, most places were $80-90, but if I take an uber to MCO and rent it and return there, its around $30.

 

[smartlabelprint]

It was more through Costco.
I thought it was high too.
Booked with Alamo using the Costco code for 10-2@9am to 10-2@10:30pm = $89.50 ($16.99 is insurance)
I tried all kinds of timelines to get a better rate. this was the best
Seems the rates drop when you book over a Sat night.

I did a full day rental. Overnight. 24 hours. Then I just returned it when I was done. They didn't charge extra for returning early.

I never buy the insurance. My credit card has insurance on it. Check with your cc co. Or even your personal car insurance company.

 

[StormyCA]

Definitely always check all the transportation costs! The only absolute with car rentals is that there are no absolutes.


I once destroyed all savings from flying into ONT because I assumed the pricing structure for super shuttle was the same as at LAX and SNA. I didn't price it out ahead of time.

Super Shuttle from ONT is stupid expensive!!! I think the rates will start to drop now that Uber/Lyft are allowed to pickup at ONT.

That's a steal! i was surprised in general with how expensive Cali rental rates are - much more expensive than Orlando.

I needed a one way rental during my California trip in 2015. Both Hertz and Avis didn't charge for one way. These were the best rates I could find (and I checked multiple coupons/discounts, including Costco):

Reservation #1:
Booked: March 2015 for July 2015 trip
Hertz 1 week intermediate vehicle. pick up San Jose (offsite), drop off Anaheim. $314 incl all taxes and fees (watch for that - the car was only $282), AAA discount.

Reservation #2:
Booked: June 17 2015 for July 10 2015 pickup
Hertz 1 week intermediate vehicle, pick up Burbank (offsite), dropoff Anaheim. $249.85 incl all taxes and fees. AAA discount + $20 coupon from Hertz website

Reservation #3:
Booked: June 17 2015 for July 10 pickup
Avis 1 week convertible, pick up Burbank (offsite), dropoff Anaheim. $356.09 incl all taxes and fees. Maybe AAA discount? I forget. I also used a $30 off coupon from somewhere.

For my dropoff, I ended somewhere about a 15? min walk away. It was very close to the Cheesecake Factory, so we happily ate there and then walked back. Also, it didn't work out to be convenient for me to dropoff the day I didn't need the car anymore (because of their open/close hours). I ended up paying an extra $20 to park it at my hotel and then dropped it off around 4pm-ish the next day.

Someone keeps good cost records!!!!! Glad I'm not the only one! I have cost records for every trip since 2012 saved on my lap top. And that's a great rate for a convertible. I'm sure the rates are more now, but I've always wanted to rent one and have never gotten a cost that I felt was reasonable.

 

[elaine amj]

Someone keeps good cost records!!!!! Glad I'm not the only one! I have cost records for every trip since 2012 saved on my lap top. And that's a great rate for a convertible. I'm sure the rates are more now, but I've always wanted to rent one and have never gotten a cost that I felt was reasonable.

Haha - I try to keep records in my evernote. This particular one was put together to answer a question right here on the disboards some time ago

And yes, the convertible was a dream come true. Way back when I was 10, my parents had taken me to Cali and at some point, we had a rented convertible. That is one of my very few memories of that trip and I LOVED it. So when it came time to take my family back, I thought it would be super cool - but never considered it since it is usually stupid expensive. When it popped up at what I felt was a reasonable price on my screen, I jumped on it. It turned out to be absolutely fabulous and a memory my kids will never forget - tooling along the California coastline with the top rolled down.

It sure was tight on luggage space though! We could only bring 1 carry on and 2 backpacks and everything had to fit in there. Access to a washing machine at least 2x during our trip was essential

 

[Geemo]

I did a full day rental. Overnight. 24 hours. Then I just returned it when I was done. They didn't charge extra for returning early.

I never buy the insurance. My credit card has insurance on it. Check with your cc co. Or even your personal car insurance company.

I know there are a few ways to save on the overall cost. But that also comes with added time to get the car.
We fly into BUR and I want the FASTEST time possible to USH. Once my two DGD's-20 are done touring USH, I'll drive to DLR.
Doing it this way I only have to drive one way for their day at USH. Score for me!!

With the LA traffic, I felt I wanted the insurance. I wouldn't want to have to deal with the details of an accident.
If something happens I just hand them the keys and say "Sorry".

Alamo was my choice due to their "After Hours Return" and the location to GCH where we are staying. So I pay for convenience on this one.

Geemo

Maybe I should look into a convertible for our Girls Trip...

 

[SteveMP]

I know there are a few ways to save on the overall cost. But that also comes with added time to get the car.
We fly into BUR and I want the FASTEST time possible to USH. Once my two DGD's-20 are done touring USH, I'll drive to DLR.
Doing it this way I only have to drive one way for their day at USH. Score for me!!

With the LA traffic, I felt I wanted the insurance. I wouldn't want to have to deal with the details of an accident.
If something happens I just hand them the keys and say "Sorry".

Alamo was my choice due to their "After Hours Return" and the location to GCH where we are staying. So I pay for convenience on this one.

Geemo

Maybe I should look into a convertible for our Girls Trip...

To be honest i usually get the insurance because of parking lots. Especially at amusement parks and parking structures. I've seen kids just push car doors open without thinking. They're kids.

 

[Glynis4]

It was more through Costco.
I thought it was high too.
Booked with Alamo using the Costco code for 10-2@9am to 10-2@10:30pm = $89.50 ($16.99 is insurance)
I tried all kinds of timelines to get a better rate. this was the best
Seems the rates drop when you book over a Sat night.

Just keep checking the rates. I had been looking through Costco and directly through Alamo - one day Alamo was in the $80 range (1 day rental nov 5), the next week it was $32. Costco was more. Car rental rates can really fluctuate.