Dollar or Thrifty?

[dpuck1998]

I made reservations for my stay in October with both dollar and thrifty. Thrifty is about 50 bucks cheaper for the same car. However, it says "off-site" Has anyone used either company and is it a big deal to use Thrifty over Dollar based on where you pick up the car?

Thanks,

 

[MickaMaizie]

I would go with the Dollar at the MCO location. Less hassle if money isn't a concern.

 

[dpuck1998]

Originally posted by MickaMaizie
I would go with the Dollar at the MCO location. Less hassle if money isn't a concern.

What do you know...loser!!

 

[dpuck1998]

anyone? Bueller?

 

[cranbiz]

My trip to Orlando a week ago, Dollar using the mousesavers codes was actually better than Thrifty, and Dollar being onsite was a plus.

 

[SB in KY]

I would go with Dollar....if you join their Fastlane program (free sign up on line) you get a special counter line (no wait) and when you join they send you a coupon for a free upgrade, so that might help you recoup some of the $50 price diff.

Thrifty is off site and we only rented from them once at MCO about 3 or 4 years ago. Did not have to wait too long for the shuttle (maybe 10 minutes), but then the shuttle picked up like 6 other people at various stops before going to the lot and then there was a massive line...ended up being almost 2 hours from the time we got off the plane until we were in the car. Plus we lost another extra hour or so with the drop off....almost missed our flight because it took so long to get back to the airport.

Like I said it was several years ago and others may have had better experiences. I rent from Thrifty fairly often in other places, I have never had a problem with their cars or anything...it's just that I hate to waste ANY of my WDW vacation time standing in rental car lines!! If $$$ was super tight it might be worth the trade off.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

OK. I've been trolling the rental car sites and i can get a 4 day compact from Thrifty for $78 using the WMRT code. I joined their Blue Chip program, so I should be able to bypass any lines.

A compact thru Dollar for the same dates $91 using MAG (I ordered my MagiCard today). I submitted an application to join FastLane, but they are upgrading the system and won't process applications until Tuesday 10/5.

The question is which one should I go with? Should I book Thrifty to save the $13? Or should I book Dollar b/c it's in the terminal? And if I book Dollar now, can I add my FastLane # later?

BTW, we'll be landing at MCO just before 8am on a Thursday morning, should I try to avoid using the BeeLine and go 417 instead. The reason I'm asking is that is it difficult to go from Thrifty to 417?

Thanks.

 

[SB in KY]

For $50 difference in price even I would have to go with Thrifty...but for $13....no way!! Stick with Dollar....plus when your Fastlane stuff comes in the mail it will have a free upgrade coupon so for your $13 you will get an intermediate or larger car. It just isn't worth the hassle of shuttling back and forth for $13.

 

[BigTigger]

I was there two weeks back and the Alamo rates were the best around and they are in the terminal. They sell out on occasion, but I only spent $130 for a week rental on a mid-size. They are also onsite at Disney if you have any car issues. We had two minvan rentals from Dollar in August that had "issues". To swap for a van without "issues", we either had to go back to the airport or down I-Drive past the convention center. Not too convenient when both tail lights burned out a few days after arrival (van #1) or power windows won't go down after a rain storm (van #2).

Here's the link I got the cheap rates from:

http://www.rentalcarmomma.com/cities/orlando.htm

As far as getting out of the airport without taking a toll road, you can get to Sand Lake Road with a good map and some patience by going out the north entrance and taking a left at the first light after you pass over the toll road.

 

[cruise-o-matic]

OK, I checked Alamo and their rates are the same as Dollar's.

Should I go w/Alamo instead b/c they are onsite at Disney? Are there any perks to joining their club?

I know they use the same cars as Natiopnal, but National's rates are around $110.

 

[drp4video]

I always use DOllar, but for Christmas I am getting a rate of about $500 for a compact for 20 days. THrifty has a code and the rate is $185, so unless Dollar drops, or any other on side comes close, I am going with Thrifty.

 

[my3kids]

I just got a special Disney Visa offer for extra reward points on Alamo rentals.

 

[robinb]

I rented through Thrify in August and was very happy with them. The downside is having to take the shuttle to/from the agency. However, the shuttle was waiting for us both ways and the ride is pretty short. The staff was very friendly and my wait was very short. They did try to sell me insurance, but it wasn't a real hard sell.

Thrify is also on the north side of the airport and I ended up taking the Bee Line into Orlando instead of my regular route of 417. Depending on the time of day, I would probably drive back through the airport to get to 417 to avoid that awful section of I-4 between the Bee Line and WDW.

If I was saving a lot of money, I would use Thrify again without hesitation. However, I would pay a little bit more for the convenience of an onsite agency (We have a bad habit of cutting things a bit close ) and being able to pick out the car I want. A $50 savings would send me to Thrify. A $30 would not.

 

[toystorymom]

We are also holding a reservation for Thrifty for around Christmas and the price beats any of the onsite companies by hundreds of dollars! I really can't believe how high Alamo, National, etc are running for that week. One quote I got for a minivan was for over $700 for 8 days!

We have only rented from Alamo in the past and really enjoyed the onsite convenience and choosing our own car but unless some better deals come out we'll be giving Thrifty a try. I'm hopeful all will go well, there have been alot of positive reviews of them around here lately.