Emerald Aisle at MCO

[lynaaron]

How lucky have any of you been with the inventory of the EA in Orlando? Do they usually have a good selection? My wife and kids and the inlaws (8 total) are going in a few weeks so I reserved 2 cars and am hoping for at least one cool car (SUV or convertable). Thanks...

 

[BigDaddy1]

I am also interested in all of the feedback on this issue. We are going down in September.

We are arriving about 9:00PM, so I do not expect much. Although who really knows....

 

[lucky dog]

lynaaron,

I also have a large family and have been considering reserving two cars.
But I am the only one the has a Emerald Club card. Did you have any problems reserving two cars at one time???

thanks

 

[lynaaron]

Actually my wife and I both have cards, so it wasn't a problem with us. However, I think I could've reserved two cars and just have my wife drive one and I drive the other. There is a $5 surcharge for a second driver, but the charge is waived for spouses.

 

[Jeafl]

I just posted this on another thread as well. The choice was very disappointing when we were there. There were 11 Pickup trucks and 4 LeSabres. That's it. I asked the attendant if any more cars were coming in soon, and he just said "Nope". Not very helpful at all. It was so hot and we had so much luggage that we just grabbed the first LeSabre we came to. Big mistake. It was filthy and the windshield had so many dead bugs on it we had to stop at the first gas station we came to to wash it so we could see. Nobody's fault but our own--we could have checked out a few others. We just assumed they would be clean. One word of caution though--allow a lot of extra time when returning the car. We almost missed our flight coming home because the attendant checking us in overcharged us by more than $80. We had to go inside and stand in line for quite a while to get it straightened out. The parking lot attendants are not authorized to correct errors.

 

[CarolA]

Cool cars are NOT guaranteed on the aisle! If they can rent them at their normally high rates then they will not put them on the aisle!

 

[sgtdisney]

My advice is to go to the Emerald Aisle expecting exactly what you reserved. If you get something nicer it will be a pleasant surprise.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

well said Sgt.
If you don't find what you reserved, you speak to an attendant, nicely, and they will let you select something off the corresponding aisle. IE: full size NOT on aisle, then you will be allowed to go to the full size area.
Maybe if you adopt the attitude of being REALLY nice, they will upgrade you. It does happen, but, not with the "you owe me " attitude.

 

[lynaaron]

Actually guys, the whole point of the Emerald Aisle is that you do have a greater selection than just Intermediate to Full Size. It is a benefit that National provides, for a fee I might add, to generate more business. So I do expect more than the Full size that I have a reservation for. I simply wanted to know how the inventory was in Orlando, I've used the EA in other locations and been very satisfied.

 

[Lewisc]

lynaaron
Actually, if you look at Nationals website, an extra free upgrade to a "cool" car is not listed as a benefit. The rate structure usually gives you a free upgrade from intermediate to full (check both rates, usually the same price). The benefits National cites are the gas plan,no counter waits etc. The potential upgrade to SUV and minivan is a benefit mainly promoted on this site NOT ON NATIONAL'S WEBSITE. As someone else posted, if National has extra cars, vans they don't think they can rent at regular price they'll put them in the EA. Most of the people in this forum didn't pay for EC and we don't pay an extra for National EA service than we normally would for an on airport property rental agency. EC was originally promoted as a service to business travelers to allow them to rent their car faster.
People who need a mini-van should make sure to reserve a mini-van.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Lewis,
Very well put, and, IMHO, defines what Emerald Aisle is and is not.

 

[LvsTnk]

Rented in Mar. and in July after midnight. First time we got a mini-van and there were
several on the isle as well as SUV's and 1 convertible. In July many many Intrepids, I was a little nervous about the trunk size but it was rather large. I was not at all unhappy with either car, just happy to skip the counter!

**Thanks Sgt.Disney for the limo info, everything worked out great!

 

[MinnieMe2]

We were very happy with EA on our Feb. trip. We've reserved a car for next week and are hoping to find something larger than the intermediate we've reserved because at the last minute DS and a friend decided they'd go with us. They're coming down the day after we arrive, so we shouldn't have any trouble getting them to the hotel. But getting six of us, plus luggage, back to the airport might be problematic. If we don't luck out and find a mini-van, we'll just have to make arrangements for either the shuttle or the limo to take the boys to the airport the day we leave.

 

[Lewisc]

MinnieMe2
Frequently the rate for a full size car and intermediate is the same (free upgrade built into the program). You might try to change your reservation to a full size car. That would also allow you to pick a car from the full size aisle. 6 people may not fit in the intermediate if you use it during your stay. I agree, with luggage you may wind up have 2 people take Mears to the airport if you don't get a minivan.

 

[MikeP]

We just got home and were VERY satisfied, though our experience may have been the exception at MCO. When we arrived on 7-10 @ about 5pm, all they had was minivans, literally about 20 of them. Ours was very clean, I have never had an issue with National on my cars cleanliness. When we returned it took about 3 minutes and the charge for my used fuel was @ $1.4? a gallon. I think the person that suggested expecting what you reserve and hoping for something better made the best suggestion. We expected a F/S, while hoping for a convertible but were very happy with the minivan. Interestingly all those minivans had either NY or NJ plates so there may have been a reason why they had so many vans.

 

[jfulcer]

Every time that I've gone down, I've been able to have my choice of cars, and I've done it maybe 8 times or so. Every time I had either an Intrepid class car or minivan.

We had one bad experience on our last april trip - when we got there, there were 3 or 4 cars on the aisle, one marked resvered, and the others were all locked with no keys. The attendant told us "go the the aisle you reserved and take a car from there". So here we were trying to cram our luggage into the car and new cars started appearing on the aisle. There were like 4 other families waiting for EA cars too. I saw a van drive up and told him to not even turn off the iginition, we'd load it right up - which we did. I dunno if it was all of us complaining or just luck, but it seemed like they listened when there were no cars. As we got in line to check out our van, there must have been already 4-5 vans and 3 or so SUV's that were brought in the intervening 5 mins or so. Moral? It may pay to wait a little bit to see if more cars come. it was no more than 10 mins from when I asked to when the cars started appearing. Frustating 10 mins, but they got there.

I also had a problem checking in - when they finalized the transaction, they charged it to my company card on file instead of my personal card. oops! I had to spend 25 mins inside straightening it out also. ugh!

BTW, EA is Free with Disney Club membership - another perk!

 

[BWVPam]

We have always had good luck. 1st time we rented the economy car and received an oldsmobile cutlass (very nice) Last time we rented I had reserved an intermediate car and we ended up with a premium (le sabre) We loved the car and have never had any problems with National. One time I rented an intermediate and all they had were economy. I went back inside and they told me I could take a minivan. So i guess i feel lucky.

Pam

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by LvsTnk


**Thanks Sgt.Disney for the limo info, everything worked out great!

I am glad it worked out for you!

 

[sgtdisney]

Originally posted by lynaaron
Actually guys, the whole point of the Emerald Aisle is that you do have a greater selection than just Intermediate to Full Size. It is a benefit that National provides, for a fee I might add, to generate more business. So I do expect more than the Full size that I have a reservation for. I simply wanted to know how the inventory was in Orlando, I've used the EA in other locations and been very satisfied.

If you go to EA expecting to get more than you reserve you may be disapointed. In all of the information I have received from National, no where does it state that you are quaranteed more than what you have reserved.

Here is a link to the EA benefits page

https://www.nationalcar.com/emc/emc...002c0^4.45.137.183^e7dbfccb5c&ORGANIZATION=

Hopefully you will be lucky and there will be something better than a fullsize there. It sounds like you have had this kind of luck in the past. From what I have read here on the forum more times than not people are able to find at least a premium level on the EA at MCO. I am using National next month and I am hoping for something larger than a fullsize but am fully prepared to take a full size if that is all that is there. I hope you are able to find what you are looking for.

 

[kda]

When we used EA for the first time, last September, there were only about 7 cars there at 5 PM on a Wednesday (nothing special at all). As we walked up to the aisle, we could see several nicer cars/SUVs being driven away. There's only 2 of us, so it was OK. The car we took had higher mileage and had quite a few little 'dings' and scratches -- nothing major. However, we got an incredible rate and the convenience made up for not having a pristine car. We plan to try EA again next month.