End of Aug car rental

[Elisa]

I'm booked for a trip to Orlando from Aug 21st - Sept 1st and the car rental prices everywhere, including Priceline, are way higher than I'd like to pay. Is it because I'm checking too far out or is that a really busy time of year in orlando. I know it's a slow time for Disney. Any suggestions on how to book or who to book with for great rate? I'm hoping to get $350 or less for 11 days. Is that unreasonable? Thanks for any help!!!

 

[wdwrich]

I find the best deals on car rentals usually can be found a month or less out from your dates. Not to say there aren't exceptions, but that's generally when I find the best rates/codes/coupons.

 

[SandyinMonterey]

I don't know if you're staying @ a WDW resort, if so, consider using the Magical Express. Picks you up at the airport, gets luggage for you and brings it to your room. It will also take you back to airport. Now that being said, we would always get a rental car. My husband prefers it. But I convinced him to try the ME to save $. I think as a general rule, the farther you book out, the better the deal. Right now I'm trolling rental cars (usually Avis) for a trip this summer. We didn't have solid dates so I never booked but when I started looking, prices were in the high $500's to $600's for two weeks and now it's over $1000 (going in July). But I trolled some more and noticed if I put in earlier dates (other than when we will be going), prices were almost cut in half. It helps if you have a frequent user card with a rental company and Costco now has rental car service (used them and it saved a little). I must say that when we did have a rental car while @ WDW, we didn't get the use out of it when it comes to cost. The transportation system @ WDW is good, it just takes a little longer to get from point A to point B. But when you have a rental car going from say your hotel to Downtown Disney, you fight the traffic and it's so difficult to get a parking space. I'm so glad my husband is on board about NOT getting a car when we go next year.

 

[wdwrich]

Just wanted to add that almost every car rental company will have a "Last minute deals" section on their web site. If you are within a couple of weeks of your travel date, you can sometimes find great deals there.

The pp makes some good points about using Disney transportation if you're staying in a Disney resort on-site. If you stay off-site a car is a must. Another time when a rental is worth its' weight in gold is traveling between resort hotels at night for dinners or entertainment. Disney transportation is primarily designed to get folks to/from their resort and the theme parks. Traveling between resort hotels (other than the ones on the monorail) on Disney transport, can be a real pain and a huge time waster.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I'm booked for a trip to Orlando from Aug 21st - Sept 1st and the car rental prices everywhere, including Priceline, are way higher than I'd like to pay. Is it because I'm checking too far out or is that a really busy time of year in orlando. I know it's a slow time for Disney. Any suggestions on how to book or who to book with for great rate? I'm hoping to get $350 or less for 11 days. Is that unreasonable? Thanks for any help!!!

I have always gotten a pretty great rate thru Alamo/BJ's a least 5-6 months before our trip. But this year, I fee like the rate I have on hold is just ok (we're there from 8/18-8/25 and we got $280 total for an SUV). I'm finding the prices to be much higher this time around.

 

[travelcoupons]

Just wanted to add that almost every car rental company will have a "Last minute deals" section on their web site. If you are within a couple of weeks of your travel date, you can sometimes find great deals there.

Here's link for those: http://www.rentalcodes.com/last_minute.html .

Book the best rate you can find now, check for better deals periodically as you can always cancel & rebook. The last minute deals (if any) will come out about 2 weeks prior to your travel dates.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

You haven't mentioned what size of a car you are seeking. That will make a big difference on price. You also haven't mentioned specific pick up and drop off times, which can also affect the final total.

Using the KLM Flying Blue discount with National (its a free program to join, and open to anyone) found in this thread:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2878667

an economy car (with a August 21 12 noon pick up and September 21 12 noon drop off) is $335.16 including all taxes, fees, and additional insurance coverages. A compact is $359.51 and a midsize is $375.77. If a coupon comes out before your travel date (which I am sure it will), then your price would be reduced down even further when the coupon is applied to your reservation. I currently have a midsize SUV with National using the KLM Flying Blue code and a coupon from the Entertainment Book for a grand total of $255 for 8 days (August 23 - 31).

This thread is a good resource, and includes several different discounts you could try (its for August car rental codes):

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2982862