First Time renting a car....so confused....

[Pinkdiamond816]

Hi All,
Ok first time I'm thinking of renting a car for my upcoming trip in August. I am so confused and reading a number of car rental websites have not helped matters. Maybe someone here can shed some light on the situation.

Ok so I will be there from the 15th - possibly the 23rd, haven't settled on a return date yet.

The main reason for this trip is to attend a bunch of interviews & auditions in the beginning of the week, which are all held in the backstage areas which are in accessible via Disney Busses. I could take a cab back and forth as I have the pass couple of times I needed to do this, but I'm thinking it would be cost efficient and time efficient to rent a car, even if its for the first 3 or 4 days of the trip.

And I'm only 24, so I think that limits me in places I can rent a car.
I also have AAA if that means anything.

So here are my questions:
Is there a car rental place where I can pick up my car at the airport and then return it somewhere on Disney property halfway through the trip as opposed to going all the way back to the airport or keeping it the whole week.

I know that in addition to the car rental fees you have to supply a credit card to cover insurance liability and they possibly do a credit check? (according to one site anyway) What does this coverage entail? Do I need to have a credit card with enough room to cover a new car? I am an out of work actress an so my credit cards can not take much in terms of charges. Are we talking $200 of avaiable credit or $2000 of available funds.

And when is the best time to book for an August trip? I see rates now of around $60-$80 per day advertised on rental sites. Do better deals come out the closer you get or is it like air planes and prices increase the closer you get?

What company do you usually recommend for the best rates?

Thanks to those who can shed some light on the situation. I have such a headache from reading legal fine print of these websites.

 

[jctwizzer]

You can rent a car from Alamo or National at the airport and return it to the Car Care center on Disney property.....they will take you back to your disney hotel...or some place where you can catch a short cab ride to an off site hotel....you can probably do this thru AAA, but check first...its been my experience that they just put a reserve on your card for the rental, not the car. Also been my experience that the best rates are usually 6 to 8 weeks prior to your trip...depending on the size of the car, you should be under $30 perday/possibly well under for an economy car......good luck

 

[seashoreCM]

Check the rules (aka policies) for the specific rental office where you will be picking up the car. You can get a reasonably good idea of what to expect by checking those rules on the company's web site.

Some companies require that under-25 buy some of the extra coverages. Most companies have a hefty per-day surcharge for under 25.

 

[Elmo007]

1. you dont say if you are staying on disney property or not. If you are, you may do better by taking the magical express and then renting on property.

2. Enterprise has a rental site at a hotel near downtown disney. they will pick you up if you are within 10 (I think) miles. They only have limited hours though (till 4pm or so)

3. The airport and the car care center all charge extra fees taht drive up teh prices.

4. stop by a BJS club in new york and they will have a car rental brochure that has dicount coupons. also check out the entertainment book

5. as for extra insurance, they may make you take some out due to your age but if not it adds cost. there are some people who say that if they have no assest to protect, there is no reason to get insurance. BUt as a soon to be famous rich actor, that may not be a good idea.