How much hassle to rent a car?

[FredS]

Looking to rent for all or part of our trip from MCO to Port Canaveral to WDW (Beach Club) to MCO. I feel comfortable with the trip to the port and our timing, and it is much cheaper while allowing us more flexibility. The trip to WDW and then to MCO gets a little trickier. While we are not on tight deadlines, I know myself well enough to realize that if there is a lot of time and hassle involved then I would prefer to pay more.

What are people's experiences in renting from Cape Canaveral to WDW? Any particular agency which was easier or one that you would never use again? Did you drop off at the Car Care Center or one of the hotels? (We may use a limo from WDW to MCO since the second day rental seems nearly as much as the cost of a limo, unless turning in the car at WDW is troublesome.)

How about WDW to airport: Never having driven it, I would assume that it is well-marked for tourists? Did one member drop off the others and the luggage at the airport, then turn in the car, and get shuttle or ??

Sorry for all the basic questions, but I very rarely rent a car and never have on vacation. Thanks!!

 

[BobH]

I have no experience with renting car for travel between Canaveral & WDW but renting cars in general is not a big deal. I would research the rates for the size car you prefer by signing up for emails from http://www.travelocity.com or just checking the rates with the individual company web sites. Use a discount code if you are eligible - examples are AAA, AARP etc. Read the rental car company's website to see if you have to pay for an extra driver - such as your wife. Always re-check rates online and cancel your car rental and reserve again if rates drop. I will use AVIS vs National when rates are equal because Avis does not make me hand over more money for my wife to be able to drive. Above all check your personal auto insurance to make sure you understand what you are covered for. I don't buy the car insurance from the car rental company. I rely on my personal auto insurance for liability in case of law suit and I rely on a Citibank Gold Credit Card to cover whatever deductible I might be liable for and any "loss of use charges" the rental car company might try to collect if their car gets damaged while I am using it. But you must understand your credit card's rules also. Not all cards cover you in the same manner for car rentals. Understanding the insurance issue and dealing with "some" rental car agents that want you to buy their insurance is the biggest issue and potential hassle when renting. As far as dropping the car off I would keep all people with you and just allow yourself 30 extra minutes to drop the car and get the shuttle to the airport. if at all possible rent from an agency that has cars right at MCO. Check MCO's website for the list.Good Luck!

 

[FredS]

I would definitely only rent from those with an office at MCO and near the port (Budget, Hertz, Avis, National). Budget is my first choice as their rates are fantastic. I think I have the best rate, insurance and general paperwork down pat, I just don't know what to expect as far as picking up (at Cape Canaveral and WDW) and dropping off (at WDW and MCO) hassles.

My one experience in attempting to rent a car during a Disney trip was horrible. It was, if I recall, through Dollar. The lines were horrible, they sent us a loooong way to the car they assigned, which was not the type car I reserved, instead trying to put us in something tiny that I could not even fit my toddler's (at the time) car seat. (The kids and I had gone down early so I'm trying to handle them, the luggage, car seat, etc. by myself.) After the wait, the wild goose chase, the general rudeness and "don't care" attitude of the staff I told them forget it and got a town car which was fortunately available at the curb. We've either driven or done the town car since then. I just checked out the prices for renting and at least on the way to the port would save us a really significant amount of money and would enable us to get dinner, pick up any last-minute things we might have forgotten, etc.

Also, we would be picking up at 9:00 a.m. (ish) on Saturday after the cruise, and dropping off by noon at WDW (if we take that route) We could pick up very early on Sunday, or about 5:00 pm on Sunday, whichever might work best, then dropping off at about 6:00 p.m. at MCO. I realize that some days and times are significantly worse than others, and I think that some offices at WDW are not open for extended hours on the weekend, so I need to factor all of that in, too.........

 

[veruka]

We always rent a car from National at the Orlando airport.(have done this 4x in the past two years). I highly recommend them. The cars have always been clean and the whole process is really easy and stress free. The cars are located right in the parking terminal and it's a straight shot to WDW. There are two tolls, but the directions are really easy. I've driven from the airport to the Contemporary, POR, Poly, CBR and International Drive, and never had any problems. Never been to Canaveral, though, but I've heard it's easy too. Returning the car with National is a breeze, too.

Good luck!