Never Rented a Car Before!

[wearegoingtowdw]

Hello all! We have never rented a car on vacation before. what can we expect to pay for a 7 day rental, on a car large enough to accommodate 2 adults and 3 children (one in a carseat). We will be flying into Orlando (MCO). I have done TONS of research (as usual) on all of the discounts available and how to get them, but I don't know what the average price should be so I can determine if I am getting a good deal. I have a reservation with Hertz through AAA for a Fullsize at $211.00 everything included. It's a great deal but they are offsite and it says you need to take a shuttle to another location. Has anyone ever done this and what would it entail? Is it going to be difficult with 3 small kids and all of our "stuff"? lol...I don't even know where to begin as far as choosing a company but I do know I love a good deal! I have tried a lot of the discount tactics but haven't been able to beat that price. Just don't like the idea of going on the shuttle. As always, your help is appreciated!

 

[iluveeyore]

Are you going to be travelling off site from Disney? If not, I would just use the free transportation Disney provides. The Magical Express is free and wonderful - we used to pay for the shuttle service, and for a family of five, we were dishing out over $100 each trip just for that. Taking the ME is easy and stress free - let someone else figure out how to get to your resort, and take care of your luggage - wonderful! We always rent a car for one day just to do a grocery run and get some cheap souvenirs at Walmart, and Alamo is at the Car Care Centre and has a shuttle pick you up and drop you off at your resort - we had a full-size car reserved and got a free upgrad to a small SUV and paid $30 for 24 hours - I think gas cost us $7.
Disney has buses, boats and monorail to get you wherever you need to go for no charge, and with the price of gas this is a real bonus.
If you're travelling off site a lot, then you will need a rental car.

 

[wearegoingtowdw]

Oh sorry, we have a timeshare. This is our first year staying off site.

 

[RyJMom]

We have a full size reserved for 7 nights in April through Dollar for $119 w/all the taxes it shows $158. I used the Kiss2 code found on Mousesavers. My understanding is that Dollar is onsite. I don't think it would be a big deal to me if they were offsite - just hop a shuttle to the location.