One-way car rental from WDW to Port Canaveral (got some questions)

[Rebecca Pocahontas]

I've been looking into the transfers from a WDW hotel to Port Canaveral and I was thinking of doing the Disney transfers but then I was reading about how they don't pick you up until at least after 11am which means you don't get to the cruise until 1 or 2 pm. I would kind of like to have as much time as possible on the ship.

So I was looking into one-way car rentals. There are 3 of us and I checked out the price for the car rental both ways and it comes up about $75 cheaper to rent car. We've rented a car from WDW before, but I've never done a one-way car rental.

Has anyone done this before instead of the Disney transfers to get to the port earlier?
How does a one-way car rental work? Especially on the way back to the airport?
Is there any other way to get to the cruise port earlier that is still affordable?

 

[Chris86]

I did it on our last cruise. Rented from Alamo and Budget, both were super easy. Picked it up at the airport drove to Port Canaveral, stayed the night, and took it to the return lot the next morning. They shuttled us right to the port dropoff as soon as the port gates opened. When we got off the ship we got right on a shuttle right outside the exit doors after about a 10 minute wait. Then drove back to the airport and dropped it. Most of the rental lots are within 10 minutes of the port.

 

[bumbershoot]

I did it on our last cruise. Rented from Alamo and Budget, both were super easy. Picked it up at the airport drove to Port Canaveral, stayed the night, and took it to the return lot the next morning. They shuttled us right to the port dropoff as soon as the port gates opened. When we got off the ship we got right on a shuttle right outside the exit doors after about a 10 minute wait. Then drove back to the airport and dropped it. Most of the rental lots are within 10 minutes of the port.

Same experience!

You can also get Alamo or National from the Car Care Center or from the Swan and Dolphin. Prices might be different than at the airport. Price it out for your cruise.

 

[lds0191]

We have rented a car from Doubletree Lake Buena Vista before when we were staying at WDW then on to a cruise. They picked us up at our hotel and drove us to Doubletree to pick up the rental car. I think it was Budget but can't swear to it. We drove to PC, dropped off the rental and took the rental agency's shuttle to the ship. Super easy and for the 3 of us a lot cheaper then Disney transportation. Plus, we were able to stop on the way and pick up adult beverages It has been quite a few years but Doubletree does still show a car rental desk as one of their amenities ans I would hope they still offer pick up from your hotel.

 

[LoveMickey]

We rent a car each time due to the issues you mention (late pick up) and I find with more than 3 people, it's cheaper to rent a car then do Disney Transfers. that being said, we do take Disney transportation back at the end of the cruise. At the end of the cruise it is less hassle and there is little or no wait for the bus to take off at the end of the cruise. (we go back to WDW for a day or 2). We use Budget, which I have found has been giving the best prices the last couple of years, but you should shop around.

 

[mmouse37]

We have done it many times. Alamo/National/Enterprise are one agency located pretty close to the port. We have always used Avis, Budget, Thrifty/Dollar. Each has their pros and cons and each could be super easy to use or have long lines. It really is hit or miss and I can't say one is significantly better than another. I price them all out and usually go by price. Last time we did a one way rental we rental from Alamo as it was the best price at the time.

If you have Costco I have found they come consistently cheaper than the others and they also give you an upfront price including all the taxes. They also include a free second driver. If you price out rental directly at agency website realize that the initial price you see is just the rental cost and when you click further you see the total price including taxes and fees which add a ton to the price. I like that Costco shows the total upfront.

When dropping the car at the port you can either drop car off first and all take the shuttle to the port or some like to drop people and luggage off at the port and one person return the car and hop the shuttle to port. Just depends on what you are comfortable with. It is easier sometimes to fit one person on the shuttle with no luggage than 4 people with luggage that's why some drop off luggage and people first. Your party can wait for you at the terminal.

MJ

 

[Capt_BJ]

Uber XL will run about $115

door to door
no waiting for shuttles
no worries about filling car with gas or dealing with tolls

but no grocery stop (unless you negotiate something with the driver)

 

[Marc D]

Like PP, I would consider Uber/Lyft. No tolls to pay, no picking up and returning the car.

 

[Husker Mike]

Run the numbers on your entire trip; weekly reservations are going to be cheaper than multiple single days.

In fact, on a Universal -> 4 night Cruise -> Disney World trip, I found the best deal for our family of 4 was Lyft to Universal, renting a car at Budget near Universal, paying to park at the port, and then driving to Disney and then back to the airport to return the vehicle. Looked at all of my options, including car the entire trip, two one way rentals, Lyft to the port and back, etc... Will continue to monitor all of the options to see if anything changes, of course.

 

[bumbershoot]

Run the numbers on your entire trip; weekly reservations are going to be cheaper than multiple single days.

Always run the numbers, but the one absolute in car rental costs is that there are no absolutes.

I have tried to get a longer rental+port parking to work and it’s been much much higher than the single day rentals for my cruise trips.