We are going to be in Florida from Saturday thru Thursday morning before our 3 day cruise - is it easier (not necessarily cheaper when factoring in the parking charges) to just get a 8 day rental and park the car at the port during the cruise rather than get a 4 or 5 day rental and then a 1 day rental after the cruise? Seems like it would save time with no shuttles to deal with and waiting in line at the car rental agency after the cruise. I'm satisfied with the 8 day rental price I obtained. Do many park at the port on a 3 day cruise? I have not shopped the rates for two one way rentals and possible drop-off charges with some companies, but do not think it will be much cheaper than the 8 day rental I have on a full-size for $ 177.00, plus parking charges of $ 45.
You just hit the nail on the head....it will be easier to leave the car in the lot. To know whether the convenience is worth the cost, you'll have to look at the cost of one way rentals. For my December cruise, I got a new code last night. My $40 rental is now under $30 for a 24 hour rental on the way to the port. That's total, with all taxes, etc for a small car. I could have gotten a full sized vehicle for $3 more. The shuttle is little or no hassle on the way TO the port, it can be a little hassle on the way home as there are many people waiting. Budget and Thrifty each run 2 shuttles on cruise days. As far as I know, Thrifty is the only company with drop off fees. You really need to look at the cost of one way rentals to make the decision. In addition, if you are dropping off and picking up at MCO, you might want to look at the cost thru Priceline or Hotwire; they don't do one way rentals.
A 5 day rental is usually the same price as a 7 day weekly rental so you are probably going to be pricing out your rental to be just about the same cost, you just need to figure in the cost of parking. If it's the same price either way I'd keep the car and pay for parking much easier that way.
