Please help a novice with car rental at MCO

[Mirabelle]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can help me understand the car rental process. I've read through many threads and also looked at a few websites but I just want to make sure that I understand.

There are 2 adults and 3 children in our group. We will have two large suitcases and 5 carry-on suitcases plus a stroller. Our vacation is November 30-December 7, 2011.

Do I need to make a reservation before I arrive at MCO? If I reserve in advance, what website would be the best to make a reservation?

Do I need to buy the insurance or will my auto insurance cover me while driving a rental?

Can I bring my child's carseat rather than rent a carseat?

What size car would you recommend for a family of five?

We have a 7:00 a.m. return flight---will the car rental place be open at that time for my return?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have used a car service for past trips but I think that the flexibility of a rental car may be better for us.

Thank you so much.

 

[schoen]

Hi! I can answer some, but not all of your questions.

You CAN rent a car without making a reservation, but you will have no say in the price whatsoever, so I would always make a reservation ahead of time. There is also the possibility that the size car you are looking for might not be available.

There are a few site that are good for booking rental cars. My favorites are carrentalsavers.com and autoslash.com. They will both give you the best prices available to be booked, and autoslash will continue to check for discounts once your reservation has been made.

You can also get good rates on the websites for each car company. You can check different discounts and codes out by looking at these boards or by going to www.mousesavers.com. You can also just google search for car rental discount codes.

It is hard to say what size car would be best for your family. I think that is something only YOU can answer, since you know what your needs are better than anyone else.

I will say that you should always book the smallest car you are willing to take, and not assume you will get an upgrade. If you need a full sized, book it! Don't book a mid size and hope there is an upgrade available!

Have fun!

 

[schoen]

Don't buy the insurance, or at least check with your auto insurance and see if it covers you, but everyone has always told me not to get the insurance.

The car rentals at the airport are all open 24 hours a day, so your return flight will not be an issue.

 

[robinb]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can help me understand the car rental process. I've read through many threads and also looked at a few websites but I just want to make sure that I understand.

I'll give it a try .

There are 2 adults and 3 children in our group. We will have two large suitcases and 5 carry-on suitcases plus a stroller. Our vacation is November 30-December 7, 2011.

Yikes! WAY too many bags for a week unless the carry-ons are backpacks. In any case, you will need a minimum of a Full Size car.

Do I need to make a reservation before I arrive at MCO? If I reserve in advance, what website would be the best to make a reservation?

Yes. You can start here: http://www.carrentalsavers.com/index.html . Click on the "Florida" link. It looks like Alamo has a full size car for $129 for your week with taxes and fees. You might also want to check out the December Car Rental thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2797924 .

Do I need to buy the insurance or will my auto insurance cover me while driving a rental?

Your own insurance should cover you, but don't take my word on it. Call them and ask.

Can I bring my child's carseat rather than rent a carseat?

Yes! Your car seat should not count against your luggage allotment. If your child is young enough I would just have him/her ride in it on the plane.

What size car would you recommend for a family of five?

At least a full size car. They have 5 seats plus what we call "3 body trunks" which will hold all your luggage.

We have a 7:00 a.m. return flight---will the car rental place be open at that time for my return?

Yes.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have used a car service for past trips but I think that the flexibility of a rental car may be better for us.

Thank you so much.

Once you choose your car rental company, join their frequent renters club so you don't have to go to the counter, especially if it's Alamo or National.

 

[kwdw]

Hello. I am hoping that someone can help me understand the car rental process. I've read through many threads and also looked at a few websites but I just want to make sure that I understand.

There are 2 adults and 3 children in our group. We will have two large suitcases and 5 carry-on suitcases plus a stroller. Our vacation is November 30-December 7, 2011.

Do I need to make a reservation before I arrive at MCO? If I reserve in advance, what website would be the best to make a reservation?

Do I need to buy the insurance or will my auto insurance cover me while driving a rental?

Can I bring my child's carseat rather than rent a carseat?

What size car would you recommend for a family of five?

We have a 7:00 a.m. return flight---will the car rental place be open at that time for my return?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. We have used a car service for past trips but I think that the flexibility of a rental car may be better for us.

Thank you so much.

1) Yes - you should make a reservation. There's a slim chance you could get a better deal last minute at the airport - but without a reservation - you could also pay an extremely high price. I like Expedia for pricing, but individual company sites also sometimes have specials. My credit union has a discount rate - but I've most commonly used a special rate I've been able to get through my Costco membership. And - you never know what size car will be available if you don't have a reservation. And check mousesavers.

2) If you plan to travel on the plane with your child in a car seat, then bring it with you. If you were not bringing it on the plane - well - check rental prices vs. the hassle of lugging it around. Depending on your airline - it's likely a car-seat can be checked for free - but it might get a little damage that way.... Sounds like you might have your hands full - so it is one more large item to get to/from in your travels.

3) For a family of five - you will probably need at least an intermediate car because you have to be able to put three with a car seat in the back seat. Look at the "examples" of cars for each company and imagine if you can get everything in the trunk or not. An umbrella stroller and a kid's size carry on suitcase pack are alot smaller than a full size stroller and a full-size carry-on suitcase - so it's hard to understand the VOLUME of your luggage. You might need bigger.

4) Insurance - check your car insurance and your credit cards - you are probably already covered insurance wise for the car. You do NOT want to buy this if you don't have to.

5) Don't worry about the times of arrival/departure - it's 24 hours at the airport.

Good luck!

 

[hushupu]

E-Z Rent a Car is 125.00 a week for a full size. I have used them before they are pretty good. The line at MCO is usually short and you get a Nissan Altima. This is a pretty nice car. For $7 more you can get an SUV(Hyundai Santa Fe) for the week. I like them because I have been on a mission for the last few years to keep our credit card balances at 0$ and they allow you to use a debit card and only hold the amount of the rental.

 

[ZellyB]

We are a family of 5 and did a full-size car for our last trip. But, with the amount of luggage you have, that might be a stretch for trunk capacity depending on what car you get. You might want to consider a minivan or SUV, but the cost is usually considerably higher than for a car.

I've also had good luck with carrentalsavers.com

 

[jnfr2424]

I also wanted to chime in about the insurance - check your credit card company. The one that I use for car rental covers insurance as well.

Also unless this has changed since August, Enterprise is not a 24hr desk.
I had a delayed flight getting into MCO ( was supposed to be there at 10pm did not arrive until 2am!!) I watched the agent at Alamo get harrassed by Enterprise customers (they left a sign that said see Alamo) the agent was so frazzled by the time he got to me that I had a choice of anything left on the lot!

 

[robinb]

E-Z Rent a Car is 125.00 a week for a full size.

That's $125 BASE PRICE, it's $196 with fees and taxes. Alamo has the same size car for $129 including fees and taxes ($81.45 base using the Walmart code "430710" and coupon "AD2359FDF").

I almost always quote with taxes and fees since they can vary.

 

[DebbieB]

We are a family of 5 and did a full-size car for our last trip. But, with the amount of luggage you have, that might be a stretch for trunk capacity depending on what car you get. You might want to consider a minivan or SUV, but the cost is usually considerably higher than for a car.

I've also had good luck with carrentalsavers.com

I agree, I think you have too much for a full size, especially with the stroller that will have to go in the trunk (unless it's an umbrella stroller). Carryons would have to be small, some would have to go on the floor in the back.

 

[Mirabelle]

Thank you to the kind people who responded.

I just have a couple of more questions and then I think that I'm ready to go ahead with the car rental.

One poster mentioned that if I joined a frequent renters' club then I wouldn't have to go to the car rental desk. Where would I go to pick up the car?

When do I pay for the car (at pick-up or drop-off)?

Our arrival flight is 9:30 a.m. Should I make my pick-up time at 9:30 a.m.? Can we be a few minutes late for pick-up or will we lose our reservation?

How much time should I plan for the drop-off? Our flight home is at 7:20 a.m. Is the drop-off process complicated? I'm worried about getting to the flight on time.


That's $125 BASE PRICE, it's $196 with fees and taxes. Alamo has the same size car for $129 including fees and taxes ($81.45 base using the Walmart code "430710" and coupon "AD2359FDF").

Regarding this post, how can I get this price? The best price that I can get when I enter my dates for a full-size (Chevrolet Impala) is $206. I have read about codes that people are using---are these public codes? Would any of the codes that I'm reading about work for me?

I really appreciate any advice that people have. Thank you very much!

 

[LWQuestie]

Some rental agencies (I've experienced it at Alamo) have a kiosk you can use instead of interacting with a human at the rental pick up desk. The benefit is mainly in the scare-tactics that they like to use to push the insurance. It's much easier to click the NO button on the screen than keep saying no no no to someone in person (particularly when you are an inexperienced renter).

You pay for the car at drop-off, but they will take an imprint of your credit card at pick-up and place a hold on some funds ($250, maybe).

Yeah, I'd make the pick up time your flight arrival time. I've never had a problem with that.

At MCO, the rental agencies are right in the airport garage, so it's a very simple process. Drive in, unload your stuff. A rental agent will be on hand to walk around the car, scan the car barcode, check the mileage and hand you the receipt. You have the opportunity to provide a different credit card for payment than held the reservation, if needed.

I'd probably plan to arrive at the airport 2 hrs before flight time (so 5:20am) to leave plenty of time to drop off the car and go through security.

For coupon codes, I recommend reading mousesavers.com or reviewing any clubs that you belong to. Costco, AAA, etc etc provide discount codes/coupons also.

 

[gmeh1]

Some rental agencies (I've experienced it at Alamo) have a kiosk you can use instead of interacting with a human at the rental pick up desk. The benefit is mainly in the scare-tactics that they like to use to push the insurance. It's much easier to click the NO button on the screen than keep saying no no no to someone in person (particularly when you are an inexperienced renter).

You pay for the car at drop-off, but they will take an imprint of your credit card at pick-up and place a hold on some funds ($250, maybe).

Yeah, I'd make the pick up time your flight arrival time. I've never had a problem with that.

At MCO, the rental agencies are right in the airport garage, so it's a very simple process. Drive in, unload your stuff. A rental agent will be on hand to walk around the car, scan the car barcode, check the mileage and hand you the receipt. You have the opportunity to provide a different credit card for payment than held the reservation, if needed.

I'd probably plan to arrive at the airport 2 hrs before flight time (so 5:20am) to leave plenty of time to drop off the car and go through security.

For coupon codes, I recommend reading mousesavers.com or reviewing any clubs that you belong to. Costco, AAA, etc etc provide discount codes/coupons also.

Some rental companies do put an additional hold on your credit card, however Alamo and National do not. The hold is for the amount of the rental only.

 

[gmeh1]

Thank you to the kind people who responded.

I just have a couple of more questions and then I think that I'm ready to go ahead with the car rental.

One poster mentioned that if I joined a frequent renters' club then I wouldn't have to go to the car rental desk. Where would I go to pick up the car?

When do I pay for the car (at pick-up or drop-off)?

Our arrival flight is 9:30 a.m. Should I make my pick-up time at 9:30 a.m.? Can we be a few minutes late for pick-up or will we lose our reservation?

How much time should I plan for the drop-off? Our flight home is at 7:20 a.m. Is the drop-off process complicated? I'm worried about getting to the flight on time.


That's $125 BASE PRICE, it's $196 with fees and taxes. Alamo has the same size car for $129 including fees and taxes ($81.45 base using the Walmart code "430710" and coupon "AD2359FDF").

Regarding this post, how can I get this price? The best price that I can get when I enter my dates for a full-size (Chevrolet Impala) is $206. I have read about codes that people are using---are these public codes? Would any of the codes that I'm reading about work for me?

I really appreciate any advice that people have. Thank you very much!

When you go to make the reservation, enter the code in the space for the code and the coupon in the space for the coupon. The code and coupon combo given to you will work for you.

If you join the frequent renters program and you allowed to bypass the counter you go straight to the garage.

When you pay for the car varies by rental companies.

 

[robinb]

Thank you to the kind people who responded.

I just have a couple of more questions and then I think that I'm ready to go ahead with the car rental.

One poster mentioned that if I joined a frequent renters' club then I wouldn't have to go to the car rental desk. Where would I go to pick up the car?

When do I pay for the car (at pick-up or drop-off)?

If you go with Alamo and join their "Insider's" Club you will give them your Driver's License and Credit Card info online. Once you get to the airport you just go to the Alamo cars in the on site parking lot and select your car from rows of cars in sections marked by rental type (size). You may pick any car from your rental type or smaller that fits your needs best. For instance, my DD *loves* HHRs and I picked one in the Compact aisle even though I paid for an Intermediate. IIRC the rental company will put a "hold" on your credit card while you have the car. You will be charged for it and receive a receipt when you return the car.

Our arrival flight is 9:30 a.m. Should I make my pick-up time at 9:30 a.m.? Can we be a few minutes late for pick-up or will we lose our reservation?

How much time should I plan for the drop-off? Our flight home is at 7:20 a.m. Is the drop-off process complicated? I'm worried about getting to the flight on time.

You can be late for your pickup. It's not a big deal since they have rows and rows of cars. I often just make my reservations for noon when we go around Christmas/NYE since I make them before I have my flights. Drop off is super easy. Just drive into the parking lot, follow the signs, unload your car, get your receipt and walk across the street to the airport. It takes no more than 15 minutes tops. If your flight is at 7:20, I would shoot to get there at about 5:30 a.m.. You'll need time to check your bags and get through Security at MCO which can be a big PITB.

That's $125 BASE PRICE, it's $196 with fees and taxes. Alamo has the same size car for $129 including fees and taxes ($81.45 base using the Walmart code "430710" and coupon "AD2359FDF").

Regarding this post, how can I get this price? The best price that I can get when I enter my dates for a full-size (Chevrolet Impala) is $206. I have read about codes that people are using---are these public codes? Would any of the codes that I'm reading about work for me?

I really appreciate any advice that people have. Thank you very much!

Yes, those are public codes. Click on "more options" from the main Alamo page and plug them into the "I.D. / Corp I.D" and "Coupon Code" respectively.

 

[Mirabelle]

Thank you so much for all of this great information. You all have helped me immensely!!

Have a great day!

 

[Lewisc]

The pre-paid gas plan is never a good deal. Return you car with a full tank of gas. You probably don't need a GPS. If you want to use a GPS bring your own. You don't have one and think you need one. Buy one.

 

[LaurenT]

The pre-paid gas plan is never a good deal. Return you car with a full tank of gas. You probably don't need a GPS. If you want to use a GPS bring your own. You don't have one and think you need one. Buy one.

Just wanted to add that you don't have to drive to the airport and then look around for a gas station?..if you fill up around Disney and then drive to the airport, it will still show up as a full tank!

 

[gmeh1]

Just wanted to add that you don't have to drive to the airport and then look around for a gas station?..if you fill up around Disney and then drive to the airport, it will still show up as a full tank!

Above all, AVOID any gas station that says Suncoast or anything with Sun in the title. They do not display their prices and they are right around 5.49-5.79 per gallon.

 

[Mirabelle]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I feel much better about renting a car now.