Please help! Flying into Sanford and can't figure out transportation.

[Just Kate]

My mom, my daughter, and I are flying into the Sanford Airport next Monday, June 15. Our flight arrives at 6pm, so it may be after 8pm before we arrive at our resort at Disney World. I hoped to rent a car and just drop it off at the Car Care Center, but they close at 8pm and said that our chances wouldn't be very good of making it.

What are my other options? I have tried to call other drop off locations at Disney, but all of the numbers I have take me to the main rental location (for instance, I tried to call hertz at the Wyndham Lake Beuna Vista and it took me to the Hertz reservation line). Because I will be the one driving and dropping off, I was hoping for something simple. I've never been to WDW, so I don't really want to have to run around trying to drop the car off and then pick it up on the day we leave.

Can someone please help me??? We are getting so close to our vacation!!!

 

[Kae]

We have dropped off at LBV Palace. It is very close to the Bus Stop at the DTD Market Place. And has been cheaper than the CCC.

Kae

 

[Kae]

We used National/Alamo

 

[vicki_c]

To avoid the hassle of taking a bus from DTD to your resort (and what will you do with your luggage, you can't take it on the bus), I would just get the car and drop it off at the Car Care Center the next day.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

Our flight arrives at 6pm, so it may be after 8pm before we arrive at our resort at Disney World. I hoped to rent a car and just drop it off at the Car Care Center, but they close at 8pm and said that our chances wouldn't be very good of making it.

Don't worry about returning the car by 8 p.m.

Car rentals are normally billed in 24-hour increments. That means the price is the same whether you return the car the same day or next day, as long as it's within 24 hours of when you rented the car.

Return the car the next day whenever it's convenient for you. While you have the car, consider using to get to places that are awkward or impossible to get to with WDW Transportation. For example, have breakfast at Boma or pick up beverages at Publix.

 

[bumbershoot]

Don't worry about returning the car by 8 p.m.

Car rentals are normally billed in 24-hour increments. That means the price is the same whether you return the car the same day or next day, as long as it's within 24 hours of when you rented the car.

Exactly.

Keep it until 6pm the next day if you wish. Make a grocery stop, do what you want. Next day, drop at some point before 6, and their shuttle will take you where you need to be onsite (this is not an instantaneous process so give yourself time).

 

[Kae]

One thing about Sanford is almost everyone is renting a car so if you can have your mom & DD get luggage while you head to the rental counter it will be quicker.

Kae

 

[jimmytammy]

Just an FYI, we rented from Alamo at SFB and it was flawless, not so much with dealing with another rental company before at SFB, plus Alamo is at WDW

 

[LOL3444]

It was cheaper for us to use Ed Korgan, a licensed private limousine. He picked us up at Sanford and took us to the Swan, also included a grocery stop. His charges include the return trip to the airport. One-way rentals from Sanford were just too expensive!

 

[goofy4tink]

It was cheaper for us to use Ed Korgan, a licensed private limousine. He picked us up at Sanford and took us to the Swan, also included a grocery stop. His charges include the return trip to the airport. One-way rentals from Sanford were just too expensive!

I would be very surprised if a car service is cheaper than a rental car. It is about $200 for a car service, plus gratuity. A rental car is usually much less...especially for just a 24 hr period.

 

[5onadime]

I have been extremely surprised at how much car rentals from Sanford have been recently. When we went in March it was 150 dollars cheaper to have a town car service then to rent a car for 8 days. I have been checking prices for Dec 30 to Jan 2 and the cheapest I can find is 389.00 for a full size. Sooooo. For us, it is not cheaper to rent a car(it used to be).


I should add for this upcoming trip that is picking up at sanford but dropping off at the car care center

 

[Best Aunt]

Tiffany Towncar from Sanford airport to Animal Kingdom Lodge was $115 in March 2015. That was one way, and did not include tip.

We were going home through Orlando International (MCO), so Tiffany Towncar would not let us book round trip. We took a cab from the hotel to MCO.

 

[goofy4tink]

We're talking about two one day rentals. Not a week. Should be cheaper to rent a car, twice, vs a r/t car service.

 

[honeybunches]

My mom, my daughter, and I are flying into the Sanford Airport next Monday, June 15. Our flight arrives at 6pm, so it may be after 8pm before we arrive at our resort at Disney World. I hoped to rent a car and just drop it off at the Car Care Center, but they close at 8pm and said that our chances wouldn't be very good of making it.

What are my other options? I have tried to call other drop off locations at Disney, but all of the numbers I have take me to the main rental location (for instance, I tried to call hertz at the Wyndham Lake Beuna Vista and it took me to the Hertz reservation line). Because I will be the one driving and dropping off, I was hoping for something simple. I've never been to WDW, so I don't really want to have to run around trying to drop the car off and then pick it up on the day we leave.

Can someone please help me??? We are getting so close to our vacation!!!

If cost isn't a huge issue, I highly suggest using a towncar service just so that you don't start your vacation on edge and frazzled from driving your mom/daughter around an area you don't know. My husband drives all the time for work, and he really enjoys the fact that he doesn't have to touch a steering wheel while we're on vacation. It costs our family about $300 including tip (roundtrip).

 

[goofy4tink]

Okay.....I stand corrected, and hugely surprised. I just went to the Alamo site (easiest company to use when at WDW), and priced out a rental for your time frame. It was not cheap.......$175 for a day. I figured maybe it was that high due to the closeness of the travel date. Nope, I plugged in the same time frame in Aug....just the same.
In this case, I would use a car service. It's going to be cheaper. Here's the issue. You're almost right at your travel date....it may be hard to find a company that has openings this late in the game. Please let us know how it all turns out.

 

[Just Kate]

OP here. We ended up renting a car through Alamo, but we are keeping it for the week. The cost was similar to getting a driver (I paid $240 for a week for a full size car) and now we have a car if we need it.

I do have a couple of additional questions (or maybe I should start a new thread?).

What is the best route from the Sanford Airport to WDW? I know there are tolls, but not sure how much $$.

We would like to stop at a grocery store for snacks on our way to our resort. Suggestions?

Thanks so much for all of your help!!!

 

[KrazeeK120]

DH and I went to Disney over Memorial Day weekend and flew into Sanford. We rented a car for 3 days through Hertz - it was a small car (not the compact but the next size up). We had a Chevy Cobalt. It was $130 for 3 days which I didn't think was bad.

We rented through Alamo for 3 days in January in 2013 and I believe the cost was similar if I remember correctly.