Rental Car Dilemma

[disneymouse16]

I'm looking for thoughts/suggestions or what you would do.

We (two adults, 4 kids) are taking a trip to Universal followed by a Disney cruise. I'm trying to work out the transportation. Arriving on a Saturday visit family Saturday/Sunday, Universal Monday - Wednesday, Thursday Kennedy Space Center, Friday board cruise, Wednesday disembark, Thursday fly home.

Being a family of six most transfers/shuttles cost about the same (or more) than a one day car rental so I'm leaning towards three separate car rentals. 1)Airport drop off near Universal 2) Universal drop off Canaveral 3) Canaveral drop off airport

I looked into keeping a vehicle for the whole time, between having the vehicle for the entire stay cost difference and the parking at various hotels and while we are on our cruise it would be $400+ more to keep the vehicle the entire time. However, I'm wondering about how obnoxious and time consuming it will be to pick up and drop off multiple times? I have only ever rented a vehicle with pick up and drop off at an airport. Are drop offs at locations other than airports usually smooth? Pretty much drop and go or is there usually more of a process at other locations?
Am I missing another option entirely?

 

[RedHead0186]

Pickup/Drop off at other locations can be smooth. However, if there's a line you might have to wait a bit, as these locations sometimes only have one person working the counter so they have to do it all.

 

[EACarlson]

I would probably do two rentals, one for a week from landing until the cruise, returning at Canaveral, then a second picking up at Canaveral and returning at MCO. I would also take into account how much time you're going to lose returning the vehicle near Universal, get to Universal and then get back from Universal to the rental place to pick up the second vehicle. If I'm recalling correctly, those rental counters are only open some hours, not 24/7 like at MCO.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

I would probably do two rentals, one for a week from landing until the cruise, returning at Canaveral, then a second picking up at Canaveral and returning at MCO. I would also take into account how much time you're going to lose returning the vehicle near Universal, get to Universal and then get back from Universal to the rental place to pick up the second vehicle. If I'm recalling correctly, those rental counters are only open some hours, not 24/7 like at MCO.

Agree with both of these points.
I think paying for the car/parking at Universal for 3 days is less aggravation than trying to return and pick up cars from non-onsite-non-24/7 locations. Plus you have a better rate as a weekly rental at that point. And the ability to leave anything that you only need on the cruise, locked into the trunk the whole time. And gives you the freedom to leave Universal property easily for dinner/whatever, if desired.

Agree with you also that keeping the car at the port paying for parking while you are on a cruise is dumb, and worth a 2nd rental at disembarkation.

 

[EACarlson]

Agree with both of these points.
I think paying for the car/parking at Universal for 3 days is less aggravation than trying to return and pick up cars from non-onsite-non-24/7 locations. Plus you have a better rate as a weekly rental at that point. And the ability to leave anything that you only need on the cruise, locked into the trunk the whole time. And gives you the freedom to leave Universal property easily for dinner/whatever, if desired.

Agree with you also that keeping the car at the port paying for parking while you are on a cruise is dumb, and worth a 2nd rental at disembarkation.

OP would have had to pay for two days of parking at Universal anyway. The day dropping off and the day picking up unless they were willing to delay entry into Universal on their first day for a few hours and leave the last day early by probably 5 hours.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

After multiple bad experiences dropping off and picking up at the Port Canaveral Budget location, we have given up that option. I still compare the Alamo/Enterprise prices for MCO/PC and PC/MCO with MCO/MCO rentals around cruises, since our experiences with them have been much better. Most recently in January, it was actually cheaper to use the cruise line transportation between MCO and PC, dropping off and picking up rentals at MCO on both ends of the cruise. Other times, the difference in cost to use the PC dropoff and pickup was small enough to make that a less expensive option by avoiding the extra cost of the cruise line transfers.

 

[RedHead0186]

After multiple bad experiences dropping off and picking up at the Port Canaveral Budget location, we have given up that option. I still compare the Alamo/Enterprise prices for MCO/PC and PC/MCO with MCO/MCO rentals around cruises, since our experiences with them have been much better. Most recently in January, it was actually cheaper to use the cruise line transportation between MCO and PC, dropping off and picking up rentals at MCO on both ends of the cruise. Other times, the difference in cost to use the PC dropoff and pickup was small enough to make that a less expensive option by avoiding the extra cost of the cruise line transfers.

I will say I've done several Enterprise rentals to/from Port Canaveral, and have had good experiences every time.

 

[LuvOrlando]

$400 difference? How much is the rental costing? Check out Costco as they have had the best rates for us lately, the cheapest membership might make it worth it for you.

There are hotels near cruise ports that allow you to just park your car there free or low cost during the cruise and include a shuttle if you have a stay, have you looked into this? Lots of airport hotels do it too but a lot of people aren't aware it is a perk.
https://www.parkportcanaveral.com/hotel-specials

I have picked up and dropped off vehicles and it is a misery I would avoid at all costs, it just ruins the day.

Helpful hint: Remember to take your easypass from home and to simply add the rental car plate for the duration of your trip.

 

[jimmymc]

There are a lot of private transfer options in addition to rideshares to get around. You can book a private van for both of the airport legs and just rent a car for a few days to get to Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral. If they cost a similar amount to the car rentals, it might be worth paying a bit more for the convenience.