Rental Car Logistics

[Cruz91]

We'll be flying in to MCO on 11/20 and I have a van rental at Thrifty off-site. Which would be better:

Waiting around with the whole family to get the luggage and take a big group (2 kids, DW, and my mom) on the van to Thrifty with all the luggage...

OR

Bolting out of the plane by myself, OJ'ing through the terminal to the Thrifty shuttle, grab the car, and head back to MCO to pick up the crew? Any thoughts? Is parking at all convenient to pick up incoming passengers?

 

[disneyldwjr]

Take everyone on the shuttle. Incoming flights make pickup somewhat difficult and the incoming flight pickup area. Also security does not tolerate waiting except for loading people and bags. Also, traffic at the airport can be beastly at times. And, good luck OJing it throught the airport. LOL Those folks with the pull along luggage will kill you.
There is plenty of temp. parking for picking up pax, but, it is pricy.

 

[OKW Lover]

Each method has an advantage. Splitting the family will allow you to avoid having to wrestle your bags on/off the shuttle since the person that gets the car can just drive up to the arriving passenger level and pick-up the rest of the group. But, it means that the people left behind have to be able to handle all the bags themselves (or get a skycap), while also watching the kids.

 

[clkelley]

I would divide and conquer. We always did, especially when the kids were younger. If possible take one of the kids with you (depending on age). (That way they are not picking at each other while the rest of your family is trying to grab the luggage.) When the boys were younger, if there was some boring task, each of us would take a kid and they wouldn't have time to get bored and pick at each other. We ignored that rule once when we got home to the airport, hubby took the shuttle to get our car out of long-term parking and I got the luggage with both kids. We sat there for 20 minutes on the curb, and they were at each other the whole time.

Even now since the boys are grown, me and hubby split up tasks whenever possible.

At the gate, he waits on his ECV to be unloaded while I head on down to DME to get us checked in. By the time I'm through the checkin line, he comes rolling up.

At resort check-in, he has the carryons stored with luggage folks while I get in the check-in line, then he goes to the Food Court and grabs us a quick bite. Usually by the time I'm out of the checkin line, he has our snacks and we head for the bus stop.

 

[QT Pooh]

I also prefer to split up, and you don't need to sprint!! By the time you get to the Thrifty counter (use Blue Chip!), get your car and head back to the airport, your family will be waiting with your bags on the curb! You only have to move your luggage once!

 

[marciemi]

Once more consideration would be making certain that everything would fit in the rental car! That's my concern - next summer we're traveling with 3 kids, 3 sets of golf clubs, and enough stuff for 2 weeks. I booked the largest "normal" size car, but couldn't justify paying more than twice as much for a minivan or a "premium" car (which I really don't think has a larger trunk anyways!). If you do end up needing to upgrade cars, it would be easier while you were all still at the rental place.

 

[WillCAD]

Although it might seem difficult to wrangle a family of 5 onto the Thrifty bus and all go to the terminal at once, consider these points:

* If you're not familiar with driving around MCO, you might have trouble coordinating your pickup - which side of the terminal, and where, can be a pain to figure out, especially if one or both of you are not good with directions or are unfamiliar with the MCO terminal.

* Even if you bolt from the plane, you and your family will all wind up on the same tram from the airside to the landside, so your family will all get to baggage claim at the same time that you get to the Thrifty bus. By the time you get to Thrifty, get the car, and return, your family will have been waiting in the terminal for you as long as 30 minutes.

* If you bolt, you will not be around to help with the luggage. Can your kids both handle their own? Can your mom handle her own? If not, can DW handle it all? If you do wind up using the bolt method, consider these questions at home when you pack.

However, dropping off the family at the terminal before you return your car to Thrifty CAN be a time-saver, as long as they can get the luggage from the curb to the bag check on their own. It might take you 20-30 minutes to drive out to Thrifty, return the car, and catch a shuttle-bus back to MCO, but in the meantime your family can drop the luggage and find the food court.