Rental Car MCO to Port

[markm0926]

Just wondering how it would work if we were to rent a car at MCO.
We would then travel to Coco Beach to spend the night before our cruise(Courtyard Hotel).

Could we drop it off/leave it there and just pay for the one day ?

Or, what are my options ? There are 6 of us, so I was thinking a rental would be the best way. Never rented a car before , always used towncar services.

Thanks in advance!!!

 

[TMTIP]

On our cruise last May we rented a car (Hertz) at the Orlando airport and returned it at their site at Cape Canaveral. Very easy. They even have a shuttle to take you to the port after you drop off the car. On the return we did the exact same thing, took their shuttle to the rental office and then returned the car at the airport. I would highly recommend Hertz.

 

[Grumpy's Mom]

We rented through Budget, picked up the car at MCO, and kept it for 2 days while we were at WDW. Dropped it off at the port on Saturday before sailing. On our return, rented another car from Budget just for the day, picked it up at PC and dropped it off at MCO. They had a shuttle to and from the port from their Cocoa Beach store (which was only 2 miles from the port). It was cheaper to do this than to do the towncar service, and gave us a lot more flexibility.

There was a coupon for a great discount on the Transportion Board on this site when I was making my reservations. I also used all of the tips from Mousesavers.com to the best of my ability! And, best of all, when we arrived at MCO, there was NO LINE!!!

 

[RJake1]

I just did the same thing with Hertz and did the express drop-off (per their instructiions). Upon arriving home I was shocked to see that they had billed me $24.75 for a tank of gas even though I hadn't purchased the gas option, I had filled the tank, I had completed form showing I filled the tank, and had driven only 98 miles.

I suspect I will get this error worked out to my satisfaction, but its another hassle I don't need. My advice is don't use express dropoff. Get a receipt then and there if you go with Hertz.

BTW, most majors have Canaveral locations (Budget, Enterprise, etc). Not sure if they offer shuttles, but the cab was only $10 and well worth avoiding the hassles of the shuttle which can make other stops along the way.

 

[NJ Cruisers]

We used Avis last November and it worked out great. Even with only 3 of us, the Rental Car option was the cheapest way to go.

We'll be using Budget this year, because we got a better rate.

Another Suggestion - we sent only my DH on the shuttle so that we didn't have to drag all the luggage on to and off the shuttle and so that there was more room for other drivers. DH dropped us at the port and then returned the car. On the return trip we waited at the port for him to take the shuttle and return.

Diane

 

[inkkognito]

We usually use Happy Limo but occasionally will do a rental car. Thus far, we've only used Budget because I get the best one way rates from them. I prefer being chauffered, but I have to admit that the rental is a painless experience. We have had great luck with the Budget shuttle being quick on each occasion that we've used them, although I've seen posts from people who have had to wait excessive amounts of time. A couple of times they've upgraded us from economy to a Taurus.
Barb

 

[TiggerzFan]

We used Budget last year for one-way rentals on both ends of our cruise. Everything went smoothly, though we didn't need to use their shuttle.

FYI- I just booked our one-way rental from MCO-Port and used the discount code of "U010736".... got a rate of $23 for a mid-size and $35.99 for mini-van.

 

[Billinaz]

We had 6 to get to the port. I rented a car from Budget, and had such a great experience that I booked another rental from them for our Feb 05 cruise.

They will shuttle you to and from the port to their office.

I give them "thumbs up". It was definately worth the price especially considering that we had 6 people.

 

[KS Jeff]

We used Avis and it was fine. Avis is on-airport so you don't need to deal with shuttling to an off-airport lot. We returned the car in Cocoa Beach and took the Avis shuttle to the port.

We did the same on the other end of the cruise - took the shuttle to Avis and then drove straight to MCO. We made it with plenty of time to catch our 11:30am flight.

If you have an Avis Preferred membership you can skip the desk in the airport and go directly to the kiosk in the parking garage. I don't think I've ever waited more than 5 minutes to get my car.