Rental car return process at Port Canaveral?

[meowser]

We'll be sailing out of Port Canaveral and it's just DH and me. How does returning a rental car work? In our perfect world, we'd drop the luggage off and both return the rental car together (he'd rather stay with me instead of going on ahead and checking in or waiting for me to return the car). Is there a problem if we do that? Or if I drop him off with the luggage is there a place he can wait for me to get back on the rental car shuttle?

Or is it best for us to return the car before going to the port and just deal with the luggage on the shuttle?

 

[iannovich]

The last time we did this, we just dealt with the luggage and traveled together on the shuttle. It just seemed easier and we didn't have any trouble with the luggage. They dropped us off right where the luggage folks were collecting the bags. The car return was mostly smooth. They didn't seem to have any record that our car was coming and we had to show them our paperwork to prove to them that the car really was supposed to be dropped off there. But other than that small hiccup, it was easy peasy. We'd do it that way again.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

We'll be sailing out of Port Canaveral and it's just DH and me. How does returning a rental car work? In our perfect world, we'd drop the luggage off and both return the rental car together (he'd rather stay with me instead of going on ahead and checking in or waiting for me to return the car). Is there a problem if we do that? Or if I drop him off with the luggage is there a place he can wait for me to get back on the rental car shuttle?

Or is it best for us to return the car before going to the port and just deal with the luggage on the shuttle?

We always drop off the luggage first, then return the car (usually we use Alamo, sometimes National at the same location). The first time we did this, DW and I dropped off the car and than rode the shuttle back to the port together. Now, DW just waits outside for me to return on the shuttle. It usually takes 15 minutes or so, since I’m alone without luggage, allowing me to squeeze onto the first available shuttle, possibly ahead of families with multiple riders and luggage waiting to go to the port.

In either case, we have never dealt with the luggage on the shuttle.

 

[PlutoDisney]

My family of three usually return our rental car at port Canaveral when we cruise. We have always found the process very easy. All three of us drive to the return place and then wait for the shuttle to take us and our luggage back to the ship. Have never found the wait for a shuttle very long even with 3 adults and 3 suitcases to go. We generally stay together so nobody feels abandoned at either end and without communication as we live outside the US.

 

[nlharpel]

For some reason I was really anxious about this whole process when we sailed last month and it went so smoothly. Happy to share our personal experience! We had a rental car to return to Port Canaveral from National. National uses the Enterprise building which is the closest to the port so you could walk there if you had to (which for some reason brought me comfort when I heard about backed up lines!). We dropped off our car first (lots of people doing this and they had people outside to guide you where to park), then you go into the building - there is a lobby area where you can wait if you arrive earlier than your PAT (several families here doing this). Once you are near your PAT (within 15ish minutes), you can head over to your ship. There is a pretty constant stream of shuttle vans coming up to transport people to the port. You just tell them which ship you are going to, they will load and unload your luggage for you and they drop you off right where the porters are picking up luggage. Our driver was super nice and helpful!

We had also considered if we needed to drop off luggage first and then come back but I'm glad we stayed together. We had a full ship too and the Carnival Mardi Gras was also there the same day as us loading up passengers and we still didn't experience any issues or waits.