Renting a car at PC

[Minnie368]

So we are doing DCL transfers from mco Hyatt to PC to start our cruise. However on the way back we have an 8pm flight. I’m thinking we’d like to rent a car and go to Winter Summerland minigolf (a family favorite) and get a late lunch/early dinner somewhere on Disney property. We would need to rent a car instead of taxi/Uber since we need a place to keep our luggage. So how do we do that? When we get off the ship will we need to get a shuttle somewhere to a rental car location? Will it be crazy busy?

 

[ladyofthetramp]

Make a reservation at the car rental agency of your choice. When you collect your bags, go through customs and exit the terminal building, you will get in line for the shuttle to the rental agency. Get there, sign the papers and your off! We do this every time we cruise as we usually take a late flight home. Easy. Can it be busy?- sure. Esp. if there are other cruise ships in port at the same time. But, we get off by 8:30am or so. Never seen it so crazy busy that we opted out the next time. Last time we did drinks at Trader Sam's at the Polynesian. It was fun!

 

[Minnie368]

Make a reservation at the car rental agency of your choice. When you collect your bags, go through customs and exit the terminal building, you will get in line for the shuttle to the rental agency. Get there, sign the papers and your off! We do this every time we cruise as we usually take a late flight home. Easy. Can it be busy?- sure. Esp. if there are other cruise ships in port at the same time. But, we get off by 8:30am or so. Never seen it so crazy busy that we opted out the next time. Last time we did drinks at Trader Sam's at the Polynesian. It was fun!

So you don’t need to schedule a shuttle? Do they run a continuous loop?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

So you don’t need to schedule a shuttle? Do they run a continuous loop?

They know when the ships are coming in.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

So you don’t need to schedule a shuttle? Do they run a continuous loop?

Yes, just outside the terminal (same direction as the DCL bus loading area), all the rental shuttles pull in there. You may have to wait, as the shuttles are generally the large vans (not buses) and they typically run every 20/30 minutes.

 

[carrielouhoo]

Follow up question here...did I read correctly that one person can take the shuttle to pick up the rental car and come back for the rest of their family (and luggage)? I know that can easily be accomplished in reverse with dropping off a rental on embarkation day, but wasn't sure if you'd be able to get back "in" the terminal area with a rental at the end of the cruise?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Follow up question here...did I read correctly that one person can take the shuttle to pick up the rental car and come back for the rest of their family (and luggage)? I know that can easily be accomplished in reverse with dropping off a rental on embarkation day, but wasn't sure if you'd be able to get back "in" the terminal area with a rental at the end of the cruise?

Yes. You can do that.

 

[bumbershoot]

Follow up question here...did I read correctly that one person can take the shuttle to pick up the rental car and come back for the rest of their family (and luggage)? I know that can easily be accomplished in reverse with dropping off a rental on embarkation day, but wasn't sure if you'd be able to get back "in" the terminal area with a rental at the end of the cruise?

Yea you can do that. We had managed to run out of cash by the end of our cruise and felt uncomfortable taking all bags and the three of us on the shuttle without the ability to tip the driver. So son and I stayed at the cruise terminal with bags whole Dh took the shuttle to national/Alamo/enterprise and got out car. Came back, no problem, and got us. Painless.

Well, painless except for the fact that it was January and there was a cold snap and it was freeeeeezing. We did have our winter coats, but staying in one basic place outside with no wind breaks got cold! (And it was amazing how many people did NOT dress for that weather possibility)

 

[oakleycat]

It can be very busy! Last year we waited over two hours for a rental car. It's not usual in our experience (year before was 10 minutes) but when the agencies are dealing with people from several ships and only have a couple employees working the wait times can get long!

 

[Minnie368]

Do you have to take a shuttle specific to the rental car agency you’re using or is it a shuttle that goes to all locations?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Do you have to take a shuttle specific to the rental car agency you’re using or is it a shuttle that goes to all locations?

Each brand has it's own shuttle.

 

[Minnie368]

Thanks! Does anyone recommend a certain agency that is maybe better or more efficiently run- or one to avoid? And is there a better time to disembark that will lead to shorter lines? I want to do everything I can to give us the most time that day.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks! Does anyone recommend a certain agency that is maybe better or more efficiently run- or one to avoid? And is there a better time to disembark that will lead to shorter lines? I want to do everything I can to give us the most time that day.

I believe all the offices are pretty much the same - on the small size with only 2 or 3 employees to handle the customers.

Either get off early and be at the front of the crowd, or get off late and be at the end. Getting off the ship in the middle of the group just means long wait for shuttle, long wait at agency, and more traffic.

 

[aura_of_foreboding]

We end up using Budget every time, as it always ends up being the cheapest. I think the one time we waited for about 30 minutes to get on a shuttle, and the other time was a teeny bit longer. Once we got to the rental place, one of us beelined to the rental counter and the rest dealt with the luggage (just to get ahead of the others on our shuttle). Worked great!

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

One other tip I can give you if you have two or more adults...

As others have said, for any given company the shuttles run continuously, but they aren't very large, especially with luggage, so sometimes groups get split up, or there is "room for just one more." Be ready in case you find yourself in that situation. When we were waiting in line, that possibility occurred to us as the bus was loading so we moved me (the intended driver) to the front of our group. Sure enough, a minute later they announced they had room for one more. I got on that shuttle, and by the time my wife and kids showed up in the next bus, I was almost done renting the car. So it worked well for us.

Of course, it depends on if you are comfortable splitting up for a little while, but all my wife and kids had to do was wait for the next bus and then get on it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Each brand has it's own shuttle.

Well, Alamo, National, and Enterprise are all one company, building, and shuttle.

 

[fredandkell]

I'll tell you the trick to getting to the rental car shuttle first - don't do luggage via DCL! Pack light, carry on/off your own bags, and presto! You're first in line. We've never had a problem waiting for shuttles once off DCL and Royal Caribbean cruises. We take the whole family of 4 on the shuttle. Did the "one person go separately" thing one time and it ended up being more of a hassle then everyone just going together.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I am doing this in reverse -renting a car in Orlando and driving to PC. We have a 10:45 PAT so I am going to try and get to the rental car place really early - like 10am. Anyone have any suggestions or tips? It will be me and my 2 sons and probably 3-4 pieces of luggage.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

You are renting the car that morning? Or the night before? Either is fine, but it might effect your timing.

Look for a rental company that doesn't charge extra for a one way trip. Most do not charge extra.

You should be able to reserve a car without putting any money down. That way, if your trip gets postponed or canceled, you aren't out any money.

Depending on where you pick up the car, and what time of day, there may be a line at the counter to pick it up, so plan for that. Could be 5 minutes, could be an hour.

The drive from Orlando to PC takes about an hour. There are two $1.25 tolls (unless they went up recently) on the way. You can either bring quarters for the toll or use the rental companies electronic device, but if you do that, it will cost something in addition to price of the tolls. (For Budget it was $4/day).

Once you get to PC, you drive to the rental car place and return the car. That part is quick. People returning cars can often get in a shorter line. Taking their shuttle bus with your sons and your luggage may or may not be quick. Luck of the draw. Might take 10 minutes, might take 45 minutes. Once on the shuttle they will take you in the back entrance and drop you off near the ship, no problem, where the porters will take your checked bags and you can start the check-in process.

 

[dcassetta]

Thanks! Does anyone recommend a certain agency that is maybe better or more efficiently run- or one to avoid? And is there a better time to disembark that will lead to shorter lines? I want to do everything I can to give us the most time that day.

Part of the challenge is the availability of cars. If you are first off the ship and get the rental location early, there may be cars left from the previous day. If you wait and get off the ship later (perhaps after 9) then people will start arriving to drop off cars and there may be more availability at the rental agency.