Renting a car from Budget

[candeeapril]

We are renting a car from MCO to Port Canaveral. Should my husband drop us off to get bags checked etc, and then return car? Also, after we arrive back in port should we all take shuttle to get car or just have my husband go get car and pick us up at the port?
TIA

 

[jubjubrsx]

I would say that depends on how early you get to port...the wifey and I rented a car and just took the shuttle back...took like 10mins

 

[Scillycruisers]

On the way to the port, if you are early then I would say do what you feel most comfortable with. If later it may be easier for 1 with no luggage to get on a shuttle back. After the cruise we would all go together so as to save returning to the port. If it's really busy you could split between shuttles if it gets the person doing the renting there quicker to get in line for the car.

 

[candeeapril]

Thanks. Are all rental companies pretty busy before And after cruise?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks. Are all rental companies pretty busy before And after cruise?

Yes. Depending on who had the best deal at that particular time. Especially if the embarkation/debarkation days coincide with other cruise ships in port.

If you opt for a rental that's not the cheapest available on your particular day, you'll probably find a little less action there.

 

[scootch]

We got off about 7:30am and wanted to beat the rush at Budget, so instead of going with the shuttle, we paid $10 for a taxi. The office wasn't suppose to be open until 8am, but it was open and we got our car and were on our way. The first shuttle doesn't come until 8am.

 

[dsdeleon]

I had multiple horrible experiences with the Budget shuttles. The people are nice but the service is a mess. Hertz wasn't much better. For me and my family we have decided to pay the extra and keep our MCO rental and park at the terminal.

If the timing works out and all the stars align I am sure it can be an easy experience. Just weigh the risk of everything going horribly awry vs the cost.

 

[Divslp]

We tried budget last time and lines for both returning the car and waiting for the shuttle were long. We won't be doing it again.

 

[cmhguy]

What day? If Dream on Mondays, there weren't really any lines....and the Budget office told us that is typical. We did a B2B so had Mondays both directions. Very easy. We drupped our bags at port, but if a Monday, I won't bother with that again. One tip - be sure to select the Budget location that includes with port shuttle in the name.

 

[Billinaz]

We always got the shuttle (5 of us) then took it to Budget. Our next cruise I am using Avis because it was much cheaper...... and they have more frequent and larger shuttles!

 

[MNMommyof2]

We rented a car from Budget in PC and did the shuttle thing twice. First time was a breeze (off the Dream). Second time was horrible (off the Fantasy on a Saturday)- the wait was literally hours for us to re-rent a car when we got off. We waited for about an hour at the port for the shuttle to get us, then another hour at Budget to get a car. The line was all the way out the door! They were out of cars by the time we finally reached the front of the line, so we had to wait for one to be returned. The other rental agencies had basically no lines at all. I think it depends on who has the sale. We are doing it again this January but this time we purposely researched car prices so we did NOT pick the very cheapest. I am hoping this will be a good strategy!

 

[ajo]

We will be renting a car when we get off the Fantasy, which we've never done before. I've looked at rates on Costco Travel and both Budget and Avis have two separate rates - one for "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" and one for "Cape Canaveral". The two Budget locations have the same address and the two Avis locations have the same address. The price for the "Cape Canaveral" location is $11 less than the "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" location for both Budget and Avis. The Costco rep told me that the price difference is because the "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" includes the cost of the shuttle from the port to the rental location. So how would the shuttle bus that picks up at the port know which location I am renting from since they are the same address? Will I have to pay $11 to take the Budget or Avis shuttle from the port if I pick the cheaper "Cape Canaveral" rate? Would a taxi cost less than the $11 and thereby save us money? TIA!

 

[Billinaz]

We will be renting a car when we get off the Fantasy, which we've never done before. I've looked at rates on Costco Travel and both Budget and Avis have two separate rates - one for "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" and one for "Cape Canaveral". The two Budget locations have the same address and the two Avis locations have the same address. The price for the "Cape Canaveral" location is $11 less than the "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" location for both Budget and Avis. The Costco rep told me that the price difference is because the "Port Canaveral Shuttle Service" includes the cost of the shuttle from the port to the rental location. So how would the shuttle bus that picks up at the port know which location I am renting from since they are the same address? Will I have to pay $11 to take the Budget or Avis shuttle from the port if I pick the cheaper "Cape Canaveral" rate? Would a taxi cost less than the $11 and thereby save us money? TIA!

Budget and Avis are on the same road, just a small distance apart. They both have free shuttles to/from the port.

Just look on flyertalk to get some good coupon codes.

We have a full size car from the port to the airport for about $40.

We got minivans for about $100.


Instead of using the Costco Travel link, use the code and enter it on the Budget or Avis website. Make sure you enroll in their frequent renter programs. It lets you by pass the counter at the airport and go directly to the car.

 

[codex57]

On Yelp, Budget has HORRIBLE reviews. They're like 1 star.

I ended up booking Enterprise for like $3 more. It was hassle free and I'd highly recommend them.