Thifty Car Rental

[shaycamp21]

I was wondering if anyone has used them for rentals? Can you pick up at MCO and drop off in Port Canaveral? Do they shuttle you to and from the port? We are Blue Chip members and had great experiences renting from them when we went on our Hawaiian cruise. We rented a car on each island and service was great.

Our last DCL cruise we used Budget and had a bad experience. We literally filled up across the street from the airport before returning the car and when our credit card bill arrived they had charged us for a full tank of gas (at their insane price). When we called to complain they really weren't willing to do anything about it so my husband finally called our credit card company and they took care of it for us. So I am reluctant to use Budget again.

 

[shaycamp21]

Sorry it should read THRIFTY CAR RENTAL!!!

 

[kcashner]

Yes, I have used Thrifty at the port. They are a little farther down the road than Budget (like 3 minutes!), and right by Publix if you need anything. People don't like them because they have a "drop off charge." Reality--I don't care how they allocate the money, I care what the total is. Again, rental codes are available at rentalcodes.com and mousesavers.com.

Budget does say in the fine print that you must show them a gas receipt for rentals of less than 75 miles. I've never had an issue with them, but do always offer my receipt.

No problems with either Budget or Thrifty; I base it on price. Yes, they have a shuttle to/from port.

 

[Scoobypop]

We've also used Thrify on 5 of our 6 cruises. Always the best price I've found, even with the $15.00 "drop off fee". Basically, for this May, we have it picking up at MCO Saturday morning, dropping off at Port Canaveral Sunday morning and the total cost is $47. (That's for the "Wild Card" option). The return picking up AT Port Canaveral doesn't offer the Wild Card, but I have a mid size and just as good a price to keep it a couple days at WDW after. I booked that back in Jan, not sure what price is now, I always check the last week before the cruise, and can sometimes find cheaper price, so if you do, you can cancel the other reservation with no penalty or fee, as they don't charge your credit card in advance or anything.

 

[carmie3377]

I had the opposite experiences with Thrifty and Budget. We used Budget twice from the Doubletree at DTD to Port Canaveral and didn't have any issues at all.

We used Thrifty from PC to MCO and it was awful. First, we had to wait at least 30 mins for a shuttle. We saw at least 3 Budget shuttles in the meantime. Then, we had to wait in line for about another 30 mins once we got there as they only had one person working the line. They gave us a dirty car with cigarette burns all along the drivers side door in the back, sun visors that were disgustingly filthy, huge dented "key" scratch all along the passenger side, registration had been expired for a few months, and the car inspection had been out almost a year. When I reported this info to the representative, she said very hatefully "What do you expect me to do about that?!??!" Told her I wanted a new car and was told there were none. She didn't want to mark the damage on the form, but finally did. I also took pictures that had the building in the background in case I needed them for documentation. And obviously, I contacted corporate.

Now, the Thirfty experience was about 15 months ago and supposedly they were under very new management at the time so hopefully things have smoothed out.

 

[cmclaura]

We often use Thrifty from MCO to PC and Budget from PC to MCO, for some of the reasons stated above.

Even with the $15 drop fee that Thrifty charges, the day rate is often the lowest, particularly if you get into town a day or so early. Pick up at MCO is a breeze and the CSRs are delightful! Drop off at PC is pretty easy and we usually have a tiny little woman with a huge amount of charm driving the shuttle bus to the ship. Love the Wild Card feature as we pay the price of a Compact and usually get a Mid or Full Size; once we got a mini van!

In reverse, however, not so good. The CSRs are often overwhelmed with cruise customers and the prices are not always the cheapest. Used them once and swore never again in that direction. We've used Hertz once as they had the best price (UNUSUAL!!!) and Budget a couple of times. Not so great experiences there, either, but manageable. We're not particularly fussy people so if we get annoyed, there's a good reason. Not enough cars on site is often the reason and having to wait an hour just to get a dirty car that they said was being prepped is a good reason.

I've written to Budget to complain that if the CSRs can't cope with the customer numbers from the Magic, how are they going to cope with the Dream?

But, most often, we shop on price as we'll likely have the car for an hour or so, so it is not a huge deal to us.

 

[cmclaura]

Does anyone have any information on Enterprise? I'd like to use them but what stops me is silly -- you have to phone them for one-way rentals.

As I do everything online, this is kind of a deal breaker for me. Silly, I know.

 

[Lezlee]

Does Thrifty charge for shuttle to the cruise terminal??

 

[kcashner]

No car company that I know of charges for the shuttle from their outlet to the port and back. I've used both Thrifty and Budget at the port. The biggest difference is that Budget operates 2 shuttles on cruise days, which means less waiting. Thrifty has only one shuttle and is farther away which adds up to a longer wait. Frankly, I base it on price/coupons. Check for discounts at rentalcodes.com and mousesavers.com.

Never had problems with either one.

 

[Lezlee]

Thanks so much for reply.. just double checking..I already had reservation with Budget but just beat my rate by 40 with Thrifty.. so just looking for reassurance!! Love this board!

 

[DisneyBasket]

Read everything very carefully with Thrifty....I've found they have charges for EVERYTHING, so the "deal" you get may not be so good after all. I have sworn off of Thrifty after several not so nice experiences in different cities where my final number was almost twice what I was quoted when I returned the car.

I travel for business, so I have lots of opportunities to check out rental car places. I prefer National/Alamo or Enterprise.

 

[kcashner]

Just for cruisers...there is no National or Alamo at the port or anywhere close.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I've used them several times. Sign up to be a "Blue Chip" member,and get an Orlando magic card (free on the internet). I get great deals through them. Their offsite in Orlando is very close, shuttle is always around. I have nothing but good things to say. Now there is no fee for the second driver if they are related to you. This info is for actually renting a car, not getting a shuttle to the port.

 

[ajsfamdisneyfan]

I personally prefer Budget (since they are the closest to PC)...but that's just my personal preference