Van Rental

[riatees]

Hi all! We are seriously considering driving to Disney in June from Philly due to the airfare prices. My question is, has anyone ever rented a passenger van to make the drive? I have a minivan that seats 7, but there are 10 of us. That's definitely not going to work. I was considering renting a 12 or 15 passenger van to make the drive. Was looking for opinions from people who have done this in the past. Also, in the end is it really worth it over flying by the time you pay for the van, mileage, gas and tolls? We would have 8 drivers so we would go straight through so no need for a hotel along the way. Thanks for any advice you can give!

Maria

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

You would have a better chance of getting your answer over on the transportation board. Maybe a Mod can move it.

 

[riatees]

Thanks, was just think that driving to save money would fall in the Budget Board category.

 

[jdmccon7]

We looked into the same thing for the same reason. I found one or 2 companies (names I can't recall) that rent anything from 15 passenger vans to RVs. I wasn't impressed with either of them. The online reviews were generally bad; worst ones were vehicles breaking down and no help with servicing them on the road. Based on that, I decided not to chance it.

Next on my hit list was checking rental car companies. The ones near me don't rent big vehicles but I haven't checked near the airport yet.

I would also love to hear suggestions on how to do this....subscribing.

 

[Darcy03231]

Since you have so many drivers why not take your van and rent another van. That way you'll have plenty of space and once you get there you'll have two vehicles in case someone wants to do something different.

We went with 9 people and flew, but when we got there we rented two vans. It worked out great as everyone didn't have to be on the same schedule all the time.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Also don't forget with that many people you can get a discount from the airline for tickets. You have to call and ask.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

We found out the hard way that those vans usually have mileage and state restrictions. Often rental companies will only allow neighboring states. We did find Budget rental rents with unlimited mileage. These vans are often not listed. Just call and makes sure you let them know if you are AAA, etc.

 

[marthachick]

Years ago our family rented a 15 passenger van to drive to the beach. It is about a 5-6 hour drive depending on how often you stop. We had 13 people, 4 of which were under 12. The rest of us were old enough to drive. But DH & DSis were the only ones allowed to drive the van without paying a huge fee to add more drivers. If you are going to be driving to Parks or other activities, keep in mind that everyone has to agree on when & where to go if you have only 1 van. (On our trip, after driving around for 45 minutes with everyone (some loudly) giving their opinion about where to eat or where NOT to eat, DH was fed up & pulled into Chili's and said 'we're eating here!' And that was that. Completely out of character for him but he was tired of trying to please everyone.

Also, keep in mind that a 15 passenger van, means 15 people. Not 15 people and all of their luggage. So, it might be a little more crowded with your group and all of their 'stuff'.

And before you go, decide who pays for what. How much each person or family will pay toward the rental and gas.

We have decided that for us, it is better to NOT all go together in one vehicle. That way, if there is an emergency or someone wants to do something else, we're not running from here to there.

 

[riatees]

Wow, some great advice already. First off there are only 10 of us, so I would hope a 15 passenger can would be big enough for us and our luggage. We don't plan on driving once we get there since we are staying on site, so that shouldn't be an issue . I had no idea that airlines give discounts for groups! Does anyone have more info on that, like which airlines and how many people you need to have going? Thanks again, a lot to think about!

 

[mbh98akh]

I would also like to know more info about discount rates on airlines. We are a group of 12 going.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I rent a 15-passenger van once a year for DW's birthday. The final seat goes almost all the way up against the back of the van, zero luggage space in back (Ford or Chevy). You'd have to pile everything in the back seat. Also, the fee is typically $150 per day.

I think the previous suggestion of taking your van plus a second rental minivan is a good one. Depending on how you configure passengers & luggage, you may even get away with your van plus some sort of car.