WHAT?? I did not know that...

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Upon looking at a link someone showed for "tips" or something like that on another travel thread in this forum.. I came across this info:
Getting To and From Orlando Airport (3/02)

Mears' Transportation is the easiest to find at the airport and the most carefree, but many Disney guests dislike the unpredictable long travel time due to numerous stops at other resorts. Going back to the airport you will need to plan a pickup three and a half hours before flight time, which means leaving the park four and a half hours before flight time, on your last day going back to the airport. Also, for a party of six or more, Mears is no longer the cheapest; the fare is per person.



What?? No one told me that I'd have to plan a pickup 3- 3.5 hours before flight time!! I was thinking an hour and a half before flight time would be enough- maybe 2hrs. Giving it about an hour to get there and an hour to be early for my flight- leaving leeway in case it actually TOOK that long (but thinking it probably wouldn't). No way. No way am I wasting those last precious hours of my stay sitting on a bus taking forever to get to the airport!

NIX that idea.
Back to the drawing board... towncar p/u & drop off or renting a vehicle.

Please tell me if it's possible to rent a vehicle, keep it for one day (I arrive very late on Sunday- could return it midday or evening- less than 24hrs later on Monday) and dropping it off somewhere within DIS property so I wouldn't be stranded wherever the drop off point was (which would mean I'd then have to find a way back to the resort! So that would make the rental pointless. LOL)

And if that is possible- is there a way to rent a vehicle to pick up within DIS property (so I don't have to find a way to get to the vehicle p/u) and rent it another day so I can have it to take back to the airport the day I leave? Possibly shop that last day or something and then be able to go back to the airport with it and leave it there about an hour before my flight?

PLEASE someone tell me this is possible. I just can't handle the thought of paying so MUCH for a towncar to take me/pick me up with only 30min to go shopping somewhere.... but then also hate to pay SO MUCH to rent a vehicle for my entire stay since I'm staying 9 nights (it works out to 9 or 10 days rental- even a great weekly rate is ruined by adding 2-3 more days on there)

HELP! I am so NOT going to like having to leave the parks 4-4.5hrs before my flight! There has to be a better yet cheaper way than paying $100 just to go back/forth from airport!

 

[DStar4cup]

I think that there are rental car companies on site at WDW. If you rented a car for one day and returned it at the WDW car rental then did the same on the day that you left(except rent at WDW and return at the airport) then you wouldn't have to arrive at the airport so early. I don't know how expensive that would be but I would think that it would be cheaper than than a towncar. Does anyone know which car rental is on site?

 

[TreeOfLife]

Play around with National and Alamo codes. There is a Disney station on property...

 

[tci1212]

Most Airlines Require you to be at the airport at least 2 hrs before take-off. My friend was at the airport 1 hr before takeoff and they would not let him fly. He was forced to find another airline and eneded up having to drive 3 hours out of his way to get to his destination. So I would check with the airline first.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Hmm, I will check just to make sure. I'm flying Delta and I thought they required 1hr before take-off. I know they always say 1hr (on other flights I and relatives I have taken to the airport have taken) but we are always let on just fine as long as we have checked our bags, gone through security and are ready to board when they start boarding! I don't even understand why a person wouldn't be allowed to board if they were ready to board just because they weren't there 2hrs earlier? That must be because they overbooked and he got bumped because he was one of the last (or the last?) to show up because everyone else came 2hrs before???

Treeoflife- are you saying that Alama and National are companies that I can pickup/drop off the vehicle on DIS property? LMK!

That's exactly what I was thinking Dstar4cup. Because I really do not NEED a vehicle for my entire stay.

 

[TreeOfLife]

Yup. Go to Mousesavers.com, check out car rental codes for those two companies and see what you can rig up. You can catch National and Alamo at the airport and Disney's station.

I have used Mears several times and in all honesty, never felt I was wasting time. They are economical and pretty much on time. However, we used them once we stayed offsite and the shuttle van was aggravating. It did stop at several places. But the buses to Disney's hotels are large and comfy, transporting many passengers at once.

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

I can share my experience which is half of what you're thinking of doing....

Last October when DH & I went for the F&WF, we had my DM (who lives in FL) joining us for the last couple of days, and she dropped us off at the airport for our flight home. Soooo, we didn't like the cost of 1-way towncar service, and we wanted to do a grocery stop at our leisure, so we rented a car from National for 1 day, and returned it at the Dolphin. There was no extra charge for the different drop-off point and it worked well for us.

HTH & Have a great trip!

 

[TreeOfLife]

Now my question is, do they deliver and pick up the cars at any Disney hotel or do you always have to go to Swan & Dolphin's?

 

[disnygrl00]

You can also pick up or drop off your car at the Care Care Center which is kind of near SOG.
They will give you a ride back to or pick up from your resort if you are staying onsite.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

THanks for all the info- I really appreciate it!

I did some playing around with National's website with codes off mousesavers.com -and found out I could take a vehicle from airport to Dolphin (best choice since I'm staying at ASMu) -returning it the next day since I have a late flight in that night- and getting it again the day before I leave and dropping it off at the airport when I am leaving... all for $71 something with taxes/etc all included! That's cheaper than doing some other form of transportation which is only 30min grocery store stop at best!

However, then I started thinking...... all the time I'd have to take out of my trip to check out the car, drop off at Dolphin and find WDW transportation back to my resort... then go get it at Dolphin the day before leaving and then dropping it off at airport- well all that couldn't be less than the couple hours I'd be losing to just go with Mears!
LOL
Silly me.

So I think I have just decided to go with Mears. DMRick was kind enough to find me a coupon online (THANKS SO MUCH!) so I can save a few dollars through Mears and I called and they will be there that late at night no problem. I will just have to leave 3hrs before my flight (she said that is the recommended time and if we do the recommended pickup time they guarantee we will make our flight! She said that is with giving ATLEAST an hour before departure since that would be the minimum needed to get through security/etc in time to make the plane's departure. ) and that is not losing anymore time than I would if I'd rented a car for each day.

So that's what I'm going with. But I wanted to mention that because in case others wanted to do that with National since there is a Disney drop off place (actually two- Dolphin and car care center) and the national website even lets you choose which one (or the airport) that you want to drop it off/pick it up. So it sounds like it would go smoothly and for someone who is going to pay upwards of $100 for roundtrip to/from airport -it MIGHT be worth it to them to do this instead and have a day each time to do other things having that vehicle.

(side note- if I picked it up a day earlier- therefore having it a day when I got there- then 2 days when I was leaving- it was only $107.99. So something else to think about - in case you might want one full day (not including the day you are leaving) to go shopping, eat offsite, etc.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Wait.
Are you saying that if you rent a car with National and let's say you drop it off at Dolphin- they give you a RIDE back to your resort? So you wouldn't have to depend on WDW transportation and figuring out your own way back?
And if you rented it before you left so you'd have it before you left and to use to take you back to the airport when you leave- they would pick you up from the resort and bring you there to get your vehicle?

Hmm, this might make me change my mind. Is that what you are saying? The only reason I'd made my mind up on Mears is because I figured I'd be wasting a lot of time dropping off -then picking up the car from the Dolphin place for National- if I had to use other methods of transportation back to ASMu (like WDW transportation which I haven't figured all out yet. LOL)

 

[dcgrumpy]

I flew out of MCO yesterday, I don't think getting there an hour before would be enough time.