What is on National's Emerald Aisle? *2011*

[keishashadow]

Bumping to see my ticker

very nice, wanna see mine?

 

[gmeh1]

gmeh1 - As others have said, it's great having you post on this thread!

I have reserved a minivan on the Emerald Reserve aisle. Last year, I was in Terminal A and there were only two vans on the row to choose from - a Kia and a Caravan. We landed at a very busy time it seems.

This year, I will be coming in on Terminal B. What minivans (generally) do ya'll have on the van aisle? Just wondering. We have one less person in our party this year, so we don't necessarily need the biggest van on the row.

Our vans on the regular mini van row, are Kia Sedonas, Dodge Caravans and Chrysler Town and Countrys. In the 8 passengar van row, we have Toyota Seinnas.

 

[gmeh1]

Question: I am an Emerald Club member. I have a Standard car reserved in a few days. If I see something I like better on the Emerald Aisle than in the Standard aisle, can I still self downgrade and take it with no problems?

No

 

[Zife]

Question: I am an Emerald Club member. I have a Standard car reserved in a few days. If I see something I like better on the Emerald Aisle than in the Standard aisle, can I still self downgrade and take it with no problems?

No

Good to know. I always thought downgrading was possible.

I'm actually not too concerned with what type of car I get, but I'd like one with Sirius or XM. I managed to get one back in 2009, do you know if there are still any in the Emerald Aisle?

So looking forward to hoping in and out of cars, deciding which one I want

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Good to know. I always thought downgrading was possible.

I'm actually not too concerned with what type of car I get, but I'd like one with Sirius or XM. I managed to get one back in 2009, do you know if there are still any in the Emerald Aisle?

So looking forward to hoping in and out of cars, deciding which one I want

Go for low mileage. I don't think the rental car companies pay for it but if the car is still in the free "test" stage that comes with new cars you may get lucky

 

[ajlsjl]

A little delayed in posting this, but returned home from WDW on Friday. When I picked up on 8/18, there was a Jeep SUV, a Ford Escape (which I took), and a lot of Impalas and Malibus. I didn't get to look when I returned last Friday.

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

Gmeh1:

Love having you on this thread! What can I expect to find on the Alamo mid-size aisle?

I have an emerald aisle reservation as well for a few dollars more so I'm interested in seeing what the difference cars might be. We usually travel to Orlando in September... we've never had a car with more than 2k miles on it yet.

No

 

[disney_bob]

Its a bit after when I rented, but in April I drove a Saab 93 out of the aisle. Better than the sebring from last year.

 

[gmeh1]

Good to know. I always thought downgrading was possible.

I'm actually not too concerned with what type of car I get, but I'd like one with Sirius or XM. I managed to get one back in 2009, do you know if there are still any in the Emerald Aisle?

So looking forward to hoping in and out of cars, deciding which one I want

Downgrading is possible, but, not self downgrading, you need to go to the customer service booth(the one in the garage). But, I do have a question.
You booked a "standard car". If you are an EC member, you, IMHO, should book a midsize with your EC membership. I can almost guarantee you will find a full size car on the aisle (well, not today!!!! What a zoo, lol We were putting mini vans on the midsize aisle, very very busy day). Worst case, you will have a midsize, which is what you will pay for.

 

[gmeh1]

Good to know. I always thought downgrading was possible.

I'm actually not too concerned with what type of car I get, but I'd like one with Sirius or XM. I managed to get one back in 2009, do you know if there are still any in the Emerald Aisle?

So looking forward to hoping in and out of cars, deciding which one I want

OOPS, forgot to answer your question. The EA has a variety of cars with and without Sirius and XM. I truly do not know which ones do or do not have it. When assigning cars to the EA we look primarily at the mileage (under 20K is the rule.........mistakes do happen, but, rarely, sometimes the trip odometer is read rather than the actual mileage, hey, we are human!!)
Happy hopping. Which side are you going to be in, I wanna watch. LOL

 

[gmeh1]

Gmeh1:

Love having you on this thread! What can I expect to find on the Alamo mid-size aisle?

I have an emerald aisle reservation as well for a few dollars more so I'm interested in seeing what the difference cars might be. We usually travel to Orlando in September... we've never had a car with more than 2k miles on it yet.

Toyota Corolla, sometimes Ford Fusions, Chevy HHR's, Volkswagon Beetles, and similar.

Keep in mind, that Alamo, National and Enterprise share cars, by that I mean, they all come from the same place, cleaned the same way and assigned as they come in from being serviced and cleaned. So, a midsize in Alamo will be similar on the EA, but, you do have a chance to get a full size. Personally, I would stick with the EA reservation. So much quicker than standing in the Alamo line at the counter and it has been busy!!! The 2012's are coming in now and there is a good chance you will get a new car with very low miles on it......no guarantees however.

 

[gmeh1]

I took a peek at the B side midsize Alamo row and I saw, today, Civics, Sentras, Beetles, and Corollas.

 

[kungaloosh22]

OOPS, forgot to answer your question. The EA has a variety of cars with and without Sirius and XM. I truly do not know which ones do or do not have it. When assigning cars to the EA we look primarily at the mileage (under 20K is the rule.........mistakes do happen, but, rarely, sometimes the trip odometer is read rather than the actual mileage, hey, we are human!!)

So I'm a little confused by this. Does this mean the lowest mileage cars are likely to be on emerald aisle instead of the reserve aisles? I would think paying more for a car would get you the lowest mileage, but it seems like maybe you're saying the lowest mileage cars actually end up on the cheaper emerald aisle?

 

[Zife]

Go for low mileage. I don't think the rental car companies pay for it but if the car is still in the free "test" stage that comes with new cars you may get lucky

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

Downgrading is possible, but, not self downgrading, you need to go to the customer service booth(the one in the garage). But, I do have a question.
You booked a "standard car". If you are an EC member, you, IMHO, should book a midsize with your EC membership. I can almost guarantee you will find a full size car on the aisle (well, not today!!!! What a zoo, lol We were putting mini vans on the midsize aisle, very very busy day). Worst case, you will have a midsize, which is what you will pay for.

I was actually just answering as a 'good to know' kind of thing. I wasn't the OP on that one, so I have a Midsize (Emerald Aisle) booked, not Standard. Mind you I did have a Standard booked for a while when it was cheaper than Midsize (because of the Amex Double Upgrade).

OOPS, forgot to answer your question. The EA has a variety of cars with and without Sirius and XM. I truly do not know which ones do or do not have it. When assigning cars to the EA we look primarily at the mileage (under 20K is the rule.........mistakes do happen, but, rarely, sometimes the trip odometer is read rather than the actual mileage, hey, we are human!!)
Happy hopping. Which side are you going to be in, I wanna watch. LOL

I'm not sure which side I'll be in, flying in AirCanada though, if that helps From reading the thread though, I'm kind of hoping that I'll get an Altima. I had one through Enterprise before I started dealing with National, and loved it.

 

[gmeh1]

I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!



I was actually just answering as a 'good to know' kind of thing. I wasn't the OP on that one, so I have a Midsize (Emerald Aisle) booked, not Standard. Mind you I did have a Standard booked for a while when it was cheaper than Midsize (because of the Amex Double Upgrade).



I'm not sure which side I'll be in, flying in AirCanada though, if that helps From reading the thread though, I'm kind of hoping that I'll get an Altima. I had one through Enterprise before I started dealing with National, and loved it.

Opps, sorry about that. AirCanada is on "A" side. Enterprise owns National and Alamo, btw. "A" garage side is larger than "B" garage side and holds more cars . I hope you get an Altima also. You can always ask and see if they have one if you don't see one on the midsize row.

 

[gmeh1]

So I'm a little confused by this. Does this mean the lowest mileage cars are likely to be on emerald aisle instead of the reserve aisles? I would think paying more for a car would get you the lowest mileage, but it seems like maybe you're saying the lowest mileage cars actually end up on the cheaper emerald aisle?

No, it means when we are assigning cars, we put the lower mileage on the Emerald Aisles. That does not mean that only higher mileage cars are on the regular rows, when we fill EA, we assign cars to National, Alamo and Enterprise some with less than 20k miles and some with more. We often need to fill the regular rows when the demand is high for non EA rentals. We maintain the cars quite well, so, mileage should not be a concern, unless you are planning to buy it. We have over 700 cars at the Orlando location garages and more in different locations. Alamo, National and Enterprise share the inventory, so, as they come in from the prep areas they are assigned where needed.

You are paying for a midsize car when you make an EA reservation. You are guaranteed at least a midsize car and may take any car that is on the EA. That means, midsize, full size, SUV, sometimes mini vans. Not sure how you think that you are paying more for a regular row.

It costs nothing to join the Emerald Club.

 

[Zife]

Opps, sorry about that. AirCanada is on "A" side. Enterprise owns National and Alamo, btw. "A" garage side is larger than "B" garage side and holds more cars . I hope you get an Altima also. You can always ask and see if they have one if you don't see one on the midsize row.

Good to know. I got the email about Emerald Club being accepted at Enterprise now, and assumed that National had bought Enterprise. Interesting that it's the other way around.

 

[djant]

Gmeh,

I have an emerald aisle reservation for mid october for my fiance and I for our honeymoon. I was wondering if you would be interested in holding onto a very nice vehicle for us for when we arrive. I would be willing to tip $100 cash when we pick up the car.

Thanks for your consideration!

 

[Rekenna]

Hi guys-I'm new to the car rental thing. I have EA and I reserved a mid size for our 10/22-10/29 trip. What are my chances of getting at least a full size car or maybe an SUV on a Saturday afternoon around 4-4:30pm? Slim to none or pretty decent?

My sister and I went to WDW in March-she was renting the car and we got a really nice Nissan Xterra-although the car was on work's dime so while I got a good price for her I tend to be a little more tight for a family vacation.

Right now I have the reservation for $362 and I have been told to keep my eye out for coupons and lower rates and re-book and cancel up until our trip-so I will keep my eye on it.

Thanks for your help!

 

[kungaloosh22]

Not sure how you think that you are paying more for a regular row.

What I mean by paying more is that if you want to guarantee a fullsize or SUV, you'd reserve a fullsize or SUV category, which probably means you pay more than the midsize/EA rate. So it would seem weird to me if people paying the cheaper midsize rate get the better, lower mileage SUVs than the people who are actually paying the higher regular price for a minivan.