AUGUST 2017 Car rental watch

[pigletto]

I've been trying priceline but the prices are the same as all the others. So crazy high!

I think he's referring to doing the "Name Your Own Price" bidding feature on Priceline.
It's not worth doing until you are very very close to your date because you pay upfront, and if prices drop after that you would be locked in to the price you paid. Basically you pick the vehicle you want and bid what you will pay per day and if you "win" the car rental company is revealed to you after payment. Last time that I did it (5 years maybe?) all of the companies you could be getting the car from were the major onsite MCO car rental companies.

I will definitely be trying the Priceline or Hotwire "Name Your Own Price" feature if we get to a week out and I haven't found anything.

 

[lynnfitz]

I got a better rate at Dollar this morning-for 13 days, $385 for standard car, Alamo has been around $420-$440. Haven't used Dollar in quite a few years, but I believe if I sign up for their loyalty program, we should be able to go directly to the garage at MCO. Hoping Alamo comes down for 3rd week in August....we'll see!

 

[pigletto]

I got a better rate at Dollar this morning-for 13 days, $385 for standard car, Alamo has been around $420-$440. Haven't used Dollar in quite a few years, but I believe if I sign up for their loyalty program, we should be able to go directly to the garage at MCO. Hoping Alamo comes down for 3rd week in August....we'll see!

We have used dollar several times at MCO with no issue. You can go straight to the garage with their fast break program but I believe the car is assigned to you and they just tell you what spot it is in? I can't recall.

 

[lynnfitz]

thanks, I'm going to sign us up tonight for their fast break program so we can go straight to the garage. We rented from them years ago, and I think all went well (if it didn't I'm sure I'd remember, lol!) I'm curious why this year Alamo prices have been so high, usually for our July or August trip, I already have a rental car. I think this is the longest I've waited to book.

 

[TCups4Me]

I got a better rate at Dollar this morning-for 13 days, $385 for standard car, Alamo has been around $420-$440. Haven't used Dollar in quite a few years, but I believe if I sign up for their loyalty program, we should be able to go directly to the garage at MCO. Hoping Alamo comes down for 3rd week in August....we'll see!

Thanks for this info. So glad to see another decent rate! I'll definitely keep checking!

 

[lynnfitz]

Anytime!! Good luck rate hunting!

 

[richmo]

We have used dollar several times at MCO with no issue. You can go straight to the garage with their fast break program but I believe the car is assigned to you and they just tell you what spot it is in? I can't recall.

That sounds about right. I had a Dollar rental a year or so ago for a compact, had FastBreak and went straight to the garage. If I remember correctly, I went straight to the garage, went to the FastBreak window and the agent wrote a note on my contract to upgrade to midsize and just told me to pick any out of a certain aisle, almost like you would do with Alamo.

 

[hsmamato2]

how does it work if we're all checked in (Alamo) ahead of time to skip the line, but our rental is a surprise? I don't know what type of car we're getting

 

[richmo]

how does it work if we're all checked in (Alamo) ahead of time to skip the line, but our rental is a surprise? I don't know what type of car we're getting

What do you mean by "surprise"? The type of vehicle should be on your confirmation/online check-in form. The aisle you pick from will have that class of vehicle and sometimes higher.

 

[kimbe21]

We are renting with Budget. Does anyone know if we can go straight to the garage or if we need to stop at the desk in the terminal? I did sign up for Fastbreak.
Thanks!!

 

[richmo]

We are renting with Budget. Does anyone know if we can go straight to the garage or if we need to stop at the desk in the terminal? I did sign up for Fastbreak.
Thanks!!

If I remember correctly, you can go out to the garage and there's a FastBreak desk there, which should be much less busy than the one in the terminal. The last time I rented with Budget, there may have been 1 or 2 people in front of me, no more.

 

[ilikecarrentals]

how does it work if we're all checked in (Alamo) ahead of time to skip the line, but our rental is a surprise? I don't know what type of car we're getting

Surprise, should be the same as Drive Happy deal (compact or up) - I believe you can just ask the lot attendant which aisle you should pick from.

 

[TCups4Me]

Any good deals to be had lately? Anybody?

 

[anorman]

The prices dipped down for a bit last week but it looks like they are all back up again.....$700 plus for two weeks the end of August at Alamo. I currently have Alamo booked for $433 which I arranged back in March. Prices haven't dipped any lower than that that I have seen.

Carrentals.com are offering the best prices I've seen for my dates at present time....full size or standard for two weeks starting at $514 for an in terminal rental.

 

[lilluv117]

At this rate I'll be using uber for my two weeks at Disney. We're staying at the Poly & Beach Club and have all our MK days while at the Poly and all our Epcot/HS days while at the Beach Club. We need the car for the evening dinner reservations and for our AK days which I've calculated at $240 for the trip even if we have to use the $20 Minnie Vans. That's way less than the $400 rental I have for the 2 weeks. We'd just have to use Magical Express for the airport which I guess I can deal with. Still hoping for a rental in the $200's but it's not looking as likely now.

You think prices are up because more people are holding onto a reservation now than the previous years so the rental companies have a false sense of being booked up? I know I have a $400 ressie but the closer it gets to my dates the less likely I am to use it. I'm just scared to let it go, just in case.

 

[elle101me]

At this rate I'll be using uber for my two weeks at Disney. We're staying at the Poly & Beach Club and have all our MK days while at the Poly and all our Epcot/HS days while at the Beach Club. We need the car for the evening dinner reservations and for our AK days which I've calculated at $240 for the trip even if we have to use the $20 Minnie Vans. That's way less than the $400 rental I have for the 2 weeks. We'd just have to use Magical Express for the airport which I guess I can deal with. Still hoping for a rental in the $200's but it's not looking as likely now.

You think prices are up because more people are holding onto a reservation now than the previous years so the rental companies have a false sense of being booked up? I know I have a $400 ressie but the closer it gets to my dates the less likely I am to use it. I'm just scared to let it go, just in case.

I have a 2 week rental for $424. I'm not optimistic that it's going to go down before my trip starting August 9. That is only $5 more than I paid for the same 2 weeks last year. The Minnie Vans look cool but we like to have our own car to venture offsite for outlet shopping, different restaurants etc.

 

[lilluv117]

I have a 2 week rental for $424. I'm not optimistic that it's going to go down before my trip starting August 9. That is only $5 more than I paid for the same 2 weeks last year. The Minnie Vans look cool but we like to have our own car to venture offsite for outlet shopping, different restaurants etc.

Oh man, that makes me feel even less optimistic. I've gone the same 2 weeks for the past 2 years and paid in the low to mid $200's. Maybe late August is starting to price like early August now. Last year my dates were 8/25-9/7 and this year my dates are 8/24-9/6. I paid $228 for a midsize and had a fullsize for $247 last year for those dates. We ended up with a minivan from one of those aisles. We also did 1/2 Poly, 1/2 Beach Club and the car just sat most of the trip so I think I'm ok with not having one, although I too like the security and comfort of having a rental car.

 

[elle101me]

Oh man, that makes me feel even less optimistic. I've gone the same 2 weeks for the past 2 years and paid in the low to mid $200's. Maybe late August is starting to price like early August now. Last year my dates were 8/25-9/7 and this year my dates are 8/24-9/6. I paid $228 for a midsize and had a fullsize for $247 last year for those dates. We ended up with a minivan from one of those aisles. We also did 1/2 Poly, 1/2 Beach Club and the car just sat most of the trip so I think I'm ok with not having one, although I too like the security and comfort of having a rental car.

Oh wow! I wasn't sure what your dates were. You checked in the day after I left last year and the same this year. I would have thought your 2 weeks would be lower due to the lower crowds. Hmmm, definitely keep checking until the last minute before you cancel. I'm still checking too, but mine are showing in the $700 range.

 

[MIChessGuy]

Disneyland has not been much better. I have $228 all-inclusive at Alamo/LAX for August 19-26, booked a month ago, and no improvement since. In prior years I have paid at least $100 less for the same time frame at MCO. As always, I will continue checking up until a couple of days before departure, but as a famous Disney-owned character might say, "I have a bad feeling about this."

 

[kimbe21]

Hurry! Costco rates are currently down for our trip about $100. Worth checking.