Car rentals at MCO- recommendations?

[goofy4wdw2]

Any recommendations for reputable rental car companies that are easy to work with and any tips/deals? We haven’t rented a car in ages. We either drive to WDW or use Magical Express but we’re flying into MCO and renting a car to go to Kennedy Space Center and Disney’s Vero Beach resort (no WDW this trip). We’re a family of five so will likely need an suv or minivan although nervous it’ll be super pricy. Thanks in advance!

 

[EACarlson]

Have AutoSlash find your car and then use them to keep looking for better deals. So far they've saved me 40% on my one day to get from WDW to Kennedy in Dec. and 10% on my weeklong in Dallas to see family in March.

Look into the companies that allow you to skip the counter, and make sure the cars are actually at MCO rather than offsite.

 

[SteveH]

If you are a Costco member, check rates through Costco Travel, I've had good results in savings through them.

 

[Chief Powhatan]

SteveH is correct - Costco usually has the best rates - especially out of MCO. In terms of getting the best price, go ahead and book the best deal that you can find now. Then keep checking periodically until your trip. Good luck!

 

[SteveH]

Then keep checking periodically until your trip. Good luck!

This is great advice. I need a rental from Tampa back to WDW, I was able to cut my rate by about $50 one day when prices dipped and I was able to upgrade my vehicle too. I' still check about once a week to see if I can get an even better deal.

 

[Afabena]

I am renting out of TPA but I also used Costco Travel to book. I was able to reserve a standard SUV for the price of a standard car from some other sites. Definitely check rates frequently as prices do fluctuate.

 

[maxiesmom]

Costco. I have great luck booking Alamo thru them. And you can go to Alamo's site and sign up to skip the counter at the airport. So all you do is go select a car from the type you have booked, and give your papers to the agent as you leave the parking garage.

 

[bananabean]

If any of your credit cards have rewards portals you can check there. I usually book my car with Chase rewards points or go with Costco. My most recent rental was booked about 7 months ago and when I checked a couple weeks back it was $175 cheaper for 5 days, so I was able to rebook.

I’ve booked with a bunch of different companies and the only real issue I’ve had is with Alamo and the car size (this doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an issue for you given the space you need). I always book the smallest car available since I’m just one person and prefer small cars, but on race weekends, when I tend to travel, Alamo has constantly given me huge cars I don’t need (minivans/large SUVs). The last straw was when they told me the only vehicle they had available was for a 15 passenger van. I try to avoid them on race weekends now, but I haven’t had any other issues, even with the cheap companies (Thrifty, Dollar, etc.).

 

[DVC-Don]

I always price all the onsite agencies and book the low bid.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

I’ve booked with a bunch of different companies and the only real issue I’ve had is with Alamo and the car size (this doesn’t seem like it’s going to be an issue for you given the space you need). I always book the smallest car available since I’m just one person and prefer small cars, but on race weekends, when I tend to travel, Alamo has constantly given me huge cars I don’t need (minivans/large SUVs). The last straw was when they told me the only vehicle they had available was for a 15 passenger van. I try to avoid them on race weekends now, but I haven’t had any other issues, even with the cheap companies (Thrifty, Dollar, etc.).

When picking up an Alamo rental at the WDW Dolphin location, I have twice been offered what they considered to be an “upgrade”, once to a full size SUV and once to a pick-up truck, from my reserved midsize or full size sedan. I made the mistake of accepting the offered SUV the first time and hated it. The second time, I had to wait while a suitable sedan was brought over from the Disney Car Care Center location, wasting about 30-45 minutes of my time. A truck was out of the question, since my primary insurance coverage for rentals is through a third-party annual travel insurance policy that I carry (I carry it primarily for the international travel emergency medical and evacuation coverages, but the car rental insurance is a nice feature that comes with the policy). This coverage specifically excludes trucks and any passenger vehicles that carry more than 10 passengers, so that 15-passenger van would void my insurance coverage on this policy (and, to be honest, I don’t know if my regular auto insurance would cover it either, since I haven’t encountered the need). At MCO, I always do online checkin with the skip the counter feature, so I can go directly to the aisle of the garage and choose a car. I’ve not had a problem there, but the situation can be different at smaller airports and other rental locations that don’t support this service.

 

[bananabean]

When picking up an Alamo rental at the WDW Dolphin location, I have twice been offered what they considered to be an “upgrade”, once to a full size SUV and once to a pick-up truck, from my reserved midsize or full size sedan. I made the mistake of accepting the offered SUV the first time and hated it. The second time, I had to wait while a suitable sedan was brought over from the Disney Car Care Center location, wasting about 30-45 minutes of my time. A truck was out of the question, since my primary insurance coverage for rentals is through a third-party annual travel insurance policy that I carry (I carry it primarily for the international travel emergency medical and evacuation coverages, but the car rental insurance is a nice feature that comes with the policy). This coverage specifically excludes trucks and any passenger vehicles that carry more than 10 passengers, so that 15-passenger van would void my insurance coverage on this policy (and, to be honest, I don’t know if my regular auto insurance would cover it either, since I haven’t encountered the need). At MCO, I always do online checkin with the skip the counter feature, so I can go directly to the aisle of the garage and choose a car. I’ve not had a problem there, but the situation can be different at smaller airports and other rental locations that don’t support this service.

The first time they gave me a minivan from Alamo they said I could try over at the Car Care Center or the Dolphin/Swan spot. I checked them out and there were no smaller cars available at all. I was annoyed that I drove around for over an hour dealing with that. But it really just is more of a race weekend thing since there’s a lot more individual adults and fewer families.

And I would be playing the Seinfeld car reservation scene in my head over and over.

“But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation!”

 

[kaytieeldr]

I checked them out and there were no smaller cars available at all. I was annoyed that I drove around for over an hour dealing with that

Too bad they didn't give you the location phone numbers. Or call over themselves.

“But the reservation keeps the car here. That's why you have the reservation!”

There's a current thread here somewhere about returning a car late because the departure flight time was changed. It's possible that card were expected bwck, but we're delayed.