September 2020 car rental watch

[diznee princess]

Thanks for this great information! I didn’t realize all of this. But one question I have is I heard currently due to the pandemic the keys are not in the cars and you have to obtain from the guys in the booth. Is that going to be a game changer or can you just say I want that car and they are helpful to just give them to you or will they say, sorry that isn’t what you rented???

Hi, i actually just arrived tonight. Its a game changer right now with Covid measures for sure. Our experience was with Alamo...For the first time i was told which car i had to take for drive happy deal, and i was not happy with my only choice of a pickup truck. Ultimately I ended up with a jeep wrangler, still not my choice. But they were short on cars and not much to choose from. Due to Covid they are not letting you roam garage aisle at entry. You will be stopped and asked what you reserved. Then point you to which aisle and car options you have. You can still choose which car or car type in your aisle that you want. There were keys in the cars. We wiped down our car with lysol wipes we brought since anyone can get in and out of them when choosing. It was around 10 pm when we were picking up, so i dont know if this is same experience during a busy time of day. I'm just hoping all goes back to normal soon!

 

[diznee princess]

I’ve been renting from Alamo at MCO for years and I didn’t know half of that. Thank you for taking the time to share it all...I’ll definitely be using it in the future.

Of course with Covid measures, it might not work right now. If you book drive happy, reserve another for a car of your choice in case they aren't letting you choose your own car right now. You can go to garage and check what drive happy cars are offered or if there are any subbed upgrades in your reserved car type). You can also inquire at counter before choosing which reservation to use! It may still be an upgrade but maybe not what you want or need.

 

[nancy155]

Hi, i actually just arrived tonight. Its a game changer right now with Covid measures for sure. Our experience was with Alamo...For the first time i was told which car i had to take for drive happy deal, and i was not happy with my only choice of a pickup truck. Ultimately I ended up with a jeep wrangler, still not my choice. But they were short on cars and not much to choose from. Due to Covid they are not letting you roam garage aisle at entry. You will be stopped and asked what you reserved. Then point you to which aisle and car options you have. You can still choose which car or car type in your aisle that you want. There were keys in the cars. We wiped down our car with lysol wipes we brought since anyone can get in and out of them when choosing. It was around 10 pm when we were picking up, so i dont know if this is same experience during a busy time of day. I'm just hoping all goes back to normal soon!

Thank you for coming back and relaying your experience with the changes. I too have a reservation with Alamo for a few weeks from now for a standard vehicle. Hoping for the best.

 

[summerw]

I was thinking rates would be lower since there are fewer travelers, but they seem to be higher than usual. Is that everyone else’s experience?

 

[nancy155]

Just went into Priceline and found a Standard SUV at Dollar for $241.00!! Reserved this as would rather have SUV than the full size car with Alamo for $6 difference for the week.

 

[WeLuvTink!]

Just went into Priceline and found a Standard SUV at Dollar for $241.00!! Reserved this as would rather have SUV than the full size car with Alamo for $6 difference for the week.

THANK YOU for posting this. I also booked a Standard SUV with Dollar thru Priceline for $211 for a week (Sept 26-Oct 3). Lower price than thru Dollar directly or any other search engine.

 

[nancy155]

Priceline just went down again today for my SUV rental for 9/18-9/26! Down to $229.00 Yippee!

 

[beercity]

I was thinking rates would be lower since there are fewer travelers, but they seem to be higher than usual. Is that everyone else’s experience?

Yeah it seems like the normal laws of economics no longer apply. The rental agencies now are trying to raise rates as much as possible to slow the bleeding.

 

[Akck]

I think I’ve gotten the lowest rates for our rental on Monday at $189 through Alamo (via Costco). Now all I have do is decide if I want to upgrade to a mid-sized SUV for an extra $24. Well, I have until Sunday to decide.