Port Everglade Rental Car return

[commie]

Has anyone ever return their rental cars at the Port Everglades? How crazy is the traffic going into the Port area?

Also, do I still have to take a shuttle bus/taxi from the Hertz or National rental return desk to the Port?

Would it be better to just return the rental car at FLL and take the taxi to the Port Everglades?

[Colo Cruiser]

Has anyone ever return their rental cars at the Port Everglades? How crazy is the traffic going into the Port area?

Also, do I still have to take a shuttle bus/taxi from the Hertz or National rental return desk to the Port?

Would it be better to just return the rental car at FLL and take the taxi to the Port Everglades?

 

 

We prefer the free shuttle from FLL to/from the port, its painless. ;)

[tml1230]

Take a look at Budget car rental….they are across the street from the port on the 17th st. causeway in a shopping center….2 times a year we drop off a rental there before boarding the ship …. then we pick one up there after the cruise for the ride home ( a real plus living in florida!)….it is much cheaper than paying for parking at the port….depending on where your ship is actually docked at the port it may be an easy walk after you drop your luggage off….or they do have a free shuttle to/from the ship if you aren't docked near the causeway bridge…the service and employees are always great there….

 

have a safe trip

[matj2000]

We prefer the free shuttle from FLL to/from the port, its painless. ;)

 

Can you give more info about the free shuttle?

 

We have dropped of cars at FLL and always took a cab to the port.

[shepp]

Can you give more info about the free shuttle?

 

We have dropped of cars at FLL and always took a cab to the port.

 

Having just done the FLL rental thing…there is no free to-the-port shuttle provided by car companies if you return the car to their airport location, at least not the ones I asked. (They will provide shuttles from pier to airport if you have an existing reservation, though.) Many companies do not have a separate Port Everglades location, but Thrifty does. We rented from them at the airport, and for a $2.50 charge dropped the car at their Port Everglades location and took a free shuttle from there to the pier. Worked like a charm, and saved eighteen bucks on cab fare.

Edited December 25, 2014 by shepp

[Colo Cruiser]

Can you give more info about the free shuttle?

 

We have dropped of cars at FLL and always took a cab to the port.

 

 

I just did some research and the airport no longer provides this service.

We had used it many times.

I apologize for the misinformation. :o

[Shenaz]

Has anyone ever return their rental cars at the Port Everglades? How crazy is the traffic going into the Port area?

We did that in the beginning of December. Dropped the luggage (and my mum) at the pier, refilled the car and dropped it at the Hertz office and took the free shuttle bus back to the pier (although you might just as well drop off the car directly at the office and take the shuttle bus to the pier together with the loggage. We didn't find the traffic to be very crazy.

Also, do I still have to take a shuttle bus/taxi from the Hertz or National rental return desk to the Port?

We considered walking back to the pier from the Hertz office, which would have been a walk of about 20 minutes (without our luggage), but we were on pier 2, so this was quite near. Walking to other piers certainly would have taken an eternity.

Would it be better to just return the rental car at FLL and take the taxi to the Port Everglades?

We found it very convenient to return the car to the Port Everglades Hertz location and would do it again.

[cruise2relax]

We always rent cards from Alamo and return them to the airport. You can use the airport transit shuttle to the Port for free. You have to show your receipt. It is easy and free.

[antsp]

We always rent cards from Alamo and return them to the airport. You can use the airport transit shuttle to the Port for free. You have to show your receipt. It is easy and free.

 

Alamo and National have a bus, no one else as far as I know.

[2wheelin]

I have been checking prices for rentals in March and it is always cheaper to return to a downtown site than at the airport. Sometimes over $100 difference. We will be staying 17th St area night before cruise so can return the car the night before and walk to the hotel to save another $30.

I also always continue to check prices up until shortly before leaving home as the rental prices are constantly changing. Have found the best rates about three weeks out but always have a reservation in case I miss the lowest price.

[shepp]

Alamo and National have a bus, no one else as far as I know.

 

I do stand corrected: seems that Alamo provides a free port bus. When I was shopping around, their rates were much higher than Thrifty's, and I guess I never asked them about shuttles.

[JimmyVWine]

I do stand corrected: seems that Alamo provides a free port bus. When I was shopping around, their rates were much higher than Thrifty's, and I guess I never asked them about shuttles.

National too.

[shepp]

National too.

 

Same company.

[JimmyVWine]

Same company.

You and I know that but I just wanted to be clear for those that didn't know that.[emoji4]

[ericosmith]

Having just done the FLL rental thing…there is no free to-the-port shuttle provided by car companies if you return the car to their airport location, at least not the ones I asked. (They will provide shuttles from pier to airport if you have an existing reservation, though.) Many companies do not have a separate Port Everglades location, but Thrifty does. We rented from them at the airport, and for a $2.50 charge dropped the car at their Port Everglades location and took a free shuttle from there to the pier. Worked like a charm, and saved eighteen bucks on cab fare.

 

Unless something has changed very recently, National/Alamo has a free shuttle. Driving to the port and dropping off luggage before returning the car avoids hauling those suitcases on and off the shuttle bus and is fairly painless.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Take a look at Budget car rental….they are across the street from the port on the 17th st. causeway in a shopping center….2 times a year we drop off a rental there before boarding the ship …. then we pick one up there after the cruise for the ride home ( a real plus living in florida!)….it is much cheaper than paying for parking at the port….depending on where your ship is actually docked at the port it may be an easy walk after you drop your luggage off….or they do have a free shuttle to/from the ship if you aren't docked near the causeway bridge…the service and employees are always great there….

 

have a safe trip

 

We just did this last month. I would definitely do it again.

 

Quick and painless.:)

 

Bill

[5:00_Somewhere]

As others have mentioned, many times over the past 10 years or so I have rented from Budget (either at FLL or MIA) to drive around FL for a few days before our cruise. Then, I will drop the car at the Budget location at the 17th St. which is essentially right across 17th St. from the entrance to Port Everglades.

 

What I usually do is drop the luggage and Hubby (and any guests travelling with us) at the pier first, then return the car and walk back to the pier (make sure to take your Boarding Pass and Passport, as you will have to show it at the check point just as if you were driving in).

 

If the ship is docked at pier 2, it is less than a 10 minute walk from the Budget office. This is where our Princess have been docked every time except 1. If the ship is docked at one of the other piers further into the port, walking might be a bit uncomfortable, especially on a hot day.

 

However, Budget does also offer a free shuttle van to the ship from the 17th St. location (note: I have heard here on CC several times over the years - including this last Fall - that Budget had discontinued the shuttle van to the port from this location, but this has turned out not to be true every single time; still, couldn't hurt to call the location and confirm - the national number has no information in this regard.) The only downside is that there will sometimes be quite a wait for the van to make the round trip from the port, mostly because the traffic getting into the passenger drop-off area at the piers can be quite slow.

 

Hope you find that information helpful.

Edited December 26, 2014 by 5:00_Somewhere

[commie]

Thanks all for giving the insights to the car rental situation at the Port Everglades.

 

Looks like its not too hard to drive to the rental desks at the Port and return there.

 

Or maybe I will switch my rental to National and return at the FLL airport and take their shuttle to the Port. I have pretty good corp rates with either National or Hertz, and are top tier with their frequent renters club, so I don't mind renting with either company.

 

I am just worry about trying to drive around the port area during the busy loading times and how busy the shuttle bus may be.

[RoePost]

5 oclock somewhere is entirely correct..we always drop our car at Budget on 17th St and they do have a shuttle..however,,some time the wait is very long so we just call a taxi and they are there really quick and it is really inexpensive to have them drive you over to the port....we have done this many, many times and it is always quick and convenient.