Car rental at airport and return to port?

[Squirly]

We are headed out on a five day cruise January 6th on the Sunshine. We are going a few days early so we have decided to rent a van at MCO and return it at the port when we board the ship. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience in doing this and if they would like to share them. We have done the dreaded shuttle many times and we were just trying to make things easier for the 8 of us (and cheaper) than paying 40US a person round trip for a shuttle. Any thoughts?

 

 

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[nchikk]

You should check with rental car companies to see if this would be possible. You can't just drop off a car at the port. They will have to have a location there.

[doconner]

We are headed out on a five day cruise January 6th on the Sunshine. We are going a few days early so we have decided to rent a van at MCO and return it at the port when we board the ship. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience in doing this and if they would like to share them. We have done the dreaded shuttle many times and we were just trying to make things easier for the 8 of us (and cheaper) than paying 40US a person round trip for a shuttle. Any thoughts?

 

 

I've done this in the past, and it worked out quite well. When I last did it, I found it difficult to do it through aggregator websites, and instead had to search several of the individual rental companies sites directly to compare rates.

 

Looking at this Google Maps link, you'll see several rental car companies with locations NEAR the port: https://goo.gl/Ppm8Oh

 

When I did it, there were just 2 of us, so we both went to return the rental car at the agency, and they had a free shuttle to the ship. A bit like airport car rental shuttles that aren't right next to the terminal.

 

I imagine if there are 8 of you, that you'd be able to drop a few of them and the luggage off at the port, while 1 or 2 of you returned the car. Though I can't say with certainty that this is true.

 

It was a very smooth process when I did it, and would recommend it.

Edited October 12, 2016 by doconner

[fshstck]

Sometimes they have an upcharge for one-way rentals, you might be better off renting it for the duration of the cruise and paying for the parking. Most cruise ports don't have a drop off location, so you might end up having to get a taxi anyway.

[mrpayroll]

Just a heads up. Enterprise that is located on Mullet Rd. has transportation to port. The other does not.

[TakeMeAway1001]

We have done it on almost every cruise, it's very easy. For this week we're picking up at MCO through Avis and dropping off the next day in Cape Canaveral. Avis runs a shuttle from there to the port, included with the rental. Not sure of your exact time but doing a 12 passenger van rental pre-paid on Thurs 1/5 @ MCO with drop off in Cape Canaveral on Sat 1/7 shows $260 which isn't bad compared to shuttle rates. Make sure you choose the correct drop off location, it's 6650 N Atlantic Ave-Cape Canaveral.

 

Good luck~

Edited October 12, 2016 by TakeMeAway1001

[jimbo5544]

We did it on our last cruise on the Sunshine. The only issue was when we were trying to drop the car off at the beginning of the cruise and then get a transfer back to the ship. Alamo was MOBBED. Finally after 15 minutes, the lot person said just leave it on side road (could not even get into the lot). She initialed our papers and and we shared a cab back to the ship.

 

 

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[loretta5ue]

We rented a car at MCO and returned it near Port Canaveral - I checked my emails, we used Dollar. The rental for a full day was less than our return shuttle (for 4), $65 for a mid-size SUV.

 

The guys dropped us ladies off at the port and returned the car to the rental location. Instead of taking the shuttle they opted to meet an Uber at a 7-11 so they could make a last stop for snacks.

 

 

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[lepidoptera]

We are renting a car at MCO and returning it at Port next week. I found this site useful, when I started looking at rental companies. http://cruiseportcanaveral.us/car-rental/

[Squirly]

Thanks for all of your insight everybody. My corporate rate gets us the vehicle quite a bit cheaper. I will however make sure to cover all the points you have suggested as well as look into keeping it for the duration of the cruise and just pay for parking. Thanks!

 

 

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[JohninDC]

Most of the major car rental agencies (Hertz, etc.) have offices in PC or nearby Cocoa Beach and all offer free port shuttles. We typically rent from Avis due to a corporate rate and have been happy with the service.