Port of Miami car rental

[cruisewiththekids]

I know this has been discussed in other posts, but I thought the last updated information stated that Avis/Budget have no shuttle to airport, Alamo/National/Enterprise does have a shared shuttle and Dollar/Thrifty also have a shared shuttle.    However, I just tried to book Thrifty, and it says under shuttle that cruisers must pick PM4 location, 3900 NW 25th St.    So I'm wondering if that means they no longer have a shuttle to the airport.   Does anyone have recent experience with car rental shuttles from Port of Miami to airport?    I will try to call, but it sometimes can be difficult to actually get the local office and not transferred to the main reservation center, and they don't always have good information.

[SteerageJoe]

2 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

I know this has been discussed in other posts, but I thought the last updated information stated that Avis/Budget have no shuttle to airport, Alamo/National/Enterprise does have a shared shuttle and Dollar/Thrifty also have a shared shuttle.    However, I just tried to book Thrifty, and it says under shuttle that cruisers must pick PM4 location, 3900 NW 25th St.    So I'm wondering if that means they no longer have a shuttle to the airport.   Does anyone have recent experience with car rental shuttles from Port of Miami to airport?    I will try to call, but it sometimes can be difficult to actually get the local office and not transferred to the main reservation center, and they don't always have good information.

 

That's been the case for a long time. Those codes are just to tell the rental company they need to have a shuttle ready for you (airport to port and back).

 

Alamo, Enterprise, National, Dollar and Thrifty rental car offices are located in the same building! Once you return the vehicle, you will be directed to their Port of Miami Shuttle van just outside the door. Sometimes the wait can be as long as 45 minutes depending on traffic.

 

Customers needing shuttle service to the Port of Miami must book the Miami Cruise Ship location (National – MIA/Dollar – MIAP01/Thrifty – PM4), as the return location and return the vehicle to the Alamo, Enterprise, National, Dollar or Thrifty rental counter at 3900 NW 25th Street (Miami Airport location) .

[thinfool]

3900 NW 25th St is the address for the Alamo/National port shuttle, airport shuttle, car return, car pickup for the Miami airport.

Kind of an all-in-one deal.

You should be good to go.

 

[Caper Jill]

We will be needing a car when we disembark in Miami at the end of the cruise.  Thoughts re better to go back to airport and pick up car or get shuttle at the port? Thank you!

 

[JohninDC]

17 minutes ago, Caper Jill said:

We will be needing a car when we disembark in Miami at the end of the cruise.  Thoughts re better to go back to airport and pick up car or get shuttle at the port? Thank you!

 

The downtown locations often are overwhelmed with cruisers leading to long delays, even if you have a reservation.
 

Better off, IMHO to all shuttle to MIA to pick up the rental. For just the driver to go and try to come back to pick up the rest of your party can take about an hour. 

[thinfool]

51 minutes ago, Caper Jill said:

We will be needing a car when we disembark in Miami at the end of the cruise.  Thoughts re better to go back to airport and pick up car or get shuttle at the port? Thank you!

 

If I wanted to pay the Alamo rates (which may or not be attractive), I would hop on the free shuttle back to the airport site.  As someone mentioned, I think you would need to show the driver some proof that you have a reservation to pick up a car.  They seem averse to provlding a free shuttle thru to the airport..

[Corby114]

It’s so much easier to pick up or drop off a rental vehicle at the Miami International Airport Rental Car Center. The facility is open twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. There is always plenty of inventory available and in most cases the rates are very reasonable. A few years ago prior a cruise out of the Port Of Miami an employee from Alamo advised me that within that twenty four hour period they were close to seven hundred rental vehicles picked up and dropped off. He advised me that it was a typical day during the busy winter season.

[cruisewiththekids]

I assumed 3900 NW 25th was a different location than the airport, because when I put in pickup at Miami Airport, the rate is around $60.   If I put in the port pickup 3900 NW 25th address, it jumps to around $115.

[thinfool]

6 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

I assumed 3900 NW 25th was a different location than the airport, because when I put in pickup at Miami Airport, the rate is around $60.   If I put in the port pickup 3900 NW 25th address, it jumps to around $115.

Put the address into google maps and see where you wind up.

[Corby114]

3900 NW  25th Street in Miami, Florida is the actual address of the Miami International Airport Rental Car Center. 

[cruisewiththekids]

Since it's close to double the cost when I put in MIA cruiseship shuttle versus just MIA,  I guess I will just keep it as is.   I don't know if the higher price is to account for the shuttle or not, but we were planning to just Uber or taxi to the rental car center anyway.

[Pat]

8 minutes ago, cruisewiththekids said:

Since it's close to double the cost when I put in MIA cruiseship shuttle versus just MIA,  I guess I will just keep it as is.   I don't know if the higher price is to account for the shuttle or not, but we were planning to just Uber or taxi to the rental car center anyway.

Weird,  when I put in the Budget car rental code for the cruise terminal location,  the price is HALF what it is for the MIA location.  If I'm readying the previous posts correctly,  both locations are actually at Miami Intern. Airport?   Am I correct?

[SteerageJoe]

7 minutes ago, Pat said:

Weird,  when I put in the Budget car rental code for the cruise terminal location,  the price is HALF what it is for the MIA location.  If I'm readying the previous posts correctly,  both locations are actually at Miami Intern. Airport?   Am I correct?

 

No, you are mixing up the companies!!

 

Take a look at the image below - it shows the company locations with free Port shuttles.

 

For more information, please read: http://lets-see-america.com/car-rental-at-port-of-miami/

 

[SteerageJoe]

And here is a better image of PortMiami Car Rental locations with free shuttles: