Ballantyne Pier car rental question

[lkohawaii]

I'm coming into Ballantyne Pier. I would like to rent a car. Is Alamo the only one who picks up from the pier? If not what location do I rent from using another rent a car company. Do I have to call to make sure they have a shuttle?

Anybody know how much a taxi is from Ballantyne Pier to Robson St. I'm staying at Times Square Suites. Wondering if I should take a cab to my hotel and then rent a car from Downtown.

[Putterdude]

I'm coming into Ballantyne Pier. I would like to rent a car. Is Alamo the only one who picks up from the pier? If not what location do I rent from using another rent a car company. Do I have to call to make sure they have a shuttle?

Anybody know how much a taxi is from Ballantyne Pier to Robson St. I'm staying at Times Square Suites. Wondering if I should take a cab to my hotel and then rent a car from Downtown.

 

Your cab fare from Ballantyne to the TSS will be in the $15 range and quite frankly that is what I would do. But what I would be doing now is checking rates with all rental companies and trying to get the best rate. If you don't have a corp rate I have found that Costco rate is extremely good and I understand that Sam's Club's is also good. All of the rental companies do pick you up but I am not confident that you will get the best rate on a pier pick up...ie a fee to the port. Virtually all of the companies have downtown locations which you can either walk to from the TSS or take transit at a cost of $2.50 pp.

[orchid72]

I'm coming into Ballantyne Pier. I would like to rent a car. Is Alamo the only one who picks up from the pier? If not what location do I rent from using another rent a car company. Do I have to call to make sure they have a shuttle?

Anybody know how much a taxi is from Ballantyne Pier to Robson St. I'm staying at Times Square Suites. Wondering if I should take a cab to my hotel and then rent a car from Downtown.

 

There are many car rental companies downtown that will pick you up for free from the pier. The two others I could think of are Enterprise and Budget.

 

The Times Square Suites is on Robson and Denman and the closest car rental companies to you would be the Thrifty at the Landmark hotel on 1400 Robson street, the National/Alamo on Georgia and Bute, the Enterprise on Pender and Bute, the Hertz at the Renaissance hotel on Hastings and Thurlow. They are all within a 15 minute walk from your hotel.

 

I personally would just look for a rental company that would pick you up from the pier so that you could save the costs of a cab. Plus, it can get pretty frustrating getting a cab in Vancouver if many cruise ships happen to dock at the same time.

 

And yes, it is best to call the car rental company to make sure that the location from where you will be renting the car actually offers a shuttle service.

[lkohawaii]

Thanks everyone this really helps. I called Budget's 800 number and the person was clueless.

[orchid72]

Thanks everyone this really helps. I called Budget's 800 number and the person was clueless.

 

Yes, call centre agents can be, for the most part, useless. One of my earliest jobs was a car rental agent and we always encountered problems because of promises made/misinformation given by call centre agents. (hope I did not insult anyone on these boards). But I digress. Your best bet is to call the actual location.

 

For Budget West Georgia:604-668-7000 or 604-668-7228 (apparently this is for cruise ship passengers only)

 

I'm sure you'll be able to find out the phone numbers for all other local car rental locations on each car rental company's website. If not, come back to this board and I'll see if I can help you out.

 

Good luck.

[Putterdude]

As I suspected a fee is paid to by the rental companies to the Port of Vancouver for car rentals made by cruise ship pax. In this case it is a flat charge and it is only $5 per rental. It has been my experience that you will in most cases get a better deal by renting direct, not telling them you are a cruise ship pax, picking up from directly from the location and not using their shuttle.

[orchid72]

It has been my experience that you will in most cases get a better deal by renting direct, not telling them you are a cruise ship pax, picking up from directly from the location and not using their shuttle.

 

I am sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with this statement. While it is true that rental companies may very well have to pay the Port of Vancouver some type of fee, it has been my experience (as someone who worked in a downtown car rental location for about 3 years servicing major hotels and yes, cruise ship piers) that the cruise ship customer is NOT charged more than any another customer. The shuttle service in most cases is a courtesy (read: free) service the car rental company provides; it is a cost they incur to garner more business. In fact, some consider it their competitive advantage.

 

Your best bet is to call around to check which car rental companies offer the free shuttle service and then shop around online using some kind of discount code. Once you find a good deal, book it online. Then, just to be sure, call the car rental company you booked with again and tell them you have a car booked and verify what you should do to get picked up once your ship docks. They will probably tell you to call them to get picked up, and they will tell you where to wait. Remember: once you've booked a car online, they have to honour that rate.

 

As I said before, getting a cab during peak periods can be such a pain. I've done research and subsequently done a report on Vancouver's taxi shortage and I can say it is a huge problem (I am not trying to give Vancouver a bad name, but if I were a tourist, I would want to know what problems I might likely encounter).

[orchid72]

It so happens that I was talking to a friend in the tourism industry last night. She told me that while there are some companies that will now charge you more for a shuttle to Ballantyne Pier (Thrifty charges $15 for every 4 passengers), there are still some that offer it for free, giving them the competitive advantage.

 

The ones she could think of are Alamo on W. Georgia and Bute, Enterprise on Clarke and Hastings, and Discount Car rentals on W. Georgia and Beatty. I personally think Alamo has an edge over the other two. They have a shuttle stop right at the Ballantyne terminal that does a loop every 30-35 minutes. And yes, it is free. Their local ph# 604-684-1401. Best rates for Alamo are offered online, especially if you can find a good rental code like Costco (and I've been finding that they have been offering the best rates lately compared to the other companies downtown). My second choice would be Enterprise.

 

Putterdude is right: Some companies will actually charge you more if you're wanting to get picked up at the cruise ship terminal (Budget, for instance). What a rip off!:mad:

 

No, I do not own stocks in Alamo. And I (or any friends and relatives) do not work /have ever worked for them either. :)

 

My intention is truly altruistic - I just want to help people get the best value for their money!:)

[lkohawaii]

Thanks...I ended up renting from Alamo. I had a res with Thrifty but for a few dollars more went over to Alamo. We have a good friend who manages our Alamo here. Was a good move now that I see Thrifty charges for Pier pick up. So I end up actually saving with Alamo.

[Putterdude]

Thanks...I ended up renting from Alamo. I had a res with Thrifty but for a few dollars more went over to Alamo. We have a good friend who manages our Alamo here. Was a good move now that I see Thrifty charges for Pier pick up. So I end up actually saving with Alamo.

 

If you booked it thru your bud, you likely got a great deal. Ordinarily when I travel I use Budget, it is a hold over from when I used to travel on business and I still have my Budget #. However I have an aquaintance who runs an Avis office down in the desert and when ever I need a car down there for myself or a guest, I book thru him and he blows the socks of everyone else but it is only result of me knowing him.

[itsanita]

We have already booked thru Avis...got our best deal for a van to return to Seattle. I guess I better f/u with them as the summer gets closer to see how we will get from the B Pier to their office. It sure does not sound like I want to rely on a cab.

[Putterdude]

We have already booked thru Avis...got our best deal for a van to return to Seattle. I guess I better f/u with them as the summer gets closer to see how we will get from the B Pier to their office. It sure does not sound like I want to rely on a cab.

 

Avis does have a downtown office in 700 block of Hornby St. between Georgia & Robson Sts. By all means check with them but I would be inclined to drop my party and baggage off at the terrminal and then go to their office and drop the van. They will likely shuttle you back to the ship or a cab ride will cost you about $15.