Returning Rental Car/ Everyone Else to Port

[SmileMom]

We will be renting a car prior to our Mariner cruise (which is tomorrow, woo hoo! :D ). My husband is going to drop off me, our daughters and our luggage at the port at 11:00, return the rental car, then take the shuttle back to the port.

 

What's the best way for us to meet up with him? I know they can be strict about loitering inside and outside the port. Is there somewhere we can wait for him. I would prefer to not board the ship without him. Is there a better time he should drop off us so we can do this?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

[BTSEN5]

We will be renting a car prior to our Mariner cruise (which is tomorrow, woo hoo! :D ). My husband is going to drop off me, our daughters and our luggage at the port at 11:00, return the rental car, then take the shuttle back to the port.

 

What's the best way for us to meet up with him? I know they can be strict about loitering inside and outside the port. Is there somewhere we can wait for him. I would prefer to not board the ship without him. Is there a better time he should drop off us so we can do this?

 

Thanks in advance for your help! :)

 

I would also be interested in knowing this. We will be on the Mariner next Sunday. We were planning to go to the rental co. together and grab the shuttle as a family to the port, but I am not sure how it would work with all the luggage.

[sailor05]

Just drop the luggage off at the port. Let the porters take it (tip him), and return the car together. One hint too if you have time, some rental car agencies allow you to take the shuttle back to their office then take one to the airport on the day you return. So that will save you a little taxi cab $$ if you have the extra time before you're flight.

[biomedbob]

Dump the heavy luggage. Drive to the rental agency as a group and take their shuttle back to the check-in with your carry-ons! No mess, no fuss at check-in. :)

[baabtx]

The rental car companies pretty much have this down to a science in Port Canaveral and they are used to large quantities of luggage on the shuttles. I don't know where ya'll could hang out to wait for your husband - maybe across the street by the Parking Garage??

 

All I know it's never been any problem to drop the car, load all the luggage and take the shuttle to the port. The benefit of having him drop you off then take the car back is he'll have the opportunity to hop off the shuttle and walk to the terminal instead of waiting so long in the line of drop offs at the port (vans, cars, shuttles really can get backed up at certain times) if you all take the shuttle together with luggage.

[CaribbeanCrush]

We'll have a group of ten and two rentals. I would like to also drop off the passengers and take the cars to check-in. I just wonder how long the wait will be for everyone.

[SmileMom]

Thanks for info! I think the best thing for us would be to drop off the luggage at the port, return the car together and take the shuttle back to the port.

 

Is 11:00 the earliest we can drop off the luggage at the port?

[reallyitsmema]

It really depends on when the ship clears whether or not they will let your DH drop luggage off earlier than 11. We have sailed the Mariner twice and have always returned the car together and then taken the rental car shuttle to the port together. I don't like us getting split up but that is our personal preference. Both times we have used Hertz. The shuttle driver loads the bags onto the shuttle and then off the shuttle at the port so it is a very easy process. Hertz and Budget are about 5 minutes away from the pier. The others are a little farther but still very close.

[iswimlikearock]

My dad and I did this last summer. We had 2 cars with 6 people. We dropped the rest of the group off in the mid section between the parking garage and the terminal with all the luggage then we returned the cars.

 

We rented with Avis and there was a HUGE line for the shuttle to the ship. Since we didnt have any luggage we were able to get right on and get over to the ship while large groups of people had to wait b/c they couldnt fit with all their stuff on the shuttle.

 

Avis had 2 shuttles that day... one was a 12 pass van and the other was more like a party bus.

 

Hope that helps!