# Orlando car rental



## cindi (Jul 31, 2011)

What the heck is up with the rental car prices in Orlando?!

I always use national because I love having the Emerald Aisle.  Normally I book as far in advance as possible and then keep watching the prices and rebook when they come donw.

For our trip in the end of Oct the prices are still at $350 and that is using every discount I can come up with!   Without they are over $400 for the week.

Don't prices normally come down about 3 months before? That is absolutely ridiculous.

I may have to switch to a different car rental company if the situation doesn't improve drastically.


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## falmouth3 (Jul 31, 2011)

There have been discussions here before on the ridiculous rental prices in Orlando.  Perhaps you could fly into another location and rent a car if that doesn't put too much of a crimp in your vacation plans.


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## klynn (Jul 31, 2011)

cindi said:


> What the heck is up with the rental car prices in Orlando?!
> 
> I always use national because I love having the Emerald Aisle. Normally I book as far in advance as possible and then keep watching the prices and rebook when they come donw.
> 
> ...


 
In October, I have an 11-day reservation with National picking up at the CCC. My total is $408.83 using the Entertainment discount and coupon.  It is for a standard SUV.


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## frenchieinme (Jul 31, 2011)

Persistence and research is the key I believe as I just confirmed a Feb Presidents' week rental for my son for just over $300, $306 to be exact.  Every other rental companies were in excess (and some way over this) of $500/$600 for the week.   

The rental companies not only play the supply & demand game but also have been reducing their fleet of cars.  Has anyone tried buying a fleet rental as of late?  There are fewer of them available and the price for them is also high as fewer good cars make their way into the used car market.  

When I last went to have my car serviced at my local dealer, not only were signs found asking for good used cars but slaes people were around asking if I was interested in changing cars.

frenchieinme


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## Redrosesix (Jul 31, 2011)

frenchieinme said:


> *Persistence and research is the key I believe *as I just confirmed a Feb Presidents' week rental for my son for just over $300, $306 to be exact.  Every other rental companies were in excess (and some way over this) of $500/$600 for the week.
> 
> *The rental companies not only play the supply & demand game but also have been reducing their fleet of cars.  Has anyone tried buying a fleet rental as of late?  There are fewer of them available and the price for them is also high as fewer good cars make their way into the used car market.  *
> 
> ...



I agree with this.  Fleet reduction is playing a big role in rental car prices across North America.  But there still are better prices to be found. 

I don't usually find prices falling for our pres. week trip til about a month before.  We book with Alamo and that's when they're weekly rental coupons come out for our trip too  

And while I know people love "the emerald isle" other car rental companies now offer similar programs with lower rates on their cars.  It could well pay for you to shop around.


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## Ricci (Jul 31, 2011)

A few months ago I booked a compact for $186 (8days) with Thrifty for the second week in November and I'm glad I did.  But keep looking... I think the rates will come down.


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## Shelbyd95 (Aug 1, 2011)

Sent you a PM.


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## cindi (Aug 1, 2011)

Shelbyd95 said:


> Sent you a PM.



Got it. Thanks!


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## CalifasGirl (Aug 9, 2011)

*some suggestions*



cindi said:


> What the heck is up with the rental car prices in Orlando?!
> 
> I always use national because I love having the Emerald Aisle. Normally I book as far in advance as possible and then keep watching the prices and rebook when they come donw.
> 
> ...


I used Ace Rent A Car in Orlando because their prices are saner. They are in an off-airport location, so you will need to ride a shuttle. You can also try using the Costo discount if you have a Costco membership. Hotwire is always an option.


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## joestein (Aug 18, 2011)

We are going to Orlando for two weeks starting Aug 20.

During the past 6 months or so, I have seen prices flucuate greatly.

I originally had 2 reservations, a mini van for $800 and a mid size (for emerald isle) for $475.

By watching the website and checking weekly, I have gotten the 2 reservations down to $575 and $265.

Good Luck.

Joe


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## markel (Aug 18, 2011)

Just returned from the area. I initially booked an 11 day rental for a full size through Dollar for $365 total. Five days before our trip EZ Rent a Car had a full size for $310. EZ also lets you add a spouse as a driver at no cost. We always rent minivans but the price was way too high and never came down. We were real lucky. At the EZ counter the agent offered me a free upgrade to a minivan because they didn't have any full size cars available at that time. This year was very different from past years searching for car rentals at MCO. I've never seen the rates this high.


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## CalifasGirl (Aug 20, 2011)

*car rental prices*



markel said:


> Just returned from the area. I initially booked an 11 day rental for a full size through Dollar for $365 total. Five days before our trip EZ Rent a Car had a full size for $310. EZ also lets you add a spouse as a driver at no cost. We always rent minivans but the price was way too high and never came down. We were real lucky. At the EZ counter the agent offered me a free upgrade to a minivan because they didn't have any full size cars available at that time. This year was very different from past years searching for car rentals at MCO. I've never seen the rates this high.


Not sure if this is the case in Florida, but I inquired about rates in our area, and the Alamo people told me that because of the tsunami in Japan, it affected their ability to buy cars from Japan. Therefore, they do not have enough cars for the people who want to rent. The orders had already gone in prior to when the tsunami happened, so money was spent, and cars were stuck in Japan since they were not cleared to go to the US. Perhaps it will take a few months for this to clear up as the low supply hasn't caught up to the high demand.

I'm a fan of EZ as well. They don't have many around, but I like the one at LAX. Great service and low prices.


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## talkamotta (Aug 21, 2011)

A couple of months ago I booked a midsize car from Enterprise for 10/22 to 11/5  for a total of 364.17. going out of MCO.  

I hadnt made my plane reservations until now  and I got such a great flight and times for both of us flying into Tampa.  Of course car rentals wont give you the better car rental if you change cities.  I did get a pretty close price 382. for midsize going out of Tampa but not the airport.  Which is kind of crazy because Enterprise will pick you up from the airport????   and its a 3 mile off airport. 

You might want to try the same thing going out of Orlando.


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## GeorgeInNePa (Aug 21, 2011)

I'm just pricing flights and rental cars for out January trip to Orlando.

Flying out of Avoca, one stop in Philly, and then on to Orlando. The car is an Economy class from Dollar Rent A Car with unlimited mileage.

The cost is $654, all taxes and fees included, for two tickets on US Airways and the car for a week.

Just the airplane tickets alone are $514. So the rental "costs" $140 for the week.

This is through Orbitz. 

We saved money this past June by doing the airfare and car rental through Orbitz. That one was a full size car (Impala) from Hertz, with unlimited mileage for *10 days*, and 4 tickets from Philly to Orlando on US Airways. The cost was $1219, total.

This current trip price is actually down a bit from last week when I was checking. Last week the same flights and an Economy car from Budget was $736.

I think I'm going to book it now, I don't think it's going to drop much more...


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## tlwmkw (Aug 22, 2011)

We were in Orlando around the time of the Daytona 500 a few years ago.  The price for a rental car was $350 a night and the selection was very limited!  We ended up using a shuttle service to get to and from the parks.  We enquired at all the car rental places and it was same at all of them- the cars were all down at Daytona.  These rental folks get away with high prices any time the market allows.

tlwmkw


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## rnsnake (Aug 23, 2011)

I see that one person on this thread has rented a vehicle from E-Z car rental. Has anyone else had any experiences with this company? I have a mini van reserved with them for our Orlando trip in October. We usually rent from either National or Alamo, but so far, E-Z has been the cheapest. Any thoughts or warnings? Thanks.


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## rickandcindy23 (Aug 23, 2011)

EZ rental car is good, but I don't think the prices will stay that high.  Keep looking, and you will find a good deal.  Watch Hotwire daily, and when the prices seem to go down, check Alamo through the Costco site for a good deal.  

Minivans are always really expensive.  We would rather rent a full-sized car, or we rent two cars, rather than a minivan.


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## JulieAB (Sep 1, 2011)

I have 8 days booked in Decemeber with national for a full size at $216.  Does anyone have any experience with Priceline bidding?  Is that the sort of thing I should wait to try a couple weeks before the trip because it can't be cancelled?  If I bid for a full size and it ends up at National, would I be able to still pick from the executive aisle since I'm a member?  Or is it treated different because it's through priceline?


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## Detailor (Sep 1, 2011)

JulieAB said:


> I have 8 days booked in Decemeber with national for a full size at $216.  Does anyone have any experience with Priceline bidding?  Is that the sort of thing I should wait to try a couple weeks before the trip because it can't be cancelled?  If I bid for a full size and it ends up at National, would I be able to still pick from the executive aisle since I'm a member?  Or is it treated different because it's through priceline?



You'd be bidding for a specific car size so, if National came up, you'd be limited to that specific size.  That is, unless you can talk someone in the garage to let you take from the exec. aisle (your reservation won't be made with your EA number so I'd think it unlikely).

Using Priceline works well for rental cars, though I've never used Priceline in Orlando.  As long as you're sure that your dates won't change, I'd suggest that you place a bid that you'd be comfortable with and see what happens.  If it doesn't get accepted you'll be able to re-bid at the same rate over the next few months to see what'll happen.

Dick Taylor


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## Skinsfan1311 (Sep 4, 2011)

Unless it's a major holiday, you can always score a decent rate in Orlando.

Just keep plugging away and don't focus on just one company.  Make sure to join all of the frequent renters programs, (i.e. Alamo Insiders, Budget Fastbreak, etc)

Don't overlook discounts through warehouse clubs like BJ's or Costco.

As a member of Alamo Insiders, we just scored a "last-minute" special on Alamo, that was offered last week.

$164.73 for a weekly rental of a standard car. That includes all the taxes, fees and $61.27 for the "Fuel Service Option", (which we don't typically get, except in Orlando or Lake Tahoe)

Just keep trying!!!


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## Skinsfan1311 (Sep 4, 2011)

JulieAB said:


> I have 8 days booked in Decemeber with national for a full size at $216.  Does anyone have any experience with Priceline bidding?  Is that the sort of thing I should wait to try a couple weeks before the trip because it can't be cancelled?  If I bid for a full size and it ends up at National, would I be able to still pick from the executive aisle since I'm a member?  Or is it treated different because it's through priceline?



No.  

You have to book directly with National to get their benefits.    

$216.00 is a great price for an 8-day rental on a full-size.  You definitely want to weigh the cost savings vs the ability to bypass the rental counter, (which is horrendous at MCO).      The savings would have to be significant to justify waiting in those lines


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## cindi (Sep 4, 2011)

Skinsfan1311 said:


> No.
> 
> You have to book directly with National to get their benefits.
> 
> $216.00 is a great price for an 8-day rental on a full-size.  You definitely want to weigh the cost savings vs the ability to bypass the rental counter, (which is horrendous at MCO).      The savings would have to be significant to justify waiting in those lines



I agree completely.  I am willing to pay a bit more to use the Emerald service to avoid those lines!


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## JulieAB (Sep 4, 2011)

I def like being able to bypass lines.  So if I bid on priceline, I'd have to stand in line no matter what?  

Are there any other companies that have the bypass line feature or vehicle selection like National?


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## sfwilshire (Sep 4, 2011)

cindi said:


> I always use national because I love having the Emerald Aisle.  Normally I book as far in advance as possible and then keep watching the prices and rebook when they come donw.
> 
> I may have to switch to a different car rental company if the situation doesn't improve drastically.



National has always been my favorite, too, both because of the Emerald/Executive aisles and because they don't have some of the crazy restrictions other companies do. Every time I rent from them (except for one issue in Hawaii) I can count on the final bill being to the penny what I expected.

Lately, though, they don't very often come out even close to the cheapest company. I will pay a few dollars a day more to stay with them, but when the difference is in the double digits, I just can't do it. I've been choosing other companies.   

Sheila


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## Skinsfan1311 (Sep 4, 2011)

JulieAB said:


> I def like being able to bypass lines.  So if I bid on priceline, I'd have to stand in line no matter what?
> 
> Are there any other companies that have the bypass line feature or vehicle selection like National?



Yes

I'm pretty sure that most of 'em do.   

We usually end up with Dollar in Reno, while you can't choose your car or bypass the counter, you do have priority check-in and a separate and very short,(based on our experience anyway),line at the counter.



sfwilshire said:


> National has always been my favorite, too, both because of the Emerald/Executive Lately, though, they don't very often come out even close to the cheapest company. I will pay a few dollars a day more to stay with them, but when the difference is in the double digits, I just can't do it. I've been choosing other companies.
> 
> Sheila



Agreed.    

National is our favorite, (and used to be our "go-to" rental company),  but the last few times that we've rented, we ended up going with Alamo or Dollar, based on pricing.   Nationals prices have been significantly higher, even with coupons and "last minute" specials.


Here lately, Alamo seems to have the better deals.    Not sure why, because I _think _that Alamo is affiliated with National, (though I could be wrong), but I know that Alamo is affiliated with one of the other major rental companies.


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