AUGUST 2018 Car rental watch

... I always like booking through Costco just to get the extra driver ... just in case we need it....

If you book thru Alamo and use the Costco contract ID, you get the extra driver...and you can enter your Alamo Insider ID (although you'd be using the Costco discount). When you do the online checkin, you an enter both driver's license info.
 
Doesn't quite beat my Alamo rental, but at least for my dates (8/15-20), Dollar has dropped considerably since last week. If you're stuck at high rates, they might be at least worth a look.
 
If you book thru Alamo and use the Costco contract ID, you get the extra driver...and you can enter your Alamo Insider ID (although you'd be using the Costco discount). When you do the online checkin, you an enter both driver's license info.

Thanks ! I knew about the corresponding Alamo reservation ID - just wasn't sure if it would let you enter the added driver's license info if you did online checkin the night before. Now I can shift my worry as to whether there will actually be a minivan at the airport waiting for me, as I just checked Costco and there wasn't a single one available at any agency on my checkin date.

I can see myself reliving the Seinfeld episode right now - "ANYONE can just TAKE a reservation...but it's KEEPING the reservation that's important."
 
I don't seem to be having any luck. I check my rental every day and no change. In fact today it even went up! I'm booked 8/4-8/11 picking up at 10:30pm and dropping off at 6:30am for $240 full size. Is that the best I'm going to do? I was really hoping to get it around $200.
 


Thanks @richmo ...
I realize at Alamo a standard is really a full-size but I suspect that to change in the near future. I suspect they will change to a full-size class and make their mid-size cars their new "standard". I hope my suspicions are wrong and I am just over-reacting. :rolleyes:
In the meantime, I hope we will all enjoy this standard/full-size while we have it. :rolleyes1
I agree it could end at any time - I'll enjoy the tiny 'free upgrade' while I can! - but FWIW I've been renting from Alamo at MCO since about 2011 and its been this way the entire time (about 3 trips a year).
 
...
As far as the price - I booked a minivan months ago from 8/4 through 8/16, and it was ridiculous (about $850). It dropped down to $691 a while back, but I've checked it every day for weeks and it seems parked at $769. This year is going to shatter the rental car record for one of our Disney trips - I've never spent more than $550 on a rental before.
Using Costco "contract ID" 7014627 and $30 off "coupon code" AD2365FDN: $590 for your dates (used 1pm both pick up and drop off) for 'standard SUV'; $538 for 'midsize SUV.' FYI: My last trip April 2018 there were many minivans in the standard/full aisle (its same at Alamo MCO - so book standard), which is $455 for your dates (of course no guarantee they'll have minivans when you arrive, so you'd gamble getting a large sedan at worst). This was at Alamo site, not Costco.
 
We need a car for 2 days prior to a cruise and for 1 day after a cruise.

Best I have for Aug 24 (pickup at MCO) 9:30 am to Aug 26 9:00 am (dropping off at Port Canaveral) - for $121 - with Dollar

For coming back it's even worse for Sept 2 (pickup at PC) at 9 am and drop off (at MCO) at 4 pm it's $74 - with Alamo Costco code (but no coupon codes work for such a short duration)

Any ideas on how to do any better?
 


We need a car for 2 days prior to a cruise and for 1 day after a cruise.

Best I have for Aug 24 (pickup at MCO) 9:30 am to Aug 26 9:00 am (dropping off at Port Canaveral) - for $121 - with Dollar

For coming back it's even worse for Sept 2 (pickup at PC) at 9 am and drop off (at MCO) at 4 pm it's $74 - with Alamo Costco code (but no coupon codes work for such a short duration)

Any ideas on how to do any better?

Best advice I can give is to just keep looking and hope rates go down.

Another option that I don't think works often, but did for us several years ago, is to consider a single MCO-MCO rental covering the whole time...of course, you have to add in parking at the port. In our case, it kicked us into a much less expensive weekly rate and saved the time and inconvenience of a rental drop off and pick up. (Another nice bonus was that it allowed us to store some stuff in the car (i.e., laundry) that we didn't need to bring on the cruise ship).
 
Using Costco "contract ID" 7014627 and $30 off "coupon code" AD2365FDN: $590 for your dates (used 1pm both pick up and drop off) for 'standard SUV'; $538 for 'midsize SUV.' FYI: My last trip April 2018 there were many minivans in the standard/full aisle (its same at Alamo MCO - so book standard), which is $455 for your dates (of course no guarantee they'll have minivans when you arrive, so you'd gamble getting a large sedan at worst). This was at Alamo site, not Costco.


Thanks for the work. I do need a Minivan this trip - I don't think luggage will fit in an SUV, and we're travelling in a big group so I need flexibility to haul a couple extra people around once there. I can't risk the no upgrades being available. Worse, now, is the fact when I check Costco (or Alamo direct) it appears as if there is not a single Minivan available at MCO for rent during my dates. I have a reservation at Alamo, but now I'm scared by the time my plane lands (8:30 pm), there might be nothing on the lot ... in which case I'm going to spend the first hour of my vacation going ballistic. Not sure what is going on down there, but I've never encountered this in my life. I'm already having visions of getting to the minivan aisle at MCO and seeing one lone, beatup, 180,000 mile rustbucket sitting there, sad as the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Lol - that would be a far cry from our last trip (2015) when we snagged one that had 3 (3!) miles on the odometer and had just been dropped off for service.
 
Thanks for the work. I do need a Minivan this trip - I don't think luggage will fit in an SUV, and we're travelling in a big group so I need flexibility to haul a couple extra people around once there. I can't risk the no upgrades being available. Worse, now, is the fact when I check Costco (or Alamo direct) it appears as if there is not a single Minivan available at MCO for rent during my dates. I have a reservation at Alamo, but now I'm scared by the time my plane lands (8:30 pm), there might be nothing on the lot ... in which case I'm going to spend the first hour of my vacation going ballistic. Not sure what is going on down there, but I've never encountered this in my life. I'm already having visions of getting to the minivan aisle at MCO and seeing one lone, beatup, 180,000 mile rustbucket sitting there, sad as the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Lol - that would be a far cry from our last trip (2015) when we snagged one that had 3 (3!) miles on the odometer and had just been dropped off for service.

In 2017 we rented a 7 seater van from Alamo. My dh forgot to do the skip the counter so we went there and they always upsell “for $100 we can put you in an 8 seater”. It had a little more room in the luggage area...needed for coolers, beach chairs and umbrellas, sometimes we would have 8 if my BiL came with us to the beach and we were on vacation so we said yes. We go back out and there was no 8 seater. They looked so they upgraded us to a SUv that seated 8 BUT the trunk space of the SUV would maybe fit 2 beach chairs and forget about our 6 pieces of luggage we had. The lady said “put the back seat down, it will fit”. So I said but 8 people and beach chairs wouldn’t fit and we want the 3rd row to be a 3rd row for people not part crap. So out came the Yukon XL...no extra charge.
 
Best advice I can give is to just keep looking and hope rates go down.

Another option that I don't think works often, but did for us several years ago, is to consider a single MCO-MCO rental covering the whole time...of course, you have to add in parking at the port. In our case, it kicked us into a much less expensive weekly rate and saved the time and inconvenience of a rental drop off and pick up. (Another nice bonus was that it allowed us to store some stuff in the car (i.e., laundry) that we didn't need to bring on the cruise ship).
This absolutely works a lot of the time. Example....my dates in August a 5 day rental is $599 for a compact but a 7 day rental is $260.

Thanks for the work. I do need a Minivan this trip - I don't think luggage will fit in an SUV, and we're travelling in a big group so I need flexibility to haul a couple extra people around once there. I can't risk the no upgrades being available. Worse, now, is the fact when I check Costco (or Alamo direct) it appears as if there is not a single Minivan available at MCO for rent during my dates. I have a reservation at Alamo, but now I'm scared by the time my plane lands (8:30 pm), there might be nothing on the lot ... in which case I'm going to spend the first hour of my vacation going ballistic. Not sure what is going on down there, but I've never encountered this in my life. I'm already having visions of getting to the minivan aisle at MCO and seeing one lone, beatup, 180,000 mile rustbucket sitting there, sad as the Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Lol - that would be a far cry from our last trip (2015) when we snagged one that had 3 (3!) miles on the odometer and had just been dropped off for service.
Regardless of the time there are TONS of available vehicles at MCO. Don’t worry. If there is nothing available that you want, you have the option to go to the other side or just tell the attendant what you want and they will check for it.

I too have seen minivans in many other aisles other than the minivan aisle. I would actually say that every time I’m there the minivans are plentiful. Last year the economy aisle was filled with minivans.
 
This is getting crazy. My rates have gone up not down. We need a car 8/10-8/20 and are stuck at $365.22 for a standard with the AP and $30 off (Costco is even higher)
 
This is getting crazy. My rates have gone up not down. We need a car 8/10-8/20 and are stuck at $365.22 for a standard with the AP and $30 off (Costco is even higher)

I'm there the following week and rates have slowly been going up. I've got a good rate but still more then I've ever paid for a week.
 
Throughout the last ten or so years, I was always under the impression to book early but keep checking. I do believe that they have always went down but this year it is the opposite approach.
 
It's weird that adding the Disney AP code makes it go UP almost $30 over just the 5% Insiders code. :rolleyes2
 
I find this year almost $100 over last year, same times. I tend to stick with Alamo, but all rental companies seem to be higher this year.

Yep, I have also found the pricing to be wacky. So far, I've got it down, now higher than first had. Best is to just keep checking, then canceling when find better deal.

I'm torn between a midsize and standard, as 5 dollars more for the standard, for the 10 days we are using the rental. Only 2 of us, but leaning on keeping the standard, as I like a bigger car.
 
I'm torn between a midsize and standard, as 5 dollars more for the standard, for the 10 days we are using the rental. Only 2 of us, but leaning on keeping the standard, as I like a bigger car.

For the $5 difference, book the standard. Alamo doesn't have a standard aisle. You get to choose a car from the full size aisle.
 

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