Has anyone done this? Can I do it? Advice welcome!

[disneytopdog]

Heres the situation:

I am flying into MCO on a Thursday
I am going to stay on property Saturday-Friday
I will be staying off property Thursday night and Friday night(doing US/IOA) and will rent a car form MCO for Thursday and Friday.

My question is: Can I return the car back to MCO on Saturday and still get a ride to WDW on Magical Express?

 

[kstella]

It's worth asking. I don't see why they wouldn't let you. You'll be at the airport and you're going to Disney.

 

[Rob562]

Yes, you can do that. Happens all the time under numerous variations. (Late flight and staying in an airport hotel the first night, non-Disney cruise line airport transfers bringing people back to MCO, etc)

To arrange it, I'd suggest handling your DME arrangements over the phone rather than trying to do it online. (There isn't really a way of entering that kind of info on the WDW webpage anyway)
Just be aware that you cannot take advantage of the luggage delivery portion of DME, as your luggage wouldn't be coming in on a plane that day. (And as you're arriving days before your reservation, if you DO get yellow DME tags for your reservation, DO NOT put them on your bags. They'll get stuck in limbo because the system will say they're arriving two days early, and you'll have problems trying to get them back)

Another option might be to look into dropping your rental car off on-property. If you're renting through Alamo or National, you can drop the rental off at the Car Care Center or the Dolphin. The price should be the same as if you were dropping at the airport. From the CCC, Alamo/National will give you a van ride back to your hotel (or even to one of the parks, if you want), or if you drop at the Dolphin you can walk to Epcot or the Studios, or bus to one of the other parks.

Other major rental car companies have counters at hotels along Hotel Plaza Blvd near Downtown Disney and would be able to do something similar. I just don't know of the availability of a van service at those locations.

-Rob

 

[slappy magoo]

Another option might be to look into dropping your rental car off on-property. If you're renting through Alamo or National, you can drop the rental off at the Car Care Center or the Dolphin. The price should be the same as if you were dropping at the airport.
-Rob

This isn't necessarily true. I've run the numbers a few times, considering this option, and it's often more to pick up at the airport and drop off anywhere on-property.

Ironically, our first trip we left early by rental car to avoide Hurricane Frances (I think it was Frances). The parks and airports would be closed and my wife (then GF) a teacher, did not want to risk missing the first day of school. Gotta love that work ethic. I called ahead to alamo and let them know what we were doing. When we dropped the car off at Philly airport, not only did they give us some money back, they didn't charge us for the fill up (it was after midnight, we were exhausted and couldn't find an open gas station). But when I look up rental prices now, it always seems more if I was to pick up at the airport and drop off on property, OR pick up on property after being there a few days and driving that car to the airport.

Of course, with the current economy, that might not be as much of a factor.

 

[Phonedave]

This isn't necessarily true. I've run the numbers a few times, considering this option, and it's often more to pick up at the airport and drop off anywhere on-property.

Ironically, our first trip we left early by rental car to avoide Hurricane Frances (I think it was Frances). The parks and airports would be closed and my wife (then GF) a teacher, did not want to risk missing the first day of school. Gotta love that work ethic. I called ahead to alamo and let them know what we were doing. When we dropped the car off at Philly airport, not only did they give us some money back, they didn't charge us for the fill up (it was after midnight, we were exhausted and couldn't find an open gas station). But when I look up rental prices now, it always seems more if I was to pick up at the airport and drop off on property, OR pick up on property after being there a few days and driving that car to the airport.

Of course, with the current economy, that might not be as much of a factor.

You must have bad luck. I have picked up at MCO and dropped off at Dolphin with National 4 or 5 times. I do this when I go down for work and stay the weekend. My work booking system will not let me book the Dolphin as a drop off. I have to book MCO-MCO and then call our travel service and have it manualy changed. Every time I do so, they check to see if it would cost more (because if it did, I would have to pay the difference) and every time it has been the same cost.

-dave

 

[disneytopdog]

Thanks for the knowledge...I did look at doing a "oneway dropoff" with renting the car at MCO and dropping it off at the MK Car Care Center. There is an extra fee involved with doing that. I will call DME and ask. Its good to know that they have done it in the past so maybe I can use that, if they say no.

I really do not see why they wouldnt, all those buses going to WDW there's bound to be an open seat on one of them. I would even ride to another resort and just use the disney resort bus to get to where I need to go. I always travel light and am too cheap to pay the drop off fee.

 

[slappy magoo]

You must have bad luck. I have picked up at MCO and dropped off at Dolphin with National 4 or 5 times. I do this when I go down for work and stay the weekend. My work booking system will not let me book the Dolphin as a drop off. I have to book MCO-MCO and then call our travel service and have it manualy changed. Every time I do so, they check to see if it would cost more (because if it did, I would have to pay the difference) and every time it has been the same cost.

-dave

And this is why I can't go to the same parties you go to. Knowing this would just make me seethe through my snifter of brandy with my chocolate milk chaser.

 

[Rob562]

Thanks for the knowledge...I did look at doing a "oneway dropoff" with renting the car at MCO and dropping it off at the MK Car Care Center. There is an extra fee involved with doing that. I will call DME and ask. Its good to know that they have done it in the past so maybe I can use that, if they say no.

Are you using National or Alamo?

I just got quotes online using some arbitrary dates with Alamo:
12/1-12/7, Compact car.
Pickup and Drop-off at MCO was $224.61
Pickup at MCO and Drop-off at the CCC was $224.62

It might just depend on the situation and car fleets at the time you're renting. If they don't want cars repositioned from one place to another, sometimes they raise prices to discourage it. Conversely, you could also really luck out and get a good deal because you're "relocating" a car. Last month, we got an insanely good deal from Alamo. We were staying at WDW for a week, but one friend was arriving a few days early in Tampa to visit family. So he rented in Tampa, returned in Orlando. They must have needed to reposition some full size cars, because it was the cheapest size car, even cheaper than an Economy. We got the Full Size for all 9 days for a grand total of $103, including taxes. (My friend upgraded to a Convertible when he arrived for another $50, but that was out of his pocket)

-Rob

 

[DisneyJoe]

My question is: Can I return the car back to MCO on Saturday and still get a ride to WDW on Magical Express?

Yes, but you need to make sure you have arranged Magical Express on your Disney resort reservation.

 

[DougK]

I believe it is against the law in Florida for car rental companies to charge extra fees for drop offs to a different location within the state of Florida. So even if you rent in Miami and drop off in Orlando there is no drop off charge. Like I said, it's actually a law not a rule, so every car rental company must abide by it.

 

[TinkerChelli]

Adivce

Hi there, are you staying on Disney Property? If you are you can us Magical Express to and from the airport? Staying on Disney property is the best bet for sure, they also take you too all the disney parks and down town disney as well.
I used to do the rent a car thing before Magical Express but Magical Express is the best for real!!!!!!!!
Email me if you need any advice & stuff ok. I would love to help.
:wave:l

 

[cemeb4dk]

we did what you did earlier htis year. Except we went and saw family. Then dropped the car off at the dolphin. We used National.

Even if there is an additional fee, ( I htink ours may have been a dollar or two dillerence). Add in time spent driving to airport, tolls, then time waiting for the ME bus and then the drive back to your disney hotel.

For me it would have to probably be a $30 or higher price difference to not just drop off at Disney.

But to each there own. The dolphin could not be easier of a drop off either, just pull in mail entrance go to the valet area and they do it all right there. PLus you have the Hess gas station right there thats the cheapest gas in the area.

 

[disneytopdog]

I forgot about Florida tolls the drop off fee is sounding better

 

[Phonedave]

And this is why I can't go to the same parties you go to. Knowing this would just make me seethe through my snifter of brandy with my chocolate milk chaser.

Sorry

And, this is spooky, but I have a glass of brandy in front of me as I type this. Seguin VSOP Napoleon to be exact. I'll send some your way to ease the pain of the drop off fee.

-dave