WDW Trekker

There are advantages to renting a car while visiting the Orlando area. A sampling of these advantages are:

• Visiting other area attractions without the costs of taxi cabs
• Enables you to save some money as well, especially when it comes to saving money on food. There are some good and inexpensive restaurants just outside the Disney property.
• Traveling from theme part to theme park without having to deal with bus schedules
• Resort hopping — especially for dinner reservations.

The exact size and class of the car depends on the number of people traveling. Otherwise, there is no reason to spend a lot of money as the car is not going to be used other than a means of transportation to facilitate getting from one location to another.

There are two approaches to renting a car. It can be done at the airport or at a local office within close proximity to the Disney property. From personal experience, I have worked with both Alamo/National Rent-A-Car and Hertz Rent-A-Car. Both companies provide a shuttle service which will pick you up at your resort and bring you to their location.

Alamo, which is now part of National Rent A Car, is the official car rental company of Walt Disney World. Therefore, there is actually a rental office located at two different areas on the property. The main location is at the Car Care Center located within minutes of the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot. The second location is located in the Downtown Disney Resorts area.

Hertz Rent-A-Car has several office located within minutes of the Walt Disney World Resort. There is actually one located on the property itself at the Shades of Green Resort which is strictly for US Military. However, the rental desk is open to the public. The second closest offices are the Marriott Courtyard located on Palm Parkway just off Route 535 and the Bonnet Creek Resort. Either office will provide a shuttle to pick you up.

Depending on how you make your reservation, it is possible to drop the car off at the airport rather than returning back to the local office location. I find it more convenient to drop the vehicle off at the airport as it offers me more flexibility in my final day at Disney.