Renting a car from the Car Care Center questions!!

Hey all,

I wanted to ask a question about renting a car.

We wanted to rent a car for the first day we arrive, so we can drive out to the beach and get a few necessities from WalMart.

We are planning on taking ME from MCO to our ASMov resort, then checking in and getting our room keys/ect. We were gonna have the transport to the CCC, and wanted to rent the car there and return it there, the 24 hour rental.

We are traveling with really no credit cards, only my debit card (which wont have too much money on it since i used all my money the past few months to pay for the trip and since i am unemployed and my daughter is starting catholic school kinderg when we get back i have to have money for her tuition) my mom doesnt have a cc cause she just filed bnankruptcy.

we were thinking of either paying cash for the rental or getting prepaid like visa card to use. but i was reading alamo's agreement and it says that if you pay cash you have to put a $300 deposit down too and you can use the prepaid card for your balance?

i guess i am worrried and need advice cause we will only be traveling down with about $1,000. total and i dont know how soon the deposit would be returned?

i know we were quoted like $45 for a day rental, $80 for 2 days...

just wondering if anyone has rented from there with this same kind of situation or has any advice or hints?

i tried talking my mom into not going to the beach, just staying on property the whole time but she wants to go to the beach....(well, so do i and my dd4 would love it, she never seen the atlantic ocean)

we wanted to go to kennedy but the cost of a rental car is something we just dont wanna bother with.. so were skipping it this trip

I wouldn't count on getting the deposit back for a few days at least. If you gave a cash deposit, it is possible that they could give it right back when you returned the car but so many businesses do everything electronically it wouldn't surprise me if they have to either issue a credit to some sort of card (which probably would take a few days to be available to you) or issue a check (which would likely have to be cut from their corporate office and mailed). At any rate, it probably wouldn't be wise to tie up that $300 if you are counting on using it during your vacation. If you are concerned about getting it back in time to pay your daughter's tuition when you return I think you'd be ok. Have you looked at other rental companies and do they require the same deposit? Or is there another mode of transportation to get to the beach? As far as picking stuff up at walmart, you probably can get what you need from one of the grocers that delivers for less than the cost of renting a car. Aren't you going on the cruise next year? If so, maybe remind your mom of that being the trip all about the beach and this one being focused on the resort. Just my thoughts. I can't wait to hear about your trip, I know you all are going to have a great time. I can't wait until I have questions like these (because that means I am actually planning my next trip)!

i agree.. it might take awhile to get it back

The first thing is to figure out how many days you will NEED the car. Then determine what time you are landing. I always pick mine up at the airport and drop it back off at the Car Care Center by the Hess station. I usually get slightly better rates that way. Plus, since check-in for me isn't until mid-day and I always land early, I usually stop and have lunch on my way to the hotel, then hit Walmart to load up and by the time I get back, it's usually time to check in. If not, I have the bell-hop hold my groceries in their fridge. The big issue is their strict 24-hour rental policy. So make sure whatever time you pick up the car will be OK for you to also drop it back off.

I believe the on-site Car Care Center will pick you up at your hotel, though I've never done that. I only use them to take me back to my hotel for the trips when I am dropping the car off early.

Overall, don't be afraid to use the Magical Express bus one way back to the airport, and drive yourself to the hotel. It's certainly faster than waiting through three or four drop-offs before you get to your hotel! Plus, you are on YOUR time, not theirs.