I am frequently asked how someone can rent a car for one or two days in the Disney World area. A lot of times people plan to use their hotel's transportation system to get to and from the Disney parks, but they are interested in doing something outside of Disney during the trip (such as visiting Universal, SeaWorld or the local Disney outlet stores) and the cheapest and easiest way is to rent a car. Car rentals in Orlando tend to be fairly inexpensive: rates of $20-$30 a day (plus fees) are not uncommon.

Car Rental Locations on Disney Property

There are numerous places on Disney property where you can pick up and drop off a rental car. Click on the links below to shop around for the best deals at all of the rental car companies. Reserve your rental car in advance (it's usually best to do this online to get the best rates) for pick-up and drop-off at a convenient location. Then follow the directions below to pick up your vehicle at the car rental location that offers the best rate.

• Alamo and National have several locations on Disney property because Alamo is the "official" rental car company of Walt Disney World, and National is owned by the same company.

  • If you are staying at a Disney resort, the easiest option is to rent a car from the Walt Disney World Car Care Center, which is operated by Alamo and National. The Car Care Center offers a shuttle that will pick you up from any Disney hotel and take you to the Center to pick up your car. The shuttle will also drop you off at your Disney hotel after you return your car. If you wish, call the Car Care Center up to 24 hours in advance and arrange for them to send a shuttle for you. Alternatively, go to the front desk of your Disney resort about 30 minutes before your pickup time and ask them to call the Car Care Center shuttle. The phone number of the Car Care Center is (407) 824-3470.

  • Another location for Alamo and National is Dolphin Hotel, located on Disney property. From any of the theme parks or Downtown Disney, take a Disney bus to the Dolphin. The Alamo/National office at the Dolphin keeps short hours, but you can drop off your car to the hotel's valets after hours. The phone number of Dolphin's Alamo/National desk is (407) 934-4930.

  • Yet another location for Alamo and National is Buena Vista Palace near Downtown Disney. Take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney. Get off at the Marketplace stop, then walk across the street to Buena Vista Palace. The phone number of Buena Vista Palace's Alamo/National desk is (407) 827-6363.

• Avis has a location at the Hilton near Downtown Disney. Some people have reported that this location was willing to send transportation to pick them up from a local hotel. If not, you can take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney. Get off at the Marketplace stop, then walk across the street to the Hilton. The phone number of the Hilton's Avis desk is (407) 827-2847.

• Budget has a location at Doubletree Guest Suites near Downtown Disney. You can take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney. Get off at the Marketplace stop, then walk across the street and up Hotel Plaza Blvd to Doubletree Guest Suites. It's about a mile. Alternatively, you can take a taxi from Downtown Disney, which should cost around $5. The phone number of Doubletree Guest Suites' Budget desk is (407) 827-6089.

• Dollar has a location at Regal Sun Resort near Downtown Disney. Some people have reported that this location was willing to send transportation to pick them up from a local hotel. If not, you can take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Downtown Disney. Get off at the Marketplace stop, then walk across the street to Regal Sun Resort. The phone number of Regal Sun Resort's Dollar desk is (407) 583-8000.

• Hertz has a location at Shades of Green, which is on Disney property but open to the military only. The phone number of Shades of Green's Hertz desk is (407) 938-0600.

Off-Property Locations

If you will be staying off-site, check with your hotel to see if they offer a rental car desk. If not, many of the larger convention hotels off Disney property have a car rental location. Some of them may offer shuttle service, so if you're staying fairly nearby, call and see if they'll pick you up. Some may offer to pay some or all of your taxi fare to get to/from the location - again, call to check.

Once you've identified locations that will work for you, click on the links below to shop around for the best deals at all of the rental car companies. Reserve your rental car in advance; it's usually best to do this online to get the best rates.

Below are a few locations near Disney, but off Disney property:

• Enterprise has a desk at Marriott World Center. The phone number of Marriott World Center's Enterprise desk is (407) 397-0800.

• Hertz has numerous convenient locations near Disney World, including:

  • Caribe Royale, which is right next door to Buena Vista Suites. The phone number of Caribe Royale's Hertz desk is (407) 239-2502.

  • Gaylord Palms Resort & Spa. The phone number of Gaylord Palms' Hertz desk is (407) 586-2238.

  • Marriott Village. The phone number of Marriott Village's Hertz desk is (407) 938-9521.

• Thrifty has a location at Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration. The phone number of Radisson Resort Orlando-Celebration's Thrifty desk is (407) 390-1596.
  

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