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 $30-$50 a day (plus fees) are not uncommon, and I've seen occasional weekend deals as low as $15 a day.

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 (location ORLR72) and National (location ORLR02). 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 on Disney property for Alamo and National is the Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel (Alamo location ORLR74; National location ORLR13), and Shades of Green (military only; Alamo location ORLR82; National location ORLR12). 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. Shades of Green is open to active and retired military only: phone (888) 826-6893.

  • Open to the military only (active duty and retired, with ID), there is a location on Disney property for Alamo and National at Shades of Green (Alamo location ORLR82; National location ORLR12). Phone (888) 826-6893.

  • The final on-property location for National is Buena Vista Palace (location ORLR03), 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 National desk is (407) 827-6363.

• Avis has a location at Hilton in the Walt Disney World 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 the Hilton. The phone number of the Hilton's Avis desk is (407) 827-2847.

• Budget has a location at Doubletree Suites by Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort 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 Wyndham Lake Buena Vista 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 Wyndham. The phone number of Wyndham Lake Buena Vista's Dollar desk is (407) 583-8000.

• Enterprise has a location at Royal Plaza in the Walt Disney World Resort near Downtown Disney. Enterprise should be willing to send someone to pick you up. The phone number of Royal Plaza's Enterprise desk is (407) 397-0800.

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.

• Hertz has a convenient location near Disney World at Caribe Royale, which is right next door to Buena Vista Suites. The phone number of Caribe Royale's Hertz desk is (407) 239-2502.
  

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