Car hire in Orlando, or should I use public transport?

/ Florida, Travel / By

In short, car hire in Orlando is absolutely what you should do. In February 2023 I visited Orlando for the third time. This time, we were planning on just using public transport to get around, and the odd taxi where required. I wanted to have a nice relaxing trip without having to worry about driving around everywhere.


car hire in Orlando

This is quite a lengthy article, so here’s some links to the sections.

    Why you shouldn’t do car hire in Orlando

    Having driven in Orlando twice before, I learned that it is a place unlike the rest of the US. The drivers are insanely fast, and there’s some incredibly sketchy manoeuvres on a continual basis. The cost of parking at the parks is expensive, parking in the hotel can often carry a charge, and choosing a hire company is a gamble. So many complexities, there’s so many reasons not to book a car.

    This time I thought, I don’t want the stress of all that, so let’s just get around on the free transport and some taxis.

     

    On this trip we stayed just off Disney property at the Holiday Inn Lake Buena Vista. This is a Disney good neighbour property, and you know, I really enjoyed our stay here. It was basic, but it was quiet, the air con wasn’t too loud and the staff were nice. I’d say overall it was a great stay. They offer a free shuttle bus to Disney, which we were certainly ready to use.

    Having arrived at Orlando International (MCO), we got an Uber from the airport to the hotel. It was really straight forward, there are pick up points immediately outside the terminal. The journey was fine, although the driver didn’t have great English so there was little conversation, which after a 10 hour flight, I didn’t mind…


    Why you should do car hire in Orlando

    The next day we went outside to get the free transportation to Disney. We got there nice and early so were first in the queue. After a few mins the queue was huge! Acknowledging that this was a free service and we shouldn’t grumble too much, we waited for the bus. 15 mins past the time it was due and it still hadn’t arrived, until a few minutes later here it came. The air con wasn’t working, which in Florida, despite being February, is still not overly comfortable. We all piled in to the bus like sardines and away we went. Not the most comfortable of journey I must admit, but it was free.


    Getting an Uber

    Returning later from Magic Kingdom we thought, lets get a taxi and miss the last bus. We looked for an Uber after the fireworks. Turns out that’s a big mistake, the price was more than triple the cost to get there, and the drivers kept cancelling the Uber whilst we were waiting. Eventually, we got back to the hotel unscathed.

    The next day, we thought we would just get the taxi to the park, cheap and easy, but the driver was insane! He even drove straight past the gates to the parks without stopping being waved down and chased by cast members, who knows if he later got a ticket.


    Due to the issues with the Uber the previous day we thought we would get the free transport back. The queue was even more insane, we were packed in again to a bus with no lights on inside, at night!

    That evening, I was so fed up of the stress of transportation I caved and searched for a car rental place near by. We ended up booking with SixT, who were excellent, everything was fast and easy. It did however, mean I needed to get an Uber back to the airport, but that was fine.


    Before booking, what should I consider before getting car hire in Orlando?

    Before we go any further, I must say that driving comes with a number of considerations aside just the hire of a vehicle and driving on the other side of the road if you’re from the UK or Japan. Here’s a few.

        • Cost of parking at theme parks can be in excess of $25 per day (water parks are often free).

        • Sometimes, hotels charge for over night parking. Best to check with your hotel before booking.

        • Tolls. There is a toll pass which I will get to in a moment, I highly recommend it.

        • Different Laws. Make sure you research this before you go. You can go right on most red lights unless it tells you otherwise, and watch out for the school bus rule.

        • Insurances and excess

        • Breakdown, tyre and windscreen cover

        • Sat Nav

        • Kids seats

        • Additional drivers

        • Airport Fees & Taxes

        • Collision Damage Waiver (CDW)

        • Personal Accident Injury cover (PAI)

        • Mileage restrictions

      So as you can see, lots to think about other than just jumping in the car and driving away. If you’re anything like me, you need to know as much of this information before hand so as not to end up with nasty surprise costs. So let’s take a look at some of this in more detail.


      Parking charges

      For the cost of parking in the parks, it’s best to check on Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Sea World and Busch Gardens websites for the most up to date pricing. The same with your accommodation. Often, if you visit the official website of the hotel you’re staying, they will have a section on Parking and any restrictions or charges that apply.


      At the time of writing this, the average for parking in Disney and Universal is $25-30 for standard and $50 for preferred which gets you a little closer to the entrance.


      Universal and Disney resorts charge for over night parking, and this can work out quite a bit over the course of a two week vacation, so definitely check that out before you go.


      Tolls

      Florida has a lot of Toll roads, and although there are ways and means of avoiding them, sometimes it can add quite a bit of time or complexity to your journey. If you’re on holiday, I am sure you want to just sail on the highway until you need to come off and relax a little. In which cast I highly recommend getting a Toll Pass, which gives you heavily discounted tolls throughout the state.


      Florida Visitor Toll Pass

      Florida Visitor Toll Pass is a fantastic system which allows you to prebook a tag which you hang in your windscreen through the duration of your rental. Collection is from Terminal A in MCO on Level 1, which is on the way to a parking garage. There is a $10 deposit which will be deducted of tolls at the end of your trip.


      Currently Florida Visitor Toll Pass is only available at Orlando International Airport (MCO). Flying in to Melbourne (MLB) or Sanford (SFB), you can’t pick one of these up.


      Making a reservation is easy to do on the app, then when you arrive make sure to check in using the automated machine in Terminal A. It will then spit your pass out and you’re good to go! Just hand it in the windscreen and drive through the fast toll lanes. See the website for more instructions and if there’s any restrictions.


      If you flew into Terminal C, you will need to jump on the monorail to get to Terminal A, and it takes about 20 mins to do the journey. Booking with most of the major car rental companies, you will be able to collect your car here too, but note that you may need to also return the car to the garage you picked it up from.


      Returning it is very easy, you can return to any of the bins in various locations in all the terminals. They then calculate your final tolls charges at the end of the trip within a couple of weeks, and either charge your card for more, or refund the balance of your deposit.


      Florida Visitor Toll Pass

      Visitor Toll Pass collection point in Orlando International Airport.

      Paying for tolls without a pass

      If you chose not to use the pass system, you can still pay for the individual tolls. Keep in mind you will be paying more, and you will also need to pay cash. There are also some toll roads which don’t have attendants and sometimes don’t have change. So something to keep in mind.


      To do this, pull into the toll booth plaza and pay the person, or machine and drive on. If you don’t your plate will be tagged and you will either be fined, or have to pay the toll via the rental company which will also incur an admin fee in addition to the inflated cost of the toll.


      Rental company toll pass

      Some rental companies have their own toll pass. I think the value isn’t as good as the Visitor Toll Pass on the options I have seen around.


      Insurances

      When it comes to insurance, it can feel so overly complicated, what’s the CDW and PAI stuff about? Do I need it? What excess should I have? Do I really need breakdown?


      If this is your first time hiring a car abroad, it’s similar information to wherever you are hiring a car.


      CDW

      CDW or Collision Damage Waiver protects you with an excess pay, rather than the whole incurred costs if you were to have an accident. Without it, you could be liable for the total cost of repairs to the vehicle. Personally it’s just not a gamble I would want to take. I should probably state, I am not qualified to give you any advice when it comes to insurance, but I can give you my opinion on it.


      PAI

      PAI or Personal Accident Insurance, is often covered as part of your holiday insurance. Before making a decision on whether you need this add on, consider checking your travel insurance policy first to see if it covers road traffic accidents.


      You may often get asked if you want to reduce your excess from some insane amount to a much more reasonable one. This is up to whether you want to roll that dice or not, but often it comes bundled with some other things such as CDW, Additional Drivers, a tank of fuel, etc. I think it’s worth doing personally.

      Breakdown, tyre and windscreen cover, often come as a bundle add on too. I would 100% go with this option. 


      If you don’t chose this option with the company you choose to book through, then seek some additional cover from somewhere else. In the past I have used iCarHireInsruance.com just to put my mind at rest that if anything were to happen you have that additional cover. Punctures, window chips and breakdowns happen, and when they do they can incur some insane costs. If you need towing off the interstate, have your credit card ready and be prepared to weep for an hour if you don’t have it.


      In Florida, cars being vandalised or broken into can be an issue. If you’re the victim of a slashed tyre or smashed windscreen, this can be another devastating cost.


      Other extras

      You have an option to add on a Sat Nav or child seat to the hire. It is worth checking the law before you go when it comes to child seats. Find it here.


      When taking my daughter when she was smaller we bought a cheap booster and took it in our luggage, then just binned it / donated it on return. It works out cheaper sometimes.


      When it comes to Sat Nav, I recommend just taking a dash mount cradle for your phone, and using that. It will likely be more reliable and up to date than the provided one from the hire company.


      Do I need a special licence for the US?

      Nope, as long as you have a full UK drivers licence, you’re good to go. Most cars in the US are auto, so even with an auto licence you will be fine. Car hire in Orlando may be subject to laws you aren’t used to though, so please check the state laws before travelling. There’s great YouTube videos on it.


      How old do I need to be to hire a car in Orlando?

      Ideally 25+, however, you can still hire a car under 25, but you will be subject to higher costs and other restrictions.


      Car Hire Companies

      Your final question might be, “which car hire company is reputable?”. There’s the choice of going through a broker or directly booking via a rental company. Comparison sites are reasonably useful, but they are of course loaded with recommendations based on the highest bidder, and many sites don’t include all options.

      There is one particular website I would highly recommend. Discount Florida Car Hire, based in the UK. You can head to the website and fill out your requirements, or you can email a chap called Andy and give him your requirements and he will send some recommendations.


      When using the search function, you will notice there’s a number of rental companies they will display. They will also display all the different car size options. Something to look out for here is that the smaller car options can sometimes be more costly than the larger ones. The cost is dynamic and based on demand, so check all the options to make sure you get the best deal.


      There’s a number of different rental companies from which to get car hire in Orlando. Personally, I stick to known brands, but always end up choosing Alamo. There’s horror stories with them all, in particular Dollar. Alamo I found the most friendly and easiest to use. They also have a check in service you can do before you arrive, so just head straight to the garage and get in a car of your choosing within the area of size vehicle you booked.


      This was so easy, in fact I got an upgrade on my last visit because they had ran out of the car I booked. You scan a barcode and give them your driving licence information at the gate to leave, and that’s it. Super easy.


      When should I book car hire in Orlando?

      The best deals I have found for car hire in Orlando were usually between 3 and 6 months in advance. Any longer than that and the prices were high, any less than 3 months and it’s worth checking the costs if you have a refundable deposit (Discount Florida Car Hire have this, so if the price comes down, let them know and they will amend it for you). I wouldn’t leave it any closer than 3 months as you could be left with either soaring costs, or no availability.


      Of course, this also is very dependant on the time of year, so make sure to check. You can book 12 months in advance if you want to secure something, but the price is likely to be pretty high, so I wouldn’t really bother.


      Conclusion

      Car hire in Orlando is absolutely worth it in my opinion!


      The free transportation was often late and had massive queues, sometimes you didn’t get on if the bus had already visit the other accommodation it stops off at, and if you did, it was often like a sardine can.


      Uber was both inconstant, unreliable, and a little scary at times. From an enjoyment perspective, I wouldn’t recommend getting around this way, it was just too disruptive and stressful.


      So, with all that being said, I would highly recommend car hire in Orlando. Discount Florida Car Hire has been my best experience. They provided lots of useful information. I found online checkin with Alamo a breeze. The no hidden cost policy lived up to reputation. They also do a Top-up product for not much more which includes a lot of things to help keep your mind at rest.


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