Because of the lack of space at port locations in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Port Canaveral and Tampa, car hire companies such as Dollar or Alamo do not have depots actually at the ports, but most usually provide a complimentary shuttle between the airports and ports.

In Miami, a free shuttle is run by Dollar/Thrifty and Alamo from the main international airport locations to the port and again in reverse. Some hotels also run shuttles both from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the port, however, in higher end hotels the price for the shuttle seems to boost the room rate, while in cheaper hotels, the shuttle appears to boost numbers! Regular cruise passengers advise that you don’t choose your hotel by access to the shuttle, rather choose a great hotel in a great area and make the most of your time in Miami. If you have hired a car for one night, you can then return to the airport to drop off the car and use the shuttle. Budget car hire don’t offer a shuttle between the port and the airport and also don’t offer rentals for less then 2 days.

For passengers arriving at Fort Lauderdale the situation is very similar. Although there is a downtown Dollar/Thrifty location close to the port, you still have to get the shuttle to make the last bit of the journey. There are paid shuttles that run between Port Everglades and Miami International, and Fort Lauderdale and Port of Miami. You can expect to pay at least $15 per passenger for these shuttles, but at least the price is fixed, as opposed to a taxi which will be on a meter.

At Port Canaveral the car hire depots are about 3 or 4 miles away from the port and once again, they run shuttles to and from the port. With the closest airport being Melbourne International, this is not regularly used by UK cruisers. A taxi from Orlando International to Port Canaveral will probably start at $100. While a one day hire using Dollar would be around £30 to £50 depending whether you have an economy car or a large minivan 7 seater. Once again, experienced cruisers drop off their party and luggage at the port, and then return to the car hire depots to get the shuttle back without luggage!

At Tampa, the cruise terminal is quite new and the car hire companies have been slow to provide shuttles. You will most likely have to get a taxi either from the airport or your hotel.

There are some great cruise forums out there where you can get really valuable advice to help you get the most out of your trip and make it as smooth as possible.

The Toyota RAV 4 is the illustrative car for Thrifty car hire in this category. The RAV 4 was recently ranked 4th out of 26 compact SUV’s in America by U.S. News. “The RAV4, last redesigned in 2006, is one of the most well-rounded vehicles in its class”

The Saturn Vue is the example provided by Alamo car hire for the Intermediate SUV category. U.S. News ranks the Saturn Vue 7th out of 26, “redesigned last year, the VUE offers one of the best combinations of style, a comfortable interior and impressive performance in its class.”

Dollar Rent a Car continue their strong link with the Jeep, now the ‘Liberty’ has replaced the very popular Cherokee. Edmonds.com comments on the current styling of the car “The cute styling of the first Liberty has been replaced with a more traditional, square-jawed Jeep look, and the cabin boasts more available luxury features such as rain-sensing wipers, remote starting, driver memory settings and a power-sliding sunroof made of canvas that allows a huge opening. There’s also more room for backseat passengers, thanks to a 2-inch wheelbase stretch.”

Budget car hire’s star of this class is the Ford Escape. Edmonds.com believes this has been the best selling compact SUV of all the makes and models on offer. “Ford successfully combined the styling and four-wheel-drive capability of a traditional SUV with the size, practicality and driving characteristics of a midsize car.”

Whichever supplier you choose your intermediate SUV through, there seems no doubt that they are fun to drive. Do be aware though that they don’t have the same luggage capacity as the larger standard SUV. Although technically seating 5 people they would suit 4 adults and a child better than 5 burly adults.

In some ways it is easy to say that hire cars in Florida are ‘much of a muchness’, and in some respects that is true.  All cars are automatic, and have air conditioning, and are as young as the company can afford to maintain its fleet.

The actual insurance cover offered by each supplier is also basically the same, this is because the packages that we offer for sale must include everything that the British, or non-domestic traveller will need in order to drive in Florida and comply with local laws.

But the add ons, such as the number of drivers on the standard package or the fuel policy, are what differs from supplier to supplier.  The exact details of each ‘Standard Package’ can be seen by clicking on the relevant ‘Standard Package’ icon by the car of your choice but we will run through them here.

Alamo and Thrifty allow only one driver on their standard packages, so if you require 2 or more drivers you will either need to select the relevant Diamond option, or choose a different supplier.  We also have one set of prices with Dollar that feature just one driver, and these are a little cheaper than the other set of prices with Dollar which have 2 drivers!  This is why there are two sets of prices for Dollar.

If you require 2 drivers, you can therefore choose from the slightly more expensive Dollar option, Budget or U -Save which all include 2 drivers in their ‘Standard Package’.

U Save are great for young drivers, (see the previous Young Driver article) but can tend to be a bit on the expensive side otherwise, and currently we only have access to U Save at Orlando International Airport.

If you are going for 2 weeks or more, then it is often more economical to select the standard option that does not include fuel, otherwise you will be paying a weekly supplement, but will only receive that initial tank of fuel.  For rentals of 2 weeks it will probably work out at about the same, but if you are going for less than 2 weeks it is probably in your interest to choose the ‘Diamond’ package even if you don’t need additional drivers, because the initial tank of fuel will then be included.  Don’t forget that if you are paying for the fuel at the airport, you will pay a lot more than if you are able to fill up at the pump yourself.

One last thing to consider, the Thrifty rates, and the cheaper of the two Dollar rates are subject to cancellation and amendment charges, while the rates with Alamo, Budget, the more expensive Dollar rates, and U Save are not.   If you think you may need a bit of flexibility for your Florida Car Hire, it is better to steer clear of those with the charges, even if it means paying a little more in the first instance.  If you are at all concerned, please give us a call in the office to talk it through.

There are a couple of exceptions, U Save don’t charge a surcharge/excess for drivers over 21.  They will also allow drivers aged 19 and 20 to drive, but there is an excess for that of $25 per day, plus local taxes.  We currently only offer U Save at Orlando International Airport due to our own exclusive contract.

Budget car hire also have a good package for young drivers under 25.  You can book their Young Driver Package for just £50 per week.  This can only be taken on top of the Diamond insurance package, but does mean that there will be nothing else to pay on arrival – and no local taxes either!

Young drivers must have a credit card in their own name, and a full, clean licence, preferably held for over 1 year (U Save will allow less time).

If you find yourself in the ‘Young Driver’ category, and need some help to work out your best options, please give us a call to talk it through, but like all things, this is best planned ahead to give you the most choice!