The Iconic Ford Mustang

We now have rates loaded around to next December for Alamo car hire, Budget car hire and Dollar car hire. Budget car hire rates are unchanged from 2011 – however, there is a summer surcharge on all cars collected between June 20th and August 20th. Alamo have also renewed the summer surcharge for the same dates, but just on the larger cars.
Dollar cars remain without a surcharge this summer – and with a guaranteed upgrade from the 2 door version to the 4 door model of each category!

Lovers of the Ford Mustang convertible will be delighted to see that the model is now showing as the convertible car of choice by all suppliers. Of course we can never 100% guarantee a particular make or model – but clients are going to have the best chance ever of driving one of these iconic cars with the top down this summer. Don’t forget that with both Dollar and Alamo you can choose your own car from those available in your category at all the larger locations – particularly Orlando International Airport. A great chance to try a different model for size…

If you are aged 21 – 25 you will need the Young Driver Packages from Alamo or Budget and don’t forget that Alamo’s Young Driver Package includes 3 drivers aged 21 – 24 for the same price – fantastic value!

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call, or use the chat facility.

Elle

Rates for next year have been largely released – already in place is a surcharge for collections between July 1st and August 21st for all suppliers and from Dec 15 – 30th this year except Alamo and next year all suppliers.

We have the following feedback on our new supplier – Advantage by Hertz:

The Staff very friendly and no queue whatsoever. I would use them again. Although our car has 35000 plus miles on the clock it still feels very clean and newish… I did upgrade to a midsize car though, as they said our 3 suitcases would not fit in the small car they had available… I checked when we crossed over to the parking garage and their smallest car was definitely smaller than budgets smallest car… this will be fine with just 2 people travelling and cases but a bit tight with 3 people & cases. Their upgrade was only $5 per day though which seems reasonable.

Thank you Helen!

Meanwhile, Dollar has completed an overhaul of its operations by closing the mass of hotel locations, particularly in Las Vegas. It is now in a very different financial position to that of a couple of years ago.

Budget has introduced a surcharge on all vehicles collected between 20th June and 21st August. Dollar has introduced a surcharge on all Vans, all SUV’s and Convertibles for the same dates – these are already in the system. We have now received notice that Alamo are to introduce a surcharge for collections between 1st July and 21st August on all Vans, all SUV’s and Convertibles – this will take effect for all bookings made from 10th June onwards – so if you need to make a reservation for the summer, now is the time before this increase commences.

Now, all rental car drivers can do the same thing thanks to Toll-by-plate. As the car goes through the SunPass lane a photograph is taken of the rear Tag plate (number plate). This is then matched up to the rental car company, and your rental, and then the toll is automatically billed to your credit card.

Since February 2011, the entire county of Miami-Dade has been E-tolling only – which means there are no longer any change booths available. If you fly into Miami International then you will more than likely use a toll road as to try and avoid them can lead you into some pretty seedy areas. This means that you will need to be aware of the toll-by-plate system. Once used, the system is active for the length of your rental so you can continue to use the SunPass lanes throughout Florida.

The rental companies do have different ways of billing:

For Alamo/National you will pay $2.00 per rental day, or $6.00 for the duration of your rental plus tolls. You opt in when you first drive through a SunPass lane.

For Dollar/Thrifty you will pay $6.99 per day or $36.99 for up to 30 days. This rate includes all your tolls and you must opt in to Pass 24 when you collect your car. If you fail to opt in and then go through a SunPass lane you will be charged a $25 admin fee plus the toll for EACH infraction.

For Budget/Avis you will pay $2.50 per day or $10.00 per week plus the cost of your tolls. There is no need to opt in, but once you have gone through a SunPass lane you will be charged for the length of the rental.

There has been some movement on our Budget prices this month for reservations after April 1st (this is the New Year as far as car hire goes!). But, our Alamo and Dollar prices for this summer (collections after April 1st) have been held at the current rates until the end of February, so if you know your plans for the year, now is the time to book! We strongly suspect that all prices will go up at the end of the month so you can save yourself a few pounds by booking ahead. Don’t forget that if your trip is a long way off, we can arrange to take funds later whilst still securing your booking – just contact us for details.

Dollar no longer offer 2 drivers with the standard package, but we still have a couple of suppliers that do, so please get in touch if you would like to explore this option and give us a call on 01428 741438.

Another fantastic way to save money on your trip is to plan ahead and join a group like www.groupon.com This is a website that sends out daily emails with special offers for you to buy. These usually consist of vouchers which you can then redeem when you arrive. By joining the US version, you can select Orlando or Miami or Tampa as your home town and then watch the offers flood in directly to your inbox.

Recent offerings have included half price ‘Flowriding’ sessions in Kissimmee, half-price Kayak Tours in the Indian River and half price snorkelling with Manatees. This is a great way to save money and find something really unique to do when you are on vacation.

In the same survey American Airlines was ranked as the best airline overall, with Virgin Atlantic a close second, and British Airways fifth (and this was before all the strikes)! The airlines were ranked on a scale of 1 – 5, with 5 representing Excellent, and 1 representing truly awful, in 6 categories: punctuality; security; food; cabin crew;entertainment and overall service. However, Virgin Atlantic was the most popular airline in terms of flights taken.

The special offer for upgrades with Alamo and Dollar are guaranteed, so if you want an Intermediate 4 door car you can book a Compact 4 door – you will be sent a voucher for an Intermediate.

Budget’s offer is always complimentary, and is subject to availability on the day. So with Budget you should always book the minimum car size that you require.

With all 3 suppliers, the car categories included in the upgrade offers are; Compact to Intermediate, and Intermediate to Full size. Budget have one more category of Full size 4 door to Premium 4 door.

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.