Rental cars, Orlando
 

Hey all!
I am trying to ppiece together a quick trip to Florida with my son to go visit Busch Gardens. The flights into Orlando are MUCH cheaper than the ones into Tampa so I was thinking of renting a car at the airport and driving to Tampa and maybe the Gulf coast. Does anyone have any experience with the rental companies? I have found some REALLY cheap ones (Payless, EZ Rental, Styx for a few examples) however the reviews are a mixed bag. Hertz and Budget are more familiar to me but also a bit more spendy.
We really want to go to BG since my son is a HUGE thrill seeker and coaster fan and I was told is has more for him than SW.
Can ya help a girl out?

Are there any other transportation options I should consider? :thumbsup2

I always use expedia and usually enterprise is only a few dollars more/day than all those other companies you named. Best bet is to book using expedia. You can keep checking every few weeks to see if they have a better deal. If they do, then cancel and rebook.

Same experience here...expedia normally seems cheaper...and doesn't charge for spouses as an additional driver. Check priceline, but then just book through actual site for the one that comes up the cheapest. I've found that the night before a holiday or on the holiday seem to be the best times to check the prices and make the reservation. You do not have to any more than your name and type of card you are using, so you will not get charged a dime for cancelling.

We always book through Budget, discount codes for all major companies are on Mousesavers.com, great savings. Code W810011.

Just curious...is the flight that much cheaper that it will bereally worth it-figure in the gas on expenses too.

I am thinking if I were planning on just spending my vacation in Tampa area that I would opt just for the flight there and not have the hassle of driving approximately an hour and a half on I-4(depending on traffic etc) to get there and the same to get back to Orlando . I hate that driver. <g> I would also check on package deals, flight,car, hotel. Also if flyinging into Tampa check on free shuttles to the hotel from airport and then to BG from the hotel. It might make the flight there equal to flying into Orlando and driving over.

I have been adding everything up and the difference is a few hundred dollars... which is a big deal. :) I am still researching everything and hoping the flight prices will drop. It would be SOOOOO much easier to fly to Tampa and not have to worry about the car, however, we would need to rent one to get to the beach, so I am still looking at a rental cost and some gas.
I wish I lived in the south, then I wouldn't have to "escape" the negative temperatures.

Remember that Tampa Bay area has 2 airports. Tampa Int. and Clearwater/St.Pete. Make sure your cost searches include both.

Thanks or the tip. Can't seem to find flights to PIE (Clearwater). At least not from Minneapolis using Delta. We have a credit with Delta so we can't use anyone else.
Bummer!

The prices DID GO DOWN today... for both destinations. :)

For our December 2011 trip, I used the Name Your Own Price option on Priceline. I got a four door rental car (I think it was a Chevy Impala) from Hertz at Orlando Airport for 14 days and it was only $160 with tax. I didn't think that price was too bad for two weeks.

Go to the Transportation Board and find the car rental thread for your month. You will find people who share coupons and specials for the same time period you are planning to travel. You can also search there for the other more "off-brand" car rental places to see what other people have reported.