TIP: Expect your bus ride to the car rental parking lot to take about 10 minutes. If you have a cellphone, this is a good time to call your hotel and confim your room, or call your family to say you arrived. We tested all six cellphone company’s signal strengths, and they were all good.

At the airport…

All the major car rental agencies, and many smaller ones, serve Orlando International airport. Most of the major ones are located in the airport on Level 1 in both the A and B Terminals.

Alamo 1-800-327-9633

Avis 1-800-831-2847

Budget 1-800-527-0700

Dollar 1-800-800-4000 (Domestic)1-800-800-6000 (International)

L and M Car Rental 1-800-277-5171 (not a major company, but still in the airport)

National 1-800-227-7368

Offsite…

Many rental companies prefer to operate away from the airport, where rent is cheaper. They provide free shuttles to their offices. Some, like Hertz and Enterprise, are major players in their industry. Most, however, are smaller outfits.

Enterprise (800) 325-8007

Hertz (800) 654-3131

Thrifty (800) 367-2277

Accessible Minivan Rental (800) 308-2503 (for disabled travelers)

Americar Rental Systems (407) 851-6910

Anchor (407) 438-8996

Arrival Car Rental (888) 697-RENT

Carl’s Rent A Van (407) 849-5211

Choice Auto Rental (888) 349-5377

Eagle (407) 397-9799

E-Z Rent-A-Car (800) 277-5171

Florida Auto (800) 327-3791

Orlando Rental Car (877) 599-9227

Payless Car Rental (407) 856-5539

Specialty Van Rentals (888) 711-4446

TIP: Alamo’s shuttle buses seem to run more frequently than any other company, so if you are waiting for another company’s bus, don’t think they aren’t coming, it just seems like a longer wait.

TIP: Unlike hotel rooms, which often have the same price whether you use the hotel’s website or a travel site like Orbitz.com, rental cars from major companies are often cheaper from travel sites, or from membership-based companies like Costco and Sams Club.

TIP: If you live in the USA, DO join the rental company’s membership program before booking your car. You can often get free upgrades to nicer cars, especially later in the day when the cheaper ones have already been rented. It might also help keep your reservation from being “lost”. After all, Orlando is a very popular city for car rentals, with nearly 40 million visitors each year.