How to Rent a Car at Walt Disney World
We are frequently asked how someone can rent a car for one or two days in the Disney World area. A lot of times people plan to use their hotel’s transportation system to get to and from the Disney parks, but they are interested in doing something outside of Disney during the trip (such as visiting Universal, SeaWorld or the local Disney outlet stores) and the cheapest and easiest way is to rent a car. Car rentals in Orlando tend to be fairly inexpensive. (Even though car rental rates shot up during the pandemic, they’re usually lower in Orlando than the rest of the country): rates of $50-$75 a day are not uncommon, and we’ve seen occasional weekend deals as low as $30 a day.
Car Rental Locations on Disney Property
There are several places on Disney property where you can pick up and drop off a rental car. Use the links below, or check our Rental Car Discounts pages, to shop around for the best deals at all of the rental car companies. Reserve your rental car in advance (it’s usually best to make a car rental reservation online to get the best rates) for pick-up and drop-off at a convenient location. Then follow the directions below to pick up your vehicle at the car rental location that offers the best rate.
- Alamo and National have locations on Disney property because Alamo is the “official” rental car company of Walt Disney World, and National is owned by the same company.
- If you are staying at a Disney resort, the easiest option is to rent a car from the Walt Disney World Car Care Center, which is operated by Alamo and National. (Their street address is 1000 Car Care Center Drive, Orlando, FL.) The Car Care Center offers a shuttle that will pick you up from any Disney hotel and take you to the Center to pick up your car. The shuttle will also drop you off at your Disney hotel after you return your car. If you wish, call the Car Care Center up to 24 hours in advance and arrange for them to send a shuttle for you. Alternatively, go to the front desk of your Disney resort about 30 minutes before your pickup time and ask them to call the Car Care Center shuttle. The phone number of the Car Care Center is (407) 824-0976.
- Another on-property location for National is Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace, near Disney Springs. (Their street address is 1900 E. Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL.) Take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Disney Springs. Use the pedestrian overpass near the Earl of Sandwich to cross Buena Vista Drive and walk about a half block to to the Hilton Buena Vista Palace. The phone number of Buena Vista Palace’s National desk is (407) 827-6363.
- Avis has a location at Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista (location LB3) near Disney Springs. Some people have reported that this location was willing to send transportation to pick them up from a local hotel. If not, you can take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Disney Springs. Use the pedestrian overpass near the Earl of Sandwich to cross both Buena Vista Drive and Hotel Plaza Boulevard, and walk about a half block to the Hilton. The phone number of the Hilton’s Avis desk is (407) 827-2847.
- Budget has a location at DoubleTree Suites by Hilton in the Walt Disney World Resort (location M03) near Disney Springs. Take a Disney bus from any of the Disney resorts to Disney Springs. Use the pedestrian overpass near the Earl of Sandwich to cross Buena Vista Drive and Hotel Plaza Boulevard, then walk about a mile to the DoubleTree Suites. Alternatively, you could take a taxi or Lyft from Disney Springs, which should cost $5 or less. The phone number of Doubletree Guest Suites’ Budget desk is (407) 827-6089.
Off-Property Locations
If you will be staying off-site, check with your hotel to see if they offer a rental car desk. If not, many of the larger convention hotels off Disney property have a car rental location. Some of them may offer shuttle service, so if you’re staying fairly nearby, call and see if they’ll pick you up. Some may offer to pay some or all of your taxi fare to get to/from the location – again, call to check.
Once you’ve identified locations that will work for you, use the links above, or check our Rental Car Discounts pages, to shop around for the best deals at all of the rental car companies. Reserve your rental car in advance; it’s usually best to do this online to get the best rates.