Orlando. Pickup Rental and luggage
Discussion
Hi all
In the very fortunate position next year to be taking the family to Disney for a couple of weeks. FiL is in tow so 3 adults, 2 kids. My 10 year old is obviously well educated, because the most important part of the trip for him is "seeing F150's"
To that end, after spotting a bit of a deal on an F150 or similar at Alamo @ MCO, and reading that they basically point you at a row of trucks and let you chose, i thought this would be perfect. General use for the 2 weeks will be to/ from the parks, water parks, restaurants and keneddy. But obviously we've got to transport 4/5 suitcases, 2 carryons and other associated travel crap twice from/ to the airport.
Anyone know the liklihood of the trucks having a load cover? or indeed if i just lob the cases in the back and point it at the hotel are they gonna stay in there on the freeway? Any rules in place about loads in truck beds i need to know about?
Or.... are you gonna tell me i'm stupid and i need to change my reservation for an SUV/ Minivan?
In the very fortunate position next year to be taking the family to Disney for a couple of weeks. FiL is in tow so 3 adults, 2 kids. My 10 year old is obviously well educated, because the most important part of the trip for him is "seeing F150's"
To that end, after spotting a bit of a deal on an F150 or similar at Alamo @ MCO, and reading that they basically point you at a row of trucks and let you chose, i thought this would be perfect. General use for the 2 weeks will be to/ from the parks, water parks, restaurants and keneddy. But obviously we've got to transport 4/5 suitcases, 2 carryons and other associated travel crap twice from/ to the airport.
Anyone know the liklihood of the trucks having a load cover? or indeed if i just lob the cases in the back and point it at the hotel are they gonna stay in there on the freeway? Any rules in place about loads in truck beds i need to know about?
Or.... are you gonna tell me i'm stupid and i need to change my reservation for an SUV/ Minivan?
I often rent trucks in the US - including a couple from MCO - as they’re great value and fun.
No bed covers though… not a huge pain, but it does mean your luggage might get wet (I have those old-school hard plastic cases so it’s not a big deal). If you park up and leave the car you’d have to take them out of the bed and lock them in the cabin, but you’re not really going to be driving around with all your stuff much anyway. Pretty much zero chance of it all flying out the back when you’re driving along unless you do jumps or something.
Easy things to drive in general, but they are big, even in the US. Getting one with rear parking sensors is a bonus. Have fun!
Edit: also, don’t let them fob you off with a Navara (Frontier) or something. Gotta get the full-size (1/2 ton) ones.
No bed covers though… not a huge pain, but it does mean your luggage might get wet (I have those old-school hard plastic cases so it’s not a big deal). If you park up and leave the car you’d have to take them out of the bed and lock them in the cabin, but you’re not really going to be driving around with all your stuff much anyway. Pretty much zero chance of it all flying out the back when you’re driving along unless you do jumps or something.
Easy things to drive in general, but they are big, even in the US. Getting one with rear parking sensors is a bonus. Have fun!
Edit: also, don’t let them fob you off with a Navara (Frontier) or something. Gotta get the full-size (1/2 ton) ones.
Edited by David87 on Monday 12th December 22:34
I was there in July, the same as yourself family doing Disney, universal etc you’ll need another holiday to get over it! 😀 Anyway I looked into getting a full size pickup but not practical with all the luggage and or shopping we would have had stored in the load bed with no cover.
Went for a Nissan armada 5.7 V8, big joke of a 7 seater SUV thing it was massive! So comfortable driving the 120 miles down to stay in Clearwater for a few days.
As previously mentioned with Alamo they give you a load of keys and you pick which model/ colour you want in that particular class.
Went for a Nissan armada 5.7 V8, big joke of a 7 seater SUV thing it was massive! So comfortable driving the 120 miles down to stay in Clearwater for a few days.
As previously mentioned with Alamo they give you a load of keys and you pick which model/ colour you want in that particular class.
I think most of the scenarios have been answered but a couple of observations. First, make sure you get the right F-150 though - SuperCrew is the one with the 4 doors. SuperCab is the one with 2 doors and jump seats. Double check that its the one with the right number of doors! Oh and I doubt you will have the choice, but the long bed isnt something you will need - and it makes the thing massive if you have the SuperCrew and the 8 ft bed! Makes parking a challenge, though in Florida, it might not be too difficult.
And finally, just be cautious about leaving stuff in the bed. In general its safe and it wont be a problem, but consider high tourist and shady areas - it will get targeted and I would hate for your stuff to get stolen. If you are concerned, make sure you park where there is a security guard on duty and park near them. Been in the US for nearly 9 years and only heard of a few times that things have been stolen from the back of a truck, but almost every time it was a shady or high tourist area.
And finally, just be cautious about leaving stuff in the bed. In general its safe and it wont be a problem, but consider high tourist and shady areas - it will get targeted and I would hate for your stuff to get stolen. If you are concerned, make sure you park where there is a security guard on duty and park near them. Been in the US for nearly 9 years and only heard of a few times that things have been stolen from the back of a truck, but almost every time it was a shady or high tourist area.
Been to Orlando loads of times, mostly with family.
Seriously, re-consider your idea. A pickup is a terrible choice for a family.
You basically have no dry/secure storage area for luggage or when shopping. When it rains it drops several inches of rain in an hour. Think monsoon, not mild rain.
Other than having the brief amusement of looking at an F150, you'll be much better taking any big SUV. You can still get a V8, just with far more comfort and practicality.
And avoid leather if you can, we once had a Lincoln Towncar for 3 weeks and it was horrible when you got in as the leather seats were too hot. We took it back after 3 days and swapped for a cloth seat SUV.
I won’t be leaving anything n the bed unattended! Only time I picture using it is to/from the airport. Rest of the time I’ll use the flip up seats with storage underneath. One kid is 6 so sure there will be footwell space too.
Good tip on the cab size. I’ve definitely booked a ‘full size’ pickup, there’s a smaller one which seems to be single cab. The picture at least, shows a 4 door F150, the one that would have proper seats.
Guess we will walk the line and look inside them all until junior says ‘want that one’
Good tip on the cab size. I’ve definitely booked a ‘full size’ pickup, there’s a smaller one which seems to be single cab. The picture at least, shows a 4 door F150, the one that would have proper seats.
Guess we will walk the line and look inside them all until junior says ‘want that one’
I hired a “Full Size Pickup” from Alamo at MCO this September for 3 weeks. In the pickup row there was both standard (Nissan Frontier etc) and full size (F150/Dodge Rams etc) so make sure you get in the right size.
There was only 2 of us so no issues with storage space as we just loaded up the rear of the cab. There were no load covers on any of the vehicles I saw. Have you considered splitting the family just for the airport journeys if that’s the only time you’ll really be needing the extra storage space? Throw the cases in a taxi/Uber with 1 adult whilst the rest of you share the pickup? It’s only about $25 to the I-Drive area so not much in the context of an Orlando holiday.
There was only 2 of us so no issues with storage space as we just loaded up the rear of the cab. There were no load covers on any of the vehicles I saw. Have you considered splitting the family just for the airport journeys if that’s the only time you’ll really be needing the extra storage space? Throw the cases in a taxi/Uber with 1 adult whilst the rest of you share the pickup? It’s only about $25 to the I-Drive area so not much in the context of an Orlando holiday.
macca24 said:
I hired a “Full Size Pickup” from Alamo at MCO this September for 3 weeks. In the pickup row there was both standard (Nissan Frontier etc) and full size (F150/Dodge Rams etc) so make sure you get in the right size.
There was only 2 of us so no issues with storage space as we just loaded up the rear of the cab. There were no load covers on any of the vehicles I saw. Have you considered splitting the family just for the airport journeys if that’s the only time you’ll really be needing the extra storage space? Throw the cases in a taxi/Uber with 1 adult whilst the rest of you share the pickup? It’s only about $25 to the I-Drive area so not much in the context of an Orlando holiday.
I had considered this. I’d looked at smaller cars and buying transfers. But they seemed to be in excess of $100 each way?! If it’s that cheap then that’s my perfect backup planThere was only 2 of us so no issues with storage space as we just loaded up the rear of the cab. There were no load covers on any of the vehicles I saw. Have you considered splitting the family just for the airport journeys if that’s the only time you’ll really be needing the extra storage space? Throw the cases in a taxi/Uber with 1 adult whilst the rest of you share the pickup? It’s only about $25 to the I-Drive area so not much in the context of an Orlando holiday.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff