lia835

We are going on a cruise in August. I want to rent a car for the day in Halifax and Charlottetown,PEI, near the cruise ports but all of the websites (even the corporate ones) say there is no availability. I have searched the big companies like Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, National, Dollar, Thrifty. i am confused. Is there a severe car rental shortage? Is it too early to reserve for August? Am I too late (it is 4 months out!) Are they not renting to US citizens? Would I have better luck calling?

tlc195

Big problem as noted in this news article link below.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/princ...erns-1.6397546

Industry group estimates nearly 9,000 customers looking for rental won't be able to get one.

P.E.I. tourism officials are concerned that a shortage of rental cars could pose a significant problem this summer as the Island anticipates a big jump in visitors flying to the Island.

"There's a shortfall of cars. We're not going to be able to meet the demand," said Kirk Nicholson, the agency owner of Avis Budget P.E.I., and transportation committee chair with the Island's tourism industry association (TIAPEI).

"There's increased capacity at the Charlottetown Airport, and well in advance of that, a lot of the companies, ours included, are currently sold out for most of the summer already."

tlc195

Give these folks a call to see if they have any cars .

https://www.practicar.ca/location/

https://peicarrental.ca/

janisj

It is a perfect storm -- small-ish towns with limited availability at the best of times, cruise ships returning in a big way, and most of the car rental companies have still not re-stocked their fleets after the big covid sell off. I am not at all surprised there is little to no availability. The same thing is happening in Alaska.

tlc195

Well at least you do not have 3 cruise ships in town at the same time. See link below for ships in port and how many passengers and crew on board.

https://portcharlottetown.com/port-schedule/

lia835

Thank you! I tried PEI car rental and they don't have anything. I looked at the Practicar website....are they legitimate?

tlc195

No personal experience but mentioned on PEI Facebook when others asked the same question ie trying to rent a car.

PEI is so much more than Charlottetown so make sure you get out and explore the island even if you need to hire a tour company. UHaul truck is another option if it is just 2 people traveling, sounds dumb but if you have no other options what the heck.

tlc195

If you end up not getting a car, this website is a little dated but gives you a great overview of Charlottetown.https://www.tomsportguides.com/uploa...09-18-2014.pdf

janisj

. . . last summer that was just about the only way to find rental vehicles in Hawaii and other popular leisure destinations.

tlc195

If you do get a car here is another of Tom’s guide for a few hours on the island from a cruise ship point of view. As I noted with Tom’s guide for Charlottetown a little dated but good overview.

https://www.tomsportguides.com/uploa...09-24-2014.pdf

So let us know if you are able to rent a car.

tlc195

Did you see my post about PEI and things to do an see for the next time you visit the island?

Halifax and PEI

lia835

Thank you for all the help! I did finally find a car in Halifax, but still no luck in Charlottetown. We may end up just exploring what we can on foot in Charlottetown if we can't find a car.

tlc195

Lia835

FYI this may help. Unknown if it will be up and running when you need a car.

Car-sharing company Turo coming to P.E.I.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/princ...bA75Q3ObASMfcg

lia835

I just wanted to update that after checking every day, I was able to rent a car in Charlottetown at the airport! I guess they increased the inventory? I am relieved.

tlc195

Perfect, now a countdown to a wonderful time on a beautiful island. Let us know how it goes.

Tom