We will be on a cruise and docking in seattle. where is the closest car rental? sdocking in seattle

Howdy,
I just returned from my 8 day trip to Mt. Rainier, ONP and Seattle. I will provide a write-up on my fabulous trip when I have a bit more time, but I could not let this opportunity pass me by. My only advice is to NOT use BUDGET. I had the worst travel experience with them on my recent trip to Seattle. They were absolutely HORRIBLE! They gave me a car with a missing lock and then blamed it on me...30 minutes after I had the car. I never left the car. I spent the 30 minutes trying to call their customer service, which just said, "You will have to leave a message for a Rep to get back to you," followed by, "I'm sorry, our mailbox is full." Then, at the end of the trip, they charged me for insurance at $22 a day that I did not want! I'm still fighting that. I had to pay the extra $200 to get out of there and catch my flight. I have to send a letter to their customer service department....and I'm sure that will be fun. So...my only advice is stay away from Budget.

The following is from the Port of Seattle Web site. If you want to use other car rentals (other than Hertz), you would need to take a taxi to SeaTac Area ($20-$30)
Q. Is there a car rental facility the terminal?

A. Yes. The Hertz Kiosk is located on the first floor of the cruise terminal at Pier 66. Vehicles are located in the Bell Street Parking garage directly across the street from the cruise terminal. For car reservations and questions call 1-800-654-3131. Car rentals are not currently available at the Terminal 30 Cruise Facility

These cruise people are giving you the runaround.

Most major car rental companies have downtown Seattle locations. (within 2 miles of the cruise ship dock)

I am partial to National (and Alamo), which is found at the foot of the Hilton Hotel at 6th and University streets, but I know that most of the others aren't far away.

Do a tiny bit of comparison shopping and then opt for the best rate.

Well then, that's a lie!

There are a bunch of car rental agencies in downtown Seattle. I can't imagine why they would suggest you have to go to the airport!!

A quick glance at the phone book shows: Budget, Avis, Thrifty, Alamo/Nation, Advantage, Dollar, and Enterprise all with "downtown Seattle" locations.

Oh of course I know why... Port of Seattle is who runs SeaTac as well. When you rent at the airport you pay a hefty airport tax on rental cars (another Fodoite mentioned $100 surcharge).

Check directly with the Hertz office downtown--on Pine Street, I believe. They have a branch right on the pier.

Thanks for all the help. Hertz is at pier 66 and will work out perfectly.

We reserved at Budget at SeaTac. Getting the car was an hour oddyssey, but then they upgraded to a Taurus and the 5 day charge w/ taxes was $91.

We did meet people familiar w/ Seattle who limo'd downtown and rented there to avoid a "30% tax".

dbn

Unless you get some major coroporate discount with Hertz, you're likely to find them way more expensive than others. National has an office at the Hilton downtown, and I believe Avis does as well.

By the way, we saved well over $200 on the exact same two week one way rental to Oregon from Seattle by picking up at the downtown office rather than the airport one. Seems they charge totally different rates between the two pick up places.