Rental Car in Portland, ME

We will be stopping at Portland, ME, on our fall Canada/NE cruise and want to rent a car for the day. Do you have to take a cab to the airport to rent a car, or are there places closer to the port that rent cars? Do any car rental companies have shuttles from the port to the airport? I read that Hertz will operate a kiosk at the port when a cruise ship has docked. Has anyone ever used this service? When I went online to look at Hertz, they only show 2 locations- one at the airport and one even farther away from the port. Should I just call Hertz? Thanks in advance. -Mark

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I haven't rented a car in Portland, but am doing some research and found the information below from a post in Sept. 2015. The cruise port, most common docking location, is near Maine State Pier, Commercial & Thames Streets. According to Google Earth, Enterprise is about a 7 minute ride from there. Info from previous poster is:

Rental Company: Enterprise

Address: 1 Marginal Way.

Phone: (207) 772-0030

Hours: 9-3 Sat-Sun Can leave keys in drop box. Would need cab back to pier on own. They pick you up. Call when ready to get off ship.

I'm from Portland, and the info given above is correct, and probably the best option. I believe you have to make the arrangements in advance to have an after hours drop-off, but it is allowed. I haven't heard about Hertz having a kiosk at the pier, but they could.

I'm from Portland, and the info given above is correct, and probably the best option. I believe you have to make the arrangements in advance to have an after hours drop-off, but it is allowed. I haven't heard about Hertz having a kiosk at the pier, but they could.

Thanks for confirming that, chengkp. I just went on the Enterprise website and made a reservation I may or may not keep. The site wouldn't accept a reservation for Sunday 6pm dropoff time as I wanted, but I'll call them to ask about it.

WEGL, once you get to the Maine locations on Enterprise's site, go to "Downtown" and the Marginal Way one is first one listed. Also, above I didn't mean to imply they were only open Sat. and Sunday. However, their hours are curtailed then. However, I'm planning to call them later to ask about pickup and dropoff.

I believe the after hours drop off has to be arranged by phone with the local office, but that's just what I've heard, haven't actually done it.

Thanks for the info, all. I will definitely look into Enterprise. The pickup part is attractive since we wouldn't have to compete with a bunch of other folks for taxis.

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Thanks for the info, all. I will definitely look into Enterprise. The pickup part is attractive since we wouldn't have to compete with a bunch of other folks for taxis.

 

 

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While I'm hesitant to recommend Uber in some large cities, it is in Portland, and everybody knows everybody else, so I think its okay. Uber XL from Enterprise back to the pier would be about $8.

While I'm hesitant to recommend Uber in some large cities, it is in Portland, and everybody knows everybody else, so I think its okay. Uber XL from Enterprise back to the pier would be about $8.

Excellent. We've had great experiences with Uber.

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I have a reservation with Enterprise which indicates that I just need to call them at least 24 hours in advance of my pickup time to arrange for them to pick me up. We have never rented a car while on a cruise but I am looking forward to exploring the lighthouses and other sights around Portland on our own.

I have a reservation with Enterprise which indicates that I just need to call them at least 24 hours in advance of my pickup time to arrange for them to pick me up. We have never rented a car while on a cruise but I am looking forward to exploring the lighthouses and other sights around Portland on our own.

Yes, Enterprise will pick you up, but the PP's plan was to drop off the car after hours, which would require a cab back to the ship.

Don't know when your cruise is, but just realize that during the summer season and the "leaf peeper" times in the fall, when the cruises come to Portland, that Route 1, the main coastal route, is frequently as much a parking lot as the Long Island Expressway. Give yourself more time than you think, or get something like the Waze app that gives real time updates on traffic conditions.