I need a car rental expert!

I have only rented a car a few times, and always with the pick up/drop off location being the same so I don't know the answer to this question.

We are traveling to Houston (IAH) on a friday night late, then going on to Galveston the next morning. Our transportation choices are paying $60 for a shuttle (and that means leaving the airport that night via hotel shuttle, going to our hotel, back to the airport in the morning to catch a Galveston Limo shuttle and then on to Galveston).

It would be so much easier to just get a car at the airport and drive to Galveston in the morning, but this is what I found out. Only Hertz and Enterprise have offices in Galveston and they charge an extra $50 for the one way drop off fee.

So my question is...........does anyone know if we take our chances when we get to the airport, do you think that either car rental agency might have extra cars around, that they might be willing to rent without that extra fee? I am hoping somebody out there might work for an agency and tell me their thoughts. Thanks!

Well I'm no expert, but I do know that if they charge a drop fee, they charge a drop fee!... Having "extra cars around" wont make any difference, and in fact if you're a walk-up some companies will charge a higher rate than if you had a reservation.

I use to live in Houston and have recently cruised out of Galveston. Getting to the port is a headache. Is the Galveston limo $60 for 1 or for your group? Cars are typically pretty cheap at the Houston airports so adding on the $50 isn't that bad. Have you priced them online or just through the individual agencies by phone?

couple years back we did just as you say....take airport shuttle to hotel, back to airport next morning, catch Cruise Line shuttle ($33 ea). hotel shuttle to/from airport worked well, only 5-10 min.

We are going again next month, and this time I am thinking of renting car and driving to Gal now that we've been there once. We have 3 of us so the shuttle would be $100. Enterprise charges $15 for the cheapest car, and they do charge a $40 drop fee (though I have read some on CC say they got around that, but I spoke to them and tried a few things, but unless you want to go to a non-airport location ... and they are not open late evenings or Sun's), but even with Taxes and the drop fee the car rental charge is around $64 and from what I understand the drop off is right across the road from the port. I am thinking I will now take Enterprise, since they are a few dollars cheaper than Hertz.

Good Luck.