A or B Garage?

[itsmeGAV]

Hi all,

As per the title, which side is the best for choice, or is it roughly the same both sides and depends on how many flights have arrived etc?

If I remember rightly we went straight to the B garage and collected our full-size in March.. just thinking ahead of time is all.

Thanks!

[mick]

MCO is a 24/7 operation handling over 800 flights a day so in theory drivers are returning cars continually from 12.01 am to 11.59 pm.

So unfortunately I've no idea Unless people have regularly run between the two garages to check what's there I'm not sure if there's any empirical evidence of which side offers the best choice.

Maybe you could split the party either side and phone each other but I don't even know if there's a reliable cell phone reception in the garages.

Not much help am I?

We always go to side B simply because it's nearest gates 70-99 and also 417 exit

Mick

[Redsnapper]

I have tried both over the years and eventually decided there isn't much difference.

Usually follow the VA and VH crowds as I think there is generally more turnover there and a bigger supply - also you don't have to go through the tunnel and up again to get to the cars on that side.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to confirm which side I am talking about - as I cant remember !

[mick]

Originally Posted by Redsnapper

I have tried both over the years and eventually decided there isn't much difference.

Usually follow the VA and VH crowds as I think there is generally more turnover there and a bigger supply - also you don't have to go through the tunnel and up again to get to the cars on that side.

No doubt someone will be along shortly to confirm which side I am talking about - as I cant remember !

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Never booked with VH but I understand some that do need to go to the garage kiosk in A to collect some documents.

You don't need to go down to the tunnel to get to side B - simply down to level 1 on escalator or lift and walk outside and over the road.

Mick

[Guest]

We have a BA fly drive. We go side B as with Avis preferred they’ll have the car waiting for us. Assume they wouldn’t have one on side A for us as well!

Edit: waiting for us = name up on the board with a row number.

[Mr Tom Morrow]

Both sides are identical. No need to use the tunnel on either side.

Virgin Holiday customers have to go to side A to collect their docs from the Virgin hut in the garage.

Those with a standalone Virgin car hire, like me sometimes, can go where they like.

[SteveC]

Originally Posted by mick

Never booked with VH but I understand some that do need to go to the garage kiosk in A to collect some documents.

You don't need to go down to the tunnel to get to side B - simply down to level 1 on escalator or lift and walk outside and over the road.

Mick

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So out of curiosity Mick, if I arrive on a Virgin or TC flight and follow the natural route to car hire going down the lift, I’m on side B?

[mick]

Originally Posted by SteveC

So out of curiosity Mick, if I arrive on a Virgin or TC flight and follow the natural route to car hire going down the lift, I’m on side B?

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Steve

With one minor, but important, qualification.

With VS, BA and TC you will land at gates 70-99 on monorail 4 side B on level 3 so just keep bearing to your left and head for the lifts and escalators taking you down to level 1 which is the road that you cross to get to the car hire garage on side B.

The qualification is that if you do the courtesy baggage transfer with VS as soon as you leave the baggage hall and before you head for the escalator to the monorail. The CBT with VS sends your luggage over to A side.

Mick

[Bobbins]

Originally Posted by SteveC

So out of curiosity Mick, if I arrive on a Virgin or TC flight and follow the natural route to car hire going down the lift, I’m on side B?

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The "natural route" - coming off the train and following the crowd - tends to take you side B. To get to A you've got to talk across the concourse.

The lifts are the same - not sure about the tunnel, is there only a tunnel on one side? We came back into A and the porter walked us across the road anyway. In past years we've used the tunnel coming back but don't recall which side we returned to.

We used Hertz for a few years and my impression was A was more limited in terms of choice. They brought a car over from B for us once.

We just got back having used Alamo and went to A. They had a huge number of cars. We were getting a 15 seater van and there was a least a dozen.

[mick]

Originally Posted by SteveC

So out of curiosity Mick, if I arrive on a Virgin or TC flight and follow the natural route to car hire going down the lift, I’m on side B?

See more...

PS Steve

Have a look at this map. It's a little "stylised" like the London Underground map but you can see where the monorail is to gates 70-99

orlandoairports/getting-...#terminal-maps

Mick