Rental companies rated for cruisers · Budget
Budget sits beside Avis at most of the cruise ports we checked, often at the same address, and it runs free pier shuttles at Port Canaveral, Port Everglades and PortMiami too. Where the two part ways is with renters — J.D. Power's 2026 study scored Budget 675, 11th of 13 brands.
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Ranks 3rd of 10 by our method at 6.9. Port access nearly matches Avis — satisfaction scores of 675 (J.D. Power) and 73 (ACSI) pull it down.
Who it suits
Price it at your port
Pick the port and we'll show what Budget offers there, the two strongest alternatives by our score, and a link that opens Discover Cars at the right airport.
Pick a port to see Budget's access there.
On Discover Cars
Every company at the airport, side by side, with the fees broken out before you pay.
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Also strong at this port
Port by port
Three Florida ports get a Budget pier shuttle. At Port Canaveral it meets passengers at the pier, and returns go only to 8401 Astronaut Blvd during office hours — 8 to 3 at weekends. Port Everglades shares the 2520 Miami Rd office with Avis and Payless. For PortMiami, book code P2F at 93 SE 2nd St — the last shuttle runs at 1:30 PM.
Thirteen more ports have a Budget desk near the terminal, usually shared with Avis, such as the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans. Several offer free pick-up with 24 hours' notice — a branch service, not a ride from the ship.
Seven are airport-only — at Seward there's no Budget office at all, which leaves the Anchorage airport counter.
Tap a port for the details, the source and that port's rental guide.
The fine print that bites on a cruise trip
On tolls and extra drivers, Budget reads like Avis. The differences sit at the edges of a cruise trip — a published under-25 fee, one-ways that have to be set up in advance, and cruise offices that won't take a car after closing.
All checked on Budget's own pages Oct 21, 2026; two cards are flagged as partly confirmed.
At most locations renters 21 to 24 pay $27 a day, and Budget says online rates don't show it (October 2026). New York and Michigan allow renters from 18.
Source: budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/age-to-rent · checked Oct 21, 2026
Budget allows one-ways but asks you to contact it before returning somewhere else; fees may scale with distance, and coupons don't apply. Our port pages quote at least $45 for an unbooked drop.
Source: budget.com/en/products-services/services/one-way-car-renta · checked Oct 21, 2026
At cruise-port locations you're responsible for the car until the contract closes the next business day, and with no drop box you can't leave it after closing.
Source: budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/rental-car-return · checked Oct 21, 2026
$6.95 on each day you use a toll, capped at $34.95 a rental plus the tolls, as of October 2026. Your own compatible transponder is allowed.
Source: budget.com/en/products-services/services/e-toll · checked Oct 21, 2026
That's the rate in most states as of October 2026, with up to two additional drivers. A spouse or domestic partner is free, and California waives the fee for a parent, sibling or child.
Source: budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/additional-driver-policy · checked Oct 21, 2026
Many US locations allow Canada with advance notice and a free non-resident insurance card. San Diego airport allows Mexico only for corporate customers, and no one-way can end there.
Source: budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/cross-into-canada · checked Oct 21, 2026
Prepaid bookings cost $50 to cancel 24 hours or more before pick-up and $150 inside 24 hours, with no refund if you never cancel. Budget's FAQ also describes a $75 fee inside 48 hours for card-guaranteed bookings, which we couldn't fully confirm.
Source: budget.com/en/customer-care/faqs/global/reservations · checked Oct 21, 2026
Accepted from 25 (18 in New York) — airports may ask for proof of a return flight, and the hold typically equals the estimated rental, $100 minimum.
Source: budget.com/en/help/usa-faqs/rent-with-debit-card · checked Oct 21, 2026
Before you compare base rates
Comparison sites show the base rate. These are the add-ons Budget publishes, so you can see the real total before you tap through — anything it doesn't publish shows at checkout, and we say so rather than guess.
Figures from budget.com FAQs, read October 21, 2026; tolls themselves, taxes and airport fees come on top. See the sources.
Now compare the base rateHow the score adds up
On port access alone Budget scores 8.4, close to Avis's 8.8 — the same three shuttles, two fewer near-port desks. Family rules and fees match Avis at 7.5 each.
Satisfaction is the gap. Budget scores 3.9 there, and at 20% of the total that bar alone accounts for about 0.6 of its 1.1-point deficit to Avis. One-ways (6.5) and cruise-day timing (7.0) slip too.
Weighted Seabound cruiser score 6.9 / 10 · rank 3 of 10 · How we score
What renters say
J.D. Power's 2026 North America Rental Car Satisfaction Study, released Oct 7, 2026 and reported by TravelPulse and Auto Rental News, scored Budget 675 out of 1,000. Only Thrifty and Dollar scored lower among the 13 brands, and it's 32 points under the 707 average. The ACSI's 2026 travel study gave it 73 out of 100, down 5%, against an industry 76.
Both surveys measure counters and cars, mostly at airports. Budget and Avis often share an address at the ports, so these scores are the clearest thing separating them — price both for the same office and decide whether the gap is worth the saving.
Side by side
Avis is the obvious check, since the two share most offices and rules; it scores 7.9 by our method. Alamo, at 6.7, ranks just below Budget and is mostly airport-based. Read the young-driver and cancelling rows, not just the scores, before you pick.
| Budget | Avis | Alamo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seabound cruiser score | 6.9 | 7.9 | 6.7 |
| Pier shuttles (of 23 ports) | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Near-port offices | 13 | 15 | 3 |
| J.D. Power 2026 | 675 | 696 | 716 |
| Toll program | e-Toll $6.95/toll day, $34.95 cap | e-Toll $6.95/toll day, $34.95 cap | TollPass $4.95/toll day, $34.65 cap |
| Extra driver | $13/day most states; spouse free | $13/day most states; spouse free | $15/day ($5 NY); partner free |
| Under-25 drivers | 21+ (18 NY/MI); $27/day at most locations | 21+ (18 NY/MI); fee varies (MCO $27/day) | 21+, no max; about $25/day 21–24 |
| One-way rentals | Book ahead; unbooked drop $45+ | Most locations: no drop fee | Drop charge varies; some not allowed |
| Canada / Mexico | Canada yes · Mexico corporate only | Canada yes · Mexico corporate only | Canada most cars · Mexico no |
| Loyalty / counter skip | Budget Fastbreak (free) | Avis Preferred (free) | Skip the Counter (free, credit card only); Insiders 5% off |
| Cancelling | Prepaid: $50–$150 fee | Pay Now: $50–$150 fee | Pay later free 24h+ out, then $50 |
Our take
Budget gets you to the same Florida piers as Avis. For a Port Canaveral sailing it's a reasonable pick, particularly when its rate comes in lower for your dates.
You give up some confidence at the counter, which the survey scores make plain, and some flexibility on returns. Lock the drop-off when you book, and get a cruise-office car back while the office is open.
Budget Fastbreak is free and lets members bypass the counter line, so join before you fly in.
Price Budget and Avis for the same office and dates, then choose whichever is lower once fees are in, not on the base rate.
Discover Cars shows Budget next to the other companies at your airport for your dates, with the fees broken out before you pay.
Free cancellation up to 48 hours before pickup on Discover Cars · prices from many companies side by side · the deposit stays with the rental company. Partner link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Our Discover Cars review.
The other nine
Questions
Both belong to Avis Budget Group, and at many cruise ports they share an office, such as 2520 Miami Rd at Port Everglades. Most rules match, including the $13-a-day extra-driver fee and e-Toll pricing. Satisfaction scores don't: Budget 675 on J.D. Power's 2026 study, Avis 696.
Budget says its free shuttle meets passengers at the pier and the ride is under 10 minutes. Returns go to 8401 Astronaut Blvd during office hours, 8 to 6 on weekdays and 8 to 3 at weekends when we checked. Its page also lays out picking up at Orlando airport and dropping at the port.
Not at the cruise office. Our port pages found no after-hours returns at Budget's PortMiami or Port Everglades cruise locations, and Budget holds you responsible until the contract closes the next business day. The MIA and FLL airport counters run 24 hours.
$27 a day at most locations for renters 21 to 24, as of October 2026, and Budget says online rates don't include it. In New York and Michigan the minimum age is 18, with state-specific fees.
Many US Budget locations allow it with advance notice and a free non-resident insurance card. Budget's only Vancouver desk is on Cambie St, 2.6 miles from the port, and in Québec City it shares the Hilton desk with Avis.
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