PHL Airport to the Philadelphia Cruise Port: Rent a Car or Ride?

Every brand runs a free shuttle from Zone 2 on Arrivals Road, outside baggage claim, to its own lot.

PHL’s own list names Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, SIXT and Turo. Each brand has its own lot, so the bus you board depends on the name on your booking — National’s page even tells you to board the Alamo one.

Sixt’s lot is at 3601 Island Avenue, about 5 minutes by its shuttle, which runs 5 AM to midnight every 15 minutes.

Hertz says its shuttle runs 24/7, about every 15 minutes.

From 1 Arrivals Road, the address the brands share, the terminal is about 5.4 miles and 14 minutes by our routing; from Sixt’s lot it’s 4.8 miles and 12 minutes. The real lots sit elsewhere on the airport, so treat both as approximate — close enough to plan with.

Budget’s own page describes its counter differently, and the after-cruise page unpacks that.

Avis is the only counter here whose page says it never shuts. A flight landing after midnight leaves you two choices — Avis, or Hertz until 1, on the hours the pages print.

National’s rule deserves a look before you book a late return: “After hours returns service is not available at this location.” Enterprise’s page says the opposite at the same address.

Two brands leave hours off their pages entirely. Call before a late pickup — it costs less than a shuttle ride to a closed lot.

On those inputs the car is about $72 for the day, our arithmetic. It loses before you reach the problem it can’t solve — there’s no desk at the terminal, so it goes back to a counter and you take the cab anyway.

The calculator earns its place on a day with a stop in it. Set the days to match and the base to your quote, then compare with the Valley Forge and Longwood loop.

The fares in the right-hand column, and their limits, are explained on the should-you-rent page.

A consultant’s airport survey lists an $8-a-day customer facility charge at PHL since Feb 1, 2026, cap not stated; PHL’s own rental page lists no fee.

Across a three-day pre-cruise rental that’s $24, and the calculator taxes it along with the rate.

No brand or airport page we read printed PHL’s concession fee; Hertz links its fees to rental terms without amounts. We don’t guess one — the calculator starts at 0% for you to fill in from your quote.

Read both lines off your quote before you pay — PHL won’t print them for you. If the facility charge isn’t there, ask; if it’s a different amount, trust the quote, not the survey.

Neither line applies away from the airport. The neighborhood desks on the hub skip both — at the price of shorter hours.

Under-25 drivers pay $25 a day at Enterprise and National, $27 at Avis (their PHL pages).

On a two-day car, that’s $50 at Enterprise or National and $54 at Avis on top of the rate, our arithmetic.

Enterprise’s PHL page allows travel into Canada in economy to full-size cars and minivans — useful only if the road home runs north of the border.

PHL’s list gives Enterprise 610-521-3700; Enterprise’s own page gives 833-338-3321. Call the one on your confirmation, not the first one a search turns up.

Match the brand to your flight time before you compare rates — a cheap car at a counter that’s shut when you land is no car.