Savannah, Gainesville or Daytona to JAXPORT by Rental Car

Daytona surprises people.

Its terminal holds seven rental companies, with counters across from baggage claim: Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National. I-95 north is free the whole way, and Volusia’s 6.5% is the lowest rental tax of the three.

If Orlando was the cheap fare, price DAB before you commit to the longer drive from MCO — it’s about 60 miles closer to the ship.

Gainesville’s case is shorter.

The airport lists Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National; Avis opens 9 AM to 10 PM, Enterprise 8 AM to 11:59 PM and Hertz 9 AM to 11:59 PM, per the airport and Avis.

The direct route east has no tolls.

The First Coast Expressway, south and west of Jacksonville, is the area’s one tolled road — 22¢ to $1.62 a plaza with a transponder, and you don’t need it.

Starting from Orlando after all? Orlando to JAXPORT has the bus, the train and the numbers.

Savannah’s counters are in baggage claim, with the cars in covered lots beside the terminal, and the hours are generous every day of the week.

Avis and Budget run 7 AM to 12:30 AM and Dollar and Thrifty 7 AM to midnight. Payless keeps 7 AM to 11 PM, Alamo, Enterprise and National 8 AM to 10 PM — and Hertz only 8 AM to 8 PM.

Then it’s about 134 miles and 2 hours 39 minutes with no traffic (our route estimate), all on I-95. No tolls, either; I-95 from Savannah is free the whole way.

The Georgia side is where the bill gets murky.

Chatham County’s sales tax is 7%, per Georgia DOR, and Georgia lets cities and counties add a 3% excise on car rentals, which Savannah’s revenue ordinance levies inside the city.

Whether that reaches the airport, we couldn’t confirm.

At our assumed rate it comes to about $72 — before the ride from JAX to the ship.

A one-way that crosses a state line is exactly the kind that can carry a drop charge, too. Look for it in the total before you book.

From Savannah, two hours and 40 minutes of driving with no traffic comes before the drop-off and a taxi. That’s a lot to stack on a morning flight. From Gainesville or Daytona it’s under two hours — shorter, but not by enough.

So land the day before, drive down, hand the car back at JAX that evening and sleep at an airport hotel.

Twelve of our top 20 run a free shuttle from JAX, though only one publishes a ride on to the ship — the night-before list, ranked.

JAX’s counters stay open until 1 AM, and Avis, Budget, Enterprise and Sixt take cars after hours. The nearest neighborhood office, Enterprise Northside, keeps weekday and Saturday-morning hours only; every office is on our JAXPORT rental page.

Enter SAV, GNV or DAB as the pickup and JAX as the return. It’s the only return that makes sense here, open late and 12 miles from the ship.

Then read the total, not the daily rate, because no company publishes a Florida one-way fee to check it against.

In Enterprise’s words its charge “varies depending on location and time of year” and shows when you book; Avis’s page says “most locations do not charge a drop-off or one-way fee”; Hertz says “on a case-by-case basis.”