12 / 15 seaters (Alamo)

[belfastbob]

hi all,
glad to read the comments,we have booked a 15 seater chevrolet from alamo for 24th june. its for 9 adults,3 teens and 1 3yr old.could we set our cases on our laps,or is this not practical.our villa is 26 miles from airport. my apprehension is through the roof! i may be the only driver as i'm the only one to have driven there but one of my sons is a named 2nd driver. my heart would be in my mouth if he took the wheel only because he's only ever driven in the uk. i also know that we all had to start sometime!
will alamo try and sell me any extras,and approx how much do they charge for a tank of fuel,any ideas of cost of an added driver as well.any other info greatly appreciated.

[gpullan]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by belfastbob
hi all,
glad to read the comments,we have booked a 15 seater chevrolet from alamo for 24th june. its for 9 adults,3 teens and 1 3yr old.could we set our cases on our laps,or is this not practical.our villa is 26 miles from airport. my apprehension is through the roof! i may be the only driver as i'm the only one to have driven there but one of my sons is a named 2nd driver. my heart would be in my mouth if he took the wheel only because he's only ever driven in the uk. i also know that we all had to start sometime!
will alamo try and sell me any extras,and approx how much do they charge for a tank of fuel,any ideas of cost of an added driver as well.any other info greatly appreciated.
[/quote]
I am far more comfortable with the 15 seater now i have done some research and been given advice. We have had 2 x 8 seaters for the last 2 years, a suburban and an expedition. They were much smaller compared.

If you want some photos of the actual Alamo 15 seater then DM me your email address and i'll forward them to you.

Oh and we go in 3 weeks so i will be able to tell you exactly what they're like!!

[gpullan]

Also, if you change your booking to gold you will get the tank of fuel and also extra drivers included so will be definitely worth doing that way.

We have booked silver as i am the only driver and Alamo's fuel charges are ok, i would expect to pay no more than $80 upon return. I paid $60 to fill the Suburban last year.

Hope this helps

[roger]

Alamo will charge roughly the pump price for the tank of fuel, which is currently around $3.40 per gallon.

If you booked the car through us then you have 2 drivers on the Silver option. If you want more than 2 drivers then it's well worth changing to the Gold option.

If your son is age 21-24 then expect to pay around $25 per day + tax for him to be able to drive. Unless you go for our Young Driver's Package which will save you a fortune!

[lafifille]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by belfastbob
hi all,
glad to read the comments,we have booked a 15 seater chevrolet from alamo for 24th june. its for 9 adults,3 teens and 1 3yr old.could we set our cases on our laps,or is this not practical.our villa is 26 miles from airport. my apprehension is through the roof! i may be the only driver as i'm the only one to have driven there but one of my sons is a named 2nd driver. my heart would be in my mouth if he took the wheel only because he's only ever driven in the uk. i also know that we all had to start sometime!
will alamo try and sell me any extras,and approx how much do they charge for a tank of fuel,any ideas of cost of an added driver as well.any other info greatly appreciated.
[/quote]

As Roger says, Alamo is very fair with fuel price.
If you haven't booked your car through this site and your reservation doesn't include the second driver (and all insurance), I would definitely consider cancelling and booking again getting an "all-inclusive" type. Adding the second driver at the airport will cost a small fortune, specially if he's under 25.
If you booked through here and thus have all insurances, the only thing, from memory, that Alamo will offer you to add to your contract is roadside assistance. Your choice.

Now, I don't have any experience in the matter, but I wonder if you'll be able to put in the 15-seater van 12 people plus their luggage (one each?) and hand luggage. Of course it's just the drive from/to the airport, but is it physically possible?

[gpullan]

[/quote]
Now, I don't have any experience in the matter, but I wonder if you'll be able to put in the 15-seater van 12 people plus their luggage (one each?) and hand luggage. Of course it's just the drive from/to the airport, but is it physically possible?
[/quote]

There will be a small amount of space behind the back row of seats, albeit a very small space. There will also be space down the 'aisle' of the minibus where i'm sure cases could be piled up. Then there is a whole row if there is 12 people aboard. No problem fitting their luggage on in my opinion.

[gpullan]

Here are some photos i got sent when enquiring about the Alamo 15 seater.

[Janette]

I have driven both the Ford 350 and the Chevrolet and they are surprisingly easy to drive. I was very apprehensive as I am used to driving a Megane in the UK, but they are not at all difficult. I would not suggest reversing them in to parking spaces though, as it is hard to judge where the back actually is, and it is not recommended in Florida. I was told this is because the tag is only at the back,don't know if that is true, but I always drive in anyway. There is not much space behind the back seat in either, but there should be plenty of room to put luggage in one row of seats. I can be awkward using the back row for this, but obviously this depends on the size of the suitcases!

[belfastbob]

thank you,just took the plunge and cancelled my original booking with travel agent.nowhere near as good a deal as the gold option offered here.just made new booking on this site[msnsmile]<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by lafifille
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by belfastbob
hi all,
glad to read the comments,we have booked a 15 seater chevrolet from alamo for 24th june. its for 9 adults,3 teens and 1 3yr old.could we set our cases on our laps,or is this not practical.our villa is 26 miles from airport. my apprehension is through the roof! i may be the only driver as i'm the only one to have driven there but one of my sons is a named 2nd driver. my heart would be in my mouth if he took the wheel only because he's only ever driven in the uk. i also know that we all had to start sometime!
will alamo try and sell me any extras,and approx how much do they charge for a tank of fuel,any ideas of cost of an added driver as well.any other info greatly appreciated.
[/quote]

As Roger says, Alamo is very fair with fuel price.
If you haven't booked your car through this site and your reservation doesn't include the second driver (and all insurance), I would definitely consider cancelling and booking again getting an "all-inclusive" type. Adding the second driver at the airport will cost a small fortune, specially if he's under 25.
If you booked through here and thus have all insurances, the only thing, from memory, that Alamo will offer you to add to your contract is roadside assistance. Your choice.

Now, I don't have any experience in the matter, but I wonder if you'll be able to put in the 15-seater van 12 people plus their luggage (one each?) and hand luggage. Of course it's just the drive from/to the airport, but is it physically possible?
[/quote]