MCO rental questions - timing and sizing
 

I'm finishing making arrangements for a family trip in December. I'm not a really frequent renter but I have used National for our last few rentals, and do have an Emerald membership. The process with National has always been very smooth, so they're my first choice for this trip again.

My questions for the more frequent renters are:

Is this too early for me to be booking a rental for December? Is there any advantage or disadvantage to booking this early? I'm looking at mid-December, not over the holiday.
Also, we have at least 5 and possibly 6 people, all with luggage (we'll be taking a cruise after a few days at Universal). Is there a rental option that would fit all of us and luggage, or would we be better off with 2 smaller cars?

We will only need the car for getting from the airport to the hotel (at Universal), then leaving 2 days later to Cape Canaveral - and possibly another rental after we return to get back to MCO from CC. I've debated getting the shuttle for all of us instead of a rental, but for 6 people it seems like a better deal to rent and drive ourselves.

Thank you for any suggestions.

Six people with luggage for a cruise calls for a minivan or full/premium SUV. Don't count on finding one on the Emerald Aisle or Exec Selection at MCO in December; family-friendly choices don't hang around long.

It's not too early to reserve, but I certainly would check the rates again a few times between now and December.

So if I reserve either an SUV or a minivan, am I guaranteed to get one?

That's the point of reserving a car class. The guarantee isn't perfect: if a few renters keep their vehicles beyond the reserved return date it's possible some renters will be pushed into other car classes. Bargain for a free upgrade into a 3-row luxury SUV at that point. Your chance of getting a minivan if you have a minivan reserved is much better than somebody hoping to pay a midsize rate and take one from the Emerald Aisle.

Thank you so much for the information.

Mini-vans at MCO are tricky - sometimes there, sometimes not. If you have the requirement, you should book the car class you absolutely require otherwise you take a chance. Should you choose to take the chance, you will need to check out both A side and B side (or check one and then the other if the minivan is not there)

Good luck!