12 seater van

Travelling as two families is the situation this class solves outright. Split eleven or twelve people across two hire cars and you have bought two sets of tolls, two parking charges, two navigation problems and a fortnight of arguing about who is following whom on I-4. A single van takes all of that away.

Capacity is 12 seats, 6 large cases and 4 smaller bags, with 4 doors and an automatic gearbox. Air conditioning runs through the rear of the cabin as well as the front, which you will care about in a Florida August with twelve people breathing in the same box.

What you collect is a Ford Transit 350 or something very like it, in passenger configuration with four rows of seats behind the driver. It is a commercial van body with windows and trim rather than a large car, so it is tall, upright and long, and it drives accordingly.

Size is the honest caveat and it should shape the booking rather than surprise you. A Transit 350 is well over six metres long and tall enough that many multi storey car parks are simply closed to it. Parking takes thought every time you arrive anywhere, and the driver wants to be somebody content with that rather than whoever drew the short straw. Groups who dislike the sound of it usually do better with two smaller vehicles and a clear plan, and groups who want everybody together find it worth the effort inside two days.

Two families sharing a large villa are the typical booking, and the fit is close to exact. Eight to twelve people, one villa with a pool, one van on the driveway, and every trip to a park gate or an outlet mall done in a single journey instead of a convoy.

Multi generational parties do well here too. Grandparents, parents and children in one vehicle means nobody gets left behind or shuttled back for later, and the step height into a Transit is manageable with the grab handles fitted as standard.

Sports teams, church groups, wedding parties and reunions are the other regular customers, and they usually value the seats over the luggage bay. A group travelling for a few days with hand luggage only can fill all twelve seats without touching the rating.

Where the class does not suit is any group of twelve arriving from the UK with twelve full sized cases. The luggage bay will not take it, and the honest answer is either a second small car for the overflow or a fifteen seater, which carries 8 large cases and gives you the extra room without a second vehicle.

Nervous drivers and anyone who will resent the parking should think hard. Every arrival involves finding somewhere a six metre van fits, which in Orlando is usually straightforward at the theme parks and rather less so at a beachfront restaurant in Naples on a Saturday night. One confident driver in the party makes this class a pleasure. Nobody confident in the party makes it a fortnight of low level stress.

Basic and inclusive rate tiers apply to vans exactly as they do to cars, and the difference is worth more here because the underlying rate is higher. A basic rate covers the vehicle and the legal minimum. An inclusive rate adds collision damage protection, the liability cover American law requires, unlimited mileage and usually an additional driver allowance.

Driver rules are the item to check first on this class rather than last. Suppliers commonly apply a higher minimum age to twelve and fifteen seat vans than to cars, and some restrict who may be added as a second driver. Tell us who is driving when you book and we will confirm the requirements in writing against your booking.

Excess figures behind any protection differ by supplier and by rate, and vans frequently carry a different excess from cars with the same supplier. We will not publish a general number, because it would be wrong for most bookings. What we will do is put yours in writing before you pay.

Toll charges arrive after the holiday under whichever programme applies, generally with an administration fee for every day a toll road is used. A group of twelve doing theme parks, outlet malls and a coast day will use toll roads most days, so this is not a rounding error.

Fuel policy is usually full to full and the tank is large, so allow for that at the end of the hire. Additional drivers must attend the desk in person with their own licences, which for a party of twelve means planning who goes to the counter rather than sending everyone.

Florida requires a crash tested, federally approved restraint for every child aged 5 or under. Birth through age 3 must use a separate carrier or an integrated child seat. Ages 4 and 5 may use a separate carrier, an integrated seat or a booster. A seat belt is legal from age 6.

Groups of twelve often include three or four children who need restraints, and this class has the seating positions to take them. Every seat in a passenger van has its own belt, so the restraints can be spread across rows rather than crowded onto one bench, which makes each installation easier and leaves adults sitting where they can reach the children.

Reserve every hired seat on the booking without exception. A branch with one van and no spare seats cannot help a family of twelve at short notice, and children under six cannot legally travel without the correct restraint. Confirm the count when you book and again a fortnight before you fly.

Lower anchor points are not fitted to every seating position in a passenger van, so some restraints will need to be installed with the seat belt rather than with clips. That is entirely legal and entirely safe when done correctly, and it is worth practising the belt path installation at home before you travel rather than learning it in a Florida car park.

Standing height inside a Transit makes the actual fitting easier than in any car. You can work on a seat while standing in the aisle, which after four installations is a benefit you will appreciate.