Provisioning Kit - Optional Item

Per Person Kit - Optional Item

Petrol / Propane for Cooking and Heating (All fuel is at your expense.) Your vehicle at departure will contain a minimum one-quarter tank of petrol (gasoline) and adequate propane for appliance use. You may be charged a deposit for fuel included at departure, depending on local circumstances. Return fuels at the same level for refund of deposits. At the Rental Center, you will be given directions to the nearest fueling stations. There are no warranties concerning fuel consumption rates while en route. Child Restraint Seats & GPS - Not Provided by Cruise America You must supply your own child restraint seats for transfers and while en route. GPS devices are not available to rent. You must bring your own or, alternatively, you can easily purchase one locally. Food, Bottled Water and Other Camping Items Please ask for a map or directions to nearby supermarkets for you to stock up on food and bottled water. Payment of Deposits / Charges: Security Deposit A basic refundable security deposit of USD $500 and the use of a credit card to pay for all local charges and deposits is required at departure. Upon vehicle return, all extra charges are balanced against the security deposit and a credit will be issued to cover the refund. Cash is not accepted for security deposits or any additional charges at departure.

Burning Man Departures Please note that all Burning Man departures from select locations will require a Security Deposit of USD $1,000, in order to ensure our vehicles are returned in the same manner they are offered, ordinary wear and tear excepted. The Security Deposit of USD $1,000 shall automatically be collected at departure, for ALL rentals departing on the following days and from the following locations: 2021 Departure Dates: 25 August to 31 August 2021 Security Deposit: USD $1,000 Locations: SFO, LAX, LAS, EVT, SLC and PDX No Exceptions will be allowed

Mileage Charges Your itinerary will determine estimated travel miles. If you have not pre-paid to your tour operator for mileage packs, estimated travel miles are payable at departure. Upon vehicle return, any additional miles/kms over prepaid miles are charged at the per mile/km rate. There are no refunds for unused miles. Mileage Rates at Departure / Return: USD $0.35 Per Mile Kit Charges Provisioning Kit USD $110 per kit Per Person Kit USD $60 per kit Generator Charges If you choose to operate the gasoline-powered 110-volt generator, extra charges will accrue at $3.50 per hour as determined by an installed running time meter. Or, unlimited usage may be prepaid or purchased at departure at a rate of USD $8 per rental day. The generator is not required for normal vehicle operation. Camping Chairs Camping chairs are available for USD $11 per Rental. However, due to the cyclical nature of our business, we cannot guarantee availability of camping chairs 100% of the time. During high volume rental periods, we may be unable to provide chairs. In this case, we will provide clients with instructions on where to find reasonably priced alternatives. One-Way Rental Fees One-way fees between rental locations within the USA are allowed and will vary in cost from $250 to $650 depending on pick up location and routing. Your tour operator will advise the rate applicable to your one-way choice at the time of booking. Taxes All rental charges are subject to sales tax by law. In some cases, taxes will not have been collected on items pre-paid to your tour operator, therefore these unpaid taxes will be collected directly from you at departure, at rates prevailing at the Rental Center at time of departure.

Cancellation Conditions 46 days or more prior to departure - USD $200 16 to 45 days prior to departure - USD $600 8 to 15 days prior to departure - USD $850 1 day to 7 days prior to departure - USD $1050 Departure day / No Shows * - Full Rental Charges * Reservation “no-shows:” A client failing to arrive on departure day or who declines vehicle at departure is classified as a “departure day” cancellation.

Amendments - Reservation Changes The first change only is at no charge. This first change may involve several aspects of the reservation (party size, items prepaid). The second and subsequent changes are at USD $50 per aspect, per change. As usual, reservation changes are subject to availability and Flex Plan Reservation Change Rules where the higher flex rate shall apply.

Vehicle Departure - Leaving the Rental Centre: Time of Departure - Regular Renters Vehicle departure time begins at 1:00 PM (13:00 hours), however please note, if you are departing on a Saturday, times may vary as some locations close earlier. This policy is similar to the “check-in” policy at a hotel. Your actual departure time will vary. There are no refunds for late pick-ups. Time of Departure - Early Birders With pre-purchase of Early Bird Departure Special, vehicle departure time runs between 9:00 AM (09:00 hours) and Noon. Vehicle Acceptance You will be required to sign a Vehicle Acceptance / Service Satisfaction form listing the condition of the vehicle, to ensure you depart in a vehicle cleaned to your standard which is in good working order, with complete kits, adequate propane tank, empty waste tanks and an appropriate gasoline level. Be sure to have any items corrected prior to departure if you are not happy. While En Route: We Provide a Travelers Assistance Hotline 24-hours a day 7-days a Week ... For concerns that clients may have, whether mechanical breakdowns, service problems, or holiday impairment, the client MUST call the (800) 334-4110 number. A call to the departure rental center is not recommended. Please note that availability of a toll-free number for Travelers Assistance on a 24-hour 7-day a week basis is unique to Cruise America. If the client calls Travelers Assistance they should have the Renter Assistance Guide in hand. The Travelers Assistance representative will refer to specific pages within the guide.

Renter Assistance Guide The Renter Assistance Guide discusses operation of all features of motorhome operation. Important instructional information is included in the Renter Assistance Guide. You are responsible for reading the Renter Assistance Guide thoroughly. This Guide will also advise what to do in the case of an accident or any damage that may occur to the motorhome, as well as tips regarding the use of included safety equipment. This is the first place you should look if there is a problem

The Renter Assistance Guide (English or German) is included with each motorhome rental, please Contact US so we may send you a copy.

Accidents / Collision In the event of an accident, you must notify Travelers Assistance immediately from the scene of the accident (see phone number above). You will be given instructions on how to proceed. You must also obtain a police or bench report. If you are unable to obtain a police report at the scene of the accident, you must go to the local police station and obtain a bench report. We will accept either report. Ferry Restrictions Ferry reservations can be dificult to manage during high season. We recommend you make a reservation for at least a 30 foot vehicle on the ferry, irrespective as to the size of the motorhome reserved, to avoid problems due to possible upgrades.

Travel Restrictions Coverages are invalid if problems occur in the following areas and all recovery expenses are at the client’s own cost. Violations of these restrictions void damage waivers and may subject you to liability for all vehicle damages including to tires, towing charges and other related expenses as a result of a breakdown associated with operating in these areas. Clients should consult with departure location personnel for complete information on travel restrictions and local circumstances at the time they collect their motorhome. Alaska, Yukon and Northwest Territories & Newfoundland Travel on all public and/or numbered roads is permitted. Travel on non-public roads, unpaved back roads, trails and the like – commonly called ‘logging roads’ or on any surface subjecting the vehicle to unreasonable damage or road hazard is prohibited. Clients may receive further information from Cruise America regarding seasonal travel restrictions as well. We reserve the right to restrict travel, dependent on current road conditions. Death Valley and other Desert Areas Vehicles are allowed to operate in Death Valley and other desert areas, however, extreme caution must be observed . Clients visit these areas at their own risk and are thus responsible for all recovery and other charges. During certain periods these areas are not habitable and could pose a danger to the driver and passengers. Manhattan, New York City Due to restrictions on vehicle heights, propane gas and parking, vehicles with propane are not permitted in Manhattan and are not permitted to travel through any underground or underwater tunnels. Mexico Travel the United States border into Mexico in a Cruise America vehicle is strictly prohibited. Winter Warning Vehicle operating systems are not fully operable during subfreezing temperatures. Check the Renter Assistance Guide for winter operations but be aware that in Canada and northern US cities, vehicles are likely to have anti-freeze in holding tanks meaning that vehicle water facilities will not be available to you. Click here for more information 34kb PDF Refueling and Servicing You must turn off engine and all ignition sources including gas appliances, refrigerator, hot water heater, stove, furnace, etc. each time you refuel. You are responsible for checking and maintaining engine oil, fluids, tire pressure, and coolant levels at each refueling, as well as reporting mechanical failures immediately. You may be held responsible for mechanical damage if you fail to do so. Breakdown Assistance and Repair Reimbursement During a motorhome vacation some aspects of the vehicle or coach systems may fail or be impaired. Our objective is to get you back on the road as quickly as possible. If a mechanical breakdown should occur, Cruise America will assist you to secure over-the-road maintenance from reputable service providers. All repairs require authorization by phone from Travelers Assistance at (800) 334-4110 who will document your problem on a customer service log. Tools for vehicle repair are not provided.

Your expenses for authorized repairs will be paid directly by Cruise America or you will be reimbursed upon presentation of receipts. Any vehicle service expense over USD $75 requires a call to Travelers Assistance 1-800-334-4110. If the cost is under USD $75 you may have the service completed, but you must keep the receipt for reimbursement. Rental centers are authorized to reimburse receipts up to USD $75 without a customer service log. Engine battery jump-starts require Travelers Assistance approval in advance. Travel Expense Reimbursement In the event the vehicle is in breakdown repair for 12 hours or less, through no fault of yours, our responsibility to you is limited to a refund of the daily rental rate or portion thereof. Radio, air conditioning, refrigerator, generator, microwave, appliance and cruise control malfunctions are not considered breakdowns and no refunds are available for repair time to these items. In the event of a mechanical breakdown that is immediately reported to Travelers Assistance and requires the vehicle to be in repair for more than 12 hours, certain living/transportation expenses are reimbursable.

Living / transportation expenses are not covered in cases of radio, air conditioning, refrigerator, generator, microwave, appliance, and cruise control malfunctions since these are not necessary for basic operation of the vehicle. Expense reimbursement is void in case of collision, accident, or failure to call Traveler’s Assistance immediately. These provisions provide up to USD $30 per day per person for lodging and up to USD $30 per day per party for transportation expenses. Total provisions are limited up to USD $3,000 per tour. You must present all receipts for a refund of expenses.

Damage to Vehicle / Your Financial Responsibilities: Damage to Vehicle - Breach of Terms & Conditions of Rental Contract - Your Responsibility If the Rental Contract is breached or if you fail to secure a police report, or if you engage in prohibited uses, you are responsible for any and all loss of or damage to the vehicle from any cause, regardless of fault and all related expenses. Damage to Vehicle - Your Responsibility The Customer only has responsibility for up to only $1,500 deductible per incident regardless of fault for vehicle loss or damage per occurrence, provided they abide by the Terms & Conditions of the Rental Agreement, report promptly in case of an accident or vehicle damage, and avoid prohibited uses. Insurance: Auto Liability Cruise America maintains third party liability protection coverages on its rental vehicles of USD $10,000,000 against claims of bodily injury and property damage brought against the company as a result of the operation or use of its vehicles. This covers Cruise America as a company only.Basic minimum statutory auto liability coverage is included in the rental rates on a secondary basis. All coverages are subject to the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Contract.

In both the United States and Canada, the company provides Auto Liability coverage for your clients on a secondary basis for bodily injury, property damage and personal injury protection (PIP) as required by the inancial responsibility laws of the state or province in which an accident may occur , for claims made against the client and/or authorized drivers. The liability coverage is void if the rental vehicle is not operated safely in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations and in compliance with all terms and conditions of the Rental Agreement. Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) – Included with USA Rentals SLI provides excess liability coverage up to a total of USD $1,000,000 combined single limit of coverage per occurrence against claims made by third parties for bodily injury, death, and/or property damage caused by operation of the vehicle. EXCLUSIONS APPLY. A partial list is contained in the Rental Contract. Please check at departure.

Zero Deductible Plan (ZDP) This product can be purchased at the rental counter and will enable renters to reduce their responsibility for loss of or damage to the vehicle from $1,500 to zero ($0). Called Zero Deductible Plan, or “ZDP,” the new product will bring peace of mind to many of our clients that have expressed an interest in an option for further reducing their damage responsibility while on rent. The price of ZDP is USD $11.95 per day and can be purchased at the rental counter - Maximum charge for ZDP is USD $358.50, regardless of the length of the rental. Coverage Summaries – USA Departures Provided you abide by the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Agreement, report accidents and/or damage promptly, and avoid prohibited vehicle uses, your coverages include:

  • Auto Liability: Statutory and excess Supplemental Liability Insurance up to USD $1,000,000.  
  • Vehicle Damage / Loss: Per occurrence or incident, only USD $1,500 of responsibility. You are covered for amounts in excess of USD $1,500 under most conditions.  
  • Trip Reimbursement: Travel Expenses incurred as a result of mechanical breakdown up to USD $3,000 per tour.

Vehicle Return: Vehicle Return Time - Regular Renters Vehicles are to be returned by 9:00 AM (09:00 hours) and in no case later than 11:00 AM (11:00 hours). Vehicle Return Time - Early Birders With pre-purchase of Early Bird Departure Special, you must return vehicle to Rental Center between 9:00 AM (09:00 hours) and, in no case later than, 3:00 PM (15:00 hours) unless you are returning on a Saturday. Please note Saturday times may vary, as some locations close earlier. Please note: Since the clients need time for vehicle return and transfer to the airport, no morning or early afternoon lights should be scheduled. Vehicle Return Late Fees / Charges A fee of USD $25 per hour will be charged for each hour that the vehicle is overdue without permission. You agree to return vehicle in the same condition as it was received, excluding normal wear and tear. Depending on local conditions, a cleaning and/or waste tank evacuation fee may be assessed at vehicle return up to USD $150. You will also pay for damages or loss of equipment. There are no refunds for early returns.

Shortening of Rental Period If a renter shortens their hire period by more than a week - it may be treated as a cancellation of the whole booking and a re-booking. This depends on when the amendment takes place and how many days of hire are being cancelled. Please ensure you always have travel insurance in place.

Tolls - Parking / Traffic Violations (for 2019 - 2020 Season) Please be aware that the implementation of All-Electronic Tolling is becoming more and more prevalent in many popular areas of the USA and Canada. "All-Electronic" Tolling means the traveler using these roads has no option to pay local tolls with cash. Instead, a picture of the vehicle's license plate is taken and used to assess toll charges. Clients of Cruise America are responsible for the payment of these charges.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXPLANATION OF HOW CRUISE AMERICA WILL HANDLE THESE CHARGES.

In some cases, a process called "Reassignment" is allowed and is utilized by Cruise America. In this process, Cruise America transfers the client's information, including name and home address, to the relevant tolling authority. The relevant tolling authority bills the clients directly and no further correspondence with Cruise America takes place. The client must resolve the outstanding tolls and/or fees directly with the tolling authority. The advantage for the client in this process is the avoidance of any administrative charges by Cruise America.

For all other cases, Cruise America will pay the tolling authority or road agency directly. We will add a USD $10 administrative fee and charge the client's credit card used for the rental. Please note our administrative fee is per rental, not per violation.

Special Note: Please be aware of the difference between automated tolling and services such as Fastrack and EZ Pass lanes. Using Fastrack and EZ Pass lanes without the corresponding transponder will result in punitive fees in addition to the regular toll rates. Fees in these cases can often be as high as USD $25 - USD $100 per violation. It is the client's responsibility to avoid using these lanes under all circumstances in order to avoid such fees.

Finally, fines for parking, red light, speeding and other trafic violations are treated similarly to the above, however, the administrative fees charged by Cruise America in these cases is USD $35 per rental. Parking / Traffic Violations You are responsible for reporting and payment of all parking/traffic violations at rental return. Your credit card will be charged for any charges/fines/penalties issued to Cruise America in addition to an administrative fee of up to $250 as a result of your not reporting a parking/traffic violation at return. Return Transfers Transfers are not included in your prepaid rental charges. Return transfers are your responsibility. Only with pre-purchase of Early Bird Departure Special are return transfers to designated hotel areas or airport included with the fee. A late return will void our responsibility to you for return transfers. Return transfers are normally accomplished up to 4:00 PM (16:00 hours).

*Terms and Conditions are Subject to Change at any time*

Top of page

© 2004 US and Canada Travel - A Division of BTEC Travel Pty Ltd. Telephone: (+61 3) 9584 0896 Fax: (+61 3) 9584 0840   Toll-Free Australia: 1300 663 854 Office Address: By appointment at 28 Bear Street, Mordialloc, VIC 3195, Australia Mailing Address: PO Box 5309, Mordialloc, VIC 3195, Australia Licence Number: #32610  

  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Crowsurvival

Experience the Best that RVs, RV Accessories, Campers, Boats, Camping, Hiking & Fishing has to offer.

Cruise America Review: What We Really Think

Cruise America, as a corporate rental company, strongly contrasts with popular peer-to-peer rental service providers like RVshare and Outdoorsy. And looking for the best RV rental service, you are likely wondering whether Cruise America is a good place to rent an RV from.

To figure out whether renting an RV from this company is worth it, we need to cover a lot of details, including rental options, fees, penalties, insurance, and whatnot. They are important for our points that we will present to you in the end, as well as for your understanding of what Cruise America is.

Let’s begin with the rental options offered by Cruise America.

Cruise America Review

The primary rental options offered by Cruise America is the traditional round-trip rental where you rent an RV, drive it to your destination, spend your vacation, drive back, and pay the fees. This rental has a minimum duration of 7 days.

Aside from this, however, Cruise America also offers one-way and long-term rentals. Let’s overview them a little more in-depth.

The other big player in the RV peer to peer rental space is RVShare and Outdoorsy you might want to check out our in-depth review of them here and here .

One-way rental

With one-way rental, you can pick up an RV at one Cruise America location and drop it off at another, without having to drive the RV back to the location where you took it from.

One-way rentals can be cheaper than round-trip rentals, with the rates sometimes being as low as $1/night. However, there is a drop fee associated with one-way rental – usually between $250-650 – as well as some other fees that we are going to talk about a bit later.

With peer-to-peer RV rental, people very rarely rent-out their RV for one-way trips. The vast majority of the rental offers are round-trip. Thus, the one-way rental option certainly is a plus for Cruise America.

On the other hand, Cruise has “more than 120 rental locations” in the United States and Canada, which is very little given that they are servicing almost the entire North America. So even though one-way rental has some nice benefits, you will be rather limited with drop-off locations.

It should be also kept in mind that Cruise America won’t always able to provide RVs for one-way rental due to certain RV number requirements at each location.

Long-term rental

Cruise America also offers long-term RV rental. In fact, they offer this type of rental for both temporary housing needs for individuals and for business uses. The pricing for these rental options is set on a case-by-case basis, so you’d need to contact Cruise America and provide them with all the details of your trip so that they could set a fee.

As a corporate rental company, Cruise America has its own RV fleet.

One very common complaint with Cruise America is their poor selection of RVs. And indeed, even though they do offer RVs of different sizes for rental, they only have a couple of Thor Majestic class C motorhomes, which are basically reinforced variants of Thor Four Winds RVs.

Cruise America has 4 RV rental options to offer – Large, Standard, Compact, and Truck Camper. These options differ by their amenities and comfort, and we think we should briefly overview them so that you know what you are dealing with.

Cruise America seeks to always maintain their RVs in good condition for rental, so you could be sure that you are getting a problem-free RV from them. Even if mechanical breakdowns do occur while on the road, Cruise America has an assistance and reimbursement program, which we will cover a bit later.

Before moving on to overviewing the RV offers, we’d like to note that Cruise America provides quite a lot of information on their RVs. Compared to offers available on peer-to-peer rental websites, it may be much easier to make an informed decision with Cruise America.

Cruise America doesn’t dive too deep into the specs of their RVs – which they maybe should – but they do provide you with some crucial information in regard to floorplans and key amenities.

Large RV Rental

The RV in this offer is a 30 feet class C motorhome, the Thor Majestic 28A. This motorhome offers up to 7 sleeping spots. Among the amenities provided with this RV are:

  • Air conditioning.
  • Shower & freshwater toilet.
  • Gas cooktop.
  • 4KW generator.

A thing that Cruise America also lists among the comfort features of this plan is pet friendliness. This actually is a feature of all the rental plans, and it is among the things that we like about Cruise America. With peer-to-peer rental, not everyone is going to allow you to bring along pets.

Cruise America also allows towing with their 30 feet class C motorhomes. However, there are certain limits to towing:

  • Cruise America doesn’t provide hook-up services or towing equipment.
  • The towing weight needs to be within 2,500 pounds of tow weight restrictions.
  • A daily towing charge is imposed if you tow a vehicle to Cruise America’s RVs.

Keep in mind that before rental, Cruise America requires that you declare the intention to tow prior to departure from a rental center.

Cruise America also allows customers to attach a bike rack to the receiver hitch free of charge. The customer needs to again let the rental center know about the intention of mounting a bike rack so that the RV’s locking pin can be removed.

Standard RV rental

With Standard RV rental, you get a 25 feet Thor Majestic 23A class C motorhome.

The amenities are very similar between the Standard and Large RV rentals. One difference should be noted though – at the moment of the review’s writing, Cruise America provided customers with generators only in the US, so do keep that in mind if you want to rent an RV from them in Canada.

Aside from that, 25 feet RVs sleep up to 5 people.

Compact RV rental

With the Compact RV rental option, you are getting a 20 feet Thor Majestic 19G motorhome. The RVs in this plan offer up to 3 sleeping spots.

Like it was with the Standard RV rental plan, Cruise America only provides US customers with RV generators. And aside from some differences linked to the smaller size – like smaller water or fuel tank sizes – the Compact RV rental doesn’t differ from the previous two options.

Truck Camper RV rental

With the Truck Camper rental, Cruise America basically provides you with a Ford F-150 truck with a truck camper mounted on top. Aside from the much smaller size, one crucial difference in this option is that the RVs don’t include a generator, as well as can’t be used for towing.

On the other hand, the interior amenities in the Truck Campers are very nice, essentially corresponding to those of the previous rental options. And like the Standard and Compact RV rental options, you are getting 3 sleeping spots out of this thing.

RV rental rates

Compared to peer-to-peer renting, Cruise America certainly offers a couple of good things for the money. However, there are also some downsides that you should know about. Cruise America’s payment system is a bit convoluted compared to peer-to-peer renting, and there’s a lot to know about.

One thing that we and many other people dislike about Cruise America is the variety of fees they impose, as well as the variety of upsells they offer.

Aside from that, what we personally don’t like is that Cruise America has all the fee info scattered throughout their website instead of having it easily accessible in one place. Not only that, but we actually had to go to third-party websites to get some of the fee information.

Overall, here’s what you will have to pay for when renting from Cruise America:

  • Reservation deposit.
  • Nightly fee.
  • Mileage fee.
  • Environmental fee.

In addition, there are some charges that you may or may not need to pay:

  • Generator fee if you use the RV generator.
  • Early Bird Departure Special fee.
  • Optional kit fees.
  • De-winterization fee.
  • Towing fees if you use the RV for towing.
  • Certain penalties for failing to comply with the rental conditions.

As you can see, Cruise America has many service fees, and this is a big reason why people prefer to opt for peer-to-peer rental services. If you will indeed be renting an RV from Cruise America, we’d advise you to find out about all the possible fees directly from them since we may have missed something, and things may change over time.

Cruise America requires that all the payments be made with Visa, MasterCard, and American Express credit cards. In the US, they also accept Discover Cards. The credit card needs to bear an imprint of your name that matches the driver’s license. The cardholder is required to be listed on the contract as the primary renter or an additional authorized driver.

Upon the return of the vehicle, Cruise America accepts stored value/prepaid/gift cards.

Now, let’s overview all the aforementioned charges one by one.

Mandatory fees

The very first thing you are going to pay for with Cruise America is deposits. Cruise America requires you to make two kinds of deposits – a $300 reservation down payment and a refundable $500 security deposit.

The reservation down payment will be applied toward the rental charges. As for the security deposit, it is used to cover any excess charges that occur during the trip. Upon return, extra charges are balanced against the security deposit.

If you didn’t use up the $500 security deposit, Cruise America will issue a credit to cover the refund. If you aren’t using a credit card, Cruise America will issue a check and send to your home address. Cruise America doesn’t do cash refunds.

Speaking of cash, the $500 security deposit needs to be paid with a credit card. If you are using any means other than a credit card, the security deposit charge will be $1,000. Keep this in mind in order to avoid quite expensive surprise costs.

A thing to note is that for certain rental applications like Bonnaroo or Burning Man, Cruise America may impose increased charges at their own discretion. In addition, they may require you to make a full prepayment in advance for rental events like auto race events, music festivals, or gatherings in remote areas.

Per-night fees

Cruise America imposes per-night fees which vary from season to season. On average, it seems that the nightly fee is around $90-100. It may be lower or higher depending on the season.

Given that Cruise America rents out RVs for at least 7 days, your fees per night will likely quite easily exceed the $300 down payment deposit.

Cruise America calls their daily rental rates Flex Rates since they vary over time, and sometimes quite significantly. If you book an RV early and there are plenty of them available, the daily rental rate will be lower for you.

If you need a change after booking and confirmation (aside from changing party size and adding pre-paid items), the rate will be recalculated using the most current Flex Rate. This Flex Rate will be compared to the Flex Rate that you’ve booked an RV with. The higher rate of the two will be selected as a new Flex Rate.

Mileage fees

Aside from a nightly fee, Cruise America applies estimated mileage charges to your rental in advance. Mileage charges are per night based on 100 miles for round-trip rentals and 250 miles for one-way rentals. In other words, you will be charged 100 miles per day with round-trip rental and 250 miles per day for one-way rental.

At the end of the rental, you will be refunded if you’ve driven fewer miles than you’ve paid for. Conversely, you will be charged $0.35 per mile if you have exceeded the estimated mileage.

Cruise America offers pre-paid mileage packs as well – the 100-Mile Package for $28, 500-Mile Package for $140, Unlimited Miles Package for $750, and Unlimited Miles Plus Package for $1000.

The Unlimited Miles Plus Package includes unlimited mileage, one personal kit for each passenger, one vehicle departure kit, and unlimited use of the RV generator for 21 days. Past 21 days, Cruise America will charge you with $29 per day. The same applies to the Unlimited Miles Package.

All the costs above are excluding taxes. Since these will likely depend on the area you will be renting the RV from, it is difficult to say how much tax you will have to pay.

Environmental fee

Cruise America imposes a $5 environmental fee per rental. As Cruise America writes, this fee’s purpose is to offset a “wide range of environmental expenses” associated with the proper disposal of shop waste, filters, tires, batteries, etc.

Optional fees

Generator fees.

Cruise America also imposes a generator fee of $3.50 per hour. This fee will be collected upon return based on the onboard running time meter. There is also an option of purchasing unlimited generator usage at an $8 daily rate.

Keep in mind that the generator is not required for normal RV operation, so you don’t have to operate it while traveling. A generator will be required only if you decide to run the RV electrical appliances while on the road. You can power all the appliances at campgrounds with electrical supply systems.

Early Bird Departure Special fee

Cruise America offers an optional Early Bird Departure Special for a $350 fee. The Early Bird Departure Special allows you to depart from a rental location as early as 9 AM instead of the regular 1 PM.

You will then need to return the vehicle at the specified date between 9 AM and 3 PM. Regular renters need to return the vehicle by 9 AM and in no case later than 11 AM.

The Early Bird Departure Special needs to be reserved at least 30 days in advance and prepaid. In addition, keep in mind that Sunday departures/returns aren’t allowed.

Optional kits

Cruise America also offers a couple of optional kits for borrowers. These kits are the Vehicle Provisioning Kit and the Personal Kit.

The Vehicle Provisioning Kit includes kitchen-related items like bows, forks, knives, plates, and many other things. The Personal Kit includes items like bath & dish towels, pillows with pillowcases, etc.

The Personal Kit costs $60 per person, while the Vehicle Provisioning Kit costs $110 per vehicle. All items must be returned clean to Cruise America.

De-winterization fee

In locations with colder winter weather, Cruise America winterizes their motorhomes from around mid-October to late March. When winterized, you cannot use the RV’s water and holding tanks. Due to this, if you chose to have the motorhome de-winterized, you will need to pay an up to $40 fee.

Towing charges

If you plan to tow a car or boat behind the motorhome, keep in mind that Cruise America imposes towing charges of $25 per night.

Aside from the charges we’ve described above, there are certain penalties that borrowers will need to pay should they fail to comply with the rental terms.

These penalties include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

  • Housekeeping charges of up to $250 for returning an RV uncleaned.
  • Reservation changes are charged at $50 per change from second and subsequent reservation changes. The first change is free of charge.
  • Dump charges of up to $50 for not emptying the RV holding tank prior to returning the vehicle.
  • The RV is overdue after 11 AM on the return date. If you fail to return the vehicle on time, you will be charged a fee of $25 per hour after 11 AM of the return date.
  • You are responsible for any damage or equipment loss, except mechanical wear. The penalty for damage or equipment loss is limited to $1,500 per occurrence or incident.
  • $200 – 46 days or more prior to departure.
  • $600 – 16-45 days prior to departure.
  • $850 – 8-15 days prior to departure.
  • $1050 – 1-7 days prior to departure.
  • Full rental charges – departure day and no-shows.

Cruise America rental deals

Cruise America from time to time offers rental deals and discounts. For example, for departures between September 4, 2019, and December 31, 2019, from any of Cruise America’s North American rental centers, a mileage rate reduction of 50% applies. Another deal is 300 free miles for departures by December 31, 2019, in the US.

Offers are typically not combinable with others, but they do offer some remarkable value. These were examples of deals available as of June 2019, but Cruise America will surely introduce others in the future as well.

How Cruise America handles RV maintenance & breakdowns

Overall, it seems that Cruise America keeps a good eye on their RVs. They appear to be quite strict when it comes to RV condition, so you could be sure that the RV you are renting from them is in a good state.

But for cases when the rented RV breaks down, Cruise America offers nice support to the clients.

Roadside assistance & repair reimbursement

In the event of mechanical breakdown on the road, Cruise America provides the around-the-clock Travelers Assistance Hotline. For authorized repairs, your expenses will be reimbursed by Cruise America. Alternatively, Cruise America may directly pay for the repairs.

According to the conditions of Cruise America, any vehicle service expense over $75 requires authorization from Travelers Assistance, where your problem will be documented in a customer service log.

For repairs costing under $75, you may have repairs done, but you will need to keep the receipt with you for reimbursement. Rental centers will reimburse receipts under $75 without a service log. If a repair service costing over $75 isn’t documented by Cruise America, you will not be provided with a reimbursement.

Aside from that, engine battery jump-starts require approval from Travelers Assistance, so keep that in mind.

Long service time reimbursements

If as a result of a breakdown the RV is in repair for 12 hours or less through no fault of yours, Cruise America may refund you a portion of the daily rental rate. If the repair requires more than 12 hours, certain living/transportation expenses may be reimbursed by Cruise America as well. However, you will need to immediately report the breakdown to Cruise America.

Cruise America provides up to $30 a day per party for transportation expenses and up to $30 a day per person for lodging. Total provisions are limited by Cruise America up to $3000 per tour. To receive reimbursement, you will need to provide all receipts for your expenses.

In certain cases, Cruise America does not reimburse for repairs, transportation, and lodging. Cruise America does not cover expenses associated with the breakdown of the RV generator, AC unit, refrigerator, microwave, appliances, and cruise control since these aren’t needed for the basic operation of the RV.

In addition, Cruise America doesn’t reimburse damage caused by collision or accident. Plus, failure to call Travelers Assistance immediately after a breakdown will make the reimbursement void.

There are certain travel restrictions as well. The areas that fall under Cruise America’s restrictions are:

  • Death Valley and other desert areas.
  • Alaska and Manhattan, New York City, in the US.
  • Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Newfoundland in Canada.

If issues occur in specified areas, Cruise America coverages will not apply. In fact, you may be held responsible for all vehicle damages associated with driving the RV in the restricted areas.

Aside from that, Cruise America prohibits entry of their RVs to Mexico, so be mindful of that.

How Cruise America handles tolls and traffic violations

Cruise America also has specific procedures with regard to tolls and parking/traffic violations.

Cruise America has a policy for All-Electronic Tolling. If you didn’t know, with All-Electronic Tolling, the picture of a vehicle’s license plate is taken and then used to determine who will be billed.

In some cases, a process called reassignment is utilized by Cruise America. The company basically transfers your information to the relevant tolling authority. Then, you will have to handle the fees yourself.

For other cases, Cruise America will pay the tolling authority directly. However, Cruise America will impose a $10 administrative fee on you and charge the credit card you used for rental. The administrative fee is per rental.

For other tolling services like EZ Pass lanes or Fastrack, it will be your responsibility to use a corresponding transponder in order to avoid any fees or penalties.

Parking/traffic violations

Cruise America handles parking and traffic violations in a similar manner to tolling. However, in cases where they pay the fines for you, you will be charged a $35 administrative fee per rental.

At rental return, you will be responsible for reporting and paying for any parking or traffic violations. If you fail to report a parking/traffic violation at return, Cruise America will charge an administrative fee of up to $250.

Cruise America rental coverage

A very nice thing about Cruise America is that they offer coverage options for their customers in case of accidents or mechanical breakdown. We’ve overviewed mechanical breakdown coverage above, but there’s more to the coverage provided by Cruise America.

All in all, Cruise America offers:

  • Up to $1 million Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) against claims made by third parties for property damage or bodily/injury caused by the operation of the RV. There are certain exclusions to the SLI, a part of which is contained in the rental contract.
  • Expense reimbursement of up to $3,000 in case of long service times, which we overviewed earlier.
  • Responsibility of up to $1,500 for vehicle damage or loss per occurrence. If you do not abide by the terms of the rental contract and fail to promptly report any incident, you will be fully responsible for the damage or loss of the RV.

RV departure & return at Cruise America

The RV departure time at Cruise America begins at 1 PM. For Early Birders, as we mentioned above, the departure starts at 9 AM and ends at 12 PM.

A common point of complaint among users of Cruise America services is that it can take several hours before you actually leave the rental center. Early Birders may be able to avoid waiting for hours, but they aren’t insured from it as well.

As for RV return, regular renters are required to return the vehicle by 9 AM and no later than 11 AM. As we mentioned above, Cruise America imposes a $25 fee for each hour past 11 AM. At the same time, no refunds will be made if you return the vehicle early or if you pick it up late.

For Early Birders, which we again mentioned earlier in the material, the return time is between 9 AM and 3 PM. Failure to return the vehicle in this time frame will incur an hourly $25 penalty.

Keep in mind that departure and return times on Saturday may vary because some Cruise America locations close earlier.

Customer interaction

Customer interaction is another area where Cruise America is notorious. If you look around for user reviews, you will find that quite a considerable number of people have complained about the customer support of Cruise America in various areas, starting from the quickness of service and ending with the inability of the company to resolve issues.

A testimony to this may be Cruise America’s frankly quite low BBB rating , which indicates how the company is expected to interact with customers. There have been so many complaints about Cruise America that BBB has even put alerts on the company profile page, indicating noticeable issues with customer service.

What we really think of Cruise America

With everything above in mind, we’d like to present to you the advantages and disadvantages of RV rental with Cruise America, as well as what we really think of Cruise America.

So, the advantages are:

  • A good amount of information provided on the RVs.
  • Well-maintained RVs.
  • One-way and long-term rentals available.
  • Pet-friendliness.
  • Reimbursements for mechanical breakdowns and long maintenance.
  • Quite advantageous deals.

What we didn’t like about Cruise America.

  • The plentitude of fees makes rental quite pricey.
  • Poor selection of RVs.
  • The customer interaction isn’t always spot-on.
  • Quite uneasy to find fee information.
  • The minimum rental period is 7 days.

As a corporate RV rental company, Cruise America isn’t going to provide you with much flexibility. They have a mechanism that works and doesn’t really take into account your specific needs, unlike peer-to-peer rental platforms.  You have limited options when it comes to fees and RV selection. Their customer service also isn’t spot-on.

On the other hand, they do have some benefits like one-way rental, a comprehensive reimbursement policy, and occasional deals. So we can’t say that Cruise America is a bad place to rent an RV from.

In the end, we’d say that those who want to quickly rent an RV may want to go for Cruise America since it has an established policy that is designed to ensure hassle-free rentals. But if you want flexibility and don’t mind spending a lot of time finding the right RV, you’d want to go for a peer-to-peer platform.

If you’d like to see how Cruise America is rated against other RV rental companies you might want to check out our review of the best RV rental companies .

  • Affiliate Disclosure

Our Love for this stuff, unfortunately, does not pay the bills. Our audience supports us. We may earn an affiliate commission when you purchase through links on our site. This does not mean your purchase price will be higher. Sometimes, it could be lower due to our relationship and volume with the merchant. So shop with confidence. You are getting a good deal!

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy

Escaping the norm of everyday life & experiencing our amazing world.

Cruise America RV Review

Cruise America RV Rental Review

For awhile we have talked about renting a Cruise America RV and going camping. Well, what better time than while our traveling options are extremely limited? That way we can still get away for a bit and explore somewhere new, all while still feeling safe and have many of the comforts of home. 

Disclaimer : This post contains affiliate links. I can earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support.

While researching different places we might be able to rent an RV from, we came across Cruise America. One of the reasons they stuck out to us was because they would allow us to bring dogs. Now, my Wrigley does not travel well at all, but mom has 2 little ones that we thought about taking.  So, we did our research and booked an RV for an adventure. We ended up not taking the dogs with us this first time because my brothers’ family was joining us and we felt that was just too much for our first trip.

About Cruise America

Cruise America has 45 years of experience with renting RV’s and locations in 33 states (unfortunately none in Iowa, but there were other locations we could choose from).  They also have different sized vehicles to help with different sized groups. For this trip, we rented the largest one. If it was just mom and me, then we’d rent a smaller one. You also do not need a special license to be able to drive one. All you need is to be 21 or older with a valid driver’s license.  All the drivers must be present when picking up the vehicle and be listed on and sign the rental agreement.

While you’re on the road, you are responsible for checking the tire pressure, oil, transmission fluid, engine coolant, and windshield wiper fluid whenever you stop for gas. If you need to refill anything, keep your receipts because they will reimburse. There’s a traveler’s assistance number you call if you get in an accident, anything breaks, or get a flat tire. Again, if you need to have repair work done while you’re on the road, they will reimburse for this (you just need approval before you go over $75).

Cruise America RV Rental Review

How Much Does it Cost?

When it comes to the actual pricing for the rental, you’ll have a flat nightly rate, and then a fee per miles you drive. Right now the fee is $0.35 a mile. You can get the zero deductible plan for an additional $14.95 a night as well, while supplemental liability insurance is already included in the rental.  You can also then purchase a kitchen kit for $110 or a personal kit for $60. On top of these charges you will have tax and an environmental fee.

If you use the generator, there is a fee of $3.50 an hour, which will be calculated when you return.  On our trip, we didn’t use the generator once. You’ll really only need it for running the air conditioning in the back, the microwave, or outlets. We simply didn’t use these while we were traveling (we still had the air conditioning in the front cab part), and we stayed at a campsite with a full electric hookup.  You can also be charged up to $250 if you do not clean your vehicle, and $50 if you do not empty your waste tanks. Finally, if you are late returning the vehicle the website says there is a fee of $25 per hour. However, when we got our vehicle, they told us that the cost would be one nightly rate and the $25/hour.

All of these charges may change though, so make sure you check out their website for the specific details.

Driving the Cruise America RV

As far as driving goes, it’s definitely different than driving your car. Personally, I did not drive it once. I thought I would, but after a while I decided I definitely did not want to get behind the wheel.  The ride was loud and bumpy. You felt everything and heard everything in the back moving around. One of the big things to remember is your vehicle is longer than you’re used to. They recommend that when you’re making a turn, you pull forward so your back tire is past what you’re turning around, and then start turning. This made things a little awkward sometimes as you might cross lanes or stop traffic. By the end of the trip, I realized that perhaps we didn’t have to pull forward as far as we were, but better safe than sorry. 

Drivers seat in RV

The height is also something to be aware of. Our Cruise America RV was 12 feet tall. There are some roads that may have bridges that are lower than this.  Do not be that person that doesn’t pay attention and runs the top of the camper right into the bridge!

If you’re unsure about where you’re going, you could use an app like Smart Truck Route to make sure you’re on roads that meet your height requirements. Speaking of being on the right roads, I know technology is everywhere right now, or so it seems.  During this trip, we didn’t go far off the beaten track but were still out of range a couple of times. That is why I was super happy I had printed out our directions as a backup, instead of just planning on using the map on my phone!  

Sleeping Areas

Getting to the camping part.  Since we rented the large RV, that is what I’ll talk about. Our RV could sleep 7 and had 4 different beds. For this trip, my mother and I shared the bed in the back, which surprisingly worked okay. We both usually like our space. There were cabinets for storage on both sides and above this bed. There were rods so you could hang clothes up. Luckily, I knew that so we brought a few hangers.  I would rather have more shelving instead of the rod, but that’s just me. There was a little curtain you could close to make this space more of a bedroom and offer some privacy.

Sleeping areas in the Cruise America RV

The dining table then folds down into a bed, and the bench seat pulls out to a bed. One of these is supposed to be able to sleep 2, but I really only see that happening if they’re smaller kids, or they really like to snuggle. When I would lay on the beds while putting my nieces to sleep, I could fit on the table/bed, but on the bench/bed, while I could fit, I always felt that the middle was falling in. The fourth bed is above the cab and can sleep two adults as well.

For the amount of time we rented this, the beds were comfortable enough.  I would recommend possibly bringing one of those mattress toppers to add another layer to your bed and make it more comfortable though, especially if you’re going to be in there awhile.  To get to the bed above the cab you had to do some stepping on the seat for the table to pull yourself up. It wasn’t horrible though, and even the little girls could almost do that themselves (although we didn’t let them).

cruise america rental agreement

Personal Kit

We brought our own bedding items, but you can get the personal kit which includes: bath towels, dish towels, pillow, pillowcase, sheet, sleeping bag/comforter, and washcloths. I would make sure you check your items before you leave the rental center because it would really stink if you got all the way to your first campsite only to find out you were missing a comforter or something. While we were sure they washed these items, with all of the virus stuff going around, we just felt more comfortable bringing our own.  Also, going back to when we picked up the RV, even though we were told it was disinfected before it was turned over to us, we still went around and wiped everything down with disinfecting wipes, just for peace of mind.

Bathroom Setup

In the large RV, the toilet/sink is separate from the shower. In the bathroom, there is a toilet, cabinets, and a sink.  The toilet is raised off the ground, so we were glad we had a step stool for the kids. Something we didn’t learn about until the day before we went to pick up our RV was that we needed toilet treatments . My brother was able to swing by a store on his way to meet us at the campground and pick some up though.  This helps to break down the waste from the toilet!

Bathroom in Cruise America RV

The shower was across the hallway and a decent size. In all honesty, we ended up using ours for storage, and no one ever showered in it. You wouldn’t need that storage space, we just knew we weren’t going to use it as a shower. The campground we were at actually had very nice showers so we all used those instead. However, I would assume that the water pressure would be similar to the sinks, which was decent. While there is a sliding door on the shower, you can also then open the bathroom door, and in that position, it makes a little private area with the door on one side and a curtain to the back bedroom area on the other. That way someone would have privacy getting in and out of the shower.

All the Tanks

The large RV has a 40-gallon freshwater tank, but we were hooked up to water at our campsite, so that was not an issue for us ever. The water heater tank was 6 gallons. If someone was going to shower we would have to turn the water heater on and wait a few minutes before there was good warm water. Then there was a 25-gallon sewage tank, and a 22-gallon grey water tank (sink/shower water). There was a control panel in the kitchen area that would tell us the levels of all these tanks. Someone had told us that they may not be 100% accurate, but halfway during our stay, it was showing that our tanks were nearly full. Since we didn’t want to find out what happened if the waste tanks overflowed, we ended up taking the RV up to the dump station.

Control panel

Keeping Things Cold

The refrigerator ran off propane.  Even though we did refill it, we really wouldn’t have needed to because the needle never moved on the gauge. The fridge and freezer were a good size. There were 5 shelves, 2 crisper baskets, and 4 door shelves in the fridge. The freezer had 2 shelves and one door shelf. These doors would clip shut, but sometimes it got left open. One day while we were sitting outside I noticed water coming out of the openings above the propane tank/behind the fridge. I went to check the fridge and it had been left open. So that was helpful knowing if the doors were left open, it would begin to defrost, and the water would come out those slots. We tried to keep things like water bottles in the cooler with ice. That way we didn’t have to be opening and closing these doors often.

Kitchen Space in Cruise America RV

The kitchen space had 3 drawers and 2 cabinets under the countertop. There was a small sink and a 3-burner stovetop. We used the stovetop once I think. Most of our meals were cooked either over the grill, or I had prepared before we left and only needed to be heated up in the microwave. I also had brought my griddle from home, so we hooked that up in the kitchen a couple of times, and then we moved it to outside to our prep table and ran an extension cord to the electric box. Above the sink, there was another cabinet that had our plates, bowls, and mugs secured in them.

Kitchen Layout in RV

We got the kitchen kit to limit the large items we would need to bring.  This included: a broom, can opener, carving knife, coffee cups, colander, cooking fork, cooking spoon, cookware, dinner forks, dinner knives, dinner plates, flashlight, mixing bowl, paring knife, soup bowls, soup spoons, spatula, steak knives, tea kettle, teaspoons, and tumblers. I would recommend you go through this kit before you leave. Prior to the trip, I had asked how many of each item we would have and they said enough for 7 since that was what our RV could sleep.  When we had everything cleaned and put together in the end we realized we had only gotten 6 of the items that were individually used. So, check before you leave.  Better yet, take a picture so at the very end you know exactly what is theirs and what is yours.

Special Tips

A tip that was shared with us was to keep a bowl in the sink so that when we were doing dishes you would simply have the water go into the bowl, and then dump it outside. Another tip that I can now give after going on this trip, is that there are portable waste containers that you can hook up to your vehicle. When it’s full, you simply pull it by hand or hook it up to a hitch, and take it to the dump station. That way, if you’re staying at one site for a while, you don’t have to move the camper to dump. If you were moving sites more often this may not be a problem, but if you’re staying put for a while, it could be annoying.

Living Spaces in Cruise America RV

Storage Space in the Cruise America RV

The amount of storage space was great. In addition to the cabinets I’ve already mentioned, there were also cabinets all along the top in the living space. If you need to, you could even store something under the pull-out bench as well.  In the back of the Cruise America RV, there is a large storage compartment. It is a good amount of space. We were able to fit everything we needed to back there, with room to spare.  Have access doors on three sides also made it helpful when we were at camp. We would put different things by different doors so we could easily access them. 

Logistics – Fun Times!

Now for some logistical items. They will send you some videos to watch prior to picking up your RV that will detail all of this.  If you’re a beginner at this, I definitely recommend getting a site with full electric and water hookups. That was very helpful!  I had brought an extra hose (the camper does come with one) which came in handy. The layout of our first site was a little off, so our water and electric hookups were on the wrong side of the vehicle and further away than the hose allowed. We were able to maneuver it enough to get the electric hooked up, but for the water, we just used my hose, which was much longer. I would definitely do that again. I also saw some electrical extension cords (not your typical extension cords), which could have been very useful as well.

The power cord (shoreline) is hooked into the generator while you are driving.  Once at a full hookup site, you would unplug it and plug it into the electrical box at the site. Make sure the breaker is turned on in the box. Our box had a couple of outlets, so we were able to also plug in a regular extension cord to use other items outside (our RV did not have an exterior outlet).  This part is fairly straight forward and not too tricky.

Propane Tank

The water hookup was pretty simple as well. With the exception of the hose they provided being kind of short, it all worked just fine. You connect the hose to the vehicle, then you connect it to the faucet and turn it on. It was very helpful having a wrench for this to make sure the hose was connected tightly.

Bring Gloves for the Waste Dump!

When it comes time to dump the waste, that’s pretty straight forward as well. Remove the cap to the dump drain, making sure that both valves are closed first. There is a hose in a compartment above the waste drain. You pull that out and connect it, then put it into the hole in the ground. You will first open the black waste valve (the larger handle) to empty that tank.  Then you’ll open the grey water tank (smaller handle) to help flush out all that icky stuff.  The grey water tank is the water from the sinks and shower, the black water is from the toilet. Once it’s empty, you close the two valves and then detach the hose. Luckily there is usually a hose by the dump station so then we would hose off the hose before putting it back in its compartment, and then close the cap.

Waste dump hookup

When you’re getting gas or propane, you have to make sure that the gas appliances and pilot lights are off. This would be things like the furnace, water heater, fridge, and the range. Since the only thing we had going while we were driving was the fridge, we simply had to make sure that was switched off.

The air conditioning will operate if you’re plugged into an electrical box at a campground, or your generator (turned on).  The biggest complaint about the ac would be that it was rather loud. The furnace operates using propane to heat the air and power, the same as the ac, to circulate the air. Honestly, we never used the heater so I can’t speak to how well that operated but it seems pretty straightforward.

Returning Your Cruise America RV

When it comes time to return your RV, there are a couple of things to note. First off, for us, it had to be returned by 11 am.  This means turning the keys over. You will have to make sure it’s dumped, refilled, and cleaned before you return it.  We were able to dump our waste at our last campsite and refilled on the way back.  I had been told that we needed to allocate about 4 hours to all of this and that the rental center recommended that you stayed nearby on your last night to make that easier. Well, I was told this after our plans had been made. I wasn’t able to move our last night to anywhere close to the center, but I did find something half the distance back so that cut our drive in half on the last day.

Renting an RV

As far as cleaning goes, the last night we packed everything up.  We cleaned the dishes and separated ours and theirs. My brother brought his car, so they loaded their stuff that night, so the morning was easy peasy. When we arrived at the rental center it was just my mother and I.  She unloaded everything while I started cleaning. We used our wipes for most of it, along with some Sparkle spray.  You have to clean the toilet as well, so I was glad we brought gloves. I also brought some wet Swiffer floor sheets which worked great at the end to clean the floors. They also do want you to wash the outside of the vehicle. We hosed down at the last dump station and were blessed to not get dirty on our way back.  Overall, I think we were there for about an hour unloading and cleaning.

Would I Recommend Cruise America?

So, overall, would I recommend renting a Cruise America RV? Yes, I would. We are thinking of booking again for the spring! It’s a great option to get away without all the stress and finances that go behind purchasing one. And, if I can figure out how everything works on it, then I have high hopes for you! With everything that has been going on this year, their reservations have been filling up fast, so if you’re thinking about it, I would recommend reserving sooner rather than later. The guy at the rental center said that we were lucky we rented when we did. Not only were they fully booked, but the pricing had gone up, but we still got the cheaper rates!

Other than what I’ve listed above, here are some other various pros and cons of renting a Cruise America RV. 

PROS of Renting a Cruise America RV

  • Ability to see nature and the world around us.
  • Flexibility. This year due to the virus, sites were filling up fast. However, having the RV allows you flexibility with where you can stay. It’s nice to have the full hookup, but you definitely don’t need it all the time.
  • Don’t have to unpack and pack every time you move locations.
  • Easily able to stay inside away from bugs (we don’t get along) but still have windows/door open with the screens and be somewhat a part of what is going on outside.
  • Easy to learn how to operate.
  • Great to have a table set-up inside for any bad weather days.
  • USB plugs in the coach area.
  • Plenty of storage space.
  • Power to charge your electronics, especially if you’re working remotely 😉
  • They do have a setup for kids car seats, you just bring your own.

CONS of Renting a Cruise America RV

  • Bumpy. As I mentioned the ride wasn’t horribly smooth, but neither was it when it was parked. There are no levelers on this RV, so, for instance, when someone got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, the whole RV would shake.
  • Doesn’t move quickly.  If you’re in a hurry to get somewhere, this may not be a great option.
  • Unable to drive everywhere.
  • Parking can be tricky.
  • Parking for the night in a tight campsite can be especially tricky (it’s a miracle we got into our last spot).

So, have you rented a Cruise America RV before? What are your thoughts? If you’re thinking of renting one and have any questions, I would be more than happy to try to answer and give you my input. Happy camping!

Learn the details about renting a Cruise America RV.

Don’t forget to follow me on  Instagram  or  Facebook  for even more photos and details about my journeys! If you enjoyed this post, please pin it and check me out on  Pinterest  as well! Thanks for reading!

cruise america rental agreement

RV Camping Packing List

Beach view from the outlook deck at Pioneer Park.

Camping at Pioneer Park in Michigan

You may also like.

The beach is a top reason to visit Corolla.

7 Reasons to Visit Corolla, North Carolina in the Outer Banks

Welcome to Churchill

Explore Churchill & it’s Rich History

Entrance to the Four Points in Fort Walton Beach. Palm trees and a water fountain.

Enjoy the Four Points Fort Walton Beach Hotel in Florida

12 comments.

' src=

Michel Pontarelli

Let’s go again!

' src=

Thanks for this! We were considering hiring an RV for a trip this summer…although to be honest all the extra fees make it really hard to work out how much it would actually cost.

This year the prices for hiring one up in Canada were sooo high that it was easier/much cheaper for us to just stay in hotels and campsites and use our own car. I would totally consider this next summer though if it’s not crazily expensive.

' src=

liapontarelli

I know this company has a Canada branch. If you’re thinking of it for next year, I would start looking soon and paying attention to the promos they might be having (especially over the winter as traffic slows). We had a promotion that gave us a free night.

' src=

This looks like a fantastic RV to rent for a road trip – I’ll keep them in mind when I plan on in the states!

A great thing about them is they have rental locations all over, so you can start your trip wherever you want!

' src=

I think I’d prefer one of those rooftop tents but traveling with an RV seems like such a fun, different experience!

That would be fun too. We saw an interesting one at the campground we stayed at!

' src=

This is a helpful review! I’m wondering how well the privacy curtain that goes around the inside of the front windshield works to block the view from the outside at night? I know sometimes you can see from dark to light through fabric pretty well. I rented an Rv last month that had a very ineffective privacy curtain. Thanks for your insight!

It took a minute to figure out the best way to do it, but overall it worked great. It was definitely a thick enough curtain.

Great! Thank you!

' src=

Marie Gartenzaun

Thank you for sharing your remarkable journey and encouraging others to embark on their own audacious adventures with Cruise America. Your article is a roadmap to turning dreams of RV travel into unforgettable realities.

' src=

Thanks for info

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Odometer Dave

Odometer Dave

Making every mile count: Reviews & How-To's for RVing & Roadtripping

Home » Blog » How to rent an RV from Cruise America

How to rent an RV from Cruise America

MT asked how I wanted to celebrate my birthday. Without thinking, I said, “I’d love to rent an RV and drive to the Grand Canyon.”

Two hours later, we had reserved an RV through Cruise America .

Estimated reading time: 12 minutes

Table of contents

Pros & cons of renting an rv from cruise america, visit your cruise america rental location and bring a tape measure, wait, what about gas, save money by bringing your own stuff, how to save on campground fees, start thinking slow, learn as much as possible about your rv, take a video of the walkaround and ask lots of questions, take a breath and start driving, pack up and hit the road, stay at a nearby campground and call ahead.

There are two main reasons we chose a Cruise America rental RV:

  • They’re everywhere . That meant we could rent an RV from the Chicago-area location less than half an hour from our house.
  • Value for the price . We didn’t know it beforehand, but our rental period (9/26 – 10/11/19) just happened to be when Cruise America was offering discount rates.

There are 126 Cruise America locations across the US and Canada. Because of that, we figured we’d be in good shape if we had trouble with our rig or needed to swap with another one while on the road. Fortunately, that was never an issue.

After we made our reservation, Cruise America’s generous cancellation policy allowed us to do some additional research. We quickly discovered they’re the least expensive option for renting an RV, even at Cruise America’s normal rates.

However, Cruise America rigs are also the most bare-boned. So if you’re looking for luxury, you’ll have to go with an RV dealer. You could also check out Outdoorsy or RVshare to rent an RV directly from a private owner.

Which RV model to rent?

We considered the 20-foot Compact model , but they appeared to cost the same or more than the Standard model. And the Large 30-foot model was just too much rig for us.

UPDATE August 2021 : Cruise America has added another model to its rental lineup, the 21-foot Compact Plus . It has the same 7.5-foot width as the Compact model, but is just a bit roomier. The Compact Plus is currently available at only a few locations as they roll out this unit.

Remember, it’s not just the people or pets. Everyone’s stuff is also along for the ride, so choosing the right size for your family’s comfort and needs is crucial.

In the end, we chose to rent the 25-foot Standard model . It was perfect for the two of us and our dog, Nola. Cruise America says the Standard can sleep 5, which is also the number of seatbelts. However, I wouldn’t want to test that on a 2-week trip unless everyone gets along really well.

To help you decide, we recommend that you visit your Cruise America rental location in advance. Bring a tape measure . Walking through the different rental RVs beforehand allows you to take measurements, notes, photos, and video. These will help you choose the right model for you, and also plan for your trip . Two weeks before our trip, we called our rental location, The Truck Shop near O’Hare Airport, and asked if there was a good day to visit when it wouldn’t be too busy. When we arrived, there was only one Standard model on the lot, and it was waiting for repair parts.

That rig was in rough shape! We were told that it was three years old and that Cruise America only keeps rigs in their fleet for about three years before they’re sold or refurbished. I don’t know how many miles that rig had on its odometer, but it had been well used. Even so, we decided we could live with a rental unit like this for two weeks, provided that everything was in working order.

Incidentally, we asked whether we could improve our chance of getting a newer model, such as picking up on a certain day or bribing someone. (No, we didn’t bribe anyone.) We never got a clear answer on this, but we did choose a Thursday pickup. We also arrived early, which may have helped us get a Cruise America RV that only had 21,680 miles on it and was manufactured a mere 6 months earlier. Everything was super clean and nothing was broken. Whew!

OK, what does it cost to rent an RV?

Cruise America’s RV rental rates fluctuate by season and location. Here’s what we paid:

  • $75/night for 14 nights
  • The normal rate is $.35/mile
  • $10/night for the Zero Deductible Plan

If you think about it, that’s about what you’d pay for most hotels/motels on a driving trip. But with an RV, you don’t have to unpack every time you stop for the night.

Cruise America rental contract

Cruise America doesn’t advertise the mpg ratings of their rigs, probably because they don’t want to scare anyone. We kept a trip log and found that we averaged 7-9 miles per gallon . Why so low?

  • RVs are not aerodynamic.
  • 40 gallons of water = 333.6 lbs
  • 55 gallons of gasoline = 343.75 lbs
  • Plus the contents of the 24.5 gallon sewage and grey water tanks
  • Cruise America only offers gas RVs, and they get worse mileage than Diesel RVs.
  • The Ford V8 and V10 chassis are designed to pull a lot of weight, with little concern for efficiency.

Ultimately, we spent around $1,100 on gas alone. Your mileage will, of course, vary.

Filling up in Albuquerque cost $73.78 for 30.125 gallons.

Cruise America offers two provisioning kits that include things like kitchen supplies, sheets, and towels. We didn’t use these because we were able to pack our RV at home. However, they could be useful if you have to fly somewhere to pick up your RV.

Finally, there are campground fees . These vary quite a bit from place to place. We paid as little as $10 and as much as $55. Price is a factor of location—whether it’s a federal, state, or private campground—as well as the type of hookup, full or partial. A “full hookup” includes Electricity, City Water, and Sewage.

On our trip, we dumped the black tank (sewage) and grey water tank (sinks and shower) every 2-3 days. I’m sure we could have gone longer than that, but we were trying to shed weight whenever possible.

With that in mind, we could have saved some money by choosing “partial hookup” campsites that didn’t include sewer hookups. That’s because most campgrounds have a dump station at the entrance/exit. Partial sites with electricity and city water are great if you need to run the air conditioning, or if you want to take a shower.

Choosing where to camp is a subject for another post, but we recommend visiting KOA , Good Sam , and especially RV Parky . KOA offers a Cruise America discount .

You’ve reserved your rental RV, now what?

Start planning your journey. This will help you make decisions about packing and other logistics. If you’re planning to visit a major destination such as the Grand Canyon, make your campground reservations as soon as possible . And be sure to allow plenty of travel days to reach that destination.

Traveling in an RV is slower than in a car. Period. Everything just takes longer. Go ahead and plot your journey in Google Maps. Then, for every 3 hours of estimated travel time, add another hour to allow for “RV Time.” There are a lot of factors that go into this:

  • On interstates, you’ll want to join the trucks in the right lane and travel about 5 miles under the limit. Sure, you can go 75-85 miles per hour, but it’ll be miserable for everyone and your gas mileage will suffer greatly.
  • If it’s windy, you’ll have to slow down and you’ll get tired faster.
  • You’re on vacation, right? You’ll want to stop and see stuff along the way.
  • Stopping to get gas always seems to take at least half an hour.
  • You’ll eventually discover that driving on slower/smaller highways is a lot more fun!

We figured out that driving roughly 250 miles per day was a good target. Keep in mind, though, that MT never drove, only I did. You may be able to cover more distance per day with a second driver.

This could also be an entire post, but there are some great resources on the Cruise America site to get you started. I recommend watching all their videos now , and then watching them again just before your trip.

Be sure to also install the Cruise America app and download the videos in the app. As of this writing, the app itself isn’t terribly useful, except for those orientation and troubleshooting videos. You may find yourself without good cell service on your trip, so download those videos in advance in case you need to reference them.

Of course, here’s the answer to your biggest question: How to Dump the Tanks of your Cruise America Rental RV .

There’s also a Renter Assistance Guide that you can download as a PDF in a variety of languages. This guide will also be provided in your RV and it’s handy when you’re trying to figure out how the refrigerator operates.

Cruise America Rental Contract cover image

Pick up your RV

You’ll need to call 3-5 days in advance to schedule a pick-up time for your RV. Arrive early and allow plenty of time. You’ll have to watch the Orientation Video again and sign a lot of paperwork. So that you can focus, we recommend that you not bring pets or small children along.

You’ll then be walked out to your RV, which may be wet and gleaming from the truck wash. Our technician had the engine running and the air conditioning going at full blast. He walked us around the RV, noted any existing damage, and quickly explained how things worked.

On the second day of our trip, we discovered some damage that hadn’t been noticed during the walkaround. However, we reviewed the video that MT shot and sent screenshots to Cruise America to prove that we hadn’t caused the damage.

Picking up our RV from Cruise America at The Truck Shop in Franklin Park, IL

After about an hour of orientation, you’ll drive off the lot and into traffic! Go slow, take your time, and don’t be embarrassed if you have to pull over to take a breath. If you’ve never driven a moving truck or other large vehicle, you’ll need time to adjust to turning corners and to learning how tall and wide you are. As the orientation video says (in an Australian accent), “You’ve got a second story to think about.”

We drove back home so we could pack, and planned a route through Chicago that would keep us on wider thoroughfares as much as possible. When we reached the narrow streets of our neighborhood, I just kept reminding myself of all the UPS trucks and garbage trucks and moving trucks that traverse these avenues on a daily basis.

A tip I learned for staying centered in a lane is to keep scanning the side-view mirrors . Because of the height of the truck, your tendency will be to stay too far away from vehicles on the right side of your RV. You’ll learn to trust that you have more room than you think .

Cruise America does not provide back-up cameras , but we didn’t find this to be much of an issue. You’re going to be backing up less than 1% of the time, and you will always have assistance from a family member or campground host. Also, many campgrounds offer pull-through sites.

Our Cruise America rental RV parked in front of our house.

A great place to start is with our post about 5 Things to Pack for your Cruise America Rental RV . Make a list in advance of everything you think you’ll need or want on your trip. Then go through that list and note the items you could live without. If you leave those extra items at home, you can save both weight and storage space.

Also be sure to watch Ep 6: Organizing Tips for Your Rental RV . MT shows you all the little real-world organizing tips she developed on our first trip. Hint: cubbies and bins!

Our only remaining piece of advice is to aim for a nearby campground to stay at on your first night . We didn’t hit the road until around 6:30pm, which meant driving through Chicago rush-hour traffic. We finally reached our target campground in Iowa at around 11pm, so it would have been smarter to choose a campground closer to home.

Luckily, we’d called ahead to reserve a spot, and explained it was our first-ever RV trip . The Rock Island KOA gave us a great pull-through site that was easy to locate in the dark. We only used the fresh water and electric hookups because we knew we’d hit the road early the next day.

I slept well that first night, despite fighting a cold. Pro tip: pack some cough medicine .

Nola looking out from the passenger seat of our Cruise America rental RV.

Thanks for reading! And be sure to check out our related articles and videos below:

  • 5 Things To Pack For Your Cruise America Rental RV
  • How to Dump the Tanks of your Cruise America Rental RV
  • Organizing Tips for Your Rental RV

*NOTE: We have no connection with Cruise America or any other company mentioned in this article. We’re just happy customers.

Questions about our rental experience? Scroll down and leave a comment.

' src=

Published by Dave

I'm an actor and violinist based in Chicago. We rented an RV for a trip to the Grand Canyon, and now my wife and I are working to hit the road in our own RV. Join us to learn what we learn along the way! View all posts by Dave

Really interesting!!!

I didn’t realize until I read this, that maybe what’s missing in my life is an RV road trip…! This is a great post: all the questions that popped in my head were answered (and very honestly!) and you immediately take what can be very overwhelming and make it very manageable/reasonable. And it’s truly about the journey – and enjoying what opens up in front of you… Looking forward to more pictures and more stories, advice and encouragement to embark on this one-of-a-kind adventure.

Thanks, David! I have at least 4 more posts planned to cover other aspects of the journey. Driving a small apartment across the country really does change how you look at things. 🙂 Happy New Year, and hope to see you soon!!!

Very informative (and a little daunting). Drove a similar size rental RV w/friends for a fishing trip but didn’t sleep in the vehicle. This has also been on my wish list so I look forward to future posts. Thank you.

Thanks, Paul! My family camped and fished when I was a kid, and we later had a boat on Prince William Sound in Alaska, but I always enviously watched the RVs driving down the highway!

Hope Cruise America uses your story in their promo. Alice

I saw a comment from “David F.” and thought to myself, “Hey, when did I leave a comment?” Turns out, I hadn’t.

Love this! Thanks!

Thanks Jan!!!

Leave us a comment! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Small Where You Make It Logo

Where You Make It

Cruise America Review: Why You Shouldn’t Rent From Them

Hey! This site is reader-supported and we earn commissions if you purchase products from retailers after clicking on a link from our site.

There is nothing better than cruising on the open road in your RV. You get to experience unique areas of the country, take in picturesque views, and spend quality time with the ones you love. A successful road trip is one without worry or inconvenience. You should be able to go at your own pace and experience life the way it should be.

Table of Contents

About the company, pros and cons of cruise america, the rv rental process at cruise america, cruise america available rental inventory, cruise america pricing, cruise america insurance coverage, cruise america roadside assistance, cruise america cancellation policy, cruise america customer service.

Half the battle is booking your trip and interacting with the company that rents out the RV. In this article, we provide insights into the quality, operations, customer care, and rental experience with Cruise America . There are both good and bad things about the company, but ultimately, you’re better off going with a company like RVshare or Outdoorsy – two of our favorite RV rental companies .

cruise america rental agreement

Cruise America was founded in 1972 by a Florida native by the name of Robert Smalley Sr. He wanted customers to reap the benefits of an RV without experiencing the hefty price of purchasing one outright.

Cruise America is the country’s biggest RV rental companies with over 132 locations and 300 employees combined in the United States and Canada. The company is still family-owned because Smalley’s sons are fulfilling the positions of both the CEO and President.

While the sons lacked experience coming straight out of college, they learned from their father and have grown the company into what it is today. Their strategy is categorized as aggressive and proactive. The leadership tries its best to anticipate what the market says and then correct small issues before they become disastrous problems in the future.

While the Cruise America RV brand is well-known throughout the country, a big knock is that the company is growing faster than it can handle.

The shortened staff has weaknesses in the areas of maintenance and customer service. The maintenance team needs to work extra hard to have the vehicles ready for the next reservation, which can sometimes backfire. When it comes to customer service, an overwhelming amount of cause can sacrifice the joyous interaction that customers seek when renting an RV.

Because the company has a significant market share and presence, it can offer a better price than most of its competitors upfront. There are also promotions that customers can enjoy at certain times of the year, along with individual insurance advantages.

Here are some more benefits when renting from Cruise America RV:

  • Competitive prices on the market due to a massive inventory and presence across the nation
  • Special offers for early bookings for customers
  • There are both 1- and 2-way travel options
  • There is a $0 deductible option if the vehicle gets damaged
  • Wide range of availability because of the massive fleet

Here are the drawbacks of the customer experience with Cruise America RV:

  • If there are a lot of people renting at once, customer service can be extremely lacking during peak times
  • There are limited models of RV (only three compared to 5-10 options with competitors)
  • There are few unique options at the counter
  • No airport or extra transportation options are available
  • The company is closed on Sundays

The RV rental process with Cruise America contains a simple and straightforward interface. When you are on the rental page for the website, you can check the potential pricing by merely typing your city, state, departure, and arrival dates.

cruise america rental agreement

There are sections to browse the different types of RVs, and it lists what is included with each. You can also browse from a list of rental locations, which notify you of the inventory selection. The downside is that the choice is somewhat limited in most parts of the country. You are not guaranteed to always find the model you want because of your location.

The rental page also gives you a quick snapshot of the different rental deals, including half-price miles, 20% off in Canada, enjoying a free night on the company, and other one- and two-way specials. The company also offers you free insurance, a 110-point inspection, and 24-hour emergency services.

Once you fill out your information, select the RV you want, and pass a background check, the company gives you a pickup delivery time and location. This time does not always get honored, however. There have been multiple cases of people who did not receive the RV on time and were heavily delayed for their trip.

The pickup and drop-off time windows are also very narrow. You can only drop off the vehicle between 9 and 11 am, and there is a late fee of $25 per hour if you do not return the RV during this time window. Customers are also held liable for any mechanical damage because of “negligence” during operation, which ends up turning into a “he said, she said” battle if it comes down to it.

The main thing that Cruise America needs to fix here is to budget more time in between rental centre appointments. That way, people are guaranteed to leave when they plan to. An increase in maintenance and customer service staff can also help keep customers satisfied during peak times of the year.

The rental inventory with Cruise America is somewhat limited. Many customers also complain that the RVs are never stocked with any necessities, even toilet paper, and coffee pots. Below are the following options for RV rentals with Cruise America:

  • Large RV: holds a maximum of 7 people and is a traditional motorhome with self-sustaining features for a family-sized unit
  • Standard RV: holds a maximum of 5 people
  • Compact RV: allows for a maximum of 3 people, with a rear kitchen and all amenities featured in a larger unit
  • Truck Camper: this rental option is connected to an F-150 truck, which makes it easy to transport for beginner-level renters

While Cruise America’s prices are manageable because of the size of the fleet, some extra fees are not included in the rent price. There is a generator fee of $3.50 per hour that is collected at the end of the trip, which can add up and bill you twice. If the interior of the vehicle is still dirty, the company has the right to assess a charge of $250.

The renter is also required to empty the holding tank before returning the RV, which could mean an extra charge of $50 if this is not done. An environmental fee is also tacked on at the end. Overall, there are a lot of backend charges that cause headaches later, but here is a list of prices for the different models:

  • Large RV: approximately $90 per night
  • Standard RV: between $80 and $165 per night
  • Compact RV: between $65 and $150 per night
  • Truck Camper: between $55 and $140 per night

The insurance coverage for renters might be one of the high points of the company. The company provides coverage policies in the three different sections, which are over the smallest amount of automobile coverage against a 3rd party.

The details in the rental agreement are highlighted by Supplemental Liability Insurance, which provides liability insurance under $1,000,000 for rentals in the United States. There is also a maximum responsibility of up to $1,500 in the event of vehicle loss or damage. Lastly, there is a plan for expense reimbursement of up to $3,000 if there is a breakdown mechanically.

Cruise America offers a 24/7 roadside travelers assistance number that all people can call. While they can be timely and responsive to your needs during the slower seasons, the busy times are a different story. There are unfortunate stories about people who had to wait up to 5-6 hours for a tire repair because the company did not want to replace it right away with a higher-priced tire.

The cancellation policy is consistent and fair for customers with Cruise America, compared to its competitors. You can cancel and receive a full refund if you cancel at least a week before the start date. Any less notice than seven days will result in the forfeit of the initial reservation payment. There is also no refund on any one-way RV rental cancellations.

During the busy seasons, the customer service teams are often overwhelmed with a massive influx of bookings, which takes away from meaningful interactions. The staff is trained to be polite and courteous, but that is not always the case. They are sometimes inconsistent with delivering your RV on time, which limits your enjoyment.

As you can see, Cruise America has the infrastructure and fleet to deliver competitive prices with its listings. But turnover and staff support inconsistency hurt the company from a service standpoint. There are insurance coverages that help protect the renters, but there are many other hidden fees that can raise the cost of your trip, which gives you an unexpected financial surprise at the end. If you want to opt for a more traditional RV rental company, I think El Monte is a better deal than Cruise America.

If you want a more personable and smooth booking process with actual RV owners instead of a corporate company, check out  RVshare  or  Outdoorsy . Because an individual owner backs each RV listing, you are more likely to find better quality in the experience. The customer service team is also very competent and offers you unique solutions. You deserve to rent stress-free – good luck on your adventure!

Related Articles:

cruise america rental agreement

Mike leads research, writes, and keeps the site up and running. He's worked on upgrades to an old class A Winnebago, vans, and other homes - wherever they are.

cruise america rental agreement

RVBlogger

9 Best RV Rental Companies: Pros, Cons, and Prices

RV Rental Price vs Cost The Real Deal

Sharing is caring!

Thanks for your support! If you make a purchase using our links in this article, we may make a commission. And, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See the full disclosure here .

Are you looking for the Best RV Rental Company for your RV vacation? Well, look no further! Our comparison of the 8 Best Rental Companies: Pros, Cons, and Prices includes the eight following companies for your consideration:

  • Cruise America
  • El Monte RV
  • Escape Campervan s
  • Road Bear RV
  • Lost Campers – Replace with RVezy

RV vacations are gaining in popularity each year. Whether you are traveling as an individual, couple, family, or large group, the benefits of renting an RV for your vacation are numerous. The main reasons people are choosing RV vacations over other types of trips are cost and flexibility. 

Benefits of Choosing the Best RV Rental Companies

Renting an RV is not the most affordable way to travel. But, you will also find more amenities in an RV rental than you would find in a basic hotel room, which makes an RV rental a great value.

A full kitchen, bathroom, and beds for up to eight people are all possible in an RV rental. The extra features that you will find in a basic RV rental are way more than what you would get from a similarly priced hotel room! If you take a trip of a week or more, many rental companies will discount your nightly rate, making it an even better deal. 

With an RV rental, you also have the flexibility to travel wherever you would like to go on your own schedule. Some travelers choose to move to a new location every night while others find a place they love and stay there for their entire trip! With an RV rental, the choice is yours! 

One of the most important decisions you can make when choosing an RV rental is selecting the right RV rental agency. RV renters have a choice between using a peer-to-peer rental service or a nationwide corporate rental agency.

Peer-to-peer services connect renters with RV owners and provide a level of customer support and insurance. Corporate rental agencies own a fleet of vehicles that are used exclusively for rentals.

Let’s look at the 8 Best RV Rental Companies: Pros, Cons, and Prices to see how they compare. 

1. Outdoorsy

Outdoorsy RV Rental Company Logo

Outdoorsy is a peer-to-peer rental service that focuses specifically on RV rentals . This service is excellent because you can choose from thousands of different layouts and various RV types to pick the specific RV that works for you. The Outdoorsy search engine allows you to filter available RVs by your location, the number of people you need to sleep in the rig, amenities, and more. 

Our Pros and Cons

Users give Outdoorsy high marks for quality rentals and outstanding customer service. After checking out all of the available RV rental platforms and reading thousands of reviews from both RV owners and renters, we believe that Outdoorsy is the best place to rent an RV directly from an owner. While RVshare and Outdoorsy both offer similar benefits, Outdoorsy has an advantage over RVshare due to its outstanding insurance and customer support. We also like the quality of the rental RVs and travel trailers that are listed on Outdoorsy. 

Check out some of these fantastic reviews from happy Outdoorsy renters!

Chris

RV rental rates on Outdoorsy vary by the type of rig, amenities, updates, and features offered. The time of year, the length of the rental, and rental location impact the price as well. We found RV rental rates as low as $50 for pop-up campers and small travel trailers to $200-400 per night for large Class A rigs. Remember that you can negotiate these rates and add-on amenities with the RV owners before you book.

Types of RV Rentals Through Outdoorsy

  • Drivable RV Rentals
  • Small RV Rentals
  • Travel Trailer Rentals
  • Toy Hauler Rentals
  • Popup Camper Rentals
  • Long Term RV Rentals
  • Airstream Rentals
  • Camper Van Rentals

RVshare Logo

RVshare is currently the nation’s largest peer-to-peer RV rental service . You can choose from a variety of RV rentals, so you are sure to find an RV that meets your needs. RVshare also provides insurance and customer support for your RV rental. The added benefits of insurance protection and assistance make RVshare a better option than an unsecured peer-to-peer rental, like those found on Craigslist. 

Chris was wonderful with bringing the trailer up setting up taking care of our needs making sure everything was OK being on time Mary Wilson Tweet
Loved having the trailer delivered, set up and removed. That is the way to go. Trailer had comfortable beds. The kids loved the bunks. Plenty of storage and kitchen was stocked adequately. Would definitely rent again! Vicky Wright Tweet

RV rental rates on RVShare vary by the type of rig, amenities, updates, and features. The time of year, the length of the rental, and rental location impact the price as well. We found RV rental rates as low as $65 for pop-up campers and small travel trailers to $250-400 per night for large Class A rigs. Remember that you can negotiate these rates and add-on amenities with the RV owners before you book.

3. Cruise America

Cruise America Logo

Cruise America is the largest RV rental company in the US. With over 4,000 RVs in its fleet, Cruise America serves a large number of folks looking to rent RVs each year. 

Because there are so many locations throughout the United States, it is usually easy to find a Cruise America RV rental location near your destination. Your booking can be made online or by calling their toll-free number. 

This makes our second time renting from Cruise America, and we couldn’t be happier with their customer service and quality of RVs. All the helpful trip tips they give you, etc. (make Cruise a) great company to work with. Highly recommend. Raymond Crockett Tweet
With Cruise America we were assured of a near-new unit in perfect condition and that’s what we got. Ours was a beautiful unit and met all of our needs. Rande Leonard Tweet

Rentals with Cruise America depend on the RV size, pickup and drop-off location, and time of year. Expect to pay anywhere from $70-100 per night for the base rate. There are additional charges for dishes, linens, mileage, and more so the cost can quickly add up. 

4. El Monte

El Monte RV Rentals

For folks looking for another corporate RV rental option, El Monte RV and Motor Home Rentals is another company to consider. As the second-largest RV rental agency in the United States, El Monte has a large fleet of RVs in several models to choose from. El Monte is well known for its flexibility with one-way rentals, making them a good option for anyone considering a one-way road trip.

Easy going,customer service was great. RV ran great and was in good condition Matthew Tweet
We had a great time and the RV was fantastic. Thank you! Howard L. Tweet

Rental rates with El Monte depend on the RV size, pickup, and drop-off location, and time of year. Expect to pay around $155 per night for a small Class C, and up to $400 per night for a large Class A. There are additional charges for dishes, linens, mileage, and more so the cost can quickly add up. 

5. Escape Campervans

5. Escape Campervans

If you’re looking for a little ‘niche’ in your camper rental lifestyle, Escape Campervans will scratch your traveling itch with a highly unique fleet of campervans. It’s the perfect option for couples and those who want to take advantage of a Harvest Hosts membership .

This is my second time using escape camper van. I wish I new about them years ago, I absolutely love the vans, they all have fun designs. I rented the maverick with an extra shell top. I can’t wait to rent the new Delmar . Francine R. Tweet
We had a nice new Ford campervan for our 14 day trip through California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. No complaints at all. Simon B. Tweet

Escape Campervans feature a starting price of $95 per night, however, the minimum is a three-night rental. If you choose one of their smaller, couple’s Class Bs, and keep all of your options at a minimum, you’re looking at $285 before tax.

6. RVnGO

RVnGO is quickly becoming one of the best RV rental companies in America thanks to their simplification and customization offers. If you jump on their website, you’ll find one of the simplest and quickest inventories out there. As a peer-to-peer RV campervan rental service, it’s hard to beat if you want to rent an RV with as little fuss as possible.

We rented a Winnebago Revel from Sullys Offroad Adventures for a great trip through Arizona and Utah, free camping most of the time. Wayne Sullivan was a great host and communicated well. The vehicle was in great shape and took us where we wanted to go. It was an adventure of a lifetime. Ann and Dan Terrell Tweet
It was awesome service working with Bruce. It made our life so much easier especially when we needed something at last minute. The camper was phenomenal and we are using them again as well. Woot woot. Timothy Lynch Tweet

RVnGO is reasonably priced. There’s a minimum stay of three nights and a starting price of $112 for Class Cs and comparable travel trailers (in terms of size) and a $228 starting price for Class B RVs. Class C and B rentals represent the vast majority of rentals from RVnGO—the most popular two options.

7. Road Bear

7. Road Bear

While Road Bear has only 7 branches across the country, they are the luxury brand when it comes to the best RV rental companies in the US. For only 7 branches, they have a 600+ fleet of RVs in most categories—all of which feature luxury loadouts. If luxury RVing is your thing, Road Bear should be at the top of your list.

Great RV and awesome service. I made a mistake on booking the reservation and Road Bear RV took full care of it. RV was clean and luxurious. Thank you Road Bear. David Rath Tweet
I rented an RV from Road Bear in May and was very impressed. There was everything we needed provided with the camper and everything worked great. There weren’t many miles on the clock. I can’t remember how many, but not many and everything was still pretty shiny and new.  J. Balbion Tweet

With Road Bear, this part is definitely the rub. On average, a week-long rental will run you $700, not including a $1,000 booking deposit and an additional $1,500 security deposit. If you so much as scratch the fender, say bye-bye to about $1k. Roadside assistance is covered for an extra $72 with $360 for insurance.

8. Lost Campers

8. Lost Campers

Next to last on our list is Lost Campers , a relatively small Class B RV rental service with locations in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, and San Fransisco. Hopefully, they’ll continue to grow as they are one of the most affordable alternatives. Their small fleet of Class Bs is the only thing keeping them from being in the top three or four best RV rental companies.

Solo female traveler – couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Yes it’s budget but it’s functional, drives well and the essentials were all there for a comfortable trip Susanna Walker Tweet
I can definitely recommend Lost Campers for your Trip! We had a super pleasant experience with the team, their service was just lovely! The camper itself was also great too, Dario Hambrugge Tweet

Lost Campers offers the lowest starting price of the entire group at $7p per night, with a minimum of three nights. The fact that they include camping gear and kitchen kits in all of their Class B RV rentals seriously knocks down the price when you consider the fact that these are add-on prices with other Class B RV rental services. The unlimited mileage makes this package a steal.

cruise america rental agreement

Last but not least, we have one of the newest, peer-to-peer RV rental companies to throw their hats in the ring. Founded in 2016, RVezy offers one of the smoothest RV renting experiences in the industry. They also offer a load of freebies, including portable grills and pet accommodations. They’ve only been in the US since 2020 but they are growing exponentially.

RVezy’s peer-to-peer RV rentals are a great alternative to traditional RV rental companies. As a renter, you get access to a much wider range of authentic RVs at a slightly lower cost and without the headaches of having to bring all your own stuff.” Patrick Buchanan Tweet
Great service. It’s so easy to find and book an RV. I love the security of doing the transaction through a third party like RVezy. It keeps both the RV owners and renters protected Steve W. Tweet

Pricing is determined by the hosts and they offer periodic weekly and monthly discounts. With that being said, it’s hard to calculate a stable price since there are so many customization options before you get into the insurance and deposits, the latter of which is $1,000.

Types of RV Rental Companies

Peer-to-peer and traditional are the two types of RV rental companies. Traditional rentals are just like renting a car on a business trip. The only difference is that one is an RV and one is a car, with the former being quite a bit more complex and expensive.

Peer-to-peer is the RV industry’s version of Airbnb, except the owner is renting out a home that’s on the move. The company serves as both the conveyor belt and the middleman in the transaction between you and the RV’s owner.

Both have their advantages. Traditional RV rentals feature consistency and efficiency that might be lacking in peer-to-peer transactions. It’s a company, so its entire fleet will be modernized, clean, and ready to go. On the flip side, there’s a distinct lack of variety and rental options can get a little boring.

Some of the best RV rental companies in the US feature peer-to-peer transactions. While there may be a lack of consistency from RV to RV, there is more community, communication, and amiability. Plus, you don’t have to live near a rental agency. RV owners live all over the place, making it the broadest and most complex network of the two.

What Type of Motorhomes Do RV Rental Companies Offer?

All kinds but some RV rental companies are more specific, such as Escape Campervans. Class A motorhomes (the big buses), Class Bs (Campervans), Class Cs (kind of a hybrid in between B and A), travel trailers pulled with a traditional hitch, and fifth wheels are all on offer to varying degrees.

If you’re looking for a wide range of RV types, then peer-to-peer RV rental companies are often best, since there are so many people with different RVs willing to rent theirs out.

4 Frequently Asked Questions: Best RV Rental Companies

Frequently Asked Questions: Best RV Rental Companies

1. What is the best app for RV rentals?

Outdoorsy has the best app for RV rentals. It’s a little clunky at times but everything you need to rent an RV is there and it’s available on Android and iOS devices. The app also offers a range of RV-specific educational training for newbie RVers.

2. When is the best time to rent an RV?

The best time to rent an RV for pure enjoyment is anytime throughout the summer months. However, if you want to rent an RV and save some money, it’s best to do so off-peak, in the fall, winter, and early spring.

3. What is the most rented RV type?

Travel trailers (towables) are the more rented RV types. They are often the most reliable and cost-effective. Plus, you get to pull it with a vehicle that you’re already comfortable with.

4. What type of RV Rental is easiest to drive?

Campervans or Class B RVs are the easiest to drive thanks to their lightweight and compact frames. Plus, their small size means navigation is a cinch and you won’t have to worry about ending up in a place where you can’t drive under a bridge or through a tunnel.

Final Thoughts On the 8 Best RV Rental Companies

If you’re looking for a taste of the RV lifestyle, a romantic getaway, or a family adventure, RV rentals are a big slice of life and exploration on the road. The above companies represent the best of what the industry has to offer, some more affordable than others.

Even the affordable options add up quickly and it’s important to put together a budget for a week in the RV life. If you love it enough, who knows? Maybe your next step will be at the closest RV dealership and a lifetime of adventure ahead.

Related Reading:

1. rv rental insurance for rv owners, 2. drivable vs towable rv rentals – which is best, 3. private rv rentals vs rv dealers with large fleets, 4. what is the best rv rental company, mike scarpignato – bio.

Mike Scarpignato created RVBlogger.com over five years ago in 2018 to share all we have learned about RV camping.

Mike is an avid outdoorsman with decades of experience tent camping and traveling in his 2008 Gulf Stream Conquest Class C RV and 2021 Thor Challenger Class A motorhome.

We attend RV Shows and visit RV dealerships all across the country to tour and review drivable motorhomes and towable trailers to provide the best evaluations of these RVs in our blog articles and YouTube videos.

We are 3/4-time RVers who created RVBlogger.com to provide helpful information about all kinds of RVs and related products, gear, camping memberships, tips, hacks and advice.

Mike and Susan from RVBlogger at an RV Show touring reviewing and rating RVs

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

cruise america rental agreement

How to Winterize Your RV

Cruise America – zero damage plan – worth it?

RV Q & A

cruise america rental agreement

Beautiful_Universe_ :

Hi dear Reddit family

The ZDP is $12 a day from about $200 a day that we are paying for the RV

We are taking it a 30′ to Burning Man for 7 days

From San Francisco to Reno to Black Rock City

Not sure if we need it

I also have my regular Geico auto insurance – will call them and ask

=================

Zero Damage Plan (ZDP) When you rent a vehicle from Cruise America or Cruise Canada, you are responsible for any and all loss or damage to the vehicle from any cause regardless of fault to a maximum of $1,500 per occurrence. When you purchase our Zero Damage Plan (ZDP), which is not insurance, you are relieved of the financial responsibility if the rented vehicle is damaged or stolen. Benefits of Zero Damage Plan: •Covers all vehicle damage to rented vehicle provided that the renter is not in violation of the Rental Agreement. •No need to file a claim with your personal auto insurance. •No deductible for you to pay Cruise America or Cruise Canada. ZDP does not apply if: (1) the renter uses the vehicle in violation of the rental agreement; (2) the renter fails to remove the keys or lock all doors and close windows and the vehicle is stolen; (3) the renter fails to notify us and the police immediately after loss; and (4) the renter fails to pay charges under the Rental Agreement; or (5) as allowed by the applicable state or provincial law. Before deciding whether to purchase ZDP, the renter may wish to determine whether their own vehicle insurance provides coverage for rental vehicle damage or loss and determine the amount of deductible under their own insurance policy. ZDP is not insurance. The purchase of ZDP is not mandatory and is optional. You need to accept or decline the plan.

built_FXR :

How much is the zdp?

learntorv :

Going to Burning Man? Get it.

And double check you can take the RV to burning man. I thought a lot of rental contracts specifically say you cannot.

Source: Cruise America – zero damage plan – worth it?

How to Winterize Your RV eBook: FREE

How to Winterize Your RV - FREE eBook

Video of the Week: Stay Cool with RV Shades

Watch Video of the Week Here

RV Window Shades: Block the Heat, Not the View

EZ Snap RV Window Shade

Do It Yourself RV Skirting:

EZ Snap RV Skirting Kits

  • Airstream (10)
  • Boat Shades (3)
  • EZ Snap (62)
  • Facebook RV (1,174)
  • News & Announcements (4)
  • Pinterest RV (3,759)
  • RV Basics (214)
  • RV Do It Yourself (1,897)
  • RV Families (106)
  • RV Fulltime (44)
  • RV Gear (101)
  • RV Life (210)
  • RV Lifestyle (1,271)
  • RV Lifestyle (1)
  • RV Living (79)
  • RV Love (206)
  • RV News (3,567)
  • RV Q & A (5,293)
  • RV Shades (2)
  • RV Tech (80)
  • RV Tips (1,035)
  • RV Travel (839)
  • RV TV (701)
  • RVLiving (1,866)
  • Skylight Shades (2)
  • Uncategorized (1,073)
  • Window Shades (3)

How to Winterize Your RV eBook

FREE eBook... 'How to Winterize Your RV'

Your Guide for RV Winter Living & Storage.

Valuable Tips & Info help you prepare for cold weather. Includes winterization instructions for full-time or part-time winter RV living.

It's FREE and there's no obligation... Download your copy today.

  • RV Skirting
  • Window Shades
  • Skylight Shades
  • Boat Shades
  • RV Winterization eBook
  • Household Shades
  • RV Shades & Skirting
  • Yacht Shades
  • Discounts & Special Offers

Thank You! You will be redirected to the eBook download page shortly... After you've had a read through, please let us know what you think about the 'How to Winterize Your RV' eBook.

We don't share your contact info with anyone.

RV Rental & Sales Locations

Ready to go? Find the Cruise America rental or sales center. Available in the lower 48 states, Alaska & Canada.

Locations Landing

No locations found

Having problems finding a location? Contact us 24/7 at 1-800-671-8042 .

Trip Inspiration

RV trip planning with roadtrippers

RV Trip Planning with Roadtrippers for Summer Adventures

places to go for mother's day
mother's day trip ideas

11 Mother’s Day Trip Ideas: Best Places to Go for Mother’s Day

national park week
national park week events

How to Celebrate National Park Week: National Park Week Events

4a598e21-d72c-404d-8798-50d76673ee78.jpg

Adventure with a Loved One for Valentine’s Day | Cruise America

d7803b58-065a-4028-9470-829e310b7406.jpg

The Best Beaches for Spring Break (Party & Relaxed Locations)

84d62d3d-39de-43b6-aade-49bc1f11b102.jpg

The 10 Best National Parks for Spring Break RV Trips

4a209fb5-fce4-48c4-8a00-5ba5bcea2b40.jpg

12 Spring Break Road Trip Ideas You'll Love

2f95d146-a6d6-41b7-b967-e9776bbd4996.jpg

Top 7 Spring Break Music Festivals to Attend in 2024

cb8a5aff-3395-4c50-ba01-b2b5bbfa10d6.jpg

The Best Spring Break Destinations for Families

0796d56d-4d1f-400e-9559-b80441ec74c9.jpg

Top Places to Go RV Camping for Easter in 2024

Best State Parks In California

A Full Guide to California State Parks for Nature Lovers

harvest host locations in california

Top Harvest Host Locations in California for Wine Enthusiasts

best glamping resorts

The Best Glamping Resorts for RVs Hands Down

Best california state parks.

world cup san francisco

World Cup San Francisco 2026: RV Camping Guide

world cup los angeles

World Cup Los Angeles 2026: RV Camping Guide

A complete guide to serrano campground.

84a2ae9a-c3ae-445e-8239-6ffc722770fb.jpg

Cheap Road Trip Ideas Anyone Can Make Happen

bbddd197-37cf-4057-8cfa-a06ad050ed38.jpg

Urban & Rural Campgrounds in Los Angeles to Check Out

b391df79-6708-4e6f-a26a-eb37dd7d510f.jpg

8 Campgrounds in San Francisco Bay Area With Great Reputations

b05d0c76-b8fb-424c-b8a0-fc30bfc7251d.jpg

Labor Day Vacation Ideas [RV Travel on Labor Day Weekend]

d2e3db51-3bc3-4721-a7bd-dae24f314ab9.jpg

The Top Campgrounds in Northern California That You Haven’t Heard Of

a463c26f-e513-43d3-ab82-87d4f66f8008.jpg

The Top Campgrounds in Southern California That You Haven’t Heard Of

5aad9588-4e82-4798-b591-77e24c086636.jpg

Why a Summer Road Trip Makes Financial Sense

2b0b93ff-7f9e-4e7b-a8c6-1bfd07fabda5.jpg

RV Taxes by State [Costs to Prepare For]

421eec13-4827-4ac7-bef2-9c1906705f68.jpg

What to Know About Every State Fair in 2024

88e91b7f-5510-4683-ac6e-87e1f0c153d1.jpg

Outside Lands 2024: A Traveler’s Guide

5edcc962-337b-4489-ac0b-9c93d73d4c64.jpg

Expected Summer Gas Prices 2023 & How to Pinch Pennies

d32f65ba-4e37-4564-a0e0-bdfa07158d1c.jpg

Bucket List: An RV Trip Through All 50 States

40fb4ff3-5a1c-449f-be9a-c41c2b959925.jpg

10 Reasons Why You Would Love NASCAR RV Camping

ce8c6431-979d-4981-83de-fcd9fd1c13dd.jpg

18 Best RV Trips With Dogs

61b31013-43d8-4a86-b316-dc6e0bc887a9.jpg

10 of the Best Multigenerational Trips Your Family Can Ever Take

2bc1c520-4da2-46ec-bf1b-5f5a38517a00.jpg

Dude Ranch Vacations That Will Unlock Your Inner Cowboy

f768a473-d86a-417e-9d6f-59292130b184.jpg

Road Trip to the Best Water Parks in the USA

a36e65fc-ed8d-44af-9103-4d4daf117fb0.jpg

Music Festivals in the Southwest You Need to Attend in 2024

bd13b7e7-05d2-495c-a1e3-f58ec34d690c.jpg

Where to Stay with Cruise: Top RV Campgrounds in the West

Group in front of campfire with Cruise America RV in background

Cruise America’s Top 20 Campgrounds of 2024

16f6d0c9-4476-4dc8-b43c-f55bc183709f.jpg

9 One-Way RV Trips That You Need to Take in 2024

13 fire lookout towers you need to visit.

c06c752d-78d6-49c3-994e-c143f7947e12.jpg

10 of Our Favorite Harvest Host Locations

cbf665d9-e043-4cbc-b7e0-d1a9b13a0044.jpg

Visiting Yosemite in Winter: What To Expect

b4b38414-0826-4f86-a884-c1559d627a02.jpg

The Best Thanksgiving Road Trip Ideas

93fbcbd1-fd62-46ac-96ea-166ecadd4f56.jpg

Tips for Planning Your Route 66 Road Trip

3cc37bf4-bba1-4ffd-9c03-45621c677717.jpg

7 Stunning National Forests to Visit (& Hike) in the US

b02d4c5f-6e02-4982-975b-ba267393d155.jpg

How To Pick Which National Park To Visit: A Helpful Handbook

db58284f-e1e4-4204-8d9f-49e8c686310a.jpg

The 10 Best RV Campgrounds in Southern California

7a795592-9a2d-48cf-92ab-5a44e0afdb6d.jpg

The 10 Best RV Campgrounds in Northern California

4420d3d8-938f-45b4-b88c-dc29c8dbfb36.jpg

Best RV Parks in California on Coast: Coastal Camping Spots

51670131-33c2-490d-9712-b1c3f92cd8a8.jpg

The Outdoor Lover's Southern California Bucket List

81bd0355-49c3-4a45-9eb3-3b6356db84d5.jpg

11 Top Los Angeles RV Parks When Camping in the City of Stars

7912d92f-b0fc-4b24-b4c1-868e8c72acee.jpg

The Outdoor Lover's Northern California Bucket List

8996aa54-a62d-4509-bcaf-13028ed7c931.jpg

My Favorite Hiking Trails in Hedge Creek Falls, California

9f414f14-9c3e-40d6-97d4-86ad194fe3fe.jpg

Revel in the Redwoods: Best Places to See Redwoods in California

4808ca60-55e0-430b-af2d-02fbb3f2f3ed.jpg

My Favorite Things to Do in Joshua Tree National Park

c2ff6f43-368c-4874-b373-73e257aeaf6f.jpg

RV Camping Near Golden Gate Canyon State Park

c5f8ee02-cf9e-41d2-92f6-d269f3cbfab6.jpg

RV Camping Near Crystal Cove State Park

7ffacb62-b085-47b8-a8aa-e552d1fb6210.jpg

RV Camping Near Big Basin Redwoods State Park

63d52975-7004-4d3b-948a-d57794e16b5c.jpg

RV Camping Near Malibu Creek State Park

35c05c2f-c822-4ae3-8e35-97a4883ffe1e.jpg

Best 20 Stargazing Locations in California to Camp Near

49681fe0-8640-4cc9-8ad6-cd200808c1ca.jpg

Pacific Northwest RV Surf Trip

77349713-5239-4410-ad1e-6bf2c90f91db.jpg

15 Boondocking Locations and Free Campsites in California

39334ce1-76fe-4108-9f91-5608de4a7742.jpg

RV Camping Near Anza Borrego

8e5cad6b-c51f-4c0a-9770-45f0d9fdc37f.jpg

RV Camping Near Morro Bay State Park

4ce56e51-4453-4dcf-915a-0946ceca7de3.jpg

Best 5 RV Parks Near Newport Beach, CA

aa1e52bd-31bd-4e00-8995-8e9660d06de0.jpg

Best 5 RV Parks Near Huntington Beach, CA

623eea8d-f1ae-4a19-9e60-5c7e8be5d075.jpg

Best 8 San Diego RV Parks on the Beach

8de5208b-5ecc-4c59-8bde-c728b881cb95.jpg

Planning a Road Trip Through California's National Parks

d4649aef-77ae-49a0-a5e7-1216eef90d86.jpg

RV Camping in Sequoia National Park

52a9b08b-594e-4a9a-8e33-dc8af49110fd.jpg

RV Camping in Redwood National Park

78f1d4fb-4a9c-4ae8-85d5-e73b5a5b26c4.jpg

Guide to RV Camping in Big Sur

df47ad1c-964b-41e7-a323-ddc62d8b0978.jpg

RV Camping in Joshua Tree National Park

ce1d5577-d4cd-4eec-94a4-d449676e26aa.jpg

Best Places to RV Vacation This Spring Break

a56d5700-6ca1-4366-bb34-b4557dd9bec3.jpg

Where To Camp Away Your Remaining PTO in 2022

4 hidden beaches to visit this winter, our top four winter road trips.

d320b104-7e6a-49d8-b82e-b7960f95a1fc.jpg

5 Unique Thanksgiving Camping Destinations

b636812e-3bd8-4c9c-a89d-237abfa84ca5.jpg

Ultimate Golf Destinations for RV Travelers

a3230982-a00a-4bfa-b946-41766e0e697f.jpg

The Best State Fairs This Summer

fa7ba9fa-9c4f-4c57-a377-8e8bf2c1733b.jpg

5 Must-Visit Insta Spots in National Parks

Picture5

Summer Bucket List Trips

e7b4c1a4-c649-40b1-9b1e-4dad9464c0b8.jpg

The 6 Coolest Zoos and Aquariums in the U.S.

892aa1eb-c0b3-4307-80f6-04bb697cf277.jpg

RVs Are Not Just For Traveling

82a1f008-cbdb-44a5-aed9-fbb76af0a8bf.jpg

The Most Unique Festivals to Attend in 2024

75145ce3-6213-4fe5-8226-e366d3809531.jpg

3 Sweet Glamping Spots in NorCal

10889c44-3911-4e64-8904-78d81eb163b0.jpg

7 Family-friendly Places to RV Camp This Summer

f137112b-885b-433f-a70a-1e5da88f4c21.jpg

Best Summer Music Festivals to Take an RV

b7848efc-ea05-4d6c-81de-de6ec9b89f81.jpg

4 Epic California Surfing Beaches for RV Camping

d49ccaf5-14db-4ae3-8344-890773933fa6.jpg

9 Ridiculously Cool Waterparks To Visit This Summer

47c61933-1465-403f-93e9-c286a96cb1e3.jpg

7 Scenic Half Marathons Worth Travelling For

75aa1931-3bdf-490f-a89f-4ad24942b093.jpg

Our 5 Favorite Spring RV Destinations

Take a spontaneous romantic trip.

74009760-42e2-49ef-98f0-68e8a3a334f4.jpg

Six Popular RV Destinations

3a031eda-0866-4ffc-9738-11e64f5f0857.jpg

Pet Friendly RV Parks

0a1ae1af-88d9-4e67-80fe-0590754d98e5.jpg

Riding Off in the Sunset RV Style

a768e11a-00ff-4364-ae47-a82302c86fc8.jpg

Time for Some Sun?

216dee78-9648-4690-a18f-59703dd8b9ad.jpg

New Year’s Day in Pasadena

b8cdeab1-a3ee-4c16-98c1-3f67f57a1f25.jpg

Five Amazing RV Destinations

5e0ace18-c388-4dbc-b169-0a319a7fa34a.jpg

Adios to Summer, Hello to Fall

2cb1fd81-77c5-44f9-9ca7-f35db5d2fb75.jpg

Great RV Road Trip Ideas

7fb9adb0-a114-4a47-b68e-7ca51ce54478.jpg

Get a National Park RV Pass for Your RV Road Trip - Cruise America

7d486455-83bf-49e8-a7b8-d12ca8f03be7.jpg

RVing the SoCal Way

75713042-866e-413d-bb25-14af1d9300c9.jpg

RV Parks in San Francisco

941814c6-646f-4087-a51b-b08e3deedf69.jpg

San Diego RV Rentals

bcb8bffd-f06f-4122-80f4-7dd6809395c5.jpg

California Pre-Loved RVs for Sale

5bf3b288-7d07-4d76-a2c0-21ec25868a17.jpg

RV Road Trips - US to Canada

3cbb25f3-8a18-496e-a29d-1f3550b8101b.jpg

Senior Graduation Road Trips

95764ac8-8ccb-4090-a80d-6d8c4b3997a7.jpg

Cheap Travel for Spring Break Trips

1104a97e-e831-4191-baa8-9d0958719ed2.jpg

Pet-Friendly RV Vacations

dbe54a65-7edd-48cc-ae99-5d91048077fa.jpg

Best RV Camping in Yosemite National Park

abf1f4f3-30e4-4690-b160-7bfbb881c81d.jpg

Can You Go Winter RV Camping? Top Tips to Stay Warm

b8fa939a-ee06-4c29-973e-ed26ca70e553.jpg

Coachella Valley Music Festival

7ee0299d-cf69-433f-a063-225fb3fe56b1.jpg

4th of July

a32d919f-fe5d-4df3-85a2-879b536db915.jpg

Discover North America

32ee65b3-4d87-468c-b13b-841c2aaa3225.jpg

RV Trip Across America

Cruise America Rv Rental Burning Man

Burning Man Festival

Discover california.

If you’re thinking of a trip in a Cruise America rental RV, California stands out as a great place to rent one. The only concern is that there is just no way to cover the entire state in one trip! California is a very large state with an even larger number of things to do and see in your California rental RV. From the “City of Angels” to the Golden Gate Bridge, California offers up some of the richest exploration in the world. Here is one of many lists of the top-twenty things to see and do while maneuvering your Cruise America RV rental; California style.

RV Rental California – No Matter Which Way You Drive, You Will Find Fun

Take in the gorgeous scenery as you drive your rental motorhome along the 101 north of San Francisco

Enjoy the most amazing views in Yosemite National Park, and all that it has to offer

Travel to Lassen Volcanic National Park to gaze upon the world’s largest plug dome volcano

Make your way to Long Beach to see the famous RMS Queen Mary. Take the tour, and you may be lucky enough to see a ghost!

Drive down highway 1 in your rental RV to see the dynamic duo of the Hearst Castle and the San Simeon beach. Don’t miss the sea elephants!

Head to the California State Capitol Museum with an RV rental in  Sacramento and tour the state capitol building.

Go to the Knott’s Berry Farm Theme Park in Buena Park, which has been slated as one of the funnest theme parks in the country.

Napa Valley and the Vineyards provide a great place to uncork your imagination and take in the tours. Maybe even crush a few grapes!

Stroll through the Paul Getty Museum, where you’ll find massive displays of artwork and thought-provoking exhibits

Visit the largest freshwater lake of the Sierras, Lake Tahoe. There are great ski resorts nearby, depending on the season you visit

Become a kid again at Six Flags Magic Mountain, located in Santa Clarita. Amongst other thrills, you will find CraZanity—the world’s tallest pendulum ride

If you’re feeling like you’re in a sub-surface mood, Sea World is a great place to visit. Oh, and there’s RV camping for your rental motorhome just across the street from the park.

If you’re an animal lover, you mustn’t skip the RV rental in  San Diego  on your way to the Zoo. The critters are practically countless, and you get an up-close view of so many species

Death Valley National Park and Mt. Whitney Visit the lowest and highest spots of intercontinental North America

Visit the Redwood National Forest and feel how peaceful it is to feel so small

Take a stroll through the ever-so-popular CityWalk at Universal Studios Hollywood, and visit the theme park, where you get an insider’s view of how your favorite movies are made

For the true feel of the “City by the Bay,” ride the trolley and take a city tour of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge, and don’t miss out on the great seafood by the bay

Come see the “Happiest Place on Earth” by stepping into the imagination of Walt Disney’s Disneyland Resort. Everywhere you look, you will see his life’s dream coming true. Grab an RV rental in  Oakland  to see why this city was part of Walt's inspiration

Labeled one of the cleanest, wealthiest places in the world, Newport Beach will not disappoint you. Visit over the Christmas season and see the brightly lit annual boat parade

Tour the gardens and art exhibits of the Huntington Library and Gardens in Pasadena

Bear in mind that this list doesn’t scratch the surface of the many things to do and places to go in your rental motorhome. Consider an RV rental in Orange County , an RV rental in Alameda , an RV rental in San Mateo , an RV rental in Los Angeles , or an RV rental in Ventura if you're wanting to cover the most ground in California. Remember that when you go to Cruise America for an RV rental, California is one of those states that requires no particular direction to find something fun and exciting to do. The best list to go by is the one that you create yourself. Don't forget, you also have the chance to check out a used RV for sale from Cruise America. Deals unlike any other make them hard to pass up!

Cruise America

based on 118 locations

About Cruise America

Cruise America has an average rating of 2.8 from 1502 reviews. The rating indicates that most customers are generally dissatisfied. The official website is cruiseamerica.com. Cruise America is popular for Hotels & Travel, RV Rental. Cruise America has 118 locations on Yelp across the US. Read below to see the top rated Cruise America businesses on Yelp and their customer service rating.

Photos of Cruise America

Cruise America - null

By Eddie P.

Cruise America - Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

By Shannon E.

Cruise America - Custer State park wildlife Loop rd.

By Tiffany N.

Cruise America - null

By Calvin I.

Cruise America - Zion National Park

By Arnold S.

Cruise America - Cruise America

By Enrique K.

Cruise America - Picking up the RV

By Demetrias B.

Cruise America - ... as the sign says

By Daniel P.

Cruise America - null

Recent reviews of Cruise America

1,502 reviews

Photo of Jeff M.

Similar brands to Cruise America

Manila Forwarder

Riu Palace Aruba

Mayfair Rent-A-Car

Maverick Helicopters

Escape Campervans

Alaska Airlines

Express Passport

El Monte Rv

Continental

Howard Johnson

Allegiant Air

Bon Voyage Travel

Orange County Transportation Authority

IMAGES

  1. Free 9 Sample Rental Agreement Templates In Pdf Ms Word

    cruise america rental agreement

  2. Get a Free Vacation Rental Contract Template

    cruise america rental agreement

  3. Fillable Online To download Kayak Rental Agreement.

    cruise america rental agreement

  4. Free Short-Term (Vacation) Rental Lease Agreement

    cruise america rental agreement

  5. 47+ SAMPLE Basic Rental Contracts in PDF

    cruise america rental agreement

  6. Boat Rental Contract

    cruise america rental agreement

VIDEO

  1. How a voluntary safety agreement, cruise ship itineraries and poor decisions, led to a tragedy!

  2. Cruise America Sales :11

  3. Norwegian Cruise Line to set sail from Jacksonville starting in 2025 after JAXPORT vote

  4. Cruise America® RV Rentals :17

  5. HOW Many Seatbelts in a Cruise America RV?! // 2023

  6. Why Rent From Cruise America? (Dansk)

COMMENTS

  1. RV Rental FAQs

    The details are contained on the Rental Agreement. Below is an outline of the coverage's. Supplemental Liability Insurance (SLI) provides you supplemental liability insurance up to $500,000 for USA rentals (Not valid in Mexico). ... Cruise America RVs or other rental vehicles from third parties are not authorized to tow a Cruise America ...

  2. PDF RENTER SASSI T ANCE GUI DE

    Thank you for selecting Cruise America, the leading RV rental and sales company serving the United States and Canada. This manual is intended to assist you in the operation of the RV to ensure your travels will be as carefree as possible. The material contained in this manual is intended as a guide only.

  3. Renters Resources

    RV Driver's License. To drive a Cruise America C Class RV, you must possess a valid driver's license, a major credit card, and be 21 years old. See License Requirements. Resources for preparing for your RV Rental vacation.

  4. Cruise America Terms and Condtions

    Cruise America Terms & Conditions, Motorhome Hire Terms and Conditions for Cruise America. Book your next Great Value Motorhome Holiday in the united States with USA and Canada Travel. ... Provided you abide by the Terms and Conditions of the Rental Agreement, report accidents and/or damage promptly, and avoid prohibited vehicle uses, your ...

  5. Cruise America RV & Motorhome Rentals

    Find Rental Locationmap. Reposition an RV from one area of the country to another and receive discounts of up to 95% on your rental. Cruise America provides long-term RV rentals for temporary housing and business use. Help us relocate our RVs from the factory floor to a Cruise America location in Arizona or Florida.

  6. RV License Requirements

    For example, for Cruise America, the RVs you'll be renting will be C Class or Truck Campers. To drive a Cruise C Class RV, you must possess a valid driver's license — temporary licenses are not valid — and a major credit card. In addition, all drivers must be at least 21 years old and sign a Rental Agreement before the RV is rented.

  7. PDF Renter Assistance Guide

    4. Flush toilet until anti-freeze begins to flow into the bowl and then pour one gallon of anti-freeze down the toilet to winterize the black tank. 5. Pour anti-freeze down each shower/tub, lavatory sink, and kitchen sink to fill p-traps. 6. To winterize the gray water tank, pour 1/2 gallon down each related sink drain.

  8. Cruise America Review: What We Really Think

    Cruise America rental deals. Cruise America from time to time offers rental deals and discounts. For example, for departures between September 4, 2019, and December 31, 2019, from any of Cruise America's North American rental centers, a mileage rate reduction of 50% applies.

  9. Cruise America

    With 130+ rental locations, Cruise America RV Rentals is your go-to place for Class C motor homes. Skip to content. Available 24/7 1-800-671-8042 | View Deals. Rent. Rent; RV Renter's Resources; Rental Deals; BUY. Sales Inventory USA; Sales Inventory Canada ...

  10. Cruise America RV Rental Review

    When it comes to the actual pricing for the rental, you'll have a flat nightly rate, and then a fee per miles you drive. Right now the fee is $0.35 a mile. You can get the zero deductible plan for an additional $14.95 a night as well, while supplemental liability insurance is already included in the rental.

  11. RV Rental

    Cruise Canada rentals in Canadian Dollars. Both Cruise America and Cruise Canada do not guarantee a specific floorplan and reserve the right to substitute similar or higher rated vehicles. All vehicles must be operated by properly licensed and authorized drivers, 21 years of age or over, who must be present at departure to sign Rental Agreement.

  12. How to rent an RV from Cruise America • Odometer Dave

    Cruise America's RV rental rates fluctuate by season and location. Here's what we paid: $75/night for 14 nights. $.17/mile (3790 miles = $644.30) The normal rate is $.35/mile. $10/night for the Zero Deductible Plan. If you think about it, that's about what you'd pay for most hotels/motels on a driving trip.

  13. Cruise America Review: Why You Shouldn't Rent From Them

    The RV rental process with Cruise America contains a simple and straightforward interface. When you are on the rental page for the website, you can check the potential pricing by merely typing your city, state, departure, and arrival dates. ... The details in the rental agreement are highlighted by Supplemental Liability Insurance, which ...

  14. Renting a Dog Friendly RV from Cruise America

    PICKING UP YOUR RV. When the day final comes for your trip and it's time to pick up your rental, you'll head to the Cruise America rental location, review your rental agreement, add on any last minute items (like returning with a full tank of gas, returning the black water tank full/empty, etc.) and then you'll be escorted to your RV for an overview from a Cruise America staff member.

  15. Cruise America

    Zero Damage Plan (ZDP) When you rent a vehicle from Cruise America or Cruise Canada, you are responsible for any and all loss or damage to the vehicle from any cause regardless of fault to a maximum of $1,500 per occurrence. ... •Covers all vehicle damage to rented vehicle provided that the renter is not in violation of the Rental Agreement ...

  16. 9 Best RV Rental Companies: Pros, Cons, and Prices

    They offer clear and concise rental agreements and policies: These are full-time rentals rather than owner-rented, meaning the wear and tear is more prominent: ... Rentals with Cruise America depend on the RV size, pickup and drop-off location, and time of year. Expect to pay anywhere from $70-100 per night for the base rate.

  17. Pros and cons of buying a used Class C rental from Cruise America

    By Cheri Sicard In the video below, Duane, a certified RV inspector and one of my favorite RV YouTube vloggers, gives his thoughts on the pros and cons of buying a used Class C rental, like those offered for sale from Cruise America.. Cruise America is the country's largest RV rental company. They provide a great way for people to try out the RV lifestyle before fully committing to it.

  18. Cruise America

    the Rental Agreement. •No need to file a claim with your personal auto insurance. •No deductible for you to pay Cruise America or Cruise Canada. ZDP does not apply if: (1) the renter uses the vehicle in violation of the rental agreement; (2) the renter fails to remove the keys or lock all doors and close windows

  19. RV Rental California

    Head to the California State Capitol Museum with an RV rental in Sacramento and tour the state capitol building. Go to the Knott's Berry Farm Theme Park in Buena Park, which has been slated as one of the funnest theme parks in the country. Napa Valley and the Vineyards provide a great place to uncork your imagination and take in the tours.

  20. Cruise America Reviews

    About Cruise America. Cruise America has an average rating of 2.8 from 1502 reviews. The rating indicates that most customers are generally dissatisfied. The official website is cruiseamerica.com. Cruise America is popular for RV Rental, Hotels & Travel. Cruise America has 118 locations on Yelp across the US.

  21. One way RV rental? : r/roadtrip

    Yes, Cruise America. We did a one way RV when moving cross country. Our starting rental location had to call in for authorization, I guess they try to keep a balance of available rentals in each region, but didn't seem to be a problem. I think there was an added fee for one way. Also when they have a need to reposition rentals they offer ...

  22. Anyone have experience buying a Cruise America Rental Unit

    From an RV rental biz perspective, the process is to buy at fleet prices, put the units to work for 1-2 years, then sell at about what you paid. Your profit comes from the rental revenue. So, it's possible that the unit you buy has a drive train that's been abused, but if you can save $10k, it's not a bad bet. 2. Reply.

  23. Wanting to RV for Camp EDC 2020 : r/CampEDC

    You can do it yourself at the RV park before/after EDC (or pay the fee that the RV rental place charges). 6) Many places will charge a couple hundred dollar deposit so be cautious about booking too far in advance. Many companies will allow changes in rental dates but will charge a fee to do so. 5. Reply.