f.a.o anyone driving from miami to orlando

[fearfall]

hi all toll roads in miami dade are now cashless which means when you pick up your rental you will be offered a toll pass dollar charge $6.99 aday but you have to have it for the duration of your rental or you can have toll by plate which is charged direct to your cc.
we declined both and drove up highway 27 which aviods all toll roads the road is double lane and goes through part of the everglades what a great road it took 4.5 hours and went through towns like south bay,seebring,haines city while stopping in south bay for a drink got talking to a local who was surprised but glad we chose this route as he said it was mainly locals who use the 27 as tourist use the turnpike or i95 which was a shame as you dont get to see the real towns of florida.
give it a try we downloaded a florida map to our tom tom for £20 before we left and then checked directions on google maps and bing maps to just make sure it turned out to be one of the best desions we made the saving we made just on toll fees payed for the petrol to get to orlando .

 

[beth01dog]

Hi
Just noticed you stayed at Floridays in 09. Would you recommend it(notice you didn't return following year!) Thinking of booking this for next year.
Thanks

 

[k8Davies]

OMG Thanks for the info - As we fly out to Miami for the first time next month and are driving up to WDW.

So I guess that means we are taking highway 27. Think this might be a google map job.

That is such a rip though especially as I would really only need the pass for getting to orlando and getting back to miami. Grr why do they have to make things so hard and expensive

 

[babystar]

We always use the 27, its a great route. I like being able to see life out the windows rather than nothing like you get on the turnpike.

 

[mcarthur205]

Hi
Just noticed you stayed at Floridays in 09. Would you recommend it(notice you didn't return following year!) Thinking of booking this for next year.
Thanks

We're staying at Floridays in June/July this year. It'll be our third time staying there and I would recommend the resort. The condos are clean and well equipped and the resort is very close to Premium Outlets which is a bonus in my eyes LOL! There's also a Walgreens and Publix very close too.

There is a 'resort fee' though, which is a bit annoying as I think these fees are a rip off. We're getting a good rate though, and the resort fee covers the internet charges so we just deal with it I guess. We booked it through Expedia and got cashback with Quidco.

 

[Samaya]

That's some great information and advice, we've taken both routes and time wise it only took a little longer using the US-27 and it was a much more interesting drive than the Turnpike.

Goggle Map indicates that by using the US-27 route from Miami International airport to WDW Resort it might take 4-hours 27-minutes to cover the 234 mile journey while the Florida Turnpike route might take 4-hours 3-minutes for the 231 mile journey.

Happy Easter

 

[fearfall]

hi
betho1dog,floridays was great but next door was lake eve and we went and had a look and the size of the apartments we much bigger.
I have just read in the paper this morning that from early 2012 all tolls in florida will become cashless there is more info on tolls
https://www.sunpass.com/index

 

[beth01dog]

We're staying at Floridays in June/July this year. It'll be our third time staying there and I would recommend the resort. The condos are clean and well equipped and the resort is very close to Premium Outlets which is a bonus in my eyes LOL! There's also a Walgreens and Publix very close too.

There is a 'resort fee' though, which is a bit annoying as I think these fees are a rip off. We're getting a good rate though, and the resort fee covers the internet charges so we just deal with it I guess. We booked it through Expedia and got cashback with Quidco.

Thanks for the comments
- obviously somebody after my own heart - I have checked prices with expedia and also double checked that I can go thru Topcashback and Quidco!!!

 

[Zeebs]

Thanks for this information, we thought we might go that way as we thought it would be more scenic and this information on the tolls I think will seal it.

I was also investigating buying a sun pass but didn't get very far before getting distracted and I never got back to it.

Kirsten

 

[PhilUK]

Where can you buy a Florida Tom Tom Map?
Thanks
Phil

 

[KINGBOBOFTHENORTH]

All toll roads in Florida are NOT cashless. In Miami-Dade County, only the Turnpike Extension down to Homestead/The Everglades is cash-only as is a small section of I-95 which has toll lanes in the middle. You don't need a transponder as cameras will capture your license tag number. Simply phone the toll free phone number posted on the signs after your journey and you can pay by credit card with no penalty. All other toll roads around Miami accept cash.

The mainline of Florida's Turnpike from Miami Golden Glades where it begins all the way to Orlando and beyond still takes cash payments. All toll roads around Orlando take cash as well.

So while US 27 is a scenic alternative, if you want to get to/from Orlando the quickest, use the Turnpike and you'll be just fine.

BobK/Orlando