how much cash for a week?

[sejeta]

We are heading to Orlando in 3 days! I need to buy US dollars tomorrow for tolls, tips and maybe a little spending money. We will mostly be using credit cards but we still need cash. How much is enough?
We are driving from the GTA to Orlando and back.
thanks.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My DH likes to have around $300, but he usually gives me most of that back at the end of the trip. I take around $150, but almost never use it. It is good to have "mad money" and "tip money", though. You never know when you'll need it.

 

[sejeta]

My DH likes to have around $300, but he usually gives me most of that back at the end of the trip. I take around $150, but almost never use it. It is good to have "mad money" and "tip money", though. You never know when you'll need it.

Thank you. that's around what I was thinking

 

[isabellea]

I usually carry 200$ cash. Most of our expenses go on the credit card.

 

[cdnSpinalTap]

We took $300 for a 9-day trip and came back with about $250.

 

[starvenger]

I usually carry 200$ cash. Most of our expenses go on the credit card.

Same, although on my next one I’ll probably carry more since there will be 8 of us on the road trip.

 

[Hamptonite]

Heads up for the tolls - have some quarters handy. They don't take them dolla bills.

 

[JenniKleims]

I brought 250$ on a prepaid USD credit card and I still have $50 left. (We were there for six days)

 

[isabellea]

Heads up for the tolls - have some quarters handy. They don't take them dolla bills.

Those are very rare in my experience. I always saw tolls with express lanes with transponder and at least one manned toll booth. I agree that it's good to have a few quarters but bills are accepted at most tolls I ever encountered in the USA, even minor ones.

 

[Hamptonite]

Those are very rare in my experience. I always saw tolls with express lanes with transponder and at least one manned toll booth. I agree that it's good to have a few quarters but bills are accepted at most tolls I ever encountered in the USA, even minor ones.

We got off in a few spots on the Florida turnpike and needed 75 cents it was unmanned. Had to mail it in.

 

[bankr63]

Leaving Friday. I have about US$40 left from my last trip. When I run low, I hit a TD bank machine down there and take out another $100 (do this every second or third trip).

We have SunPass transponders for both our cars with auto-refill from a CC. Too late to preorder now, but you can pick one up at the Florida welcome centre. With the twinning of I-4 going on for the next several years, I will be doing the 417 around Orlando no matter what time of day. There are about 6 tolls on the bypass, so we like not having to slow and stop at each one to pay, and the rate is slightly lower for pass users.

The US Congress passed a law that required states to implement universal tolling. Deadline was a couple of years ago, but several state programs, including SunPass are still non-compliant. Looking forward to the day where I can use my SunPass everywhere in the US.

 

[starvenger]

It would be nice if we could integrate our 407 transponder into that.

 

[FigmentSpark]

Heads up for the tolls - have some quarters handy. They don't take them dolla bills.

There's one right outside the airport, which is tough if you've just flown in from another country and rented a vehicle.

Tip: before coming home this time, get about $3 in quarters to save for your next trip. You won't need that much, but I'm of the opinion that it's better to have a little more than not enough.

 

[morrik5]

Leaving Friday. I have about US$40 left from my last trip. When I run low, I hit a TD bank machine down there and take out another $100 (do this every second or third trip).

We have SunPass transponders for both our cars with auto-refill from a CC. Too late to preorder now, but you can pick one up at the Florida welcome centre. With the twinning of I-4 going on for the next several years, I will be doing the 417 around Orlando no matter what time of day. There are about 6 tolls on the bypass, so we like not having to slow and stop at each one to pay, and the rate is slightly lower for pass users.

The US Congress passed a law that required states to implement universal tolling. Deadline was a couple of years ago, but several state programs, including SunPass are still non-compliant. Looking forward to the day where I can use my SunPass everywhere in the US.

Are you able to drive on the 417 with a Class A MH towing an SUV or is it like Ontario's 407 where you can't unless you have a transponder and pay transport costs?

As for how much to take, we are taking $1000 so we can buy groceries, gas and souvenirs and maybe a present for the motor home from a Camping World.

 

[bankr63]

Are you able to drive on the 417 with a Class A MH towing an SUV or is it like Ontario's 407 where you can't unless you have a transponder and pay transport costs?

As for how much to take, we are taking $1000 so we can buy groceries, gas and souvenirs and maybe a present for the motor home from a Camping World.

AFAIK, Florida tolls by axle count regardless of the size of vehicle. So if your Class A has 2 axles, you pay the same as a car. If you have a toad, it can go on the same transponder as the MH but will count the extra 2 axles against the MH. There is an online calculator available (search Florida toll rates) where you put in the number of axles, start and end points, and it will spit out the toll rates based on the vehicle axles.

ETA: Did a quick experiment, and for the 417, each axle over 2 seems to multiple the base rate. So for a 2 axle $2.10 fare, it is $4.20 for 3 axles, and $6.30 for 4 axles.

 

[mousehockey37]

Where are you staying? Have you read about the trial at AKL that they are going cashless? I'm not sure of the full scope of things, but there's more than likely a thread on it here somewhere.

 

[sejeta]

Where are you staying? Have you read about the trial at AKL that they are going cashless? I'm not sure of the full scope of things, but there's more than likely a thread on it here somewhere.

we are resort hoping! No Disney hotel this year only universal ones! I do have quite a bit of US coins that I'll bring as well.

 

[sejeta]

Leaving Friday. I have about US$40 left from my last trip. When I run low, I hit a TD bank machine down there and take out another $100 (do this every second or third trip).

We have SunPass transponders for both our cars with auto-refill from a CC. Too late to preorder now, but you can pick one up at the Florida welcome centre. With the twinning of I-4 going on for the next several years, I will be doing the 417 around Orlando no matter what time of day. There are about 6 tolls on the bypass, so we like not having to slow and stop at each one to pay, and the rate is slightly lower for pass users.

The US Congress passed a law that required states to implement universal tolling. Deadline was a couple of years ago, but several state programs, including SunPass are still non-compliant. Looking forward to the day where I can use my SunPass everywhere in the US.

Thanks for the tip, we may pick up a sun pass for the trip home.

 

[morrik5]

AFAIK, Florida tolls by axle count regardless of the size of vehicle. So if your Class A has 2 axles, you pay the same as a car. If you have a toad, it can go on the same transponder as the MH but will count the extra 2 axles against the MH. There is an online calculator available (search Florida toll rates) where you put in the number of axles, start and end points, and it will spit out the toll rates based on the vehicle axles.

ETA: Did a quick experiment, and for the 417, each axle over 2 seems to multiple the base rate. So for a 2 axle $2.10 fare, it is $4.20 for 3 axles, and $6.30 for 4 axles.

So if per se it says the toll is $9.50 I have to have that all in coin or an alternative also being electronic like the 407 but pay an additional $2.50 for administration fee? I'm taking it the exit to get from I-95 to Fort Wilderness does not have a manned tollbooth.

 

[bankr63]

So if per se it says the toll is $9.50 I have to have that all in coin or an alternative also being electronic like the 407 but pay an additional $2.50 for administration fee? I'm taking it the exit to get from I-95 to Fort Wilderness does not have a manned tollbooth.

Except that on the SunPass section, the tolls are about 60% of the cash tolls (the 417 is run by two different tolling authorities, but they have pass interchangeability) so the SunPass discount only applies on their two sections at the North and South end, the middle section is run by E-Pass (Central Florida Toll Authority) and does not discount. Total cost for 2 axles is around $6 for the entire length of the route. A $1.00 cash toll on the SunPass stretch is only $0.54 for transponder. So you make up the cost of the transponder very quickly. Not sure what you mean by an administration fee? There is no admin fee for the transponder, aside from the cost of transponder itself. There are admin fees if you are doing toll by plate without a transponder, but that is a very different kettle of fish.

ETA: Have been using SunPass for about 4 years now and have never paid any admin fees. I recovered the cost of the transponder on my first trip through the toll savings (not to mention the time savings of sailing through the toll plazas at 65MPH).