Toll Roads from Orlando to Port Canaveral

[shoppgirl]

We will be will renting a car to take us from the Orlando area (specifically Bonnet Creek) to the cruise ship at Port Canaveral. Can any local experts tell me if I will have to use toll roads to get there and then back to the airport? Are they electronic toll roads only? My rental car company wrote a disclaimer saying that some roads in orlando are moving or have moved to the electronic tolling where there is no option to use cash to pay the tolls. We would therefore have to rent a toll reader at $7 a day! We are not used to paying toll roads here in Ontario. We do have one, but we avoid it like the plague and don't believe in paying to use a highway when there are plenty of "free" ones to use!

 

[stargazertechie]

I can't answer the "if there are toll roads" question, but you could buy a florida sunpass mini. It's $4.99 plus $10.00 in tolls, but you get $4.99 loaded back onto the mini (which makes purchasing the transponder free, and you then have $15 in toll money)

The website says you *must* affix it to the glass permanently, but I used scotch tape to affix mine to my windshield in January, and it worked just fine.

 

[NancyIL]

There are ways to avoid the tolls, but I'd rather pay $4 to drive to the port than waste time looking for them! They also take cash.

 

[sofiageneva]

We paid cash: $1.50 each way. Also, there were booths with people who could make change in addition to "exact change" lanes.

 

[NancyIL]

We paid cash: $1.50 each way. Also, there were booths with people who could make change in addition to "exact change" lanes.

It's more than $1.50 each way if you take I-4 to 528 or 417 to 528. From WDW, I prefer to take 536 to 417 to 528, and the tolls are $4 each way. If you take I-4 to 528 (too much traffic for me), the tolls are a bit less.

*Now I see...from the airport to the port there is one $1.50 toll.

 

[over50visits]

I believe the "no cash" toll roads are only in Miami for now; but whatever, you can use cash on the Orlando-Port Canaveral drive. Renting the device from the car rental company is not necessary; save that money for the cruise. Make sure you don't have on in the car so it won't accidentally be set off at the toll booths.

 

[GatorMomInNC]

I can't remember if they have converted them on the bee line yet, but most of the tolls you just drive like normal if you have a sun pass, but have to pull over to do the toll if you don't. I still have mine from when I used to live in Orlando and bring it down with me on vacation - you just move so much faster, and many of the tolls require exact change if you don't have a sunpass. You can also pay for your airport parking with it (not on this trip I guess, but maybe o your next). I would not pay to rent one from the rental car place. You can purchase one online and have it mailed to you:

https://www.sunpass.com/indexNoMobile

 

[MTmomma]

The problem (with Budget) is the transponder is already IN the car, so if you go through the electronic lanes, you are charged the toll, plus $2.99/day weather you pass through a toll ezpass lane on any given day.... be careful, and choose the toll booth plaza lane furthest from the ezpass as possible.

 

[fla4fun]

The problem (with Budget) is the transponder is already IN the car, so if you go through the electronic lanes, you are charged the toll, plus $2.99/day weather you pass through a toll ezpass lane on any given day.... be careful, and choose the toll booth plaza lane furthest from the ezpass as possible.

Not sure why you are directing them to use the booth farthest from the EZpass lanes, as most toll lanes, even the cash and exact change lanes, are equipped to accept EZpass also. They will usually have a little EZpass or Sunpass logo on the cash signs if this is the case. Pretty much everywhere I go in Orlando or over to Cocoa Beach, I can use my transponder in any lane (at least, I haven't found one yet that I couldn't).

You can drive to the port avoiding toll roads but it will take you a lot longer. The main routes would be highway 192 which brings you out on the coast at Melbourne, and then you have to drive north from Melbourne to the port, or highway 50 (Colonial Drive), which is in downtown Orlando and brings you out near Titusville, which is north of the port, so you would have to drive south. Either detour would take at least twice as long because of added distance and lower speed limits - but you wouldn't have to pay the tolls. I have family that lives in Cape Canaveral, and at this time, the toll booths along the Beachline all offer a cash option, so a transponder is not absolutely necessary.

If you have to rent the transponder separately (meaning it's not automatically in the vehicle) then I would agree with the PP who mentioned the Mini. The cost gets rolled back into your toll account. The only issue would be registering the car - typically you go online to do that when you activate the transponder/mini.

 

[mommy2tati]

I was so confused for a minute because OP kept mentioning EZPass instead of SunPass. I got excited thinking I could use my EZPass in Florida but I can't.

 

[Brandis]

Not sure why you are directing them to use the booth farthest from the EZpass lanes, as most toll lanes, even the cash and exact change lanes, are equipped to accept EZpass also. They will usually have a little EZpass or Sunpass logo on the cash signs if this is the case. Pretty much everywhere I go in Orlando or over to Cocoa Beach, I can use my transponder in any lane (at least, I haven't found one yet that I couldn't).

If the car is equipped with a transponder by the rental company, they will charge a daily usage fee on top of the tolls, that's why the previous poster recommended to use a lane which is not equipped with the transponder reader, so they can pay cash instead of being forced to use the rental transponder.

 

[RedxPanda]

As said before, all the tolls you will encounter near Disney and the Airport have cash lanes still. They also have 'change' lanes w/ attendants if you don't have exact change.

A map of the tolls can be found here. There is a toll calculator on the site as well.

 

[MTmomma]

If the car is equipped with a transponder by the rental company, they will charge a daily usage fee on top of the tolls, that's why the previous poster recommended to use a lane which is not equipped with the transponder reader, so they can pay cash instead of being forced to use the rental transponder.

THIS is exactly what I meant. Stay out of the lanes with the transponder readers, simply because you will get charged the per day usage fee for each day of your rental, on top of the tolls that you actually cross. Before I took our rental mini-van I asked for clarification of this, becuase $6 for the two days that I would be using toll roads seemed to be a worth it "convienience fee" for me. However, I was not willing to pay $3 PER DAY of the rental contract, wich is what will happen if you cross through any of the transponder lanes.

 

[MTmomma]

I was so confused for a minute because OP kept mentioning EZPass instead of SunPass. I got excited thinking I could use my EZPass in Florida but I can't.

Sorry for the confusion, we are used to the EZpass system for tolls in the semi truck. Last time I was in the exs truck, there were five different transponders for different states.....

 

[MTmomma]

Important rental car toll fees are here: http://http://www.mousesavers.com/rentalcar.html

Florida Toll Passes

If you go through the express lane on a toll road in Florida while driving a rental car, be prepared for major surcharges unless you have a special offer on your rental that covers those fees. Note that you currently can pay cash for tolls by stopping at a toll booth.

MouseSavers.com readers Ericka and Joe offer this warning from their February 2009 vacation in Orlando: "We rented with Budget. Posted on the inside of the car (but never disclosed by any employees) was a new service available to the renters. You can use the built-in EZ-Pass toll transponder in the car. The way it works is that you go through the fast toll lane and they charge your credit card for the tolls. However, there is a service charge of $2.50 per day for each day of your rental regardless of whether you use the car (or toll booth) that day. In short, using this for a 50 cent toll could result in your toll turning into a $10.50 toll [on a 4-day or longer rental; the service fee at Budget maxes out at $10 per week plus the cost of tolls]. A guy in line in front of us warned us about it. The 'disclosure' in the car was a static cling that was on the back window of the car. The cling was clear, so I wouldn't have ever noticed it if I hadn't been looking."


Also, I was looking for the cling, as I had been warned about it. Ours was in a Dodge Grand Caravan, and the cling was at the VERY top of the windshield, 12 inch strip of clear cling, with white writing......

 

[com_op_2000]

OP, if after reading the above you still want to miss the toll roads here are the driving directions to the port from OIA:
From OIA:
Take Hwy 436 N towards Orlando
Take Hwy 50 E towards Titusville
Take Hwy 520 SE towards Cocoa
The above will take you about 25 - 30 miles out of your way and you will deal with about 40 traffic lights.
Take the Beach Line E towards the port.

 

[shoppgirl]

WOW! Thanks everyone. I appreciate the tips! I have no problems paying for a toll if it is the most direct route. I just don't want to pay more than I have to (ie renting transponders etc). I find the whole toll thing quite stressful actually because if you are in the wrong lane at the wrong time, you could end up paying a lot for the split second mistake of entering the wrong lane(Sun Pass/EZ pass/Cash). I am glad to know that there are cash tolls, exact, or change available. As I said before, we are NOT used to paying for tolls up here in Canada and am thankful that I can get to anywhere I want without paying extra!

 

[hrhdhd]

. . . if you are in the wrong lane at the wrong time, you could end up paying a lot for the split second mistake of entering the wrong lane(Sun Pass/EZ pass/Cash).

The signs designating which lane is which are gigantic, are placed well before you have to be in the lane of your choice, and couldn't be more clear. You just have to be paying attention.

In regards to the earlier posts about being in the farthest lane away from the EPass lanes, that would work only at a toll plaza where the exact change and change given lanes are NOT also set up for transponders. Usually, they are. I have often traveled with my transponder through an exact change lane that is empty (not stopping) rather than slow down excessively for the EPass lane.

 

[RedxPanda]

I find the whole toll thing quite stressful actually because if you are in the wrong lane at the wrong time, you could end up paying a lot for the split second mistake of entering the wrong lane(Sun Pass/EZ pass/Cash).

If you are worried, for the length of SR528 that has tolls (3 total), you can cruise along w/ traffic in the right most lane. That should lead you to the 'pay' toll booths every time.

 

[TmlndSpdwy03]

OP, if after reading the above you still want to miss the toll roads here are the driving directions to the port from OIA:
From OIA:
Take Hwy 436 N towards Orlando
Take Hwy 50 E towards Titusville
Take Hwy 520 SE towards Cocoa
The above will take you about 25 - 30 miles out of your way and you will deal with about 40 traffic lights.
Take the Beach Line E towards the port.

If you take this route, there is a toll to get from 520 onto 528 (Beach Line E) that is like $.25. They have the transponder reader at that toll booth too so you could still run into issues if you are worried about tolls and the transponders - if you wanted to avoid it, you would have to continue on 520 into Cocoa and find a road that you can backtrack to 528 from.

I am almost 100% sure that EVERY single lane at all the toll plaza's accept the transponders so I don't think you are able to avoid going through a toll booth without it attempting to read a transponder. If you are worried about being charged by the car company even though you stop and pay the toll, request a receipt and save it from each toll plaza you go through. Just an FYI - the cash toll booths (which you would have to go in to receive the receipt) can get backed up so just give yourself some extra time just in case.