Toll stations between Orlando and Port Canaveral manned or not

[stingray310]

We are flying into Orlando and renting a car to drive to our hotel in Cocoa Beach, and I was just wondering if the toll booths along that route have attendants in the toll booths that can make change if needed or do we need to make sure that we have correct change with us before getting on the tollway? I don't want to have to pack a bunch of extra coins if I don't need to. Also wondering if there are several toll booths along the way or do you pay as you enter or exit the tollway only once?

 

thanks,

stingray310

[Capt_BJ]

if you are talking SR-528 aka the Beachline, directly from MCO to the port area

 

then there are two toll plazas, each with a $1 toll and each has attended lanes.

 

BUT KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN as the attended lanes look like an exit to many and they blow right past them. The main lanes of the road simply continue straight at full speed and SUNPASS or other electronic toll system is read for the fee. To pay cash, you exit to the right .... here you'll find both attended and exact change lames. If there is gonna be a backup it will be at the attended lanes .... and I've seen queues of 20+ vehicles waiting. A roll of quarters can avoid this (perceived) misery ...

 

If you are going anywhere else this situation might be different ... there ARE electronic only exits and some that are electronic or exact change only in the greater Orlando area.

[rkacruiser]

if you are talking SR-528 aka the Beachline, directly from MCO to the port area

 

then there are two toll plazas, each with a $1 toll and each has attended lanes.

 

BUT KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN as the attended lanes look like an exit to many and they blow right past them. The main lanes of the road simply continue straight at full speed and SUNPASS or other electronic toll system is read for the fee. To pay cash, you exit to the right .... here you'll find both attended and exact change lames. If there is gonna be a backup it will be at the attended lanes .... and I've seen queues of 20+ vehicles waiting. A roll of quarters can avoid this (perceived) misery ...

 

If you are going anywhere else this situation might be different ... there ARE electronic only exits and some that are electronic or exact change only in the greater Orlando area.

 

What happens if one needs to use an electronic exit and one does not have the needed piece of hardware?

[fishywood]

What happens if one needs to use an electronic exit and one does not have the needed piece of hardware?

 

The plate is scanned and the registered owner is sent a bill for the toll plus a registration fee if this is the first time that vehicle is billed through toll-by-plate.

 

If in a rental car the rental agency will charge your credit card on file for the toll-by-plate bill plus the very substantial maximum-allowed-by-Florida-law agency fee that you agreed to in the tiny tiny print of your rental contract.

[Capt_BJ]

The plate is scanned and the registered owner is sent a bill for the toll plus a registration fee if this is the first time that vehicle is billed through toll-by-plate.

 

If in a rental car the rental agency will charge your credit card on file for the toll-by-plate bill plus the very substantial maximum-allowed-by-Florida-law agency fee that you agreed to in the tiny tiny print of your rental contract.

 

well this is partly true .....

 

first issue is whether this is a rental or not .....

 

if it is a private car, and the area is 'electronic payment only' as is much of Miami, then yes you get a monthly bill with a small service charge (if you buy a SUNPASS you get a discount on tolls and no service charge aka the incentive)

 

If it is a private car in an area where there ARE toll booths (much of the Orlando area) you get a ticket in the mail cuz you ran a toll ..... there may be a grace of one or two that I'm not aware of as I've had my SUNPASS for YEARS and YEARS

 

In a rental the situation is different. All the rental cars are owned by the company (obviously) and they have them 'fleet registered' for electronic payment of tolls ... the company is covered. They pay a third party to manage tolls and what they charge YOU for this service varies WIDELY. The details for the major rentals are here: https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar and you are wise to read this b4 you choose your rental company. What you can be charged for running thru one unseen toll varies WIDELY. Some will charge you $4 for a day and you are then covered for the rest of the day - others will charge you $15 per toll ... every toll. Some make you decide to pay up front for the entire period. Some only charge for days you encounter a toll with nothing to commit to up front.

 

Buyer beware .... this is NOT FLORIDA rules btw ... this IS the rental company and their chosen 3rd party.

 

*********************

for folks who live in less congested areas I'll try to answer "why electronic tolls"

 

I lived in south Miami for a time and worked near the airport. My to work drive was up the turnpike (unless I wanted to spend WAY more time) and in 1998 I could spend 15 minutes in line waiting to pay my toll at 2 different toll booths, trying to get to work. Both ways ....

 

Then they introduced SUNPASS.

 

I recovered an average of 1 hour a day.

 

In 2000 I moved to the San Fran Bay area and had to deal with toll bridges there ... same deal .... buying a pass saved me time.

Edited October 20, 2016 by Capt_BJ

[rkacruiser]

Capt BJ and fishywood,

 

Thanks for your answers. So, as one who would rarely drive on Florida's toll roads other than the Florida Turnpike (and even then, not at all often) , what is your best advice to handle this issue?

[stingray310]

CaptBJ,

thanks for the info on the attendants, that is good to know in case I forget to bring change or forget where I packed it. And oh well, if I do have to wait in a small line to pay, it won't bother me to much, after all, I'll be in Vacation mode and won't mind to much. In fact it might be good practice for when I get on the ship, because there I'm I'll see a few lines on board.

 

Thanks,

Stingray

[Capt_BJ]

Capt BJ,

 

Thanks for your answers. So, as one who would rarely drive on Florida's toll roads other than the Florida Turnpike (and even then, not at all often) , what is your best advice to handle this issue?

 

That's like asking what's the best airline to fly .....

 

It depends on a bunch of factors .....

 

Driving around Miami for not very long means you ARE gonna encounter electronic only toll roads .... this is virtually a given. Outside of Miami it is much less of an issue. (You mention the turnpike .... where the turnpike (kinda) ends in Miami, the toll is electron only .....)

 

Knowing how the various rental companies deal with the 'missed toll' issue is my best suggestion. READ ALL OF https://www.sunpass.com/rentalcar

some companies are very reasonable about how they treat a toll BOOBOO while others are blood sucking scum .....

 

IMO National/Enterprise/Alamo has the most reasonable program ... you don't have to commit up front (and that means not for the entire rental period which some others require) and if you booboo you pay a fee for the DAY of $4 with a max of $20 for the rental period plus tolls (some others charge $15+ PER TOLL INFRACTION)

 

*************

and BTW I was recently zapped with this same 'stuff' in Norfolk, so don't think Florida is unique.

 

Went back to VA to attend a wedding and picked up a rental. No one mentioned squat about tolls, which did not exist when I last lived there. SUPRISE SUPRISE SUPRISE ... all the tunnels now are tolled and there are NO toll booths to pay cash. By the time you see a sign, you are stuck. ZAP ... instead of the regular toll I pay HOW MUCH?????

[dpcmh]

Two years in a row between MCO and port, I've gone through the cash lane and paid my tolls at a manned booth. Every trip, I receive a charge from the rental car company with at least 1 of the 2 toll locations they say I didn't pay. Ask for a receipt and be sure to keep them in a dry flat condition....they tend to become unreadable quickly. That will be your only proof....but in my experience, providing proof and obtaining a credit is a huge hassle....not worth the time vs just paying it. After being dinged again last month, I will find an alternate means to the port. I'm tired of the rental car company's scam.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Edited October 22, 2016 by dpcmh

[Spike2015]

We rented from Hertz in May and used the manned lanes. Easy to use but you do have to watch and not just go straight they. Thank you cruise critic ;)