Hey Canadians, My 'rents are driving me down and I was wondering, when you drove down, did you check in at the housing complex, or did you have to go to the airport? I was talking to Kristen and she said I might have to go to the airport to check in on my arrival date, and we'll already be on site (my parents are staying for a bit, we're coming up the 24th and i start the 25th) and we were all set to have my at the complexes bright and early Sunday morning. What happened to you when you drove?
My son drove down from Alberta and he was in contact with someone - sorry I don't know who but she was from international programs. She actually contacted him before he left Canada. He was there a couple of days early as well and I believe he just had to call her when he arrived in Orlando and she told him which complex to report to and what time to show up on his start date. He did not have to go to the airport first.
Do you know what he had to go through to get insurance while he was there? My company told me yesterday that they will not cover me in Florida, so now Im trying to decide if its worth the trouble to find insureance down there. I've heared that I would have to give up my Ontario licence and plates etc...
I drove down with my mom and sis (waaaay back in March 2003) and I just called and they told me which complex to go to and how to get there (but the directions were wrong though). It would definitely be worthwhile to have your car there. You will have to give up your Ontario plates but I'm not 100% sure if they can take your drivers license away. They didn't take mine. Maybe check with the MTO before you leave, but I don't think another government can take another government issued id away. It doesn't hurt to double check. Ontario never knew that I got a Florida license so I could continue to use my Ontario license when I came home. Be careful when changing the plates. Do not just throw out the Ontario ones. You can keep them and return them to the MTO for a refund of the remaining month you have paid. They give you a few weeks (a month I think) to get your US Insurance. You can wait until you are there but if you can, try to do it ahead of time. Call some of the bigger insurance companies like State Farm and see what they say. I hope that wasn't too confusing and helped you.
Hi Tyler, as far as your questions about insurance, my son was there a couple of days early and went right away and got his insurance - sorry I am not sure which company or where he had to go, he took insurance out for 6 months at the start and has paid for another 6 months now. It tends to be a bit on the expensive side, they say its because you have no credit rating in the US - so even if you have excellent credit rating in Canada it doesn't count. The second 6 months was a bit cheaper though. I think just under $700 - but it also depends on your vehicle anyway. He also went and got a Florida license and Florida plates - he still has his Alberta issued plates and license - they never took either away from him. I'm not sure but I think I also remember something about a one time/first time charge for the registration as well. It didn't seem to be too much of a hassle and it was nice to get it all done before he started work. You do, however, have a little while before you are required to change everything over but remember - if you are taking insurance out whether it be for 6 months or a year, you might as well get it right away since you'll need to get insurance again when you get back to Canada. My son was working there in 2006 on a 6 month summer program and didn't have his car there- he knew when he went back he was not going without his car. The busses aren't too bad but you are at their mercy as far as schedule goes. It takes a long time to get everywhere. If you happen to be working a late shift and get off at the end of the night when the parks close - you end up in really big crowds waiting for the busses and everybody tries to cram on the first one that comes, most of the time you end up waiting for the second or third bus - after working all day you just want to go home and you're tired. (so I've been told). Another friend of his was in F & B and made a lot of money - he ended up just renting a car once in awhile and I think in the end he was renting one every week. I can't tell you whether it will be worth it for you or not but I think you would be happy to have a vehicle there after a little while anyway.
Great! Thanks for all your input, it sounds like I better start looking for some car insurance. Thanks again!
Glad to help, Jorden is on holidays this week but I'll see if I can find out who he bought his insurance through in Orlando and what company it is with. That might simplify things a bit for you. I'll let you know if I find anything out. Otherwise he might still be there when you head down to work and could answer some questions then.
Good news Tyler - I sent Jorden an instant message and he replied right away -he bought his insurance from Geico and he sent me this link. (The business address, a map of where it is and the guys e-mail address are all there.) http://www.geico.com/local/jdonoho/
Hey Everyone, My dad has been doing a bit of research and here's what he found: http://www.dmv.org/fl-florida/car-registration.php This site has prices for how much a 1 year registration will cost. It ranges from $28-46 depending on the weight of your car. There's also some other fees such as $10 to issue a new metal license plate, and an initial registration fee of $100. http://www.CarInsurance.com My dad used this site to get some quotes on car insurance. They don't cover all insurance companies though so you may have to look at other companies, still. Thanks for the geico link! We'd tried to get a geico quote online and couldn't so it's great to have a contact! Let me know if you guys have any more info! Thanks, Jenn
Great Guys! Thanks so much! Unless I did something wrong, American insurance is SO MUCH cheaper than here! Thanks Jen and Jorden's Mum, really apreciate it!
You must take your car! Its priceless being able to move around... Everyone I know either used Geico (which seemed pricey) or State Farm. You could always rent a car for most of your contract.... $26/day, $130/week with Thrifty.. ;D
It could just be the car, or my age, but State Farm was really pricey compared to the other options at CarInsurance.com.
Don't forget that even though the registration is fairly cheap in Florida, they do charge you sales tax. Basically they charge you 6% of the value of your car so if you have a brand new car, expect to be paying ALOT. The insurance company which I used was a web based, it was Esurance, i found them to be the cheapest.
I am planning on bringing my car down so these links are good. Esurance seemed like a good company to go with, I like their commercials! lol
Any other good info out there? I am still debating if I am going to bring my car (My brother won't be happy) or if it will be way too much money. Though I figure if I charge just under what a taxi charges I could make some good money. lol
