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RVingUSA,
Congrats on the new rig. Your going to have a great time in Florida and on the cruise. This forum is a great place to get answers to your questions.
1. We usually don't carry water in the tank. You can but it adds a lot of weight and if it is only partially full can slosh around and make the trailer buck a bit. I just don't like adding stress to the trailer frame. If can carry just a few gallons to flush with without any real issues or just carry jugs of water to flush with is easier. The tank can freeze if temps are cold for long enough. Many campers have tank heaters but of course they won't do you any good without electric hooked up, the batteries won't power those.
2. We currently have a residential so we can't power the fridge on the road unless we have a generator going. We have found it really isn't much of an issue as things will stay cold for a couple days while traveling if you keep the door on the fridge closed. I have heard of folks using propane on the RV fridges while on the road but will defer to others on this forum for expertise on that.
3. There are reference books (I think Waldens is the name of one you can get at Camping World and I highly recommend you get one!) that list nearly all the campgrounds and rules for overnighting for each state. We overnight a good bit on our road trips and have found that in general the further West you go the more lax states are about overnighting. Generally speaking most states will allow you to overnight (8 hours or less) at rest stops as long as you do not actually camp (IE: put the slides/awnings out or cook outdoors kind of thing). Many of the rest stops in Florida have security too.
Nearly all Walmarts will allow overnight parking particularly those along interstates that are away from major metro areas. You don't have to ask permission and you will likely see others parked. I have see a few Walmarts with signs that forbid overnight parking but they are very rare. I would not recommend staying at a Walmart that is in a major metro area though as crime might be a concern!
The wife and I travel and overnight a LOT. We have found that truck stops are excellent overnight locations. After all most of their parking lots are dedicated to that very thing. Security is usually fairly good with a lot of fellow travelers overnighting together. The noise of the trucks idling actually helps me sleep! You usually have everything you need available as well including a restaurant and showers for that matter. There are several good guides out there for truck stops and if you have a CB you can ask the truckers along the way. Some truck stops even have designated areas for RV overnighting.
I would not under any circumstances stay at any business that I did not know for sure allowed overnight parking. The local police might have an issue with that even if the business was not open. Besides between Walmarts, truck stops and rest areas you should not need too.
4. We are Good Sam elite members but have never used the road assistance so I will defer to someone else who has.
Best wishes for you and enjoy the good life!
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