Campgrounds are full

[TxTig]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

Our slogan has always been. Where are we going I'm not certain when will we get there I don't know. all I know is we are on our way. Don't really like to have my life scheduled where I have to be at a certain place at a certain time and that's what reservation does. Not knocking anyone who makes reservations of course that's your life and if you're happy I'm happy for you.

This pretty much sums up our philosophy. I don’t like being on a rigid schedule. Last April/May, we took an eight week trip to the west coast. The only advance reservations we made were for one week in the wine country because we were meeting friends for a specific week. The rest of the time we “winged” it and never made reservations more than one night in advance. We were always able to get good accommodations. Our only problem was in Moab, Utah. They have a ton of campgrounds there and I called 5 or 6 before I found one that wasn’t full. It wasn’t the best campground in the area, but it was fine for us.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

These reservations that you made did any of them require deposit and if so what are the policies if you don't make it

Good question. Most of them charged 1 night. Several didnt charge anything

Only 2 said there was a $10 charge if cancelled within 48 hours of due date. The others no charge

Jerry

[Mr Sunshine]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

Getting ready to head out west this year . Our third trip since we've got our Thor axis. Our slogan has always been. Where are we going I'm not certain when will we get there I don't know. all I know is we are on our way. Don't really like to have my life scheduled where I have to be at a certain place at a certain time and that's what reservation does. Not knocking anyone who makes reservations of course that's your life and if you're happy I'm happy for you. I guess we'll just wing it and hope we find a spot. I am retired but my wife still works two weeks at one time is all she can take .So we try to cover as much as we can. .Time is running out on us there so much to see. Seems just gets harder and harder to do it that way. Or I just start calling every place that I can imagine and make a reservation there maybe that is the best way just don't seem right.

This works pretty well, except for weekends in some locations, in south Florida in the winter and in the summer all over. If you can travel in before mid-May or in after late August, you will probably do just fine without reservations. Our travels include some places where reservations are a must, and some where it won't matter.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

These reservations that you made did any of them require deposit and if so what are the policies if you don't make it

just checked. Only 10 charged deposits

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

Getting ready to head out west this year . Our third trip since we've got our Thor axis. Our slogan has always been. Where are we going I'm not certain when will we get there I don't know. all I know is we are on our way. Don't really like to have my life scheduled where I have to be at a certain place at a certain time and that's what reservation does. Not knocking anyone who makes reservations of course that's your life and if you're happy I'm happy for you. I guess we'll just wing it and hope we find a spot. I am retired but my wife still works two weeks at one time is all she can take .So we try to cover as much as we can. .Time is running out on us there so much to see. Seems just gets harder and harder to do it that way. Or I just start calling every place that I can imagine and make a reservation there maybe that is the best way just don't seem right.

Yeah, I'm getting 'way over the hill' too. New hobby for me now is to go to the national / state park, get the T shirt, coffee cup, shot glass or refer magnet and make plans for the next to go to the next one.

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

Could anyone recommend some campgrounds federal state or county in the Rocky Mountains which I love not too high up as I had trouble breathing last year. Near Monarch Pass really do love that area. Any where that you might have visited and had a really great time. We've actually went to Durango did not like it too crowded. Glad I didn't make reservations there because we stayed about two hours and left.

East of Monarch pass, a place called Butch Cassidy's I think. Pretty nice.

[nautiquecowboy]

Originally Posted by halfprice

Good question. Most of them charged 1 night. Several didnt charge anything

Only 2 said there was a $10 charge if cancelled within 48 hours of due date. The others no charge

Jerry

Thanks letting me know .

[nautiquecowboy]

Originally Posted by Cason61

East of Monarch pass, a place called Butch Cassidy's I think. Pretty nice.

Thanks I will check it out

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Cason61

Yeah, I'm getting 'way over the hill' too. New hobby for me now is to go to the national / state park, get the T shirt, coffee cup, shot glass or refer magnet and make plans for the next to go to the next one.

Just get the National Park Passport and when you visit a park get a stamp. Much less expensive than getting all the other stuff (and less storage space).

[Joe-FL]

Being full timers and still moving around a lot we have found that we have to reserve 3 or 4 months out for most areas. In the last couple of days we made our final reservations up through September 2019.

It gets difficult for us due to our length but we are still able to find spots wherever we want to go as long as we plan ahead. If just going from point A to B we are starting to do a lot more dry camping.

[RVMichael]

Originally Posted by nautiquecowboy

These reservations that you made did any of them require deposit and if so what are the policies if you don't make it

The concept here is very interesting. Sometimes the reservation will push our decisions to take chances we shouldn't because I don't want to lose the reservation. However, failure to make a reservation can cause the BBQ at the Walmart scenario.

The concept is even more dramatically displayed when boat camping in a small (20 foot or so) boat. Plans are made, but when the winds are up and an open water crossing is called for, the boat must wait until calmer seas. However, if one has made a reservation at a port on the other side of the open water, then sometimes the boat will venture out when it should stay in port simply to save a few bucks. (Yes, it did happen to me until I finally learned my lesson to plan with extreme leeway, LOL.)

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Just get the National Park Passport and when you visit a park get a stamp. Much less expensive than getting all the other stuff (and less storage space).

That's true... But you'll be denying your kids the joys of cleaning all of your closets out; once you pass on...

[JamieGeek]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

That's true... But you'll be denying your kids the joys of cleaning all of your closets out; once you pass on...

Been there done that...it isn't fun at all.

[Bob Denman]

I plan on leaving stuff in the back of my closet that'll have the kid scratching his head, and saying: "What the Hell?"...

[The Gritz Carlton]

Regulators of State an Federal Parks should not only impose a serious fine but also implement a 12 month ban for "no-shows".

[Cason61]

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

Just get the National Park Passport and when you visit a park get a stamp. Much less expensive than getting all the other stuff (and less storage space).

Well, you do have to take the selfies. Oh yeah, rode the Durango /Silverton train and took a pix as they were going around a bend... and I wrote in the very top, "Ok, we're going around a corner so every body lean in!". Sometimes you take a pix that ehh, then it just tells you what to say, which makes it better. Took a pix of a kid putting on a helmet sideways one time, looked at it, then added, Sargent! Get that man's name! He's officer material!" "YES Sir!" And the base thought it was truly ROTF LMAO.

[TurnerFam]

I think it would be difficult to 'fine' someone for not showing up for a reservation, anymore than one for a hotel stay....BUT, one idea would be to provide a clause that states that if the customer does not arrive by a certain time, the site can be turned over to another camper that is physically 'there', with any 'refund' only available if the original customer calls and requests it, with a non-arrival fee assessed, of course.

There could be some push-back on that, though, as many campers will say that traffic could have held them up, or a sickness in the family, etc., and therefore penalizing them would be somewhat problematic, from a customer service standpoint... I could see RVs backed up in a line, with all the 'late' folks standing around complaining and making a big ruckus because the campground now won't let them check-in, or the one that had the site reassigned to another arrival making some real trouble for the office since his 'buddies' also arrived late, but their sites had not yet been reassigned, and they were still allowed in.
Crazy.

[The Gritz Carlton]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

I think it would be difficult to 'fine' someone for not showing up for a reservation, anymore than one for a hotel stay....BUT, one idea would be to provide a clause that states that if the customer does not arrive by a certain time, the site can be turned over to another camper that is physically 'there', with any 'refund' only available if the original customer calls and requests it, with a non-arrival fee assessed, of course.

There could be some push-back on that, though, as many campers will say that traffic could have held them up, or a sickness in the family, etc., and therefore penalizing them would be somewhat problematic, from a customer service standpoint... I could see RVs backed up in a line, with all the 'late' folks standing around complaining and making a big ruckus because the campground now won't let them check-in, or the one that had the site reassigned to another arrival making some real trouble for the office since his 'buddies' also arrived late, but their sites had not yet been reassigned, and they were still allowed in.
Crazy.

"Pay In Full, Non-Refundable, Within 30 Days of Reservation" with no exceptions. If someone dies, they've got bigger issues than just loosing a few bucks.

[TurnerFam]

maybe, but think about the 'human' equation, when it comes to financial thinking:

if my reservation is 'non refundable', and I am certainly planning to come, but something 'comes up' before I can arrive, having a non-refundable reservation simply means that I have NO REASON to call or contact the park - which is exactly the problem we have now - folks DON'T call to cancel, leaving the site 'vacant', though someone 'paid' for it, and therefore the park cannot just give it to someone else.

A REFUND, with reason, is EXACTLY the right answer to the problem.
If a customer finds they cannot arrive, and they call or contact the office or campground or customer service, up to the time of the campground's 'arrival' window, such as 4pm, then the refund is issued, with a cancellation fee, of course, and the site can then be OPEN to other arrivals that are waiting... one's without prior reservations.

Some campgrounds actually DO operate this way, though admittedly the line of campers can get extensive at certain times of year, or weekends, for those without reservations who want to 'see' if a cancellation happens and they can get in. That itself may also be something most of the parks want to avoid.

There's probably never going to be an 'exact' solution for this, as some parks are just popular and will always have folks waiting for a site, some willing to reserve months or years in advance, and some who reserve and can't make it, even if with good reason... unless you want the parks to change to 'no reservations allowed' and only provide camping for those who 'show up' and a site is still available. That's one way to do it, but there again is the issue of folks 'lining up' to see if someone leaves...
it can be aggravating regardless of the method used.

[halfprice]

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

"Pay In Full, Non-Refundable, Within 30 Days of Reservation" with no exceptions. If someone dies, they've got bigger issues than just loosing a few bucks.

The only problem i could see for me not making it to a reserved cg is mechanucal problems

So during a 5 week trip if i break down and it takes 1 or 2 days to be fixed you think i should be fined 100%. When a simple call to the cg to push my arrival date forward would cover it

Jerry