Reservation Etiquette

[Bear fans]

I came across a situation this weekend that frustrated me enough I felt the need to post about it. We camp mostly at COE campgrounds, they are a mixture of reservable and first come first serve sights, I appreciate both. We reserved our sight this past weekend, it wasn't full hook up which we prefer but a good sight, all the full hook ups were reserved by people with the ability to plan farther ahead than we usually can. Here is my gripe, one of the full hook up sights just a few sights down was reserved for the entire weekend but they never showed, the sight just sat empty. When we checked in Thursday evening I talked to the campground volunteer about check in times because I was worried they would give away our sight if we showed up late he told me they cannot and in fact many holiday weekends they have many open sights that have been reserved but no one shows up yet he has to turn people away because those no shows don't bother to cancel. I don't begrudge anyone that can plan ahead and make reservations but please people cancel if you can't make it.

[timfromma]

Those sites are still paid for even if they go unused. The people in charge don't know if they are running late or have some other issue but they must keep those sites open in case the people that paid for them show up. Imagine you had an issue that caused you to run behind only to find someone else setup on your site that you paid for.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Bear fans

I came across a situation this weekend that frustrated me enough I felt the need to post about it. We camp mostly at COE campgrounds, they are a mixture of reservable and first come first serve sights, I appreciate both. We reserved our sight this past weekend, it wasn't full hook up which we prefer but a good sight, all the full hook ups were reserved by people with the ability to plan farther ahead than we usually can. Here is my gripe, one of the full hook up sights just a few sights down was reserved for the entire weekend but they never showed, the sight just sat empty. When we checked in Thursday evening I talked to the campground volunteer about check in times because I was worried they would give away our sight if we showed up late he told me they cannot and in fact many holiday weekends they have many open sights that have been reserved but no one shows up yet he has to turn people away because those no shows don't bother to cancel. I don't begrudge anyone that can plan ahead and make reservations but please people cancel if you can't make it.

I see this happen a lot. Folks reserve for the whole summer just to make sure they have a spot in case they may want to go. . No consideration for others camping. Also I have even had my spot given to another camper even tho I had reserved it and the camp ground volunteer was no help. Lucky you can't book handicap spots at coe. Got one of thsoe instead and a better spot. Later RJD

[phillyg]

It's annoying, I know. A more reasonable cancellation policy would be to require those coming in later than expected to call and let staff know. If staff is not notified, then the space can be released. I think some folks don't bother calling to cancel an already paid for space because reserveamerica, for example, requires a $17 cancellation fee.

[Mr Havercamp]

I thought all ACOE campgrounds operated under the same set of rules? At a ACOE campground we visit in Vermont, and one here in PA, if you do not check in by check out time on the day following your reservation start date, they cancel your reservation and put the site back as availible. You also forfeit all funds. If you were to be delayed arriving for some reason and call they will hold it, but other than that they release the site.

I am fairly certain they all operate under the same set of government / Army rules and regs, so if that rule is not being enforced I'd say the local management is not doing their job.

[timfromma]

Legalities might also play into this. Can a campground legally charge you for a campsite that has already been paid for by someone else?

[Electra glide]

Not all (if any) campgrounds list the camp host number. Some just have a generic number and you may not even talk to a person.

I stayed at a COE this past weekend and when we got to the site it wasn't wide enough for our unit. Luckily the camp host just happened to be on site and gladly moved us to another spot that had just opened up.

[Bear fans]

Our local COE have a generic# so no chance of calling them directly. I agree you shouldn't be charged if you cancel but even with the cancellation fee you'd be money ahead to cancel rather than paying for the entire weekend.

[doodler]

I always try to plan ahead and reserve a site, last summer I had reservations at a COE, had a family emergency the day we was suppose to arrive ended up with a late arrival, in which as soon as I knew I would be arriving late, I called and actually spoke with the host. He said no problem, any way when I did finally get there, there were trucks with boats and a couple of cars parked in my campsite. Ended up getting a better site than the one I had reserved. And yes OP I wish if you wasn't gonna show up, cancel and let the ones that can show up enjoy!

[Skyliner]

What's even worse is that week long reservations can be made 6 months in advance at many places but most folks only use the campsite for the weekend.

My neighbor uses this trick to get the best camp sites reserved way ahead of time though he rarely uses a full week at a time.

[Oakman]

What drives me crazy are the retired folks using their “America the Beautiful” senior pass to reserve COE campsites for the entire summer. With the 50% discount they can afford to make the campground their summer home on the lake.

[BandJCarm]

I have one of those. COE Campgrounds, with the pass, are about $12 a site or so.

For the summer?????? Summer here is about 100 days or more. I can't afford $1200 to 'reserve' a site at ONE campground just in case I might use it. People do that?

When you 'reserve' at a COE or State Park, you pay for it then.

I realize that there are way 'too many' of us, and way too few nice campgrounds and decent sites. Surely the cosmos will rearrange itself soon to alleviate that. Heck, freeway fuel-available-next-exit signs say "Diesel" on them now, and that never happened just a very few years ago.

I never, ever reserve a site just in case I might need it. I don't know anyone that does. I believe you.......it might happen........but I'd have to doubt it until someone tells me they are doing that. How many sites would a guy do it for? I don't want to stay at one campground all summer.

But if it is done, I'd think that yes, that's bad etiquette.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Oakman

What drives me crazy are the retired folks using their “America the Beautiful” senior pass to reserve COE campsites for the entire summer. With the 50% discount they can afford to make the campground their summer home on the lake.

Pine Tree, I though there was a 14 day limit in a 30 day period at COE Parks! Youroo!!

[KingFisher]

Originally Posted by youroo

Pine Tree, I though there was a 14 day limit in a 30 day period at COE Parks! Youroo!!

My extremely talkative to the point of unbearable neighbor at my last campsite said that both her and her husband have passes so they can stay 28 days per month.

[dcheatwood]

I think part of the problem is that the park offices close so early that there's no one to call to cancel. I tried to cancel once and could not get an answer after 6pm. Luckily my nephew was in the next spot over and told a park ranger. Someone was in the spot within the hour.

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by BandJCarm

I have one of those. COE Campgrounds, with the pass, are about $12 a site or so.

For the summer?????? Summer here is about 100 days or more. I can't afford $1200 to 'reserve' a site at ONE campground just in case I might use it. People do that?

When you 'reserve' at a COE or State Park, you pay for it then.

I realize that there are way 'too many' of us, and way too few nice campgrounds and decent sites. Surely the cosmos will rearrange itself soon to alleviate that. Heck, freeway fuel-available-next-exit signs say "Diesel" on them now, and that never happened just a very few years ago.

I never, ever reserve a site just in case I might need it. I don't know anyone that does. I believe you.......it might happen........but I'd have to doubt it until someone tells me they are doing that. How many sites would a guy do it for? I don't want to stay at one campground all summer.

But if it is done, I'd think that yes, that's bad etiquette.

$1200 is pretty darn cheap for a summer home on the lake, don't ya think? Usually these folks are into boating. You can pay almost that amount for just one week at a condo on Lake of the Ozarks.

Originally Posted by youroo

Pine Tree, I though there was a 14 day limit in a 30 day period at COE Parks! Youroo!!

Yep, but there are ways around it.

Originally Posted by KingFisher

My extremely talkative to the point of unbearable neighbor at my last campsite said that both her and her husband have passes so they can stay 28 days per month.

If you know all the tricks you can spent the entire summer but it does involved changing sites.

[BandJCarm]

I guess my view of life is skewed by poverty and debt! LOL That's a TON of money for me...

[Bear fans]

I get the allure of reservations, this year is the first time we have tried it and admittedly it's comforting to know you have a spot but we can't always plan that far ahead and many times even when we are planning a month or so out those spots are already booked. Fortunately our favorite COE has some of its best spots on a first come first serve basis, we have had to jump spots occasionally spending a night in a less desirable spot til the better ones open. Those spots never spend a weekend empty in the summer.

[Bear fans]

To the point of gaming the system, we tried booking a full hook up for 2 weeks in July. There was one spot left available during that 2 week period with the exception of one Saturday in the middle of it, Reserve America says you can't book one weekend day but there it was just that Saturday?

[Sharon455]

Our state park reservation system says if you don't show by checkout time on day after scheduled arrival you will lose your site.
Last July 4th weekend, our neighbors arrived late and set up in what they thought was their site. Around 1 pm the next day, another rig stopped and said they had the site reserved. The two drove down to ranger gate to resolve, our neighbors were told to move out of the other guy's site…but by the time they drove around the circle to the correct site, it was taken by someone else. The site had been marked as available earlier that day, and there was no place else to go. I don't think I would have wanted to be a passenger in that rig headed home.


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