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Old 09-07-2021, 10:22 PM   #1
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Campground/Park Reviews: What do they expect?

Before you read this I want to disclose, I have a bias. I am grateful to anyone who owns or operates a campground/park where we can stay. I use reviews extensively to plan all our trips. My expectations are basic. I would like a clean campground where utilities are maintained, sites are usable with some leveling, and I can get into and out of a site with a minimum of 1-5 back "in and outs." Every park we have ever stayed at has met this expectation. I am grateful for any improvements above this and expect to pay for them.
I am so weary of the reviews that complain about train noise, freeway noise, other campers noise, dirty bathrooms etc. where they blame it on the staff. One recent reviewer complained that they damaged their awning because the site was so tight. Somehow I don't think the staff was the one who extended the awning. I don't like excessive noise but if the host attempts to help and can't, they are not to blame. Bathrooms, give me a break. It is not the staff that messes up the bathrooms! With Google satellite views it is easy to look at a park and scout what is around it. Other reviewers will tell you if sites are tight. We've stayed at parks where there were multiple leased sites and have never had a problem with full time residents. One reviewer made a statement, "this is an older park." Yet the facilities were great, large sites, clean bathrooms, great areas to walk, what did the older park have anything to do with what we need when we RV. When I write a review I focus on how the park met my expectations and comment only upon what staff is responsible for. We stayed at a park recently where there was a large playground and the kids we just having fun! But one camper complained that they wanted to relax without the noise. Why didn't they get off their butts and do some investigating before they came! Did they really expect the owners to tell the kids to stop having fun. We need to do what we can to support owners of parks as it is a very challenging business and one that we cannot do without. Please think about this when you write your next review.
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Old 09-07-2021, 10:51 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by travelingjw View Post
Before you read this I want to disclose, I have a bias. I am grateful to anyone who owns or operates a campground/park where we can stay. I use reviews extensively to plan all our trips. My expectations are basic. I would like a clean campground where utilities are maintained, sites are usable with some leveling, and I can get into and out of a site with a minimum of 1-5 back "in and outs." Every park we have ever stayed at has met this expectation. I am grateful for any improvements above this and expect to pay for them.
I am so weary of the reviews that complain about train noise, freeway noise, other campers noise, dirty bathrooms etc. where they blame it on the staff. One recent reviewer complained that they damaged their awning because the site was so tight. Somehow I don't think the staff was the one who extended the awning. I don't like excessive noise but if the host attempts to help and can't, they are not to blame. Bathrooms, give me a break. It is not the staff that messes up the bathrooms! With Google satellite views it is easy to look at a park and scout what is around it. Other reviewers will tell you if sites are tight. We've stayed at parks where there were multiple leased sites and have never had a problem with full time residents. One reviewer made a statement, "this is an older park." Yet the facilities were great, large sites, clean bathrooms, great areas to walk, what did the older park have anything to do with what we need when we RV. When I write a review I focus on how the park met my expectations and comment only upon what staff is responsible for. We stayed at a park recently where there was a large playground and the kids we just having fun! But one camper complained that they wanted to relax without the noise. Why didn't they get off their butts and do some investigating before they came! Did they really expect the owners to tell the kids to stop having fun. We need to do what we can to support owners of parks as it is a very challenging business and one that we cannot do without. Please think about this when you write your next review.
LOL, We are the same way. We don't care about kids/freeway/train noise, In fact, in Amarillo last year, we opened our vents to make sure we heard the lonesome sounds of the distant trains all night. We really felt that we were experiencing the old West. In Williams Az last month, we backed up to a very busy rail line. We loved it.
We want hookups that work, a safe environment, and easy in/out access. Everything else is a plus, such as sights to see, local history, etc.
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Old 09-07-2021, 11:39 PM   #3
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We, too, appreciate owners who provide clean, reasonably priced RV parks to enjoy. The more the better. But blaming reviewers who criticize things that don’t bother you is off-base. We all have our personal preferences, and reviews are subjective. If we all liked exactly the same things, there’d be no need for reviews.

I scour reviews from multiple sites on parks we’re considering visiting. And I take all comments with a grain of salt. What one reviewer claims is an overly restrictive park, can turn out to be one with sensible rules that kept it quiet and safe. “Unbearable“ road noise to some may be harmless “white noise” to others. Dirty bathrooms definitely can be the fault of the staff if they are consistently dirty and ignored. Same with other park facilities. Again, it’s in the eye of the beholder.

The more reviews you read, the easier it is to determine whether it is fairly objective or if the writer has an ax to grind. Sometimes a camper will be upset at the park for something that’s their own fault and attempt to “get even” with a nasty review. You’ll identify those over time and learn to ignore them.
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Old 09-08-2021, 04:46 AM   #4
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People are quicker to leave a negative revue than a positive one. We stayed at a place once that looked nothin like the pictures an the distance between our steps an the hill was literally 1 ft. What looked like easy access to the lake for fishing was a 30ft+ drop off with about 6" of flat to stand on to fish. But I didn't leave a negative revue even though I had every right to. Had the rest of the park not been nice or had I not found a place nearby I could fish from I may have.
Revues are what they are.
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Old 09-08-2021, 05:55 AM   #5
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For the most part, I agree. But, managers have expectations to live up to. If I stay at a hotel, I expect room service to clean the room, make the bed, clean the bathrooms. I'm paying for it. If someone in that hotel is hosting giant parties with people being loud well into the night, rest assured the manager will get involved. As they should. To that point, managers and crew of campgrounds are expected to give pretty much the same service...just more rustic. If I stay at a campground that charges me crazy rates because of who they are and where they are, I expect it to be different from other places. The bathrooms should be attended to on a normal basis, not just once a day. Correct staffing can handle this. If it's midnight and the site next to me is carrying on like crazy, I expect the manager to get involved. I also understand that there are things beyond their control as you mentioned, such as freeway noise or alike. But, for the things they CAN control, they should. I don't consider a campground different from any hotel I visit. Just a different "floorplan". It's a business and should be treated as such. I've seen some CG's and thought, "How are they still in business?". I've also seen some that blew me away with it's cleanliness and staff. No matter how you slice it, a managed campground should run like any other business. JMO
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Old 09-08-2021, 12:35 PM   #6
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LuckyDuck, thank you, I think you expressed it in a more articulate way than I. I don't object to the negative reviews, I only want the people who post to think about what is in control of the staff and what isn't. I agree that a consistent dirty restroom is cause for complaint. My concerns is at the parks where I've been where the restrooms are cleaned daily and people still complain. There are legitimate complaints, there are also whiners.
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Old 09-08-2021, 07:09 PM   #7
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LuckyDuck, thank you, I think you expressed it in a more articulate way than I. I don't object to the negative reviews, I only want the people who post to think about what is in control of the staff and what isn't. I agree that a consistent dirty restroom is cause for complaint. My concerns is at the parks where I've been where the restrooms are cleaned daily and people still complain. There are legitimate complaints, there are also whiners.
Absolutely! Some people are never happy. I like going back and looking at reviews of places we’ve stayed to see how accurate they are.
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Old 09-08-2021, 07:43 PM   #8
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I recently retired and we're on our way to our Arizona property where I start building our house. We spent 20 years RVing in Washington State. One of our favorite places was to stay at Deception Pass State Park on Whidbey Island which is adjacent to Whidbey Naval Air Station and people would complain about the jets. DUH!
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Old 10-26-2021, 03:09 PM   #9
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LuckyDuck, thank you, I think you expressed it in a more articulate way than I. I don't object to the negative reviews, I only want the people who post to think about what is in control of the staff and what isn't. I agree that a consistent dirty restroom is cause for complaint. My concerns is at the parks where I've been where the restrooms are cleaned daily and people still complain. There are legitimate complaints, there are also whiners.
We have seen them not cleaned at all & not cleaned correctly, both have the same end result. I think most folks can tell if a bathroom/shower is cleaned correctly, even if someone trashes it just after it was cleaned. I have noticed if the rest of the Rv park is generally maintained the bathrooms/showers will follow

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Old 10-26-2021, 07:35 PM   #10
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LuckyDuck, thank you, I think you expressed it in a more articulate way than I. I don't object to the negative reviews, I only want the people who post to think about what is in control of the staff and what isn't. I agree that a consistent dirty restroom is cause for complaint. My concerns is at the parks where I've been where the restrooms are cleaned daily and people still complain. There are legitimate complaints, there are also whiners.
Does it really matter why the bathrooms are dirty? If the campground consistently has dirty bathrooms I don’t want to spend my money there.
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Old 10-26-2021, 10:53 PM   #11
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We use CG Reviews as our go to resource for CG’s in an unfamiliar location. I tend to avoid CG’s that have less than 100 reviews (I want a larger sample size). I then read the 1 and 2 star comments looking for common complaints (trash, partying campers, cramped conditions, neighborhood and anything that stands out). I then look at the 5 and 4 star reviews looking for other positive points. While more recent reviews out weigh older ones I also note conflicting reviews for important features. I ignore negatives involving things out of control of the management. Looking for trends and some common sense in reviews has served us well. I post reviews on CG Reviews and try to be objective in my reviews. IMHO CG Reviews is a good resource when searching for a CG.
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