No Room at RV Park: Poor behavior by RV'ers

[travelingjw]

We camped at Trailer Village in Grand Canyon last week for 8 days. When we arrived the campground was "Full," but it was at least 1/3 empty. We thought, its Friday, people will arrive late. The next morning, it was still 1/3 empty. It was the same Saturday and Sunday night. I stopped by the office and asked for an explanation and they showed me the "reservation list" and it was full. They explained that RV'ers consistently make reservations and don't show up, and don't cancel. I asked why the park didn't cancel after the first night if they don't show and they said if they are paid, they can't cancel. Is there really a space shortage or do we need to encourage a policy with significant penalties for no cancellation/no shows.

[Camper_bob]

Texas State Parks have had similar problems for many years. People will log into the system and reserve many parks/nights with intention on only actually going for a handful of them. The idea is to get a reservation SOMEWHERE because the parks fill up quickly during peak times.

Obviously this creates a problem for those of us who actually have full intention on going to a specific place at a specific time because all the sites are booked up. Cancellation had previously been pretty inexpensive depending on timing.

TX Parks & Wildlife has tried a few different methods to curtail the behavior, but with limited success IMO. Bottom line is that there are A LOT of campers competing for sites, especially during peak seasons and times.

These days I try to make reservations as far ahead as possible. If I really want to go somewhere and can't get a reservation there, I will watch the system the week before and look for cancellations. But I don't do that often because our schedule is so structured, we typically can't just drop in or out on last minute notice.

ETA: I have found that private parks often have spaces when the state parks are booked "full". So sometimes I will try to find a private park close to where I want to be. Their "penalties" for cancellation are also far more harsh, so reservations usually mean the site WILL be occupied most of the time.

Luckily, our peak season (at least for now) is when no one else wants to be out, so we can often find places to go when we're ready. OTOH, I've been trying to get into Dinosaur Valley State Park for a while now and can't manage to get a reservation...

[Cosmik Debris]

With so many campgrounds in the national system it would seem that having the park show them as a no show could be used against them in future attempts to book, of course allowing for the possibility that it was out of their control. Habitual offenders could be restricted, in my opinion.

[o2silverado]

It's not that simple. The reservations have been paid in full. So the parks don't care if the people show or not . It actually works better they get their money and it doesn't cost them a dime. What's sad is these people have the money to throw away on unused reservations. I'm sure sometimes it's unavoidable but when I put money out on a trip I go on the trip or send someone in my place ! I guess all those unused reservations could be chalked up to charitable donations though.

[Scott91370]

While it does stink for those of us that do show up, if it is paid for then the 'owner' of the grounds isn't losing money so why would they really care if someone doesn't show?

[oldmanAZ]

IIRC, the policy of one park we stayed in is that you MUST spend the FIRST night of your (uncancelled) reservation in your reserved site. If you don't, they'll give it to someone else and DON'T refund your reservation.

That opens sites up for others AND gives the owner the potential for additional income.

[DocBrown]

WI State Parks & Forests solved this problem some years back by implementing a simple rule. If the site is not occupied by the second night it is forfeited so someone else can use it.

[norty1]

That should be and is the policy in most gov. run and private parks we frequent. If a reservation is not cancelled in a stated period of time you forfeit the deposit. If you are a no show for a reservation the site is released. Most all charge a fee for changing or cancelling a reservation. When making a reservation, we always read the cancellation and no show policies. Many Fl. parks that we frequent require the entire payment at reservation. That may cut down on it somewhat.

That still won't help the poor guy that has already been denied the opportunity to reserve because of others who are selfish. This is causing many cg's who were very liberal with no-shows to have to crack down.

We all lose when this happens.

[Screwby]

We saw quite a lot of this in Florida last time we were there. Prime spots that said reserved but no one ever showed up while we camped in less desirable spots. It was frustrating to say the least, sitting in full sun while spots that were reserved sat empty in the shade for days. I guess it doesn’t matter to people with the money to burn, but it sucks for those of us who don’t. I did like that they had some spots that aren’t listed on the website that are first come first serve. It was a gamble to show up hoping for one but at least it couldn’t be booked by someone and never used. From a business standpoint I get that the park gets paid either way. From a travelers standpoint though, it’s frustrating.

[bdreinv]

I always cancel if something comes up.Would rather lose 20 bucks than lose the whole shooting match!Not to speak of the shortage of camp spots. Thanks

[North of 49°]

Around here, if you have a paid in advance reservation and you don’t show up by 11:00 the next morning, they mark you as a no show and refund your money, minus the one night’s fee and the reservation fee. They then put the now vacant site back up for grabs. Even if you show up later, too bad. Of course, there’s always extenuating circumstances, which I’m sure they would take into account.

There’s been a few times when I had to work late and we couldn’t get to the campground before it closed for the night, so we had to be up bright and early the next morning to get there before 11:00 am... or lose the reservation.

[WinnieView]

Things happen. We find it curious to show up to a place that online was "full" but don't judge if there are open spots that never fill.
Sometimes we will ask if we can move and do if the other site is better.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by 2008Seneca

Things happen. We find it curious to show up to a place that online was "full" but don't judge if there are open spots that never fill.
Sometimes we will ask if we can move and do if the other site is better.

That's one of the advantages of specific sites not being assigned at time of reservation. If you get there earlier, then you might have an option or two on which particular site you end up in. That's the way TX state parks have historically been. A lot of times the ranger at check in knows which sites have specific features you're looking for and will tell you which ones they recommend. If you get there and find you want a different site, you can usually just head back to the check-in station and tell them which site you chose and they'll put you in it.

But that only works if it's not a "full house" when you get there.

[Parcany]

If I make a reservation and when I find out that I can't make it I call and cancel so somebody else can have the spot. But to make a reservation, pay for it, and then not show up or call to cancel is just not right. But nowadays people are like that. All they think about is me me me.

[travelingjw]

I would be very supportive of this idea; National Parks are managed by the govt. While I don't like govt. intruding in our lives, the fact is they manage the vendors. I would like to see a policy that if you make a reservation and don't call to cancel, or are a no show (unless there can be some documented proof) you should be banned from the National Park pre-reservation system for a year. Nobody can then claim the "penalty" is excessive, you are just denied the privilege of pre-reservations.

[TxLoser]

People will just make reservations under different family members names or spouse. Needs to be a hefty no-show fee plus you lose what you paid. That would get the attention of many. Site is released as 8am next day if no word from the camper. This would free up space, and parks make $$. Only downside for the park is that under the current system people that don't cancel help on rained out weekends. With this, I bet people watch the weather and cancel.

[sirrealone]

This country has gone far too long without a recession. People have too much money that they don't know what to do with. A recession as part of the normal economic cycle will return some normalcy to situations like this.

[Crabman]

If I have to move or cancel a reservation I darn sure do it ahead of time as soon a possible and get the maximum possible refund. Not sure what is to be gained if they just do not show up and lose the deposit or entire amount.

[KCSA75]

Originally Posted by sirrealone

This country has gone far too long without a recession. People have too much money that they don't know what to do with. A recession as part of the normal economic cycle will return some normalcy to situations like this.

If you know any of those people with too much money, tell them they can send some of it to me.

[spoon059]

Originally Posted by oldmanAZ

IIRC, the policy of one park we stayed in is that you MUST spend the FIRST night of your (uncancelled) reservation in your reserved site. If you don't, they'll give it to someone else and DON'T refund your reservation.

That opens sites up for others AND gives the owner the potential for additional income.

This seems like the best solution. If you are a no show by checkout time after the first night and you haven't called ahead to announce you are arriving late, I think the best solution is NO REFUND, but open the site for the remainder of the trip.


That allows the campground to receive the payments that they anticipated when you reserved your site (no refund).



That allows other guests access to a site that isn't otherwise being used (if you haven't called to announce a late arrival).


That seems fair to everyone involved. A couple years ago we had reservations, but my wife was ill so we were a day or two late to leave. We called and told the park we would be 2 days late, but would honor our reservation then. That allowed them to open that site for 2 days if they chose, but maintain our site for our adjusted schedule.