Campground review ratings

I do enjoy reading the reviews on this site but I do get a chuckle at what the rating numbers mean to different people. Everyone has there own way of coming up with the number which is great but but I do chuckle.

A couple of examples are when you see a review with a 6 or 7, I think OK not the best place but lets see what is wrong and then the reviewer has a problem with everything, rules not enforced, dirty, staff not friendly etc., to me we are looking at a lower rating. Then I see a campground with a rating of 1 and think this should be good reading, the review starts off with this is the cleaning place we have been to, great activities for the kids, friendly campers etc etc but... one staff member was not nice and caused the rating to drop to 1, short of murder or something, who knows.

Now, of course I am not there and these reviewers had to live it but it does make for interesting reading. Thank you all for posting your reviews and helping us other campers out.

 

There's various ways to perceive the review ratings. I actually kind of do them in reverse...those who have large RV's and rate camprounds low because of maneuverability, is usually a campground I'll rate high because I tent camp and maneuverability means nothing to me. The same goes for those who rate campgrounds low because they don't allow pets, that's a campground I'd probably rate high because I'd rather stay at a campground that does not allow pets. Same with "planned activities"...those who rate campgrounds low because they have very little activities, I would probably rate that campground a 10.

The campgrounds I rate high are ones that offer very little in terms of "creature comforts"... they are the campgrounds where you might actually have to plan your own activities to keep your kids entertained and the only animals you'll see are the ones that are native to the area.

I've even come to know certain people's style of rating campgrounds and what they rate as high is a place I know I would not consider going and the places they rate low are more than likely places that I will love to stay at...that works well for me.

For the most part though, the last thing I look at is the rating...I look and see what the poster's views of the campground are, which is most important...at least in my opinion, that's more important,

 

I do the same, the actual review means more than the rating. Unfortunately, sometimes the reviewer is not very informative with their remarks which can lead to a stay at a campground that we would normally avoid. The more information in the review the better.
I think this is the best site on the web for campground information. Hope it stays active for a very very long time.

 

Most certainly, the numerical ratings are not nearly as important as the comments. And it is true that the perception of what constitutes a 1 and what constitutes a 10, and everything in between, varies all over the place. But consider the alternative: Depending on Trailer Life and Woodalls. I think I had rather have hemmoroids. Did I spell that right, Cheryl?

 

I don't know, I never had them. Why don't you use the spell check?

 

QUOTE(Cheryl @ Aug 11 2005, 11:42 AM)
I do the same, the actual review means more than the rating. Unfortunately, sometimes the reviewer is not very informative with their remarks which can lead to a stay at a campground that we would normally avoid. The more information in the review the better.
I think this is the best site on the web for campground information. Hope it stays active for a very very long time.
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I totally agree about some being vague in their reviews, but that's why it's always nice to have several other reviews of the campground to compare it to.

And, I, too, find this the best site on the web for campground info as well.

 

QUOTE(Beastdriver @ Aug 11 2005, 04:32 PM)
Most certainly, the numerical ratings are not nearly as important as the comments. And it is true that the perception of what constitutes a 1 and what constitutes a 10, and everything in between, varies all over the place. But consider the alternative: Depending on Trailer Life and Woodalls. I think I had rather have hemmoroids. Did I spell that right, Cheryl?
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I totally agree and with regards to Trailer Life and Woodalls, I think most of the campgrounds who pay for their above average ratings should think more of taking the money they invested in buying their rating in those publications and put it to better use investing it in their campgrounds.

LOL about hemmoroids, I think it's hemorrhoids, but I don't use that term very often I refer to them as a pain in the behind..... :lol:

 

Why do you think the top-rated campgrounds have "bought" their high ratings?

Doesn't look that way to me.

 

Stan, obviously you have never stayed at a campground based on the fact that Trailer Life or Woodall's gave them a high rating and when you arrived, discovered that it was less than expected. I think most of us here have had that experience, so we trust our friends here over those directories. The campgrounds pay to e listed in those directories and the reviews appear to be somewhat biased in their favor.

 

Okay guys, I did spell check that last post and it did not pick up that In had typed in "e" instead of "be" and I didn't catch it until it was too late. Sorry.

 

Please don't feel the need to apologize about any spelling/grammatical errors. Most of us on here don't care about things like that as long as we can read/understand the post. I like to use spell check on my own posts just because I tend to look at the keys when I type. My fingers are usually faster than my eyes which can cause a LOT of errors.

 

QUOTE(BBear @ Aug 11 2005, 06:52 PM)
QUOTE(Beastdriver @ Aug 11 2005, 04:32 PM)
Most certainly, the numerical ratings are not nearly as important as the comments. And it is true that the perception of what constitutes a 1 and what constitutes a 10, and everything in between, varies all over the place. But consider the alternative: Depending on Trailer Life and Woodalls. I think I had rather have hemmoroids.  Did I spell that right, Cheryl?
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I totally agree and with regards to Trailer Life and Woodalls, I think most of the campgrounds who pay for their above average ratings should think more of taking the money they invested in buying their rating in those publications and put it to better use investing it in their campgrounds.

LOL about hemmoroids, I think it's hemorrhoids, but I don't use that term very often I refer to them as a pain in the behind..... :lol:
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I am just new to this sight and fairly new to RVing. My husband and I just purchased a 2002 34 ft. motorhome last summer and are having lots of fun with it. We need to get a little more experienced in finding good CG's. What are you two referring to when you knock the validity of Woodall's et al? I haven't found it really helpful, and was wondering why it is referred to so much? Please advise.

 

In my view, a far better resource than the ad-dependent Trailer Life and Woodall's is Frommer's Best RV and Tent Campgrounds. It is far more comprehensive, highly readable, rates campgrounds on the factors most important to both tent campers and RV owners, and includes local sites of interest and detailed descriptions of the profiled campgrounds, as well as maps and driving directions. Best of all, it doesn't take ads! While it's not perfect (at least one "turkey," the Buena Vista campground in Buena, NJ, got an undeserved high rating, for example), it's a great resource when used in conjunction with this website.

 

Actually, the Trailer Life and Woodalls directories do have two very important uses.

First, the maps in the front of the books (Trailer Life) that show you where each campground is located on the state maps is helpful in trip planning. But that is as far as it goes. Once you refer to the write up for the locations identified by the maps, you take your life in your own hands. Any resemblance between the rating and the actual park is purely coincidental, and appears to be based on who buys the biggest ad, or who has influence with the "inspectors."

The second important use for these guides is as levelers to put under your jacks. This is, by far, the most imporant use.

I am rarely disappointed with parks I select based on this site. It does happen occasaionally, but not often. I am almost always disappointed with sites I select based on Trailer Life and Woodalls. On occasion, they are right on, but it is rare.

 

QUOTE(Beastdriver @ Aug 12 2005, 10:53 AM)
Actually, the Trailer Life and Woodalls directories do have two very important uses.

First, the maps in the front of the books (Trailer Life) that show you where each campground is located on the state maps is helpful in trip planning. But that is as far as it goes. Once you refer to the write up for the locations identified by the maps, you take your life in your own hands. Any resemblance between the rating and the actual park is purely coincidental, and appears to be based on who buys the biggest ad, or who has influence with the "inspectors."

The second important use for these guides is as levelers to put under your jacks. This is, by far, the most imporant use.

I am rarely disappointed with parks I select based on this site. It does happen occasaionally, but not often. I am almost always disappointed with sites I select based on Trailer Life and Woodalls. On occasion, they are right on, but it is rare.
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Thank you for your reply. This information is very helpful. Since we are newbies, we were of the belief that Woodall's was the Bible of RVing. We have already, however, been burned by one of their reviews. Speaking of burning, we may add one more to the list of uses for Woodall's.

 

Recently someone rated a campground that I personally know to be a sorry place(as do all the other reviewers). They rated it an 8 and then seemingly apologized for the place....."well this could have been better and that wasn't so good....etc."

 

Sarah - welcome to our site and to the world of rv'ing. My husband and I started last summer also. He has wanted an rv for years and drug me to every rv show in the Denver area for the past 5 or 6 yrs. I fought it all the way, thinking that I had no desire to be cooking, doing dishes, cleaning, and making beds while on vacation. In July of 2004, I made the comment that it might not be a bad idea. That was on a Wed. and on Friday, we were sitting at the dealer signing the papers. We really love it and look forward to each and every trip. You will be much better off checking the campground reviews on this site than taking the word of the printed directories we have mentioned. I have found that these guys rarely steer you wrong.

 

I rate camp grounds on everything that I see in that camp site. I look at everything, showers, pool, playgrounds, level sites, roads, pot holes, dump, office staff, grounds, what the campground looks like over all. I never rate a camp ground down due items like "the office did not like my dog or cat" so park is a 1. This is so dumb. You read how nice the place was and them they rate it a 2 or 3. Like other comments on this, TL and other books are good to get you in the right place and them see if camp ground is on this site them make your pick. Look at the hold picture and not one small item and them give it a number or weight from 1-10. Most information I pick up here is right on the money.

 

Thanks for the kind welcome. I'm still a novice at navigating through this site. Some of the applications seem awkward to me, but I'll muddle through. Any practical hints? I submitted a review a few days ago and I have yet to see it show up. How long do these things take? Just curious. Cheryl, I had to chuckle at your story about how you came to own an RV. My husband and I used to attend RV shows as well, and tried two summers in a row to rent one from a local dealer just to try it out. We struck out both times due to the RV's being always booked - even 6 months out. (Just goes to show that they're really popular.) So instead of renting, we just bought one on a Wednesday, and left on our first vacation on that Saturday. The rest is history.

I would appreciate any helpful hints anyone can offer up concerning hitting the road in an RV with kids...activities, easy meals, road crafts, etc. I have three... 8, 7, and 4.

 

Just a comment on both Woodall's and Trailer Life: both directories are aimed at different audiences. Trailer Life is primarily aimed at the over 55, or empty nesters, while Woodall's is aimed at familys. Example: Trailer Life does not mention tenting or cabins; Woodall's does. Different audiences means different rating values. If a campground or RV park is where you want to be, contact them directly to ask specifics before making the reservation or showing up only to find it is not what you wanted. The directories are REFERENCE material only and should not be taken a gospel. Thanks for listening!