Rv Park Reviews As Entertainment

Ok, first I love this site and it's the first place to go when planning a trip to unfamiliar territory! Thanks for doing a great job!

2nd, This site can also be fun for entertainment value. Probably once a day I check out the new reviews and look at the bad reviews. Some of these can be very entertaining and it's amazing what some parks offer or don't offer and how they treat their paying customers. Sure some people just have a grudge or a bad experiance, but drunk park owners, junk everywhere, no maintenance, and/or charging incredible fees to stay in a "parking lot", makes for interesting reading.

I'm not encouraging bad reviews in any way, but when you see multiple reviews all saying the same bad things, it's amazing some of these parks stay open at all!.

I hope you all have good trips and keep up the good work.

Chris G.
1989 33' Southwind motorhome

 

I too read this site daily and go to it first when planning a trip or taking a workamping job. Ilke reading reviews of campgrounds I have stayed at seeing the different perspectives.

 

It has been said a number of times here read all the reviews as we all think in different ways. We wrote up a park in NM that was flat as a pan cake. Next review in said not one site in hold park was level. Now you think he was in the wrong park or I was in the wrong park. We were in park at time of write up so I hope we got it right. We see reviews come in all the time that this park had a pool and tress. All this is wrong as admins have been to lots of the same parks. We see parks come in with wrong state, wrong city, and wrong park name so what good is the review? At times you could say the beer was good but the review was bad. Have fun in RV life.

 

I, too, find some of the reviews entertaining. Especially for the parks I have visited and reviewed. Everyone has their own opinion or idea of what camping is to them. Sometimes I wonder if the bad reviews are ex-spouses of the campground owner or manager and the good reviews are written by the mother of the owner! Only when I see repeated poor reviews do I take them seriously and only for parks I have not visited personally. Some people don't like a lot of trees because they want better reception on their dish and others that think if there aren't a lot of trees then it ain't campin' Too much sap, not enough shade. The park is too hilly (especially in New England, so be sure to bring boards!) Ofcourse we all know the perfect site is near the pool, in the shade, with lots of lush grass (under all those trees?) with water, electric, sewer, cable, wifi and room service. What ever happened to communing with nature?

 

Yes, I am guilty! I check the reviews and look for the 1 star reviews first, lol.

We have yet to be at a campground that I would give a "1" to. Actually, I don't think I've rated any campground below a "6". I do have a good attitude when camping, because I am not working!

 

I found the funniest reviews to be where visitors would be to knickname the campgrounds. Some can be very entertaining.

 

QUOTE(NorthernIllinoisPlumber @ Jul 12 2010, 10:15 PM) [snapback]22982[/snapback]

I found the funniest reviews to be where visitors would be to knickname the campgrounds. Some can be very entertaining.


Can't believe the people that complain about freeway traffic, when the campground is 2/10 miles from it....or the train noise when they are right next to the tracks. Do your research, people!

 

It's the same with hotel and cruiseline reviews. Before a cruise or a trip to Vegas, I'll start haunting the boards for info. Bring up reviews for a hotel or buffet in Vegas and you'll find:

1. "Best hotel in Vegas. Huge clean rooms. Wonderful pool. The people at the front desk were friendly and helpful."

followed by:

2. "Worst hotel in Vegas. Rooms were too small even for the bedbugs. Filthy bathrooms. Pool was a cesspit. Horrible employees."

followed by:

3. "Best hotel I've ever stayed in. Wonderful employees. Big rooms....."

Well, you get the idea. Same thing goes for buffets: "Best food in Vegas"....."worst food in Vegas"...."we eat there every time"....."everyone in my party got ptomaine poisening"....

Ditto for cruise reviewss. I have to wonder how EVERYTHING about a cruise could be horrible? I just read one cruise review that stated the person "almost starved to death" as the food was so awful that she couldn't eat a thing. Puh-leeze.....how bad could it be? My humble opinion is that if I don't have to shop for it, schlep it home, unpack it, cook it, put it on the table and clean up afterwards, then I'm gonna like it...maybe not love it.....but definitely like it.

Anyway I look at it, a bad day on vacation beats the h-e-double hockey sticks out of a good day at the office.

Jama (who is on day 20 of her first 4-month RV trip and hasn't killed her boyfriend yet....yet...)

 

I like that phrase as a slogan "A bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work!"

Anyway, it is funny how reviews can fluctuate up and down for some parks. there is one park we stay at here in Colorado that I have never had a problem with, and it appears most people have a good time there. the only bad reviews (over the last 3 years) is when someone complains to management about the poor WiFi. Then the management "goes off" on the camper and the review plummets.

 

I too like the reviews for reading entertainment! I especially like the ones that complain of flies, knats and other insects........you`re camping/RV`ing, are you kidding me! or some that complain that $40 a nite is expensive, compared to what?.......dry camping in a state/national park! the other one that I like is when someone complains the site was unlevel! and they needed to use thier leveling blocks.......OK unless you get lucky and find a flat parking lot, even a pad sometimes needs leveling! I`m sure these are important to some, but hardly worth giving a lower rating for it.

 

QUOTE(Fitzjohnfan @ Jul 21 2010, 02:54 PM) [snapback]23103[/snapback]

I like that phrase as a slogan "A bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work!"

Anyway, it is funny how reviews can fluctuate up and down for some parks. there is one park we stay at here in Colorado that I have never had a problem with, and it appears most people have a good time there. the only bad reviews (over the last 3 years) is when someone complains to management about the poor WiFi. Then the management "goes off" on the camper and the review plummets.



There is a Jellystone in Gatlinburg and all the reviews are 8,9,10`s. there is only one review with a 2 or 3? I wonder how that one couple hated the place. they complained of all the gravel in the campground, yet you look at thier reviews and at another place they thought the gravel sites were wonderful???!

 

Also that CG got a 1, and they stated that there wasn't enough room for their popup and screen house - and at the end it says they stayed in a Motorhome :blink:

 

To the last two posters: We always want our information to be correct so when I read your posts about the Jellystone park in Gatlinburg I checked it out with the idea af making any needed corrections. However, I do not see the things you have reported.

First I agree that this park has received mostly 8, 9, and 10 ratings; however, I do not find any 2 or 3 ratings. There is a 4 rating, but there is no mention of the gravel sites (in that review or in their previous reviews) which you cited in your post.

Second I do find a #1 rating, but it was way back in June of 2007--hardly an up-to-date review. However, I agree with you that there is a discrepancy with talking about not having room for their pop-up and screen room and then checking off that they stayed in a motorhome. Perhaps they had both a motorhome and pop-up on the site (or they had two sites), but that is not very likely. If this were a June 2010 review I would be a little more concerned, but I don't think a review from three years ago is going to make much difference.

It is always good to check ALL of the reviews, but in this case I can't see how the 2007 review is significant even if there is a mistake in it. Please let me know if there is something I am missing here.

 

No, no, no - just entertaining

 

QUOTE(wallysmom @ Jul 18 2010, 06:01 PM) [snapback]23053[/snapback]

Can't believe the people that complain about freeway traffic, when the campground is 2/10 miles from it....or the train noise when they are right next to the tracks. Do your research, people!


Research is what the review process is all about. It is helpful when a review includes things like traffic or RR track noise; or any other noise problem for that matter. It probably isn't all that difficult to figure out that a CG next to an Interstate is noisy, but those near secondary roads may not have that same issue. I suspect that there are way more little used or abandoned tracks than active ones so how does one research whether a RR track is going to be a problem?

If the reviewer rambles on about one issue, then I might agree it would be complaining, but mentioning a problem with a campground is not. Otherwise the comments about the lack of cell service, low voltage, unlevel sites, et al would be complaining.

 

QUOTE(HappiestCamper @ Aug 25 2010, 05:43 AM) [snapback]23721[/snapback]

Also that CG got a 1, and they stated that there wasn't enough room for their popup and screen house - and at the end it says they stayed in a Motorhome :blink:

When you submit a review, the radio button for your type of RV defaults to "Motorhome". The last sentence in each review, "We camped there in a ..." is automatically appended by the system based on that control. When reviewers forget to click the radio button for their type of RV, that sentence will read "We camped there in a Motorhome."

(No, I don't know why it capitalizes "Motorhome". )

 

Thanks Denali, I did not know about the default. I just figured the system rejected the review like it does if other information is left out. Good to know how it works.

 

QUOTE(Denali @ Aug 25 2010, 06:48 PM) [snapback]23746[/snapback]

When you submit a review, the radio button for your type of RV defaults to "Motorhome". The last sentence in each review, "We camped there in a ..." is automatically appended by the system based on that control. When reviewers forget to click the radio button for their type of RV, that sentence will read "We camped there in a Motorhome."

(No, I don't know why it capitalizes "Motorhome". )



Yep I also have done that. except the one I mentioned they say they had a hard time with thier PuP and screenroom, and they camped in a Motorhome, then if you look at a prior post it says they camped in a TT?! more than likely it`s an oversight on the reviewers part, but it still makes you wonder.

 

We read the reviews and form a consensus on the common takes.

I try to be as genuine as I can in mine and put in the things I think may cause issues, annoyances or problems for someone else.
Not just what might be a one time problem.

Sweet young families that run RV parks, managers so drunk they light the filter of their cigarette or dip their hamburger in their coke and take a bite,, ya can't pass up posting those experiences though.

Sometime though, maybe experiences are just that and have no bearing on the quality of the park, and perhaps are best left un-posted.

A group of 11 year old European girls from rented motor homes knocked on our RV door inviting our 10 year old to swim in the beautiful river that runs through the park. Zion RV park BTW.
How nice of them!!

Well the Euro kids took off their cloths and jumped in the river,, and it really embarrassed our 10 year old.
My wife is Swiss and explained to our 10 year old modesty is viewed differently in some places.

We didn't put that in because between pulls from his beer, the park manager told us the Euro visitors are usually just there in early August and heading to Sturgis and are taking advantage of the weak dollar.