Reading this thread about review likes, and whether it would be helpful to know which review were found helpful or not helpful, got me thinking, what do folks look for in a review. Reviews can really vary depending on how one camps, and what they are looking for camping. A full timer is going to be looking for something different in a campground then a weekend warrior. Myself, I camp in a very small travel trailer, and mostly am a weekend warrior, twelve months a year, but usually take one or two longer trips a year. In an RV park or campground I am concerned about bath houses, as I have no facilities, and ease of set up because I may only be there a night or two. I am small, so things like narrow roads or entries and low branches are not so much a concern. That being said, I think to write a good, well rounded review, it is valuable to read a bunch or reviews and see what others are looking for. I really try and think about what other readers would want to know and what new information I can provide. I just about have a checklist of things at this point. So, what is everyone else looking for in a review? What is important information that you add to all reviews that you write?
When we stay at an RV park or campground we try to list the things we find important to us first and then even if we don't use the restrooms or other facilities we usually try to at least take a look at them while there so as to give some good feedback to others who might need to use them. I think the "upfront" things such as how easy is it to enter and leave, to move around within the park and get parked with both a small camp trailer as well as a larger Class A, are important to everyone. Next is the check in process and how you are treated as a guest and if any problems you may encounter while there are responded to quickly and efficiently. The overall facilities such as the clubhouse, pool if any, dog area, and how clean and kept up the grounds are, I think, important to most also. The WiFi thing is of little to no concern to us so we rarely, if anytime, comment on it. Where the hookups are and how level the pad is are two other areas we try to comment on. As you stated, a full timer sees parks and campgrounds in a different light than an over-nighter would, as would a large Class A versus a small travel trailer, but in the real world I feel we all want a clean, safe, and overall nice place to throw out our anchors no matter if we are staying a month, six months or just one night............ Good post, it will no doubt receive a lot of varied opinions, all of which will be worthwhile for sure........ PS: I did forget one thing. The free donuts and coffee in the morning. Very Important.... Regards, BankShot..............(aka Terry)
I think it is important to recognize that since RVPR started life, technology has moved on in leaps and bounds. Accordingly, the reviews have altered in their presentation in that some reviews are submitted with minimal text but lots of the information is now listed as part of the drop down options that became available earlier this year. Some reviewers may prefer not to fill in the check boxes and write the details in text. I suspect that many who use a smart phone or tablet may choose to add details to the check boxes rather than struggle with the smart phone keypad. Some more senior members may not approve of the way reviews are written For me, I try to remember to submit a review chronologically from check-in to set up (utility locations and functionality) to facilities and amenities of the site. With my current RV, showers and washrooms are not so important but I will check them if time permits. Neither is cable and satellite tv - nice to have but not essential for me. Dog runs and children play areas - also not important as we don't travel with either (and Grandkids aren't on the horizon - apparently). What is important for me is the size of the site and accessibility around the roads and maneuvering into the site, good stable power and some peace and quiet - definitely no trains. Wifi also factors pretty high because cell phone calls from the US on a Canadian network are astronomical along with the cost of data plans. Ultimately, I look at several reviews for each location we are planning to stay at and pull out nuggets of information from each of them. I do believe the Admin team work hard to filter the reviews for approval and judging by the sheer volume of reviews posted during the height of the summer it must be practically a full time job just trying to keep up with the influx of new posts. That said, the more reviews posted, the greater the chance of obtaining a better understanding of the campgrounds and resorts around the continent. Just my thoughts.
As mentioned by the OP, when writing a review I try to look at the campground with not only my own eyes but what someone else might see. Most of the time I think I do a good job but still there is always room for improvement. We still mix it up on the type of campgrounds that we look for, just depends on how far, how long, and where we want to stay. One thing I am careful to look for is policy & security flags in the reviews, IMO the cornerstone on every camping/rving establishment. Mike
When reading I look at the number of reviews and the temperament of the reviewer. If they are blasting the site with a "1" why? Too perfect in a group of mediocre reviews is not as much of a red flag to me. I find it funny sometimes when someone blasts a park because they couldn't get a refund because they were leaving early. Almost all parks have cancellation policies, which apparently those people don't read the fine print. Amenities are nice but not a deal breaker. We don't need pools, cable, wifi all the time. They might become more important when we retire from teaching in 10 years or so, but not now. We do tend to stay away from the "parking lot" parks and "mobile home" parks. I need the basics 50 solid amps, water and a dump if they got it...and location does factor in somewhat.
Don't lose sight of the fact that the absence of mentioning such items in a review doesn't mean they don't exist. As a full-timer, I would never think to mention such amenities nor would I care if they exist or not. We're totally self-contained. If I want my morning coffee, I make it myself. Similarly, we don't care if parks serve breakfast or other meals, we won't be buying them. Not because we're cheap, but because I can prepare better tasting food in my own kitchen.
We are full-time RVers. Have what I'd call a big rig. When looking at reviews the main thing for us is, will we fit. Not just interior roads but the site too. Although I have had to drive the truck off road a lot to keep the trailer on the interior road. Some campgrounds can be an adventure getting in and out of. We like 50 amp electric, water and sewer. But have done fine on 30 amp, water and no sewer. Want good internet. Cable TV is nice too, but have gone without it. Noise. Planes, trains, highway/interstate, neighbors, dogs. The bathrooms, showers and laundry are unimportant to us since we have our own. Dogs runs, pools, game rooms, coffee, breakfast offered, picnic tables and fire pits, unimportant. Although I really like no wood burning campfire campgrounds. Really don't need a fancy campground. Have pulled into a few and thought, "Oh boy." Only to have been a great place to stay. I try to write the best review I can. I put it all down on the word processor of the computer and when we get to the next campground I check it over again change some wording if need be then copy and paste it. Hopefully it will help the next person out.
I think because such amenities are not the norm they are worth mentioning, even if one does not partake in them. On that particular morning it was nice as my coffee maker was broken, and with the size unit I have, I don't carry a back up ;-)
When I come see the reviews, it's mainly for an overall feel for the campground. Is it reasonably clean, safe and quiet? Is the staff friendly and helpful? Are there any major issues that might keep me from going? I read several reviews and when they seem mostly favorable, I go.
I think that is a good approach. I read multiple reviews and separate true problem parks from good parks that had a bad day. After trying several other review sites, for me, this site has provided the most objective information available on the web. I use it exclusively to plan my trips.
When I read reviews of anything, RV parks, restaurants, things to buy on Amazon, etc, I use a strategy which starts by looking at the number of poor reviews as a percentage of the total number of reviews. On most review sites the first thing you see about the "thing" being reviewed is the average score, but averages are just that, they include both good and bad. I won't consider any park (or other thing) where the number of reviews in the lowest category (terrible) is >~20% because that indicates that a significant number of people have had problems. The next thing I do is rule out cases where the number of bad reviews appears to be "too large". What I mean by this is that it's pretty common for most things being reviewed to have scores in the 6-10 range, with smaller number of reviews with lower ratings. As a result, the number of reviews in each lower rating category slopes downward. If, however, the number of reviews in the terrible category is significantly larger than those in the higher categories this indicate, to me at least, that there is some inconsistency with respect to the park or restaurant's operations. Maybe things are great except on specific days of the week when "so and so" is the manager. Or maybe, it's that things are better when so and so isn't around. In either case, I toss them out of the pile Finally, I take the highest rated remaining "things" and read the worst reviews about them. That way I can evaluate if the "problems" being discussed would be concerns for me. With Amazon product reviews I often find this to be revealing since many people might like an item but those who have had it a long time report "that it fails after a year of use". Reviews can be generally favorable, but only some users will have used it enough to know that it will fail. Once I have completed all the steps I then make my selection. I realize that this might sound too analytic for some people, but it usually only takes me a few minutes to find a suitable selection. Sometimes, with Amazon reviews it can take longer to find an acceptable product, but by using this approach I have almost always been satisfied with what I have chosen.
