What Is Reasonable?

When I read other people's review about a campground sometimes they will say that it was overpriced. Most of the time the price is in the $40-$50 range for one night. I live on the east coast and it seems as if ALL the campgrounds (with the exception of state parks) cost $40 or more. I would like to know: Where do you live? What do you consider a reasonable price for one night? Is $40 a reasonable price if there is a pool and weekend activities? Is $40 a reasonable price in the summer? On weekends? etc. What kind of campground can one get for less that $40? :huh: What price would you consider to be ridiculously overpriced for one night? $50, $60, etc.

 

That is a very hard question. It is similar to what makes a woman beautiful. It is all in the eyes of the beholder. Rather than thinking price, we try to think of value rather than price. Value is quality divided by price. We have stayed in campgrounds now in 44 states (soon to be 48) and I think price and quality vary so much it is hard to go by just price. The most we have ever paid was $70 (on the water in Maine) and the least of course is zero. It is very location specific. At Disney close to me, you start at $100 and a few miles away it is $45, go a little further and it is $30 or less. I don't pay a lot of attention to the price comments unless there are a lot of them in the same direction.

 

We generally 'winter base' in Southern California, (read the kids live here). Generally book winter in monthly increments to bring the daily price down into the +/- $25 range, including electricity. (Same park's daily rate is $40-45 per night.)

Once it starts to warm up, we high-tail it out of So Cal., for two reasons. The prices go up ($10 to $20 per night), and the crowds move in.

Have paid $50 per night in the middle of nowhere (Cedar City, Utah at a KOA), and was fuming. Then $40 a night at a fabulous Pismo Beach RV Park for MUCH better amenities...plus access to the Pacific Ocean...and was purring.

It's easy to say, "I could have booked a hotel for this price!"
Hmmm, those 'hotels' are now $150 - $200 a night. B)

 

QUOTE(mdcamping @ May 17 2010, 09:37 PM) [snapback]22149[/snapback]

There was only one campground that we thought we over-paid....$90+ per-night and after doing a great review I realized I should have cut back one number because of what we paid per night.

Mike


Where was this campground located? On the east coast . . . west coast . . . florida? I'm wondering if in general the more expensive campgrounds are on the coastal shores.

 

When we travel in the car, we usually find a motel room from $45 to $60 along the expressway. These are the Hampton Inn, cookie cutter style. They have everything we need and are usually clean with cable TV, pool and of course WiFi. They are really motels rather than hotels.

 

When we camped in the midwest we oftentimes would pay between $20 and $35 per night for a site at a campground. This usually meant that it had sites, playground, bathhouse, and maybe a lake. Now that we live in the southeast we pay $25 a night for the state parks, with similar amenities as in the midwest.

However, when we go to the coast, the keys, or other coastal area, then the price typically goes to around $100.00 a night for a family of 5 (nightly fee only includes 2 individuals). What has been different? Much SMALLER sites -- we feel like we are in a sardine can. However, we typically don't stay at the rig. We are typically gone from sun-up to sun-down playing in the ocean, hiking, biking, etc.

Another item that is different, you get cable TV, phone hook-up (if you need em), multiple swimming pools (indoor/outdoor), restaurants, etc. So resort camping on the coast is much more expensive but you get more for the $$$. Also, when you don't have much of a choice in some areas such as the Outer Banks, you will pay the going rate if you want to visit that area.

I don't mind paying more since we have a great, but different type of time, when on the coast.

MM

 

I agree with the point that others have made--location, time of year, and amenities will affect the price. So I think it is hard to say what is "overpriced." If there is a "to die for view" and/or if there are lots of amenities, then $80+ a night might not be overpriced although I would not like to pay that much. But any site can be worth its fee if it is nice enough. A lot would depend on how much time you would have to use the amenities or enjoy the view. An overnight stay does not usually allow much time to enjoy everything you are paying for so in this case the site may not be overpriced, but you may not get a good value for your buck.

For a descent site (good gravel or concrete) with full hook-ups, 50 amp, with cable TV and wi-fi included we usually pay between $30 and $40 a night (for two people). We still find some places in the $20's and feel lucky when we do. If we have to spend in the $40's we usually do not stay there very long.

Hope this helps to answer your questions.

 

$30 to 50 for me, depending on where and why. Just lost my forest campground for memorial weekend due to snow, next available was a KOA in Monterey CA at $110 a night. That's an RV site, not a cabin. Totally unreasonable in my opinion.

 

QUOTE(RE:Todd @ May 21 2010, 01:23 AM) [snapback]22190[/snapback]

$30 to 50 for me, depending on where and why. Just lost my forest campground for memorial weekend due to snow, next available was a KOA in Monterey CA at $110 a night. That's an RV site, not a cabin. Totally unreasonable in my opinion.


Whoa! I guess $110 is the holiday price . . . do you have to stay at least two nights?

OK, this is going out to everyone . . . what's the highest price you've ever paid for an RV site for one night and was it worth it? Let's see who gets the prize! h34r:

 

QUOTE(coacbcps @ May 21 2010, 12:57 PM) [snapback]22195[/snapback]

Whoa! I guess $110 is the holiday price . . . do you have to stay at least two nights?

OK, this is going out to everyone . . . what's the highest price you've ever paid for an RV site for one night and was it worth it? Let's see who gets the prize! h34r:



Nowhere near $110 - spent $80 a night at Fort Wilderness at Disney World - worth it.

 

QUOTE(HappiestCamper @ May 21 2010, 02:50 PM) [snapback]22196[/snapback]

Nowhere near $110 - spent $80 a night at Fort Wilderness at Disney World - worth it.


What time of the year was this . . . was it peak season? I'm thinking about making a trip down to Disney with the hubby and girls.

 

Although we have, on occasion, paid more, we like to stay under $35-$40 per night. Parks justify their elevated rates in terms of the "amenities" offered........but most of the "amenities" are of little interest to us (e.g., fancy clubhouses, miniature golf courses, video arcades). When we can fit, we prefer state parks and Forest Service campgrounds.

 

$55 at Crown Villa in Bend, OR. They have BRICK PAVED pads (wow!!!), and a storage shed to put your extra junk in. They have special brick fireplaces for you to have cookouts. AND AND AND!!!! They have a "concierge" who will make dinner reservations for you in Bend. Woo woo!

For $55 a night, I should get a maid to come make my bed, vacuum my RV, and leave a mint on my pillow!

JJ

 

QUOTE(coacbcps @ May 21 2010, 11:57 AM) [snapback]22195[/snapback]

what's the highest price you've ever paid for an RV site for one night and was it worth it?


I can't remember for sure, but I think it was probably around $58. I am pretty sure we have never paid over $60. I am also betting we thought $58 was not worth it as I don't recall it being a very special place like Disney or the Keys.

 

A lot of the nicer, more expensive RV parks are not unreasonably priced based on the amenities they provide.

What makes a campground overpriced to me is one that won't fit into my budget. That means we do a lot of camping on federal lands because that's what we can afford.

 

QUOTE(coacbcps @ May 21 2010, 04:42 PM) [snapback]22198[/snapback]

What time of the year was this . . . was it peak season? I'm thinking about making a trip down to Disney with the hubby and girls.



End of March 2008. You're inside the park, just don't have the monorail like you do at the Contemporary or Polynesian - but at the time those were $400/night. Plenty of buses and boats to get you to the parks.

 

About $75 per night at Odetah "resort" in Connecticut. I go back and forth whether it was "worth it"... really nice campground, but that was a lot of darn money.

I am used to $30-40 a night for "normal" campgrounds with hookups, at $50 or more I am expecting a pretty nice place. We'll see how this summer turns out... our first camping weekend is next weekend.

As to Fort Wilderness at Disney World, we went in 2008 in October and got a discount by booking through AAA - we were around $45 a night. Even double that (~$90 a night), I would venture to say that place is worth it. Taking a water ferry to Magic Kingdom -- it is hard to beat that!

There are a few places where you can get discounts to Disney, so do a little research. AAA worked really well for us. AAA was running a discount special in January... which meant you just had to make your reservations during that month, you didn't have to go to Disney then. We made our reservations for October 2008 in January 2008, and got a big discount.