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Escapee Parks


SWharton

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Just went to make a reservation at an Escapee park and went looking for the table of sites that showed which were occupied. I couldn't find it. I liked the table as it showed the possible occupancy of the CG when we wanted to be there. Wish it would be brought back. Also, there is no indication as to which CGs will take reservations or anyway to do reservations via the internet. Need to call to make a reservation.

Seems like we are going backwards....................

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Since the reservation system only guarantees you a site, not a specific site anyway, the charts were relatively useless for anything beyond a feel for how full the park might be. For the past two winters at Sumter Oaks for instance, we have not gotten the site we were told would be available when we made the reservation, and were arbitrarily moved to less desirable sites with no advance notice. 

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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I never thought there was a guarantee as to the site you would get. I used the tables to see how full the park would be to judge if I needed to make a reservation or not. I also would like to see the internet reservations come back. I find having to call and the amount of time needed to make the reservation an inconvenience. Also each cg has its own computer system and not linked to HQ so you need to supply all the info each time you visit a new park.

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I agree with bringing back the online reservations, and yes, I'm well aware that specific sites are not guaranteed. But for the 4 years prior to the last 2, we did get the site we had requested and were told we had been assigned to while there in person. The past 2 visits though, despite having been told we were assigned those sites at reservation time, we found out on arrival that we had been moved to other sites, including being dropped to a 30 amp site from the requested 50 amp site. We're not angry about the situation, just disappointed that the system leads to expectations that are then not met. 

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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How did the system ever work with out reservations? It did for those who travel plans are "set in jello"!

 

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The toy is the wife's sewing machines

1992 Dodge Roadtrek 190 Versitile

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I have seen folks with enough money  reserve sites in at least two popular state parks  just in case they want ot use one then often not show up at all many times. They only lose one nights fee on their credit card  while leaving others holding the bag.  I don't know if this can happen at escapees parks but I can see the possiblity of it  or something like it in the future given the large numbers of people retiring and getting into rv'ing and no doubt that certain escapees parks are going to be in demand more than others especially seasonally. I would think that even the park at Livingston could  be fuller seasonally or they could be having some type event that brings in a lot of rv'rs.

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To be clear, the Escapees online reservation system made it quite clear that specific sites are NOT guaranteed, and we were aware of that. Our issue was more one of disappointment than dissatisfaction with the system. Having the map indicate specific site availability could be a bit misleading though.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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Just for a reference; reservation.gov seems to work well and we have always gotten the site we requested.

We only make reservations when we feel we need to based on some travel goal that is time critical. As summer approaches we tend to make more reservations for weekends.

Today we are in a park and when I looked online a few days ago it had 17 empty sites so I didn't feel the need for a reservation. Had not problem getting in when we arrived.

Another instance is we wanted a pull-through for one night in a COE, they only had 4 and 2 were taken so we made a reservation.

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Reservation.gov works well for us too, but not for the Escapees' parks of course. We've only been given a different site once out of a few hundred state and national park stays with site specific reservations, and that was due to an RV fire that was still under investigation. We make advance reservations at state/fed parks for holidays and other busy periods, and/or when we have specific site preferences for the view, etc. For one-nighters, taking your chances usually works pretty well, but for longer stays at popular parks, not so much.

Dutch
2001 GBM Landau 34' Class A
F-53 Chassis, Triton V10, TST TPMS
2011 Toyota RAV4 4WD/Remco pump
ReadyBrute Elite tow bar/brake system

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19 hours ago, rm.w/aview said:

Once the reservation system is implemented and begins to be used, the nature of what's available has an added element but can still work to a degree.

Escapees are not the only organization that takes reservations for a site with no specific site guaranteed. We have been hosts in several state parks that do that same thing. The reservation guarantees that there will be a site for you, but the selection of sites is first come, first served. The reason for this is to prevent the local traffic from reserving all sites for weekends and so other visitors find that they must change sites as those available may change over the time of their stay. Not specifying a site makes for much more efficient use of sites in parks where demand is high and availability limited. 

Good travelin !...............Kirk

Full-time 11+ years...... Now seasonal travelers.
Kirk & Pam's Great RV Adventure

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I think the majority of campers act reasonably but in any group there are always some that think only of themselves. When I volunteered at one particular SP it happened enough that we knew who a few of then were and would open the site as soon as we could.

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