Early check in

I did run across that on someone's website in the past week as I was checking out campgrounds. Don't remember what one it was, but it was in IL or IN. We usually arrive mid-afternoon, but while sitting, we have seen people arrive at 10am.

We need to make reservations about half of the time, mainly during the dreaded "Snowbird" season here in southern Arizona. If making a reservation online as we usually do it is easy to see if the site is occupied for the day before we arrive. If it is we will tend to arrive no earlier than the required checkout time knowing that we may have to wait a bit for the site to be serviced.

I have offered to do any required maintenance in exchange for being allowed in before the posted check-in time and often they say that is fine as most sites require little if any work. What is a PITA is when folks overstay their reservation. If checkout time is noon you need to be GONE by noon, not just starting to pick up the chairs, hook up your rig whatever. You have no idea when I will be arriving and at noon that site is no longer yours.

OK, rant off... for now.

:C

GordonThree wrote:
If a site is unoccupied, what maintenance needs to occur before the incoming RV can check in?

Only once have I witnessed park management do anything to a site between campers. The staff showed up with a little tractor and cleaned the ash out of the fire pit

SO, @Gordon, you clearly have never camped with us, or you weren't paying attention.

The NFS campground at which we host requires us to go clean every site between occupants. Every time a camper leaves, we go pick up rubbish, remove ashes and other debris from the campfire ring, make sure the bear box is empty and clean, rake the tree leaves/flowers off the site, sweep off the landscape timbers and/or rock walls, and leave it looking like no one has ever trod there before. Needless to say, this takes 30 minutes or more per site for the two of us, which is why we don't like it when folks want to check in early or out late. There is no fee for early arrival, but there is a penalty: if you check in before we get the site cleaned, you get a site in whatever condition the last occupants left it. Late checkout simply incurs an extra day camping fee. And it is true that campers don't typically like that, but most understand it after we explain WHY. That fee is, after all, just to "encourage" people to do the right thing and leave in time for us to do our job.

And no, indeed, it doesn't take the 4 hours between check out and check in times to clean one site. But it does take the two of us working together at least 4 hours to clean all the sites that vacate that day.

Lots of variables dictate when I arrive at my destination CG. When I arrive, I ask if the site is available. Only once did I need to wait an hour in overflow before getting in. They give themselves three or four hours between check out and in to clean the site. It usually doesn't take that long. Usually its that way unless specifically stated on their website.

I can see CreekFire charging though - pretty fancy brand new campground to pay for.

westernrvparkowner wrote:

There just isn't an upside to any other policy. Late and early fees just appear to be money grabs to many guests creating customer satisfaction issues. We usually couldn't accommodate those requests anyway, since the sites are usually committed to others.

I agree they do appear to be money grabs or double dipping. After all the previous occupant that may have left early already paid for it. Your just using what they didn't. Kind of like when you find leftover firewood on your site. Probably shouldn't have said anything about the firewood, they may gather it up and resell it to you lol.

Fortunately we have never run into that yet.

Dan

I can see where some customers might see it that way. We would be looking at it mainly as a deterrent to early arrivals. Besides any required site maintenance, it would also make it easier to perform uninterrupted cleaning and office work during that time frame.

westernrvparkowner wrote:
We do not allow either late check in or check out, fee or no fee. The only flexibility we offer is within the two hours between published check out of 11 am and check in of 1 pm. We will allow that wiggle room without a charge provided it does not infringe upon maintance etc.
There just isn't an upside to any other policy. Late and early fees just appear to be money grabs to many guests creating customer satisfaction issues. We usually couldn't accommodate those requests anyway, since the sites are usually committed to others.

Lots of them allow it. Lots of them charge extra for it. Many let the fee slide. If they can accommodate, pretty much any CG will allow early check in.

At the CG we frequent the most we often arrive an hour or two early. They know us well and have never charged even though that is their "official" policy. Our arrival day is usually at a slow time so no one has ever been in the site.

Many will allow early check-in and late check-out but all depends on if the site is reserved so you can never take it for granted.

If a site is unoccupied, what maintenance needs to occur before the incoming RV can check in?

Only once have I witnessed park management do anything to a site between campers. The staff showed up with a little tractor and cleaned the ash out of the fire pit

We do not allow either late check in or check out, fee or no fee. The only flexibility we offer is within the two hours between published check out of 11 am and check in of 1 pm. We will allow that wiggle room without a charge provided it does not infringe upon maintance etc.
There just isn't an upside to any other policy. Late and early fees just appear to be money grabs to many guests creating customer satisfaction issues. We usually couldn't accommodate those requests anyway, since the sites are usually committed to others.