KOA Membership

ependydad wrote:
I find KOAs to be generally expensive. Even with the 10% off, I'd rather stay elsewhere at less cost.

As fulltimers, we've stayed at a handful over the years and usually just barely break even when we pay for the membership.

The quality of the parks we've stayed at is usually decent but rarely wows me.

X1 KOA's are generally more expensive than other parks. I use them at last resort.

Cape Girardeau KOA - very urban



Flatoods KOA in W. Virginia. Unique because you check into the campground at the Days Inn in front.



Doggie park at Checotah OK KOA - hometown of Carrie Underwood



Cape Hatteras KOA - dunes hide the ocean view.

haddy1 wrote:
.........
KOA= Keep on Adding.

I still don’t know where this comes from. As many times as we have stayed at a KOA I have never paid more than the price quoted when making reservations on line, or pulling in and getting a site in person.

Personally, I would hold off buying any membership until you know the kind of camping you like to do. We bought one and used it once, obviously not worth the money and when they refused to give me a refund when we broke down on the road, and wouldn't even let us come the following day, that ended our relationship. BUT as it turned out, we ended up not liking private campgrounds as they feel like expensive parking lots. We camp at National, State and even County and City parks. We love Forest Service camps and even enjoy boondocking in the woods. So my recommendation is wait and see what you enjoy doing before investing.

Delete

I rarely renew it when the notice comes in the mail, but every year we find ourselves spending enough nights in KOA sites that we renew it on the first big trip. It usually pays for itself in five nights, and we always hit that every year.

Wow folks, great information.I'll have to sit down with "The Boss" and discuss. We've stayed at two KOA's and she enjoyed both but figured there would be a lot of hands on experience from members of the forum to give us some guidance. Much appreciated.

jplante4 wrote:
The benefit of KOA and a membership is consistency. They are all pretty much ok. Some are tighter than others, some are away from it all while others are right downtown. But, at least for us, none have been "we need to leave" terrible. I cannot say the same of non-affiliated private parks.

They have recently started a re-branding of the Kampgrounds. Journey, Holiday and Resort in the name indicates the level of service you can expect. The KOA in Hatteras is considered a Resort; having stayed there I'm not sure I agree. The one in Newburgh NY is a Holiday and that seems right.

So, if you need a decent place with 50 amp, water and sewer every once in a while, the membership is worth it. I'm sure the KOA haters will be along shortly to say otherwise, but just keep in mind that most of them have never stayed at a KOA because it's beneath them.

Stayed in 85 KOA's out of 334 since retirement - very very few that I would not go back to - they tend to charge what others of like quality do in their area - SO no they are not expensive

We have been members of KOA for a few years and have been able to recoup our fees each year and more. It is true that many times they are more expensive but they have also been more convenient in some cases. They are just one option to chose while traveling and makes some sense to have the discount available. We were also glad to have it on one trip when we were trying to make a last minute change and found no open sites in an area we wanted to stay. We called the KOA directly and when we told them we were members they found a way to accommodate us.

haddy1 wrote:
In my experience (over 40 years with RVs) their prices continue to go up but most of their parks are going down. Of course, there are exceptions. They like to charge extra for everything. I avoid them if I can.

KOA= Keep on Adding.

This is a very old and common slur on KOAs. Many campgrounds/RV parks charge different rates for different services and amenities. A dry site (if available) will almost always be the cheapest. Water/electric sites are usually less than full hookups. Sites with 50 amp service are often more than sites with 30 amp service. Many parks charge extra for sites that have cable or charge for access to Wifi. A pull through may be more than a backin. KOA is no different in this regard and their website is very good at showing the types of sites available, the amenities available and the cost. There is of course no guarantee that the cheapest site is available or that your RV will fit in it. Like most RV Parks/campgrounds, KOAs generally charge for what is available at the site not what you say you want to or will not use.