We've used our Dish pay-as-you-go (Dish calls it the "Flex" plan) for several years. Since we now live in our coach all but 5 or 6 weeks a year though, we no longer drop the service between trips. We currently have the AT200 package, but no premiums like HBO, etc. When there's a special movie we'd really like to see, we either get it from the Dish on demand pay service, or pick it up on DVD at a Red Box location. The service works very well for us, and we use the Dish customer service online chat system to change our local channels as we move around.
If you're thinking of getting the VIP211 receiver and one of the automatic portable dishes, I suggest getting the Winegard Pathway X2. The ability to use either the Dish eastern or western arc satellites increases your aiming opportunities in more heavily treed locations significantly, making it well worth the extra dollars over the western arc only dishes.