Snowbird Prices (RANT)

[jimroach]

This is just a rant, but maybe someone can clear it up for me:

How do Snowbirds afford Florida in the Winter? The DW and I are taking 2014 off to travel in our MH, and our DD wants us to Join them in Homestead for the NASCAR races (Nov 2014), so we figured we would spend three months down in Florida....

The prices are crazy expensive. I could pay a mortgage for what most RV parks are charging during the winter. The other issue I have is that some of the Parks we have requested rates and possible reservations, we can't get in touch with, they don't acknowledge emails and the phones just ring. I assume that they get regulars back every year so are not concerned with new business.

OK, rant over, thanks for letting me get that off my chest! 🙂

[5goldenacres]

Pawatt has lots of good advice. If you get in the Rockport area, check out our many parks. One that you may possibly like is Coastal Oaks - http://local.yahoo.com/info-37326730-coastal-oaks-rv-resort-rockport
We do not stay there - we are at Lagoons, which has a higher rate, but more activities. I have met several people who stay at Coastal Oaks, and they are fun people who are very happy there. (We meet at the fabulous dog park in Rockport.)

[catmancando]

if you can get it cheaper up north stay there:W

[Big_Katuna]

Our favorite is Grand Lake Resort outside Ocala in citra fl.

[cockroach]

WeBeFulltimers wrote:
Not everyone has to have beach front in SOUTH Florida! Look in the Ocala area.

We plan on staying a week or 10 days in the Ocala area in February of 2014. Can you recommend a good quiet campground that is not next to the interstate. If you can recommend horse tours or anything else in the area it would be quite helpful. Thanks for any and all advice you can give.

[pawatt]

bigred1cav wrote:
Pattwatt: Tell me about Texas and where to find safe clean 35' motorhome sites for two old people from Ohio? We will stay the bad weather of Jan, Feb and Mar. Need locations and low costs. 300 month would be nice. Swimming pools and such not needed. Amusements either. We have no young children and amuse ourselves with old people stuff. Historic ventures. Fishing etc.

If not so much trouble start a thread and have others chime in. Let me know if you start a thread, please.

Thank you

pawatt wrote:

TaterSr wrote:


Discouraged

Give Texas a try, you won't find friendlier folks. Locals & Winter Texans. Don't make reservations, just float around until you find what you like.

Don't make reservations, just float around until you find what you like. You could start at Americana or Golden Grove, or Val's Country Coral just west of Mission on Bentsen Palm Drive. There are even a couple of lots left at Green Gate Grove. At inspiration Road in West Mission take the exit to Business 83 West, follow business 83 about 2 + miles to Bentsen Palm Drive, go south on Bentsen Palm Drive toward the state park. Do not try to get on Bentsen Palm Drive from expressway 83 as the bridge is out & there in no good turn around. Don't trust your GPS here, it will likely send you the wrong way.

[bigred1cav]

Pattwatt: Tell me about Texas and where to find safe clean 35' motorhome sites for two old people from Ohio? We will stay the bad weather of Jan, Feb and Mar. Need locations and low costs. 300 month would be nice. Swimming pools and such not needed. Amusements either. We have no young children and amuse ourselves with old people stuff. Historic ventures. Fishing etc.

If not so much trouble start a thread and have others chime in. Let me know if you start a thread, please.

Thank you

pawatt wrote:

TaterSr wrote:


Discouraged

Give Texas a try, you won't find friendlier folks. Locals & Winter Texans. Don't make reservations, just float around until you find what you like.

[2gypsies1]

TaterSR:

O.K. so you tried a big expensive park and found it to be snobby. Then a lower cost park and everything seemed wrong. Guess you should now tried a medium priced park. 🙂

Do you really need a pool? Why don't you try some wonderful state parks in Arizona for two weeks at a time and while in different areas look around at RV parks for next year? Walk into their clubhouses as see if you're acknowledged. Walk down the street. Does anyone sit outside?

The greater Phoenix area also has some great Maricopa County parks. They all have huge sites and very pleasant surroundings and excellent hiking trails. They're in all directions of Phoenix. Move around. That's what we do because we enjoy exploring different areas and we get bored after two weeks in one place. Lost Dutchman State Park in Apache Junction is very nice, also.

Down in Tucson is Catalina State Park or Gilbert Ray campground in Tucson Mountain Park.

There are many options other than crowded RV parks. Good luck!

[jimroach]

Just wanted to point out, for some, that the OP was not an 'attack' on snowbirders or campgrounds or anything like that. It was not even originally in the snowbird forum, but was it ATC, mods moved it. It was just a "wow. some of those prices are crazy" and a "why don't campgrounds respond to reservation requests and email's" rant.

Obviously, with search and persistence and some compromises, you can always find less expensive places to stay.

[DaSu]

Tater Sr ,The winter before we decided to snow bird , we took a two week vacation to the area we were thinking about wintering in the following year with our RV.The following winter, along with our RV, we took 3 weeks to get down south and explored along the way. Not shopping mall or Casino exploring , but places of historical and entertaining type. We found that after once reaching our park , which was very nice,highly rated ,good price for a longer term commitment,and clean park, that this type of snow birding was not for us at this time in our lives . Of course,you will not find many people on an RV forum such as this that will agree with our opinion that there are other ways to snow bird . To be honest we have found what works best for us at this point. That is to fly ,rent and experience different places. The RV park living ,for us, was not how we wanted to live out our retirement years. We enjoy being close to our Family ,our Community and our home which provides us all the comforts we worked for.Yet , then through out the Fall,Winter and Spring,we take trips either by driving ,but more likely flying to different places each year. Kind of a mobile snow birders without the RV. So , don't feel bad if you may find that the parks are not what they appeared to be and you get turned off . Snow birding is each individuals own choice. Some enjoy the same park each year and complain about what it does not offer, some enjoy their parks and even buy lots and invest thousands of dollars in. Then there are people like us who can RV in the winter if we like ,or for now, we have chose the fly and rent and explore many different places or go back to some of our favorites . To each their own, just keep an open mind for your future options of the wonderful life of snow birding. Life is Good

[pawatt]

TaterSr wrote:


Discouraged

Give Texas a try, you won't find friendlier folks. Locals & Winter Texans. Don't make reservations, just float around until you find what you like.

[rocmoc]

Tater, it takes a couple of trips to find the location that works for you. We NEVER stay more than a few days until we are sure about a location. Don't give up. Also the trick with a smaller rig is finding somewhere with GREAT weather. We are outside more than in so our 36' works for us.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[TomG2]

Tater, there are many more good parks than bad ones. You happened to find a couple from the latter group. I don't think you have to stay mobile, but paying for three months without a trial period may be a mistake. As far as the size of your RV, if you find a fun friendly park, it will be big enough as you will spend more time outside.

[John_Joey]

TaterSR, sorry to hear all of your troubles. Honestly, I don't think you're alone in your feelings. I always tell everyone that snowbirding is not all "rainbows and sunshine."

I think the big trick to being a mobile RV snowbird is to STAY MOBILE. It takes awhile to figure this stuff out. I know one couple that raced down south, then sat in a park for five months (to get a cheaper rate), hated it, and has never snowbird again. They had a very limited take on the lifestyle, but drew a major conclusion.

Staying mobile, not rushing down and back, and not staying any longer then a month in any one place (unless you really want too) will give you a much larger view of the parks out there, the states, the people, and the lifestyle.

We were lucky, we had a very good first year out. If it wasn't for that I'm sure we would have gave up long ago.

[TaterSr]

It's not just FL.....AZ too. This is our 2nd year as Snowbirds. Bought a first time brand new RV last year, retired, headed south for 3+ months. Discovered the RV we bought was a bit too small. It was a nice enough park looks-wise but the people (guests) were very snobby. Met a nice couple at a dinner show who recommended their park. Came down to that one this year. It is older, cheaper. People are friendlier. But the park is in poor repair. Some of the pool is crumbling, the arbors have dangerous rotting wood, there is no internet at the sites. There is a movie theater with a huge speed bump inside the door that several people have fallen over. The movies shown have been HORRIBLE. The manager told us to 'get our money back' because DARK SHADOWS with J Depp was deplorable. The showers have been cold. The check in folks were unfriendly. The mail lady told us she had no idea who we were even though we made reservations in March for November. Doesn't the ofc send a list of residents to the mail room? I am not so sure I want to try a 3rd season Snowbirding. Not sure I want to invest more money in a bigger rig when the few parks we've stayed at don't live up to their end of the bargain. We are quiet clean people & paid in advance. Feel rather taken advantage of by this industry. I've been telling husb I'd rather stay home cold with the heater on than spend all these thousands to get ripped off. He's kind of agreeing. We found the ofc overcharged us by $288 & I dread going in trying to get that straightened out as they are totally unhelpful. You read so many bad reviews online that it's scary trying to think of where to go next or just cut our losses & sell the RV.

Discouraged