Check in/out timing...

[Desert_Captain]

Something to think about...

This summer, like no previous one I can remember virtually every CG/RV Park is booked up well in advance. Most CG's and RV Parks have fairly standard checkin/out times. Typically check in is around 1 or 2 with mandatory check out an hour or two earlier. There are however two different sets of circumstances that folks should consider.

If you are just arriving and checking in to the CG/Park give them a call and usually if your site is empty they will have no problem with you arriving "a little" early. Keep in mind most decent CG/Parks want the opportunity to check and service your site as needed. Some RV Parks will charge about $10 for an early check in and a few will not permit it at all, their park, their rules.

Now as to checking out keep in mind that the check out time is not when you start prepping the rig for departure, that is the time when they need you to be gone, as in down the road.
If you need a later check out it's best to give them as much notice as possible when you "Ask" permission to do so.

We were recently at a busy CG and the staff went out of their way to accommodate as many folks as possible. We had to move twice during our 4 night stay and for us having a 24' Class C this could not have been much simpler. But... if you are moving to another site they HAVE to gone by check out {in this case 1100} so that you can vacate your site on time making room for whoever is moving in behind you. If you are still in my newly assigned site at 1100 someone is probably stacked up waiting for me to be gone and overflow parking if available at all will be at a premium.

On our last day the site we were moving to was open at 1030 and I slid right in. As I was setting up the guy in the site next to us came over and said "you're early". I explained that I had to move in as soon as it opened up so someone else could have mine. I had stayed completely away from the new site so as to not put any pressure on those folks to leave. He was leaving that day but didn't begin his departure routine until after 1100.

IMHO: Once the check out time arrives the site you are in is no longer yours and you need to be gone unless other arrangements have been made.

I spoke with the staff and they confirmed that the folks who are late departing or arrive too early without calling first can cause all sorts of needless headaches. They don't want to be bad guys for anyone and truly appreciate folks who understand and comply with their check in/out times.

So for the sake of discussion I'll ask... Have you ever arrived at your reserved site at the proper check in only to find it fully occupied? How long did you have to wait? Did asking the offending party to move along work or was it necessary to get the staff involved?

As always... Opinions and YMMV

:C

[IAMICHABOD]

Desert Captain wrote:
OP here...

For the record the Peehanga Resort is awesome and we look forward to returning the next time we are in the Temecula area.

Next time when the area you should try Pala Casino RV park just over the hill from Pechanga,really nice RV Park,they have a free shuttle from your campsite and back or its a short walk.

Having stayed at both a few times,I liked the laid back atmosphere there,smaller and less hectic and the prices for food and drink very much cheaper than Pachanga. The pools at the hotel are awesome,with outside bar and food. Plus the Valley is full of scenic drives, small fruit stands and wineries.

There is also the Pala mini mart next to the park,just a short walk,it has almost everything you would need and has a killer Deli,sandwiches, pizza that is the best in the Valley, all at reasonable prices,they also have fresh local produce and wines.

There is also a gas station there with angled pumps that are big rig friendly,easy entrance and exit.

[Desert_Captain]

OP here...

We just returned from a trip to southern California where we made a number of stops. A real treat for us was booking a couple of nights at the Pechanga resort in Temecula {one of the finest in the country and featured on the cover of RV Magazine this month}. I made the reservation well in advance and was told that while mandatory check out was at 12 with check in at 2 they would be glad to let us check in early at 12 for a $10 fee that I was more than happy to pay.

I was asked to merely call head and give them a heads up that we would be arriving at 12 which we did. This RV Park is very popular and consequently nearly full every night with getting folks in and out in a timely manner being an ongoing challenge. When we arrived {after having called for our confirmation} the staff was very embarrassed to tell us the folks in our site had not left yet.

They sent someone out to remind them that that were late leaving only to report back that they had not even packed up yet and that it would be "a while". Now it was 90+ degrees out and we were looking forward to getting set up {water, sewer and especially the AC all connected so that we could get on with our day - we were only staying two}.

As there was no other site available and I had already paid for ours starting at noon I suggested they send someone else out again which they did. This time we got a better result and these folks cleared out around 1230. Not the end of the world by any means but it illustrates many of the points I made in my original post. Unless you have made prior arrangements {the folks in question had not} your site is yours and yours alone until the time slot you contracted for is at an end, it is really just that simple... just sayin.

:R

For the record the Peehanga Resort is awesome and we look forward to returning the next time we are in the Temecula area.

[run100]

Often times we arrive early and don't recall ever having a problem. If the site was still occupied, we would just head off on our excursions and check-in later. I guess it's not a big deal since we have a truck camper. Arrival and departure is pretty simple.

During my many years in the hotel business, as a long as a room was ready, it didn't matter if a guest arrived before check-in. Our philosophy was they just saved us from having to do the work later.

Checkouts are usually tough, but only because I hate heading back to the reality of work.

The bigger issue we've encountered, are with those that think they own rights to select areas of the forest and try to bully their way into claiming a site when they're not even there. We've even seen large trees moved across access roads into prime campsites. After a visit with the Ranger, we learned the site was available for use. Unfortunately, we've seen these types of shenanigans on several occasions.

[Rice]

Alan_Hepburn wrote:

4x4van wrote:
I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

Or, instead of taking an adversarial stance, how about just saying something like "Yeah, we got here faster than we thought - the front desk said it was okay to check in early."

I would have left out the part about the front desk saying it was okay to check in early, unless he followed up with a direct question. It's really none of his business, so I'd be inclined to make him work a little for any information, without being hostile.

[4x4van]

Alan_Hepburn wrote:

4x4van wrote:
I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

Or, instead of taking an adversarial stance, how about just saying something like "Yeah, we got here faster than we thought - the front desk said it was okay to check in early."

I don't think my response was adversarial at all, simply short and to the point. Rather, HIS statement that I was "early" seems a just bit adversarial. I'm not typically rude, and I'm not anti-social (quite the opposite, just ask my DW;)). But I also don't have an abundance of patience (also ask my wife:R) for what I consider to be loaded questions/comments.

Still not quite sure how the other camper would have any idea of "when" I was supposed to or expected to arrive (maybe I'm actually 22 hours late?), what arrangements had been made, and again how it could possibly affect him. Unless he was assigned the "check-in/check-out police" role, my arrival time is irrelevant (to him), and his question/statement about my being "early" does not need to be entertained. Sometimes busybodies actually need to be gently called out on their own adversarial behavior. But hey, YMMV.

[CavemanCharlie]

Alan_Hepburn wrote:

4x4van wrote:
I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

Or, instead of taking an adversarial stance, how about just saying something like "Yeah, we got here faster than we thought - the front desk said it was okay to check in early."

Exactly !!! Thank you.

[JRscooby]

Alan_Hepburn wrote:

4x4van wrote:
I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

Or, instead of taking an adversarial stance, how about just saying something like "Yeah, we got here faster than we thought - the front desk said it was okay to check in early."

Thank you.

[Alan_Hepburn]

4x4van wrote:
I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

Or, instead of taking an adversarial stance, how about just saying something like "Yeah, we got here faster than we thought - the front desk said it was okay to check in early."

[4x4van]

Lwiddis wrote:
“As I was setting up the guy in the site next to us came over and said "you're early".”

That guy needs something else to do.

Agreed. The guy had no idea if you had made arrangements with management. I would have simply answered "And that affects you how?"

[dieseltruckdriv]

We don't stay at campgrounds often, but this last weekend we were at one, and we had a site reserved at a different one starting today in the South Dakota state campgrounds system. ( After not being able to get boondocking sites last year, the DW said never again.) We were going to be at the new campground at 12:30, and checkout is 3:59, check in is 4:00 pm. I was totally prepared to sit for a few hours, but lucky for us the site was empty when we arrived. Before anyone starts whining, if the site is empty in South Dakota, you can have it, if you have a reservation. If it is still occupied, they "own" it until 3:59 pm. at 4:00 pm, it is whoever has rented it.

Yes there are people who arrive early as we did, and try to pressure people to leave so they don't get inconvenienced, but you can tell them to pound sand. I know of one campground host who will also pressure people to leave if they have friends waiting for a site. They always get poor reviews from me. They are the type of host that don't want to be bothered, and do not clean up anything in the sites when the previous people leave.

I had no intention to even say anything to the people of the site we were going to today if they were still there. I just assumed that they would be out fishing, since that is what most people do at this particular campground, but lucky for me they weren't. It was a good Monday! 🙂

[Rigdon]

We host at different campgrounds around the country, sometimes we have problems with squatters who try to take reserved sites but they eventually leave. There are sometimes issues with campers due out but enjoying the day, fishing or boating and can't be found creating a problem for everyone.
We also have a reservation loop that allows a FCFS for only one day at a time people try to do multiple days with the payslip envelopes, sometimes it works out other times they have to relocate in the park if there are spots available. It uses a iron ranger and refunds are very difficult to impossible. Know the rules and print them out it seems every campground is different.

[toedtoes]

I think there is a difference between a camper who ignores the check in/out rules and a management that screws up a reservation, etc.

2Retired - your experience was definitely the fault of the campground. I would wipe that park off my list just as you did.

On the other hand, if a camper just takes someone else's spot, or refuses to leave by check out time, or demands you leave early to accommodate them, then I wouldn't blame the campground.

[2_Retired]

We have arrived early a few times. Generally, our site has been empty so no problem at all. If it is not, we leave and return later. We ALWAYS leave before the stated check out time - we see it as being courteous. Once we arrived after check in to a large private CG near Disney World. We had made our reservation almost a year ahead, and I had called a week before we were scheduled to arrive to guarantee the reservation (we paid extra to pick a specific site) was still OK. I was told everything was fine. We arrived about an hour after check in and were escorted to our site that was not only clearly occupied by also clearly no one there planned on leaving. They weren't even there but everything was still totally set up. Chairs out, awning out, awning rug out, everything. We went back to the office and were asked to wait. After over an hour, we were told "apparently the other campers had chosen to extend their stay". Did they get permission to 'extend their stay'? "Apparently the evening staff approved it and they have paid for 3 extra days". Really? No, Really? My next question - "So which site will we use?" Our next answer - "We don't have anything available at this time". You have our money, paid in full for a week beginning TODAY, and NOW you tell us there is nothing available? My next question "So what are you going to do now?" The manager was summoned. He apologized. Once again I asked "What are you going to do now?" I was offered a full refund. I asked that he call around and find me a site at a competing Campground that was similar to the one I had reserved with him. He told me that was "against company policy but I will see what I can do". He disappeared. After 30 more minutes DH, even more annoyed than I, asked to speak with him again. Apparently he really did disappear! No where to be found. After another hour,(as I tried in vain to find another site somewhere else) as my blood was boiling, we were escorted to a site, and told it was absolutely the only one in the whole park. Our RV just fit - but we could feel every car that went by! The man who escorted u s there helped put us in so neither end would be hit by a car going by, but he also said it was really too small (he was great, BTW!). We had to park our toad about 1/2 mile away. We did get a full refund on our credit card from Tropical Palms, along with a written apology, but we most certainly will never go back! I know mistakes can be made, but the way we were treated was unacceptable. No one seemed really surprised or even very concerned. In more than 45 years of RVing, there have been more than a few times when reservations have been lost. One time, I made them for the wrong month! We showed up in March - I had reserved on line for May! The CG was also full, but the KOA in Tampa Florida found a spot for us - a site that was set aside and almost never used precisely for mistakes like mine. They were wonderful. DH and I have been camp hosts at several state parks. Each of them held a site 'in reserve' for 'unexpected circumstances'. We had to take advantage of this a couple of times. Once when the RV in a reserved site would not start and could not be moved to make room for the next camper. Once when a camper became very ill, had to be transported to the hospital and his wife needed to stay until he recovered (fortunately only a few days). Each time the incoming campers were very accepting and understanding. As the original post stated, Check in and Check out times are determined based on what needs to be done by the workers so each of us can enjoy our stays. Courtesy, following the rules, and treating others as you would expect to be treated makes it so much better for us all.

[Dutch_12078]

Last week we were doing the "site shuffle" at a NY state park. At the initial check in, we were told we could move to the next site as soon as it was available, but the crew might not be around to clean it for awhile. After we moved, I went to the office to sign in on the new site and pick up our new car pass. I told the clerk the only cleaning the site needed was some trash in the fire pit, and I had already taken care of it. Seemed like little enough to do given all the good memories we've made there.