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In a recent RV.net blog post, I expressed my strong support for afternoon checkout times — with 2PM being the best!
Now we’ve got a support page for this cause on Facebook.
We prefer afternoon checkout times for the following reasons:
For “weekend getaway” campers, the afternoon checkout time allows folks to fully enjoy Sunday morning, and then depart after lunch.
On a similar note, an afternoon checkout time makes it easier for people to attend morning church services.
Physically disabled campers benefit from the extra time to break down camp.
For “location independent professionals,” mornings are often important times to get work done.
Consider the process of hitching and breaking down camp; having a little extra time to do these chores is quite helpful.
The checkout situation with hotels is different, since hotels have maid crews that must clean rooms. And yet, even many hotels offer afternoon checkout times!
If you AGREE with these statements, SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ON FACEBOOK. Simply “LIKE” our new page for 2PM Campground Checkout Times.
Jackie Caughman
on the late afternoon checkouts…I am a workamper and you also need to know, in the RV parks, the bathrooms and buildings are cleaned when people are suppose to be checking out and getting things clean and ready for the next campers…that does include site cleanups…you all must be great campers and leave the bathrooms, laundry rooms, sites as clean as your house is. We must be getting some of the just having a good trip campers who are enjoying themselves and don’t worry about keeping things clean and neat. Also, I love the ones that say they have a dog or so and we say, they have to be kept on a leash and you have to pick up after them…we have ghost dogs then, cause we seem to be doing alot of poop cleanup and advising campers “your dog has to be on a leash and not running free….Hey…just so you think I am not for you having extra time…this past weekend, Memorial Day weekend, we had 10 campers that we let stay late, check out is 11AM, we advised 1PM, half finally left between 5 and 6PM, and we had to shift other campers who reserved sites around just to let them get into a site….which camper would you like to be…
Just my opinion as I am also a full timer and can see the pros and then the cons for the owners and workers of an RV park.
Fred Brandeberry, SR
Hi Guys & Gals:
We get up early, even though I have been working on this for 9 years, 5-6 am.
Also we travel 50 to 150 miles twice a month as full-timers.
Many times we are waiting for the gate/reservation dept to open on arrival.
Reasons? Cool temps on engine, tranny, etc.
If a problem develops, we still have max daylight to remedy that day.
Traffic flow can be better or worse – but not to worry, we left early.
If we find a location we have not visited, we have time to enjoy.
11am works for us – those people still have time to primp before they leave the campground. Happy Camping, Fred b.
Brad Fuller
We were in Arlington, Texas this weekend for a Special Olympics event with our grandson. He had a game this morning and we knew that we would not be able to make the 12:00 checkout time. I asked for a 2:00pm checkout and they gave it to us since they didn’t have anyone coming to the site. I think that a standard 2:00 pm checkout would be great. Not many people leave the hightway for a 2:00 pm checkin. If they do, they didn’t go very far. I have asked for late checkouts on several occasions and have never been denied. So if you want a late checkout, just ask. It might cost a few dollars but it would be worth it.
Phil Griffin
As campground owners we like to provide amenities and conditions that RVers want and expect.
Regarding checkout time, our’s is 12:00 NOON, extended checkout up to 3:00PM with no additional charge, if prearranged with the office staff and, if we are not completely full and won’t lose new business due to the time extension.
We would have no problem in changing our checkout time to 2:00PM, but, since we are full most of the time, we would also need to change our checkin time to 2:00PM. Otherwise you will could lose one day of revenue on that site. A RVer is paying for a day, and deserves a full day, which in our opinion is 24 hours.
Would appreciate RVers comments on the later CHECKIN time, offset by the later CHECKOUT time.
PS: I posted this yesterday, but apparently that forum is no longer active. Just a
request that ALL aspects of a ‘nice to have’ feature be considered, including
the park owners who are attempting to meet or exceed your expectations.
Would any of you be upset if an RV park changed to a 2:00PM checkin so as
to provide a 2:00PM checkout? Any way you look at it, to be successful, a park
needs to receive income for each 24 hour period.
Thanks,
Sean Michael
In the case of a 2PM arrival, I advocate allowing an “early check-in.” In the vast majority of cases, there will be sites available anyway. All those early birds who depart in the morning will leave behind vacant campsites.
Check-in and check-out procedure would be unchanged. Afternoon check-out times (such as that employed by many state parks and five-star RV campgrounds) really don’t change anything except offer 2-3 hours EXTRA to ALL campers on departure day.
And with regard to that “better part of the day camping”… well, it depends on how you look at it. During the hot summer months, many of us enjoy outdoor activities (hiking, kayaking, biking, etc.) during the cooler MORNING hours. A 2PM checkout allows campers to fully enjoy their mornings before breaking down camp and departing. An 11AM checkout pretty much dictates that you spend your last morning packing and breaking down camp.
Walter
I agree with Gandalf42. We are usually on the road by 9AM, or 11AM at the latest if we only have a short way to go. We are rarely on the road after 4PM. It seems to me that you’ve lost the better part of the day camping if you’re unable to check in before 2PM.
Gandalf42
A point you’re overlooking is that campgrounds don’t have you check out while hotels typically do. The campground doesn’t know you’re gone until the check out time and so can’t give a site to someone coming in before then unless it was not used the day before.
I really don’t want to have to check out of a campground. That is coupled with our travel days typically start around 9 and sometimes end as early as 2. So a 2 o’clock check out / 3 oclock check in does not work the best for us. (A 1 out / 2 in would be fine, but everyone’s different)
What I have found, true for both hotels and campgrounds, is that if you need a later time to leave, ask. Most will give it unless the spot is already reserved for someone else. Yes, there are some outliers that believe such times are to be observed regardless of need, but those are the places that don’t understand the concept of customer service regardless of the issue.
Sean Michael
Cheryl, we’ll do our best to come visit someday, I promise. Lake-in-Wood looks absolutely beautiful (I know that those perfect “10” Trailer Life scores are not awarded often!). I also know we’ll appreciate the checkout policy. 🙂
Thanks Marvin for raising another excellent point — the 2PM checkout time is much better for those attending Sunday church services!
Marvin
For those who enjoy going to Church on Sunday’s, 2pm seems like a good ck out time. My wife and I enjoy finding out of the way Sunday services in the area that we are staying. Yes, we would like 2pm ck out time.
Cheryl Sims
So Sean, when are you going to come visit us at Lake in Wood? Thanks for the kind words. The campground is looking fantastic this year. Please let me know if you plan to visit.
Cheryl
Sean Michael
Thanks everyone for your comments, and to those of you who have “LIKED” the Facebook page. We’re off to a good start!
Jim, while I agree with your facts, I draw the opposite conclusion.
With regard to “pre-packing the night before,” this means that weekend campers UNPACK on Friday, start “PRE-PACKING” on Saturday, and then must vacate Sunday morning. Ah, nothing like a relaxing weekend of unpacking and packing. 🙂
With regard to hotels & motels, those businesses face a very different situation — they have MAID CREWS that must thoroughly clean vacant rooms before the next guest arrival. But let’s be honest: most RV campgrounds do very little, IF ANY, cleaning to a vacant site in between visits. Maybe they coil up the water hose? The whole idea behind RVing is that we have a BETTER option to hotels — we are hauling our own lodging! If anything, we should enjoy benefits beyond those of a hotel stay.
Obviously, a 2PM checkout works well for some of the nation’s premium RV resorts (like Lake-in-Wood mentioned above). We just need more to follow their example!
Jim Spellman
Sorry, but I have to be a dissenting voice here. I don’t think 11 a.m. is too unreasonable a time. If people complain they need more time to break camp, then they’re not planning properly (never heard of pre-packing the night before?) , or have way too much stuff in the first place.
Most hotels/motels have 11 a.m., Noon or 1 p.m. check out times at the latest. Asking for 2 p.m. is really pushing things.
kay
Absolutely, When we volunteered as CG host, we often did not “see” campers who stayed a little longer than check-out unless we had other campers sitting at the gate waiting for a spot. 2:00 is a very good compromise.
Dick Boak
If you want to spend most of the day in the campground then please move over to the day use area so that those of us that want to get offf the highways early, like 2pm will have a spot to check into and we can enjoy the area before it is time to get the barbe out.
Charlie Romine
Most of the campgrounds i stay at have a 11:00 am check out. I have found out that if i need more time, i just ask the office. If they want your return business, they will say yes. If no is the answer, i will no longer have them in my favorate places to stay book.
It takes all of us to put these people out of business.
I have stayed at some good sam’s campgrounds that should be taken off their listing.
How about RV NET BLOG starting up a page listing the worst places to stay ?
Jim Bessey
Great post, Sean! I’m taking up the cause, checking with campgrounds we frequent here in Upstate NY. ~Jim
Sean Michael
Yes, I’d like to see more campgrounds like Pennsylvania’s Lake-in-Wood. This campground is rated a coveted perfect “10” by Trailer Life and 5 stars by Woodall’s — so they must be doing something right. They have a 2PM checkout and a 3PM check-in.
http://www.lakeinwoodcampground.com/rates.html
Furthermore, if at all possible I’d like to see an early check-in available for those who arrive before 3. My guess is that a significant portion of campers (the early birds! :-)) will roll out before 2PM anyway, so there will be no shortage of available sites.
Lee
So, you are in favor of a 3PM check-in?
Or, are you proposing that the check-in and check-out change depending on the day of the week?