KOA, Good or Bad? Options

[Testudo]

Gee ! Is this topic _still_ going ?!?! (I wonder when the last time was that 'Cheryl' posted on it ???)

Campgrounds are like a box of choc-lates: You never know what you'll get (...at least not until you've checked in with RVPARKREVIEWS.COM !!!).

Back in 2005, I earned a _free_ KOA Gold Card membership (...that year was like 'Kamping On Acid' !!!). I'm no apologist for KOA and I've turned-tail and run away from KOAs such as those described by 'katt'...

They advertise HEAVILY about how "family friendly" and "quiet" their campground is, they advertise how "clean" they are, yet the bathrooms are filthy, their "families" are drunken jerks and the only time the drunks cannot be heard is when the train is drowning out all sound waves in human hearing range...

...I know KOAs can be Kind Of Annoying but, over the years, Kindnesses Often Appeared, at least, in my experience. I've met some really _nice_ people who owned, worked, or camped at KOAs. KOAs are nearly all owned by franchisees. It is not some sort of corporate plot, as such. The prices tend to run a little higher because there is the added cost of paying the _franchiser_. But, aside from that, they are like any other campground -- the downside is only limited by your imagination.

For people who want to know if KOA stands for "Keep On Accelerating", I would say: Don't worry about it. Just check one out while avoiding any preconceived notions. You might find that it works for you. Start every new endeavor with a negative mindset and the outcome will surely be self-prophesizing. It would be Kind Of Assinine to avoid something that might be helpful to you -- just because a few other people Keelover Of Apoplexy.

So take it from a Kleptomaniacal Old Aardvark ( ...huh !?!?!): Kick Out Accusers and Kibbitz Over America!

[Butch]

Good Grief

[Cheryl]

Why do you care when or if I post on a thread, or were you referring to Cheryl Fuller?

[denbroncs]

Why do you care when or if I post on a thread, or were you referring to Cheryl Fuller?

I think he was frustrated in trying to figure out how to spell your name with a "K."

[sparky]

KOA's as a whole to me are very tight to get into your site and manuvering out same thing
I have been in some--there is NO way to feel comfortable in,
I wish They-would listen to campers---as RV's get bigger-KOA's just don't cut it.
My Favorite is Wilmington, NC KOA , they have always treated me and my friends wonderfully
my 2 cents
sparky.

[Testudo]

Why do you care when or if I post on a thread, or were you referring to Cheryl Fuller?

Yeah, sorry, I was referring to 'Cheryl Fuller' (...although, I've often wondered if you 'both' weren't one and the same [shrug]).

[Testudo]

KOA's as a whole to me are very tight to get into your site and manuvering out same thing ...as RV's get bigger-KOA's just don't cut it.

I can appreciate those feelings. Still, KOAs come and go from the system all the time. Every year I receive a questionaire from 'corporate' with regard to what is obviously a marginal campground in the system that is being considered for the 'ax'. But ironically, I actually like hard to get into camp grounds because I have a 20' pop-top truck camper so, then, I don't have to compete with the 'big boys' for space. Another irony is that my review ratings are weighted for the needs of people with 'big rigs' [grin!]. I mean, personally, I could care less about 99% of the gripes of big rig owners but, then, they dominate the 'sport' so it is one of the five 'points' that I try to cater to in my reviews.

Big rig owners can be hard to figure out. They'll castigate a campground in a review because the neighboring land owner has a tree on their property but they give a raving '10' to a campground where the entry road would qualify as a class 3 offroad trail [shrug]. There is just no pleasing them.

[Cheryl]

No, we are not one and the same. Although, we do have many things in common. Anyway, last I heard from her, she doesn't visit this site very much anymore.

[RLM]

IT IS OBVIOUS THAT KOA IS A LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP AMONG THE REVIEWERS ON THIS WEBSITE GROUP.

I SUSPECT THAT NO ONE IS GOING TO CHANGE THEIR OPINION, SO CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON TO OTHER ISSUES???

WEBMASTER, PLEASE PUT A MATCH TO THIS THREAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[gilda]

deleted

[Testudo]

I sympathise with you 'RLM' but I have to agree with 'Gilda'. KOA seems to attract so much negativity that it is only fair to give people the chance to discuss the reasons for it or to have the chance to disagree. There are too many new people coming along all the time to just make gross generalizations and expect them to put it into some kind of perspective.

I feel pressured to have a bad opinion of KOA by the RV community, in general, but I'm, in fact, indifferent. I just try to stick to RV parks that work for _me_. If they happen to be KOAs, I'm okay with that.

[hirschy]

Well, I hope I will enjoy my upcoming trip.
I just found this site, AFTER reserving quite a few KOA sites for my Dec. trip.
I printed off plenty of review sheets and will give feedback on each site I stay at.

So far at least, the sites I reserved from KAO all had decent reviews

Love this forum and will update when I get back in January

[gwbischoff]

So far at least, the sites I reserved from KAO all had decent reviews

Then you should be fine.

Treat them all as you would any other CG. Just because they are a "chain" doesn't mean that they're all identical.

[leftyf]

I've got KOA's that I rave about. I've got Good Sam Parks that I rave about. And soon, I'll be checking out some of the Escapee Parks, if Uncle Sam ever decides the rate of my war wounds. I've got private parks that I rave about.

I've also got KOAs and Good Sam Parks that were the best I've ever seen except for the people running them. Great park...horrible people. If I like a park, I'll stay there every chance I get. If I don't like a park, I'll sleep in a road side rest area before I give them any of my money.

You pays your money and you takes your chances...or you spend a lot of time on the internet.

[gwbischoff]

While I know that I'm running the risk of starting up the "For or Against KOA Jihad" again, I assure you that this is just for informational purposes for those who are interested:

http://koa.com/valuekard/vkrewards.htm