We enjoyed our week here as it is a safe and decent campground for area visitors. It is not the kind of CG for lounging in your site, etc. The woman running the place is terrific and helpful. The main problem here is that there is no sewer hook-up, so come with empty tanks. If you stay for a week you will get honey bucket service at no additional fee. They come around 9 a.m. on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. It is probably the best deal for camping on the entire San Diego coast. - nmunozjr

Very basic park with gravel drives and sites. Lots of big shade trees, clean and well kept. Quiet even though it was in between a busy street and the 5 Fwy. Owner/Host very friendly and accommodating. No sewer hookups but rest stop north on the 5 has two free dump stations. We stayed here for a dog show at Del Mar fairgrounds. Much better than the full hookup sites that we saw at the fairgrounds. We will stay here again. - MarvMarvs

Simple park, we were told where to park which did not accommodate our trailer due to the trees being too low (a/c unit) and too narrow for space which we could not open awning. The great thing was its close proximity to the beach and highway access. Diesel fuel stations close by not RV friendly. There are no sewer hook ups, but there is a mobile service which visits twice a week. Our trailer was 27' in length and the spot given should be for parking a vehicle. We had to park a certain direction with the door on the left into a tree and the slide on the right inches from the other tree. There were other spots available not sure why we had to be placed there. Parking our vehicle was difficult when other rigs were there. Having to wait on dump service before travel was not worth it for the time we spent. No fire pits all gravel but level. There are no restroom facilities no playground for children. - reymer

Stayed in site 157, site is secluded with bushes on three sides. Park is very quiet and clean unless your in one of the sites next to the street and railroad. Our site was far enough from both that we didn't notice them. Entrance road is a little tight for long RV's, ours is 35', the longest allowed in the park. If not careful you will hit the curb. Roads in the park are plenty wide enough for long RV's. All site parking pads are fairly level asphalt the remainder dirt. Only a few sites have full hook ups, none that a long RV will fit in. There is a double sided dump station with faucets to fill you drink water tank. We didn't use the restrooms, showers, or laundry the four days we were there. Beach access is mostly by stairs, but at the south end of the park you can walk straight to the beach without stairs. The store is well stocked. We like Bull Tacos inside the park, although a little pricey, tacos are good, especially when they have exotic meats. Their breakfast burrito is excellent. We'll be back in the fall. - National RV Dolphin

The welcome at the entrance was good. At first we were given a flooded site with a fence between us and the road. The charge for this was $35, for dry camping. We asked for a better site (not flooded), and we settled into a site overlooking the water, on a bluff, with a fence. The charge for this was $50, for dry camping. Each morning we had to check to see if we could stay in our site that night. We had to move once in a three night stay, but that was easy with no hook-ups. The sites were not raked or cleaned between tenants. The sites overlooking the ocean were a good size, but the sites by the road were very small. We were never offered a site with hook-ups, and we did not see any. (Admin note: full hookups are available) The campers were a nice mix of surfers and everyone else. We would not return because we did feel that the value for the price was questionable. - Vic and Marsha

Location , location, location . This section of the park was dry camping only as there are ' improvements ' going on supposedly in the sites with services during the off season . An excuse I think to allow the park and staff to rest but , wow , what a waste of state income . Spacious enough sites . Has the commuter train line and Highway 101 running right behind the campground which can be disruptive but not overly so . Watch the sun sink into the Pacific right from your door. Book early for front row . Very popular, especially with the surfing crowd . We would stay here again. - Airstream 25

We were able to select a site with a view of the ocean and right next to the stairs to get down to the ocean. Felt nice and private. There are washing stations to rinse off your sandy feet as well. The showers cost tokens (which we were totally fine with), were nice and very private.

Generators are only allowed from 10am to 8pm which was unfortunate (we usually cook breakfast around 8am).

Very friendly, nice on-site convenience store (you can even rent body and surf boards).

Lots of people, hardly any vacant sites. The sites were large. - 10 Thompsons

We stayed in an ocean side site and the view was beautiful. Our site wasn't very level, but I think it was just that site as others looked fine. We were in a site with no hookups, but a water spigot was right across the street. In fact, water spigots and bath houses were plentiful throughout the campground.

The first night we were there, the people in the site next to us sneaked in outside guests and partied and played the radio til 1:00 in the morning. They were pretty loud but fortunately I was in a trailer and it wasn't too bad, but still rude and inconsiderate of other campers. I felt sorry for the people nearby camping in a tents and the people across from us who had little kids. To my surprise, early the next morning the park ranger evicted the party crowd, so beware, they do enforce quiet time rules. Other than that the campground was quiet and peaceful. It was a great place to walk on the beach and ride bikes. The restrooms were plentiful and cleaned often. It was relaxing watching the surfers and we saw dolphins and seals playing in the water.

Unfortunately, the next night it rained heavily and our campsite turned into a duck pond with 3 to 4 inches of water covering at least half of it. It was still raining heavily in the morning so we just packed up and left. So between the party crowd keeping us up and the rain, it wasn't the best of trips. I'd like to go back some day and try it again though. - Suru

This is an older park which is just a little shabby, but if you can get one of the ocean front sites. The views are spectacular. Many of the sites are so wide you can park your rig sideways or at an angle to the ocean. The sites are literally right on the edge of the bluff with a 180 degree ocean view right outside your door! This campground gets busy on weekends in the winter with families and groups of surfers, but it was not very noisy and never felt very congested because of the size of the sites and the openness on the ocean side. I imagine it is full all summer long. The sound of the ocean drowned out traffic and generator noise pretty well. I would return here in a heartbeat, but only on the ocean side. If I were on the other side of the road, I would rate it about a 6. - MrSunshine

Make sure you have directions to campground because it's hard to find. PPA was only good for 2 of 4 nights. Very tight, but level sites. Train & I-5 noise. Nice pool & spa. Lots of long terms. Doesn't deserve resort name. - russ1102

If you like freeway noise on one side of a park and train noise on the other than this park is for you! Sites are narrow and the freeway noise is awful! Train not so bad since they are fast Amtrak trains, not a lot of whistle blowing. Laundry room was clean but had to purchase a card to operate the machines. $5.00 deposit was refunded when card was returned. Park is located in a canyon with a lovely name, Rose Canyon, but this spot is not lovely. we left after 4 nights and moved to another park in the area that was cheaper and a much better environment. - Rick & Karen

We booked for a month and regretted it the entire time. Dog run is next to drainage / stream which is posted "beware of snakes", so dont let your dog loose. The same area is riddled with poison oak, so again, dont let your dog loose. Lots of dirt, pads are concrete, street is asphalt. Large percentage of full time residents with large amounts of "stuff" outside. Think sanford and son. We have picked up 2 grocery bags of droppings, as the park and owners of the dogs dont clean up after themselves. This park is way over priced. - ontheroadallthetime

We have a premium site on the top level and it is great. Easy to back in, level concrete pad, our own area with table & bar-b-que. Really nice. We overlook the hills. No problem with our 45 footer with 4 slides; lots of room. Other sites are well kept and neat. We are coming back again to enjoy this great location!!! - Freedom Bus

We decided to try this park for one night based upon past reviews but quickly found out that this is by no stretch of the imagination, a "resort". We made a reservation and were told it depended on the day we arrived as to what the rate would be. And when we did arrive we found that the space that was assigned to our Class A full slide Motorhome was not near wide enough and backing in would have been a not so good experience. So I went back and got another space on the "upper level". A tad bit longer and wider that the first one we were able to back in and get hooked up. Then we noticed the neighbors next to us who had their laundry out to dry on racks scattered around their RV. Kids bikes and various toys scattered everywhere and one bike I had to move before attempting to back in. No table or bench available and just the basic hookups were there to use. Whatever this park was supposed to have been in the past is no longer what it has become today. A major rip off for what you get IMNO. Will never stay there again and if you are in the area and thinking about staying there my advice to you is to "drive on" and find something else. - BankShot

This place just is not worth it anymore. Third time we have stayed here and will not be back. Very high fees, our price was monthly. Have to pay for wifi, this is ridiculous in high end parks. Staff wanted to charge me for notifying me when a package arrived. Wanted me to pay for "mail service." Seems that new people have taken over and the parent company is trying to nickle and dime every fee possible. Park is centrally located but that is not enough any longer. Staff this year compared to last year is very different, last year friendly and helpful. Now, just the opposite. Will not return. - sd1209

Location they have and all utilities worked. That being said a preferred site? Resort? Sites hard for big rigs with haphazard parking, lots of trash scattered. Nights were quiet though. Security always driving around
Not sure if I'd stay here again. - SlicksMom

We chose this park solely due to location, and were expecting to dislike it due to it being a "crowded parking lot" style park. We were actually pleasantly surprised once we checked in, even though we picked a "standard" size site, the cheapest available. The sites were much wider than we expected.. you're still close to your neighbor but there is enough breathing room to set up your chairs, tables, patio mat, etc. and have a nice outdoor area. Other city-style RV parks we've been to had much less space. The many mature trees soften the asphalt feel of the place, and most rows (ours included) are separated by a strip of grass behind the RVs. The sites are a little shorter than we'd like. With our 37' motorhome parked as far back as possible, our tow car parked sideways in front took up a bit of space in the road. Now picture an entire row like that, with tow cars lining both sides of the road, and it gets difficult for new arrivals to back into a site. We were steps away from the peninsula beach where we walked and swam our dog morning and evening. Utilities worked great, including the WiFi which worked well most of them time, only slowing down in the early evening. We had 3 bars of LTE on Verizon and 2 bars on AT&T. Both worked fine without the need for a booster. There was LOTS of activity at the park... kids on bikes, scooters, etc. all over the place, all the time, so drive carefully! We're thinking of returning for a month in the winter when the rates are much lower. - LifeRebooted

The following are the opinions of myself. Arrived at 6pm and the office was closed. Proceeded to the guard shack to read the quite extensive park rules. The one that scared me was the $50-$300 charge for accidental sewage spills. I chose to not connect, and dump at my storage facility.

The roads were fairly narrow, but paved with asphalt. Our site was very cramped for being a "Preferred" site. The site was very short, too short for parking my TV, so I parked across the front of the site. We had an end site, which had large trees at each corner in front of the site. That made it extremely difficult to back in. Luckily, the site behind us was vacant so I drove thru. The site was old asphalt and not level. When our awning was extended, it was approx 5' from the slide out of the neighbor. Restrooms were clean but rather old in appearance. We didn't try WiFi or cable. We were able to get a good view of the sky for our portable satellite dish.

The location was perfect for SeaWorld and downtown activities. This CG is on Mission Bay. - SD75mac

If you're looking for a quiet getaway, this is NOT the place to be! (LOL) This is a family park with MANY kids running around and it can be loud. But it's an extremely well run and organized park. Yes, it's pricey but it's right on Mission Bay, some of the most expensive real estate in the USA. The beach is great. Rent boats or other water toys. You're packed in but they are VERY well organized. I had plenty of room for my slideouts and my awning. Lots of activities for young and old. Very clean. - LEB2

We have been coming here for about 5 years and have already made our reservation for the following year. We really enjoy this campground for the beach, the bay, the location and that is why we continue to return. It is right on Mission Bay, only 5 minutes to Pacific Beach, close to shopping, right on the bike trail and close to anything you want to do in San Diego. The sites are level and the hook-ups are easy. The bathrooms are always clean although there are leaves in the sites. The internet was fine but not high-speed. The whole park could use a bit of freshening up like paint but for a beachfront park, this is pretty good. Someone said there were rats but we have never seen rats nor lots of insects in the 7 months over the 5 years we have been here. The price above reflects the monthly rate. We have stayed here and will definitely stay again. Others continue to return year after year and we look forward to seeing our neighbors again. - swike

I have heard about Campland On The Bay for over 20 years and this was our first visit. We only stayed one night. It is in a beautiful location on Mission Bay in San Diego. From what I saw of the campsites, I was a little disappointed. It amounted to very little more than an asphalt parking lot with hook-ups and some surrounding trees and grassy areas. For the price, I would have expected a whole lot more. But, that said, people go there to enjoy the waters of Mission Bay instead of sitting idly at camp. - ArmandV

This is a standard RV Resort. Sites are concrete and each has a tree and ground cover as well as a patio area and picnic table. (some leveling required as all of the sites are graded down hill, however, the park provides levelers).

Pool is clean and good size. There is also a very large Jacuzzi.

Bathrooms are large and clean. Showers were great!

There is a laundry room with soap machines, etc.

One of the reasons we stayed at this park is that it is located near all major highways and freeway systems. Close to shopping and restaurant's! - jmjack

Very friendly young managers. Great wifi, clean restrooms, warm pool and our site was fairly flat concrete. Just one night as passing through but would stay again. Only complaint was office closing at 4pm which is very early. - kiwitravelers

This is a very nice RV park, but I wouldn't call it a resort. The park is quite clean and well maintained. There are few trees which are too small to provide shade. The roads are paved and the RV pad is concrete. Spaces are fairly tight and there is really not much space for chair or table. The RV pad is level side to side but lengthwise it has such a slope that the park provides leveling blocks. My front tires were a foot off the ground. The pad is barely wide enough for the RV; the slides overhang the planter on one side and the tiny sandy patio area on the other. The campsite has 20/30/50 electric but no picnic table or fire pit. The water is city supplied and fairly decent at about 60 psi. Basic cable is free. Internet wifi is free with a strong signal throughout the park; good enough to stream. The laundry is small with 3 machines, but in good condition. The showers are clean and in good condition; did not use. There is a small pool with spa. The office staff is a helpful young lady who is quite friendly. The park has a few activities, but it's such a small park that events really aren't very feasible. The park is located in a city and close to anything you could want. Noise, even from the commuter train, is minimal. Traffic is always an issue when going anywhere. This is a pleasant park to stay at for doing things in the area, but not as a destination park, unless you're just looking for a place to live. - Wiyndog

Mobile home park that is closing and still about 10 old trailers left. But great location two blocks from a very nice beach with a large city playground and $10-$25 less per night than other area RV parks. - rvbruce

Having read a review for another Oceanside rv park that mentioned in passing that Catalina was "an armpit" I went there with caution. Maybe not enough. The park is small and hard to maneuver around in. Half the sites are occupied by old mobile homes. Recent rains made some of the sites soft. I got stuck in one and had to get a tow truck to pull me out. After all that I managed to get a site and got hooked up. Utilities were at shared posts. I had to go over a fence to plug in for electricity. There are no restrooms or showers. The laundromat was clean. Most of the neighbors were friendly enough, although the wife heard a lot of screaming from an adjacent condo complex. Only good reason for staying was due to weather and the price. Other RV parks in Oceanside were over $40. Our rate was for Passport America. I would never have paid full rate for this park. If you have a small rig and don't mind the trailer villa atmosphere then give it a try. Just watch out for the wet spots. - Onemoretrail

We have always wanted to try this park and got lucky with a last minute reservation. You are greeted by a very friendly and helpful staff. As a bonus, they have 24 hour security. The location is awesome! A 3 minute walk and you are on the sand looking at the ocean. You are also very close to a train stop if you want to go either direction up the coast. The park is tight but once in your spot, they offer plenty of room. We had no issues getting around in our 43' coach. Yes, the train is loud but after the first night, we didn't really notice it and we were against the back wall closest to the tracks. I wouldn't ever spend a season here but for a clean, safe, ideal location in SoCal, this place is perfect for a vacation. We would stay here again for sure. - longweekends

The hosts where great! We had a reserved a site prior to our stay. When we arrived I did not want that site and asked for a site near the back by the dog walk, the host said no problem and had one of the hosts take us right to the site and helped me back right in. The walk to the beach is under the train track and through a small park, but well worth it , my wife had never seen the ocean and the beach was just what I hoped for, great sea shells and long sandy beach for walking. The sites are close to each other, but everyone was very nice. The only reason we gave 4 stars instead of 5 was the Internet was just plain terrible, and oh my gosh the train at 02 AM was just LOUD...really..LOUD. That said we will stay here again can't say enough about the staff, not one rude team member. - para566

I am rating the RV Park itself. Sites are extremely small and narrow. We could not open our awning because a small tree was between our site and another site. There was no room behind us and even though we are only 29' long, no room in front. The people in the RV's in front of us (across the street) partied but they were sitting behind their RV and almost on the street. A train goes by and it very loud. They have a pool & hot tub but we decided not to in either. The pool looked clean but the hot tub was milky looking. We decided to sit by the pool while I did the laundry. That is when people started coming into the pool with their small children (like ages 2-5). The kids went mainly into the hot tub. Seeing that age of kids in the hot tub explains why the water in it was not clean. The parents brought the kids into the big pool as well. So no pool for us. They have a man that works there that was rude to us twice. The second time was when I went to do my laundry. The laundry door was open. I went it and put my laundry in the washing machine. I was just getting ready to put the quarters in when he yells at me that I have to get out. He said the laundry was closed between noon and 1 and it was noon. I told him I didn't know that and he said it was posted on the door and pointed to the sign. Since the door was open I didn't look at any signs. He said I had to leave and come back at 1. Sorry, that is rude. He could have done the same thing and be nice about it. So I was not happy with the RV park itself. - RVpartyanimal