jleamont Report post Posted August 20, 2016 Herman, don't know if they take Passport. Regular price was $69.00 for a site with a fire place. Good thing we are only here for 6 nights. What is Passport? Several have asked me if certain places accept that. Annual fee etc like Thousand Trails? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted August 20, 2016 Joe, It is a card thst cost about $40.00 per year. At participating parks you receive a 50% discount. Sound good when you first look at it. However (1) you don't get the discount if you make reservations. Drop in only. (2) in most parks it is only good for a maximum of 2 nights. (3) not good on weekends, Monday to Thursday. (4) not good on holidays or local special events. We found it easier to find a Wal-Mart or such tham one of their locations. Please don't get me wrong there are some nice over night parks that participate but there some not so nice ones. Bobbie and I very seldom make reservations. When we are in an area we just look for a place. Found some really nice one and really bad ones. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted August 21, 2016 Ahh, got it Thanks! we do the same while on the road, mostly DW uses her book, "the next exit" or the highway signs. Every time we make a reservation it always turns into a rush to get there, and some traffic mess puts us so late it's not worth the reservation, or I'm exhausted and don't want to drive that far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted August 21, 2016 Ditto! Did not renew Passport 2 years ago! Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted August 21, 2016 We use Passport America as often as we can. We have saved over $500.00 on this trip so far. I have never had a problem using it with reservations. Yes there are limits set by each park. It is a tool to fill empty spaces in off peak times. The longest I have used it in one park was 7 days (that was as long as we stayed) and the shortest was 2. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted August 21, 2016 I have been a PA member for 8 years and have saved $$ by having it. Yes, there are restrictions on some parks as to days you can stay, how many nights and especially not very good in the Northeast as they are so seasonal the summer months are typically not recognized as PA CG's. However, in the Southern states restrictions are less. For $39 a year if you stay at 3 PA parks you get a 100% return on your investment. Not a bad deal at all. Yes, PA parks are just like KOA and many other private parks. Some are okay, some mediocre and some bad but even the bad one at $15 a night for a one night stay is really not that bad. Consider this example: Loretta Lynn Ranch RV park is $36.50 a night. Passport America is good Sunday through Thursday at $18.25 a night. So even if you are staying a week you pay $18.25 for 5 nights and the $36.50 for two nights. That is more than a 100% return on an investment of $39. One more example: Niagara Heartland RV Resort, Gasport, NY is about 30 miles from Niagara Falls. There standard rate is $32.00 a night. PA rate is $16.00 a night with a 2 night minimum and unlimited stay at PA Rates. A week in the Niagara Area would be $112. That savings pays for any inconveniences of being 30 miles from Niagara Falls and the ride up to Lake Erie and along the water way is worth the drive. They do charge a deposit for electricity but I got money back. Deposit was $4 a night for electric when we stay there (twice). So don't cut PA short. Look at there web site www.passportamerica.com, look at the areas you travel in and see if it is worth the $39. If you are going to join, give me a holler and I'll give you my membership number for "my" discount. p.s., the PA website lists the restrictions for each campground. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hermanmullins Report post Posted August 21, 2016 Sorry if I sounded too negative. P/A is not a bad thing. It just hasn't proved that much to us. I am sure if we were going through areas we are very familiar with and knew all the C/Gs it would be really helpful. Herman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted August 21, 2016 I have pretty much given up on KOA also! Problem I have found with the cheaper RV parks, their full up on traveling workers. Mostly Highways and byways, some work days some nights and there are very few spaces left for us and most of those are a pain to get in/out in a big rig! Last Monday, I was turned away at the Abilene, TX. KOA, in a T Storm, because a paving company had reserved 12 (the only 12) spaces left...I asked, when are they due in? Oh, sometime between now and next week, but they have paid for the spots for 3 months in advance...a company out of Nevada to redo a road in Texas! I ended up in Wall Mart parking lot, Brownwood, TX. A very long drive in rain, from Ruidoso, NM. So, I stay mostly in RV Resorts now, a lot nicer all around. Carl Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted August 21, 2016 We saw a bunch of that when we traveled through Texas in December 2013. Almost if not all of the sites were workers in trailers that resembled FEMA trailers. Fortunately we got a spot but it was odd seeing that. I don't recal KOA being worse but every CG we stopped at had them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
manholt Report post Posted August 22, 2016 Still there, Joe. They come and go, and all the trucks sound as if they all have "Glass Pakes" for muffler. They also idle for a long time, around 4am! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaypsmith Report post Posted August 22, 2016 Been a Passport member for 6 years, the web sites for the park post when can and can not be used. I average saving 300.00 to 500.00 yearly and am not full time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted August 22, 2016 14 hours ago, hermanmullins said: Sorry if I sounded too negative. P/A is not a bad thing. It just hasn't proved that much to us. I am sure if we were going through areas we are very familiar with and knew all the C/Gs it would be really helpful. Herman The only campground that I have stayed at before on this trip was the one in downtown Little Rock. The other 35 (so far) I had never been in before. You just have to ask when making your reservations. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
