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Old 02-26-2015, 09:38 PM   #99
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MANY years ago we found that the KOA's up charged for every little thing. Not so much anymore. The price quoted is the price we pay. In the past 6-7 years we've found that most KOA's are comparable in quality and price to campgrounds in the same area.
Totally agree. I am constantly amazed by the vitriol thrown at KOA in threads like these. I can't imagine what causes people to get so riled up. IMHO those who accuse KOA of being overpriced by $10 haven't stayed at too many RV parks in the past couple of years. We select parks by deciding where we want to spend the night and then finding the highest rated park in the area using campgroundreviews.com. Our average cost for a single-night stay is roughly $40 plus tax these days. Even most state parks are over $30 and that's without counting reservation fees and daily use fees. IMHO a $30 budget is simply unrealistic, at least for nicer parks in most parts of the US.

As several other people have said, if you pay $25 to buy a KOA discount card you get 10% off your stay and you can earn points towards free stays. Each year we always get $25-50 back from our points in addition to the discount.
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Old 02-27-2015, 09:26 AM   #100
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There is a KOA near Notre Dame called South Bend/Elkhart KOA. STAY AWAY, they are rude owners who care nothing about your business. I have never been treated with so little respect; required wristbands, police security, threats of entering the RV, no talking after 8pm, nickel and dimed for everything. Avoid this place like the plague. Better to stay in a truck stop. Think Seinfelds "soup nazi" - he runs the place. I can not believe KOA allows this type of operation with their name on it.


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Old 02-27-2015, 11:48 AM   #101
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There is a KOA near Notre Dame called South Bend/Elkhart KOA. STAY AWAY, they are rude owners who care nothing about your business. I have never been treated with so little respect; required wristbands, police security, threats of entering the RV, no talking after 8pm, nickel and dimed for everything. Avoid this place like the plague. Better to stay in a truck stop. Think Seinfelds "soup nazi" - he runs the place. I can not believe KOA allows this type of operation with their name on it.


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Now here's a good example of how we can help each other out. I looked up this CG on both RV Park Reviews and RVParky and there are no reviews, good or bad. When you find someplace like this, don't keep it to yourself.
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Old 02-27-2015, 11:59 AM   #102
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I have always had a good experience at the KOAs that we have visited. Their prices are all individually different, but very consistent with RVParks that are nearby.


In the past decade or so they seem to have become directly in line with their local competition RVParks. If their local competition can get away with upcharges, then they do it too.


We had great experiences at the Flagstaff, AZ, Chula Vista, CA, Santa Paula, CA, Barstow, CA KOAs in particular.


We would not stay at he KOA in Pomona, CA because it is a parking lot. However, for those working at the nearby fairgrounds, I can see where it can come in handy.
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Old 02-27-2015, 05:01 PM   #103
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Now here's a good example of how we can help each other out. I looked up this CG on both RV Park Reviews and RVParky and there are no reviews, good or bad. When you find someplace like this, don't keep it to yourself.
With all due respect, this park is very definitely in the RVParkReviews database. You can find its listing here: South Bend / Elkhart North KOA - Granger, IN - RV Park Reviews

The park's reviews average out to a 7.5 which is typical of KOA's, not the best but usually slightly above average. The newest reviews are consistent with this average. I'm not at all saying that what was reported about it isn't true, I am simply responding to your post which says that the park isn't listed.
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Old 02-27-2015, 06:35 PM   #104
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Ok good. I looked under cities in Elkhart and South Bend and didn't see it.
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Old 02-28-2015, 05:30 AM   #105
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Reviews on www.koa.com

We can really help each other by posting campground reviews on campgroundreviews.com, tripadvisor.com, Google Maps, etc.

In addition, we can get attention of KOA head office by responding to their customer satisfaction requests for reviews after we depart a campground. KOA corporate uses those for their franchisee awards. Corporate seems to ignore campground reviews from other sources, like reparkreviews.com

Also, beware of a KOA campground that "turns off" their customer service reviews on their KOA website. Look for the "Camper rating" icon near the upper right-hand corner of their koa.com/campgrounds/campgroundname/ web page. If it is missing, then that means the franchise owner as blocked assess to reviews of their campground by their former customers.
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Old 04-23-2015, 02:36 AM   #106
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We generally stayed at KOAs when my daughter was growing up. We found them relatively consistent and never had a bad experience with any.

In June, we are heading to Yellowstone and we are staying at the West Entrance KOA in West Yellowstone, Montana. This is primarily because the campground we would have preferred is not a stop for the tour bus company we're using, but the KOA is.

We stayed at this KOA in 1990 and enjoyed it. The owners are nice and I recently had a great conversation with them. They've owned this KOA since the 1980s and have added a second one in West Yellowstone.

As for pricing, while planning for this trip, I checked many campgrounds with different guides, including Good Sam's. They all seemed to average around $40/per night, and this includes the KOAs on the route we're taking. So I don't see them any more pricey than other "mom & pop" campgrounds.

I think some people are giving KOAs a bum rap.
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Old 04-23-2015, 06:08 AM   #107
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As for pricing, while planning for this trip, I checked many campgrounds with different guides, including Good Sam's. They all seemed to average around $40/per night, and this includes the KOAs on the route we're taking. So I don't see them any more pricey than other "mom & pop" campgrounds.

I think some people are giving KOAs a bum rap.
I agree. $40 has pretty much become the norm for nice RV parks or campgrounds. Yes, you can still find some nice rural ones for $20 but they're becoming scarce. We always buy the KOA discount card which takes 10% off and gives you points for your stay. In fact tonight I'm going to use points to pay for $50 of the price of the park we're at for the next few days. Between the discount card and the points I don't think KOA's prices are any different from any other parks.
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Old 04-23-2015, 06:32 AM   #108
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You'll get all kind of opinions here. There are great ones and dumps just like any other campgrounds. Generally, they should be better than average but not always. Check them out on campgroundreviews.com or Good Sam or other sites.
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Old 04-23-2015, 02:22 PM   #109
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We have stayed at many KOAs and only found one to be close together but even there our overall stay was very good. I ran into the friendliest KOA owners ever in Southern Minnesota on a cross country trip. I did an online reservation and a box popped up that asked if they could do anything else to make our stay more enjoyable? Just to be funny I wrote, "Yes, it will be my birthday and I would like cake." Several weeks later upon check-in I was presented with a half dozen cupcakes and a Happy Birthday song. That was 12 years ago and I still smile when I remember it.
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Old 04-23-2015, 05:26 PM   #110
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I've stayed in several KOA's and I think they are generally higher cost than surrounding comparable campgrounds. While some are newer and more roomy, it seems that most of them were built for the RV's of the time that were built and are pretty tight for the large coaches of today. I still stay in them, but research them carefully for tightness of site, turns, etc. Like others have said, their discount card saves you some on their rate.
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Old 04-23-2015, 05:31 PM   #111
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KOA's tend to be in cities or very close to them which increases the price that they and their competitors charge. We are currently in New Orleans for the Jazz Festival and the KOA is less than 30 minutes from the park where we will catch the shuttle to the Festival. That's worth a lot to us and I don't think the $52/night (including tax) that we're paying is too much for that convenience. Others may disagree and that is their right. BTW the KOA is also in a part of town where I don't mind being out at night. That's not true of some parks in NOLA charging a lot more.
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Old 04-23-2015, 05:33 PM   #112
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First rule when building a KOA...cut down the trees and plant some twigs. As you may be able to tell I don't like the looks of KOA's but use them for travel stops.
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