South East Area Rally?

[BCook57]

Any one have experience with this rally? Coming in Feb. in 2009 in Brookville, Florida. My wife and I have never attended an FMCA event, and thought we might try this one since it is close.

How are the seminars and vendor events?

Thanks,
Bob

[BCook57]

Any one have experience with this rally? Coming in Feb. in 2009 in Brookville, Florida. My wife and I have never attended an FMCA event, and thought we might try this one since it is close.

How are the seminars and vendor events?

Thanks,
Bob

[Savannah]

We attended this rally last year with some friends who are old hands at FMCA rallies. This was our first and I feel safe saying we will not ever attend it again. Our friends also commented on how poorly run this rally was so I guess it really was.

The parking is fine, pretty level since it's on a concrete runway and we had plenty of room between rigs even with slides and awnings and parking the toads. The vendors were ok and we did manage to spend a good amount of money. One of the seminars we (ladies) attended was great but some of the men who apparently were volunteers working stood at the rear of the tent talking quite loud. Our speaker had to ask them twice to speak lower so we could hear and finally had to ask them to leave the tent. The result was we missed a good part of the seminar since we couldn't hear.

The killer for us was the poor transportation system. The routes changed constantly so we never knew where to go to catch our bus back to the rigs. We figured out why we saw so many people riding their bikes since we stood one day in the hot sun with our arms full of purchases over an hour waiting for a bus as many golf carts zipped by us with only the driver on board. Only after literally jumping out in front of one of these carts did we and a number of others waiting with us find that the route had been changed yet again. There were also problems with the entertainment and I'm not sure it was their fault but the roping off of the choice seating for volunteers who then didn't bother attending left a sour taste in everyone's mouth.

I was told this rally has been held at this locations for over ten years so I would think they'd have it down pat.

Observation is if you aren't in the heirarchy of the FMCA you pretty much are a second class citizen.

A few years ago we were walk ins for the rally in Albuquerque and had a great time and encountered no problems like I just described.

[BCook57]

Thanks for the reply. I talked with a person yesterday who helps run the event to check on seminars, etc. No mention of any negatives, of course.

We'll probably still try it out since it is so close.

[Savannah]

Yes give it a try. We will give FMCA another try in March at Perry, Georgia.

[TEO]

I belonged to FMCA before I went to my first rally. They're difficult to make when you're a working person. I didn't want to cut into my vacation time with a rally.

Since then I've been to several. I will be at Brooksville and I will also be in Perry. Brooksville because it's so close and we've met some fine people there. Perry because it's unbelievable!

Paul