Community Forums

nightmission · 12-07-2022, 03:18 PM

We are in the process of acquiring our first coach. We are new to the whole program and need some advice on planning. From what I’ve read, getting into rv parks and maybe even state/national parks, requires reservations possibly months in advance. For Florida in particular, what is a reasonable time frame and lastest time to plan ahead for the more desirable locations? Do reservations require a non refundable payment? How flexible can we be in locations that are in high demand.

If we need to plan next winter now and don’t have to financially commit, than we will. I usually like planning on shorter notice for vacations but the DW and I will not be happy if we are forced to either stay in undesirable properties or are spending lots of time just finding a place to park.

Psneeld · 12-07-2022, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightmission

We are in the process of acquiring our first coach. We are new to the whole program and need some advice on planning. From what I’ve read, getting into rv parks and maybe even state/national parks, requires reservations possibly months in advance. For Florida in particular, what is a reasonable time frame and lastest time to plan ahead for the more desirable locations? Do reservations require a non refundable payment? How flexible can we be in locations that are in high demand.

If we need to plan next winter now and don’t have to financially commit, than we will. I usually like planning on shorter notice for vacations but the DW and I will not be happy if we are forced to either stay in undesirable properties or are spending lots of time just finding a place to park.

Highly desirable places often need reservations the very second they become available. Many different monthly advance reservations are out there so at least a year in advance, start looking for when the reservations start for where you want to go.

There are some small, mom and pop places that would rate one maybe 2 or 3 stars that you might get into shorter notice...but the warmer part of Florida fills up fast. When I say warmer, points south of Cape Canaveral...really south of Vero Beach on the east coast, a bit farther south over on the west coast. Buther there is a big chunk of Florida with mild but not really warm to the north.

Also not many "quickie" places to "boondock".... many are posted no overnight parking if waiting to get in someplace else.

twinboat · 12-07-2022, 05:15 PM

Florida state parks have a 11 month reseveration window. Full payment is required and stays are limited to 14 days.

If you want a desirable Florida location, start at 8AM, 11 months to the day you want to be there.
I do that every day for weeks and occasionally get a desirable spot.

Less popular spots are easier but you still want to book early.

The bulk of my Florida stay is in private RV resorts, often booked in the spring, before we head back north but most have openings later in the season. Many RV resorts also cater to 90 day or more booking before they offer shorter stays later in the year.

Many county's also run RV parks and they are easier to get into later in the year. It takes lots of homework to plan a Florida travel plan.

scotttkd · 12-07-2022, 05:20 PM

what psneeld said. Florida and Arizone are the two primary destinations for snow birds, and for Florida the closer to the beaches you are trying to get, the more advance booking you are going to need. Farther out and central Florida, a little more flexible. Most will take reservastions for next year and will only require a deposit up front, but frankly I am seeing some places changing their booking policy and wanting payment up front. Cancellation policies vary, and its not a bad idea to call to see if they have a cancellation, but that means you may have to move fast to take advantage. (Last minute travel). Good luck and welcome to the forum and the lifestyle!

nightmission · 12-07-2022, 08:11 PM

Thanks for the help/suggestions. I’m looking at the Florida parks reservations system. It is driving me nuts, but I will figure it out before I need to do the 8am race. I guess so much for the casual go where the wind blows type of adventure. By this time next year I hope to have broken the code on RVing and hope to get out of the winter in the NE. Hoping PA, NY, and NE will be less daunting in the spring.

johnhicks · 12-07-2022, 08:50 PM

Last month I made a reservation at an out-of-the-way Florida state park for May 2023. Only a few sites were available. I need one more day but can't get it. That's just the way it is.

Generally I've largely given up on state parks. Can't get in and/or jam packed. It's private parks or COE parks. A huge advantage of private parks is that weekly or monthly rates are available.

**hamm2018** · 12-08-2022, 06:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightmission

We are in the process of acquiring our first coach. We are new to the whole program and need some advice on planning. From what I’ve read, getting into rv parks and maybe even state/national parks, requires reservations possibly months in advance. For Florida in particular, what is a reasonable time frame and lastest time to plan ahead for the more desirable locations? Do reservations require a non refundable payment? How flexible can we be in locations that are in high demand.

If we need to plan next winter now and don’t have to financially commit, than we will. I usually like planning on shorter notice for vacations but the DW and I will not be happy if we are forced to either stay in undesirable properties or are spending lots of time just finding a place to park.

As others have said, make the reservations. Some places will have a non-refundable deposit and others will give it back minus a service fee. Some places will have a refundable deposit but base it on how far out you cancel the reservation, will determine how much of your deposit you will received back.

We are Thousand Trails members and make those reservation as soon as the 180-day window opens, for any Thousand Trails Park, not just Florida. Since I am a disabled Vet, we also use military parks, same procedure, as soon as the 6-month window opens I make reservations.

PanJH · 12-08-2022, 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nightmission

Thanks for the help/suggestions. I’m looking at the Florida parks reservations system. It is driving me nuts, but I will figure it out before I need to do the 8am race. I guess so much for the casual go where the wind blows type of adventure. By this time next year I hope to have broken the code on RVing and hope to get out of the winter in the NE. Hoping PA, NY, and NE will be less daunting in the spring.

The days of spontaneous getaways in Florida are long over. As others mentioned the state parks reservations open 11 months prior to the date and are generally fully booked within seconds. Private parks may take reservations a year or more in advance. The park we are in, has already been pretty much locked up for 2024. Figure on a somewhat substantial deposit to reserve your site... may or may not be refundable depending on the facility.
20 yrs ago, we'd just pack up and leave and stop when we felt like it. Not anymore. Our Feb trip to the west coast has been booked for a year as has out trip to Maine this summer. Sort of takes away from the fun, having to be on a regimented schedule, but that's the way it works.... especially for weekend sites.

Rockwood27 · 12-08-2022, 06:54 AM

Eleven years ago, we started the snowbird life from NH to Florida. Our 1st venture was in January. Now it's early October. Since we really didn't know where we wanted to end up in Florida (it's a HUGE state!), we opted to move around from state park to state park with a few private parks thrown in for good measure. The trip ended with us staying at a fairly new private park for a month or two in Ft Myers. For the next couple of years we rebooked that same park. The park wanted longer and longer stay times than we would commit to (a now common occurrence in many parks) , so many of us left and headed to the east coast of Florida. We stayed there for a few years and then moved further south to get closer to our daughter and grandson. We bought into an RV resort. Now we're out of there and building a house.

Life changes and so did our "10 year plan"! I guess staying flexible is not a bad idea, especially with all the hurricanes in Florida! Many Ft Myers area destination parks are now permanently closed due to recent hurricanes. Those displaced snowbirds have to find some other places to stay.

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MCCOHENS · 12-08-2022, 06:55 AM

Your problem is there are too many of us up north wanting to escape the winter weather with RVs. Want to just try finding a place once down there? Plan on a lot of nights in Cracker Barrel, overpaying in private campgrounds for a night or 2 and maybe getting rousted by the cops at 2 AM once in a while.

Better to start taking notes and spending a lot of time on utube, google and here. Set a budget and begin your education.

If you are cheap like us try these things. Search for campsites by county, there are few counties with small out of the way campgrounds that don't fill up. Florida Water Management has several districts with some basic campsites. Get a membership to boondockers welcome, look into recreation.gov stuff and read this forum daily.

You can do it, but you must plan in advance. We started in sept. '21 for a march '22 6 week trip. Got it done in a few weeks of planning and the average per night cost was under 30 bucks. Would have been under 20 but we had a situation and ended up in a place that cost 150 a night for a few nights. We had a great time, met some wonderful people and will do it again. This year is out, our favorite place is where Ian hit and the area will be a mess this winter.
Enjoy the education, if you are ever in Bucks County PA we can meet up and talk about warmer places!

jeff0210 · 12-08-2022, 07:14 AM

Our first time to Florida. The trip down was a bit stressful. Getting use to the coach and traffic. It gets better as you go. Second trip was quite a bit better.
We used truck stops, and CB, Walmarts and the like on the way down. Saved money, but was a bit fast paced. I would suggest a layover in Myrtle Beach or the like for a few days to recoup and destress. You can thank me later. You will find out the last thing you will want to be doing in Florida, is moving every week or two. If you're going to be staying for three or four months, book locations accordingly, you will save money. We booked mostly in the Zephyrhills, Ocala, Tampa Area. If you're on a budget, non-resort type parks are more readily available. We found one in Zephyrhills, that was quite relaxing and was able to extend each time at a discount. Which made it quite attractive. Hour from Tampa, Orlando and many other attractions.
If you're going to be doing this a long time, you will have plenty of other times to explore the other great places in the state. Get comfortable with your new coach and lifestyle. It's always easy to take a day trip and visit other areas. What you'll save in gas will even pay for a few hotel nights.
Good luck, God Bless and enjoy the adventure.

Rockwood27 · 12-08-2022, 07:51 AM

You should install 2 apps to help on your destination. If you have a copilot they should learn how to use the apps. They can scan ahead while you drive.

GasBuddy: to find "cheap" fuel. It interfaces with Google Maps for directions and you can use satellite mode to see if you can get in AND out of the station....important!

RVParky: to find campgrounds, rest areas, Walmarts and Cracker Barrels...there's an option that scans for "overnight parking allowed", gas stations, etc. The campground has options for things like pets, dump stations, water, power and sewer, etc. People also leave reviews on their experiences.

brobox · 12-08-2022, 08:03 AM

Florida is easy to get into and the best spots in July and Aug with no problem. We live here and can go anywhere we want.

nightmission · 12-08-2022, 04:01 PM

I’m very appreciative of the suggestions and help on this forum, truly a great community. Having not camped in many years and jumping into the deep end with a DPMH, I have been focusing mainly on the MH to the exclusion of the reason to own it. I’m close enough to ownership now that I need to pay more attention to the use of rather than the unit itself.

My wife and I are looking forward to the destination(s), the RV is but a tool, a complex expensive one (by choice) but merely a way to explore the lifestyle. Florida is but one goal, but it would seem to be one that will require a lot of thought and planning to avoid disappointments in a Cracker Barrel parking lot too often.