Escapees just raised the prices at Rainbows End. Getting expensive to stay there. I have always had a problem with their pricing of adding on daily extra charges. But $2 for 50a(OK for the summer) and $4 for a pull-thru seems excessive. We don't request a pull-thru but have always been assigned a pull-thru. Every time we have been there the pull-thrus are little used. I have no idea what a premium site is but that is $5/day extra. If you had a premium+50a+pull-thru your daily rate is increased by $11!!!!

We try to stay at Escapee parks to support them but will need to start reconsidering as to the length of stay or even staying there. 

Almost sounds like KOA doesn't it.  

We used to stay at Livingston once a year, but since Thousand Trails is reasonably close and our stay is included in our dues we've not been back in a couple of years.  These price increases won't do anything to change that.

All Escapees RV Parks have had very reasonable prices in the past. Most private parks as well as Elks Lodge RV Parks have been raising their rates. It was inevitable that Escapees would raise their rates as well. I dropped my Elks membership which is over $100 a year, but for $40 a year I will continue to be an Escapee.

  On 8/22/2018 at 4:50 PM, SWharton said:

Escapees just raised the prices at Rainbows End. Getting expensive to stay there. I have always had a problem with their pricing of adding on daily extra charges. But $2 for 50a(OK for the summer) and $4 for a pull-thru seems excessive. We don't request a pull-thru but have always been assigned a pull-thru. Every time we have been there the pull-thrus are little used. I have no idea what a premium site is but that is $5/day extra. If you had a premium+50a+pull-thru your daily rate is increased by $11!!!!

We try to stay at Escapee parks to support them but will need to start reconsidering as to the length of stay or even staying there. 

First of all, on behalf of Escapees RV Club we thank you for your business and support. Your satisfaction is very important to us, and we hope we have been successful in providing you with an excellent experience with Escapees services.

We never like having to write these types of letters, but it's unfortunately sometimes necessary. Due to raising economical costs and the lack of price increases over the past several years, it was necessary for us to raise some selected rates at Escapees operated RV Parks. 

Let's also remember that most of our parks have a large activity center, clubhouse, and other facilities you won't find a most standard campgrounds that are maintained by the campground operation. 

Travis, I generally agree with what you say but we should have a choice of what site we want, back in or pull-thru. Last year when we were there we were assigned a pull-thru and this year when I made our reservation again we were assigned a pull-thru. I assume all the back-ins are taken. If pull-thrus are all that are left I don't feel there should be a fee associated with them. If I request a pull-thru that is different. Also, when I call there is never any mention of additional fees. I am aware of them from the website but it would be nice if Escapees were upfront about the fees when calling, not everyone looks at the website nor asks if there are additional fees.

I can relate to the increasing costs. We have a small campground for servicing our customer base, and electric in the summer is averaging about $150 a month per site. JUST for the electric.

Good explanation Travis.  In over three years of fulltiming I have yet to stay in an Escapees Park.  Looking forward to my first stay in one.

We've enjoyed staying at the SKP's Sumter Oaks park in Florida for several weeks each winter, but price wise, the current $22+ price there is about the same as the paved, more spacious, full hookup sites at the Salt Springs Recreation Area campground in the Ocala National Forest at $21.50 with our Senior Pass. We'll be at both parks this coming winter, and we'll be evaluating a longer stay at Salt Springs, possibly a month or more, for 2020. The weekly and monthly rates at Sumter Oaks do drop the price per night significantly though, so that's a factor as well. I don't know yet if American Land & Leisure offers a monthly rate at Salt Springs or not. One thing Salt Springs does have in its favor is site selection when reserving. Sumter Oaks asks for a site preference, but there's no guarantee you'll actually get that site when you arrive. For the past two years we've been shuffled to less desirable sites despite being told our preferred site was available at the the time we made the reservation. At Salt Springs and the other state and national parks we visit, the site you reserve is the site you get, barring extreme circumstances.

… just wondering why a pull-through should cost more?  The sites are already there. Why charge extra for every person that uses them?  Personally, we don't like pull-thrus. 

I don't know if they are or not but if the electric sites aren't metered they should be. Then everyone pays their own electric.

  On 8/24/2018 at 3:36 AM, 2gypsies said:

I don't know if they are or not but if the electric sites aren't metered they should be. Then everyone pays their own electric.

It used to be that way and each visitor for short-term paid a base fee and electricity used as you departed. The change to encluded electric was made because users asked for that since most commercial RV parks do things that way. Doing things the way that you suggest you must then check out at the office when you leave, meaning you have to wait for the office to open before you can depart. 

I never liked having to pay for the electricity I used, not because I objected to paying but I had to wait for the office to open up to pay the bill. One park we went to on a regular basis offered the site both ways, a set fee added for the electricity or by the meter. That still was annoying since you couldn't get the fee added until after 3 PM, why I have no idea.............We normally get in between 1-3 so this entailed another trip back to th office.

They COULD do as some othe countries I’ve been in. They have a meter, like a parking meter. You slug the meter for how ever much juice you want. Of course meters, regular or otherwise cost money.

Even with the changes, the rates are still less than many other parks. You can go by the month to reduce costs. You can go solar to get off the grid. You can boondock to bring average costs down. You could dry camp (a really nice option at some parks, not sure of the park in question). Lots of options out there. Gas is up 30-40% from this time a year ago.

It is good to be aware of the fees anof Livingston was aware of Livingston and how fees vary by site as I was there last Nov and was charged $2 when I moved from a back in site that had hookups on the wrong side of the RV and I moved to a pull thru site to get easier access.

Edited August 24, 2018 by ToddF

"Let's also remember that most of our parks have a large activity center, clubhouse, and other facilities you won't find a most standard campgrounds that are maintained by the campground operation. "

This reminds me of an old joke that makes the point I would otherwise make.

A guy stayed at a hotel overnight. When they handed him his bill at checkout, it was $675. He asked why it was so high. The desk agent said "Well, we have the pool, the dance club, the gift shop, the restaurant... That is all included."

The customer said "But I didn't use any of those things."

And the desk agent said "Well, they were there for you. You chose to not use them."

The customer said "Okay but I want you to deduct $500 for you having sex with my wife." 

The desk agent said "I didn't have sex with your wife."

The customer said "Well, it was THERE for you...."

Point being, clubhouse, large activity center, other facilities.... I can't imagine me EVER setting foot into a clubhouse or an activity center. I am not social. I don't want to meet people. I just want to go places and see things, so to embed fees for optional socializing opportunities does not seem to be equitable for loners like me. The last thing I want to do is sit around a campfire with people I don't know and hope that maybe a real live bull session will break out. Activity center? To do stuff like jigsaw puzzles? All those amenities should be a la carte. I may be well-aged, legally a senior citizen, but I am NOT old. I'll be the same free spirit I was at 25 until they pour my ashes into my urn.

Just my dime on that aspect of it. Feel free to disregard.

What makes me even more dismayed is that there are only a handful of SKP places to buy a spot to have as an anchor point, and those all have a waiting list so long that I will not live long enough to get an opportunity to buy a space. Maybe some enterprising rich folks could think about building a few more of those. It MUST be a profitable endeavor or there would not be waiting lists with applicants who signed on in 1998. Supply and demand data never lies. If someone is willing to wait 20 years to get into a place, that place must have streets paved with gold, or at least a yellow brick road to follow.....

I found it interesting that you singled out that most people in this time of society travel with more electronics, thus the energy consumption has increased. Well, the reality is that more important than the energy requirement is the bandwidth requirement. I would be on board with rate increases if that increase went to improving the data infrastructure and eliminate the clause in almost every park rental agreement that says, in some veiled form, "If you stream TV on our wifi you will be shot!" THAT is where customer serving improvements need to be made, not "activity centers" so people can play dominoes and checkers or sit and knit. And that is industry wide, not just SKP. People are streaming more. That is a fact. Nobody is on vacation 24/7. There are down days, shows that people follow, etc.... A little different world now than it was 20 years ago when the general public was first introduced to the internet..

Edited August 28, 2018 by eddie1261

  On 8/28/2018 at 12:31 AM, eddie1261 said:

What makes me even more dismayed is that there are only a handful of SKP places to buy a spot to have as an anchor point, and those all have a waiting list so long that I will not live long enough to get an opportunity to buy a space.

The co-op parks do not contribute to the Escapee income in any way as once the lots were all sold the only affiliation they have with the club is by association and support but no financial or management ties of any kind. Each of those parks is managed by a board of directors elected by the member/owners and are not under any authority of the Escapee management.