We do not stay  at Wall marts, Truck stops, etc our choice. We prefer KOA as they are usually close to a interstate. and can accommodate the rig. We stay at several a year in our travels usually for overnight stops only. We also use PA when they  suite our needs. We have never paid 60,70,80 $$ for a KOA CG .We have not seen the add- ons mentioned here.

At the end of a days travel we like to have dinner, shower ,kick  back and relax. We always get 50 amps ,full hook ups, pull through When in travel we are off the road by 4 maybe 5PM. What ever your travel style it is right for you.

As Kirk stated above, I use them if there are no other nice places. Some are not that much more then others and they are supposed to live up to standards set by corporate KOA. I stayed in one in southern MI earlier this month, about $40 for a pull thru with full hookups, TV and 50 AMP. They also had pick your own blueberries. We felt that it was a very nice place.

  On 8/21/2017 at 7:40 PM, Kirk Wood said:

Be careful as we have found that KOA tends to have a bunch of little extra charges once you arrive that push the rate up above what was quoted. Things like $3 extra for 50a, $2 more for a pet, $2 for cable TV, $3 for wifi, and so on. A friend tells me that the letters KOA stand for the words "keep on adding."  

You know I have heard that before but I have NEVER ever paid more than what is advertised online. Yes, there are differences in the price for a 30A or 50A service. Yes, they may also offer sites with cable or no cable. But NEVER have I paid anything other than what is told me when I make my reservation. 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Chalkie

  On 9/29/2017 at 5:03 AM, Chalkie said:

You know I have that before but I have NEVER ever paid more than what is advertised online. Yes, there are differences in the price for a 30A or 50A service. Yes, they may also offer sites with cable or no cable. But NEVER have I paid anything other than what is told me when I make my reservation. 

 

I agree. That has been repeated so often on this forum that it must be true, right??  But we've stayed at about ten KOA's in the past couple of years and I've never been charged anything extra upon arrival. 

An additional comment here about KOAs. Their prices vary widely depending on the type of KOA that they are (Journey, Holiday, Resort). In a way much like the price variance of staying in a Motel 6 or a Hyatt Regency. Various levels of amenities command different prices. Also KOA campgrounds are not just randomly placed. They are carefully placed so that they are convenient to good "days end" locations. 

I just went through the list of KOA campgrounds that we have stayed at over the last 4 years and it is a pretty long list. We also have stayed in state parks, PA parks and Good Sam parks but in studying the list the KOAs that we mostly stayed at have been convenient to our daily travel limit. 

The only KOA that I can honestly say we will never again stay at is one very close to our daughters home. They are now a "Resort" and have placed themselves in the stupidly expensive category, which is a shame for us as it makes for parking further away.

  On 9/29/2017 at 6:03 AM, mptjelgin said:

  On 9/29/2017 at 5:03 AM, Chalkie said:

 

  On 8/21/2017 at 7:40 PM, Kirk Wood said:

Be careful as we have found that KOA tends to have a bunch of little extra charges once you arrive that push the rate up above what was quoted. Things like $3 extra for 50a, $2 more for a pet, $2 for cable TV, $3 for wifi, and so on. A friend tells me that the letters KOA stand for the words "keep on adding."  

You know I have heard that before but I have NEVER ever paid more than what is advertised online. Yes, there are differences in the price for a 30A or 50A service. Yes, they may also offer sites with cable or no cable. But NEVER have I paid anything other than what is told me when I make my reservation. 

I agree. That has been repeated so often on this forum that it must be true, right??  But we've stayed at about ten KOA's in the past couple of years and I've never been charged anything extra upon arrival. 

This statement has been around for decades. I think this is a hold over from the pre-internet days. The KOA Directory would list a range of prices for each campground with no real explanation that tent sites with no amenities were the lowest price and each added amenity increased the price for that site and that the price for the site was the price for the site no matter what you chose to use. RVers would pull in thinking that they would get the lowest price for any site they wanted only to find out that there was no electric/water at the tent sites, they would not fit in the tent sites, all the water/electric sites were taken, etc. The catchy slur phrase was born, caught on and has been repeated ever since.

  On 9/29/2017 at 7:33 PM, trailertraveler said:

The catchy slur phrase was born, caught on and has been repeated ever since.

 

That part is very true and because we so rarely stay in a KOA, it may well be outdated, but it was valid back when we first began to travel by RV. I suspect that it has been at least 3 years since we last stayed in a KOA because of past experiences. I was asking Pam what she recalled and for her, there is one particular trip that she has never forgotten, which I'll describe. 

We raised our family in Wyoming where campsites are readily available with no reservations and many without fees. In the late 70's we were traveling to California with 3 boys, 1, dog, and two of us. We could not recall the exact prices now but we stopped at a KOA somewhere in Utah where our KOA guide listed a site for our pop-up with water and electric only for something around $15. What she remembers is that because we had more than 3 people, it was an extra $1 each for the other 2, and it was $1 or 2 for our dog, and then since we didn't have a shower in the RV, all of the showers required quarters to get the water. We think that we stopped in 3 more KOA parks that trip and found the extra charges pretty much that way. Since that trip, we have mostly avoided KOA parks but have found that in general, the older ones are more to our liking if we do stay at one. When a business develops a reputation, it can take years for that to change. 

We do occasionally stay in a KOA nowadays if there are few options or if it is the most convenient, but I still believe that in most areas where there are other parks as well, the KOA tends to be among the higher priced for what we actually use. I may be wrong in that belief, but the last I knew we were still allowed differing opinions. 

Edited September 29, 2017 by Kirk Wood

In 1973 i was traveling in a 12 year old van. my first time out. somewhere in Kansas, i was smelling gamey. i saw a koa sign and pulled in. the owners were very friendly. asked if i wanted electric. i only wanted a place to rest and sleep, and have a shower and shave. i was directed near the wood line in a grassy field less than 100 yards from the showers, pool and office area. i enjoyed being away from the children. just before dusk, the owner and his well behaved setter walked around the camp, stopping to say hello and seeing how i was doing. a very pleasant stop for a grimy hippy run away. i hope to have such a enjoyable stop someday.

  On 9/29/2017 at 8:03 PM, Kirk Wood said:

I may be wrong in that belief, but the last I knew we were still allowed differing opinions. 

Of course we're allowed different opinions.

But what often happens here is that experiences that may be 30+ years old are stated as current fact.

You admit that you rarely stay in KOA Campgrounds and that your defining experience was back in the 70's. Yet in August 2017 you stated "Be careful as we have found that KOA tends to have a bunch of little extra charges once you arrive that push the rate up above what was quoted."

Folks that have stayed at KOA's recently have indicated that is not the case. So does that change your opinion, or will it forever be set in stone??

I can't remember ever staying at a KOA, every time I have checked their CG prices they are always at the higher end. PPA is our best option and we can usually adjust our mileage to use them for about half of our traveling stops. I won't stay at Walmart or truck stops either, I like my FHU's the same as when I was living in a stick house.

Greg

Edited September 29, 2017 by gjhunter01