Review Detail

4.3 170
Florida 443666
December 2018 to April 2019
Overall rating
 
4.0
Location
 
5.0
Cleanliness/Hospitality
 
4.0
Amenities/Facilities
 
3.0
Value
 
4.0
Overall Experience
 
4.0
We have been coming here for many years now to escape the winters at home. We really love being here, and have made life long new friends in the process. There is no other camp ground we have ever been to that almost everyone is like family. Sadly though, since Irma last year, and MWR initiating the reservation system, things are rapidly changing. The Gateway reservation system has been a real mess, and many people that tried to get reservations this year were told that nothing was available and the camp was full. Well that was never true because the camp never totally filled, and though it came close in February for only a couple of weeks, they had spaces available all winter, yet many were turned away because Gateway reported the camp being full. Also we had many new 1st time NASKW campers here that were told by Gateway they would be able to go right into hook up sites when they arrived. This was another not true story. They were shocked when they arrived and had to spend three weeks or longer in dry camp working their way up the rotation list to be able to get their 14 day limit on full hook up sites. Those of us who come every year understand the rotation policy, but the new folks in most cases did not come prepared to be able to make it for weeks in dry camp. Many had no generators or the type of items that make living in a dry camp possible. The rumors are running rampant about the future of this camp. We are now hearing that for the next winter season the rates are going to take a huge jump, and that rotations are not going to happen any more. This may sound good to some, but if you think about it, and someone arrives in December and gets a site with no rotations, he will have it all season. With the limited number of full hook up sites it will keep hundreds of others out of luck. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I just want folks that are considering Sigsbee for the winter of 2019 season to check things out before you come down. There is a very good chance that it will not be as it has been in the past. The past increases have been small at a dollar or two a day more than previous years. Now the powers to be are talking about huge increases of possibly double what the current rates are per day. And if the rumor is true about the rotations being ended, that will mean that the normal 200 plus rigs they have in dry camp working their way up the rotation list will have to stay in dry camp all winter, and believe me that can get pretty uncomfortable for sleeping at night. This is just a wake up call for everyone to watch for, as I said at the start, we do love it here. It is just that when you know you will get 2 weeks of hook ups every few weeks or so it makes it easier to take. Four or five months of dry camp is a totally different story. Anyway be sure to check things out thouroughly before coming down thinking things are as usual. 
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May 26, 2019
How and who do you contact for information on "Sigsbee for the winter of 2019 season, check things out before you come down"?
May 26, 2019
Ok, I'm confused. According to the website, you are allowed a max of 180 days but only 14 at a hookup site "14-day limit on hookup sites. 180 day stay limit per year for RV's, 30 day stay limit per year for tents." So, by your narrative, you spent Dec-Apr at the park and in all that time, you were allowed to be at a full hookup site for just 14-days; unless you spent two weeks in Dec at a full site? I appreciate your narrative, but if I went online and made a reservation and expected to be at a site with full hookups and I was not and told there was a "pecking order", I would demand my money back. This sounds like poor park management. The State parks don't seem to have this issue - you go online and select your dates and you see immediately whether there are slots and if so what the amenities are. I"m a retiree but the issue here is simply too few full hookup sites and the allowance of letting folks stay at the park for 180-days; which basically cuts anyone out who simply wants to enjoy a week in the Keys.
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