Saturday, June 19, 2010

Q and A Time While Visiting Seaside

Our current location:  Seaside, Oregon

In my post yesterday I wrote about the expenses for rent we've had on this cross-country trip.  A few readers had comments, so I thought I'd answer them here and give you a few pics of the delightful town of Seaside, Oregon. 

On our walk this morning we took the "Prom" otherwise known as the Oceanfront Promenade.

In a comment, Phyllis said that they keep track of every single penny as fulltime RVer's.
My Answer:  We do too, Phyllis  but I don't publish our entire budget.  Yesterday I was just posting information about our rent expenses, as I thought it might be interesting to other RV folks.  Like you guys, we need to know where every dollar is going and plan for the once-in-a-while expenses also.

Path to the sandy beach and a seagull party.

Judy  also left a comment regarding our costs for the "Free" campgrounds I mentioned and about Walt Disney World camping.
My Answer:  I use the term "free" when they are free to us at the time we are using that campground.  Of course, nothing is totally free.  We have paid to purchase the membership (back in 2001) and we have annual dues we must pay.  Judy I did a full (lengthy) post on the costs of our membership campgrounds  last year and I explained all the details.  We pay annual dues to keep our membership programs and that breaks down to $1.83 per day if we use a park in the system or not.  So, when I say "free" that means we are not paying anything at the time of check-in, but we did pay $1.83 for that day within our annual payment.  Does this make sense? 

As for camping at Fort Wilderness in Walt Disney World:   We bought a vacation package deal, but as near as we can figure we paid about $110.00 per day for a Premium Campsite.  That included $5.00 per day for our dog, Annie.  That is a huge amount for rent by our standards.  However, if you investigate the other RV campgrounds in the WDW area they are pricey, too.  The Kissimmee/Orlando KOA is $50 to $90 per day.  The Tropical Palms Resort and Camp is $39 to $79.  There are a few that are a bit less money.  If you stay at Fort Wilderness you can use their transportation to the parks or if you drive your own car to the theme parks you park for free and save $10.00 each day.  It takes about 30 minutes to get from the KOA to a theme park parking lot in WDW, which we found tiresome.  So, we stay at the Disney campground now when we go.

Beautiful sea grass and the Pacific Ocean.

Every RVer's budget is different from the next persons.  Priorities for one are not a priority for another.  Some like to boondock where costs are low and some like full service resort parks where costs are higher.  Some like going out to nice restaurants and some like McDonald's (like us!!!). 

Beach house near the "Prom" in Seaside.

I was thinking it might be interesting for readers to see what our costs for campgrounds were on our recent trip along Highway 50.  It is a more "off the beaten" path route than traveling along the Interstates.  There were not as many campgrounds to select from in each town.....sometimes only 1 or 2.  It was all good, though.  One of my favorite sayings is one our granddaughter, Mackenzie, taught me, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit." 

A litte big of fog this morning looking south from Seaside's beach area. 

If this post didn't answer the questions clearly....let me know.  We plan to be here in Seaside for a few more days.  The clouds cleared away for part of Friday and at least we did not have rain.  We aren't doing much right now except just enjoying doing nothing.  Life is good.

Until next time.....so long for now!  

12 comments:

Al Bossence said...

Especially liked that nicely composed Beach House photo.

Happytrails said...

Thanks for all the great information Margie!
I love your granddaughter's quote: "you get what you get, and don't throw a fit." I will have to remember that. :)

Take care and have fun!!
Mike & Gerri (happytrails)
http://freedom2roll.blogspot.com

Jerry and Suzy said...

Margie, we missed reading you yesterday, but we're back today. Lovely little town, Seaside! Membership campgrounds are wonderful in many ways, but we find that too many of them aren't were we want to be! Thousand Trails particularly. They need to be a destination in themselves, except along the Oregon Coast, as they are nicely located just exactly where you want to be.

Rick said...

Great photos of Seaside, OR! You're absolutely right about RV'ers having different priorities and such. As long as it works for each of us, then it's all good.

Travels with Emma said...

Thanks Margie for answering my questions. I did go back and read your post on membership parks. It was very thorough and understandable. :)

Parks around here (Yellowstone) have now upped their rates even higher with the summer rush on. KOA is getting $72/night for full hookups. Glad I'm at Red Rock!

Gypsy said...

I once heard my daughter telling my little granddaughter, "Just deal with it!" I remembered saying that to my kids when things didn't go their way, and it's sort of like saying, "You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit!"

Carol K said...

Mackenzie has come up with a winner. I'll have to remember that one!

Great photos of Seaside. I wish I were there right now.

Sam&Donna Weibel said...

Beautiful views of Seaside, along with trains Sam Likes the beach too. Had to laugh when I saw Bruce with the pad and pencile,he lookls like he is in budget overload mode. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.

Prettypics123 said...

Margie,
Love your pictures and they look especially nice framed. It sets them off. My favorite compositions are Prom and Oceanfront Promenade. Thanks for those. The Camp Host Housewife

Phyllis said...

I was impressed by Mackenzies thinking too. Words to live by, I say!

ThE MidLiFe CrUiSeR said...

That's it! We're following you guys around because you obviously know the best spots :)

Nellie
http://midlifecruiser.blogspot.com/

KarenInTheWoods said...

Your pics are just wonderful and make us want to visit that sea side community! Thanks for sharing the information on the camping clubs you belong to and how your discounts work. You are a **Savvy Camper** for sure!

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Karen and Steve
(Our Blog) RVing: Small House... BIG Backyard
http://kareninthewoods-