Timberland Acres RV Park Blog

Site Lock Fee

camp@timberlandacresrvpark.com (Morgan Sanborn) — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 15:50:34 GMT

Extra Costs??

Site Lock Fees

Before we start taking reservations for 2023, I wanted to go over site lock fees and why we charge to “lock” a specific site number.

Recently I have had a few people scoff about the site lock fee while booking a reservation. I understand how an extra fee just seems like we are greedy and maybe most don’t understand how reservations work, so I wanted to write this and put my perspective here so others can understand why we charge a fee.

When you book a reservation with us we guarantee what you pay for. If you pay for a pull through, full hookup site, that is what you get when you arrive. If you pay for a water/electric, back-in site, that’s what you get when you arrive. What we don’t guarantee is the site number. We charge a $30 one time fee to lock in a specific site number. If you have stayed with us before and have fallen in love with a specific site and you want to make sure you have that same site next year, I would highly encourage you to pay the site lock fee or if you plan on coming with a group of friends and you would like to be next to each other I would also recommend locking your site number.

If you are just locking a site because you want to make sure you get a pull through, don’t feel like you need to pay the fee.

We actually prefer if people don’t lock their site because it allows us more freedom to move people around our park to maximize the use of our sites.

Think of it this way, if you are on a site and I have two campers coming in that would like to be side by side and there is a way for that to happen if I move you to a different site I am going to go ahead and move you to a different site. If you pay the site lock fee, that means I can’t accommodate these two friends side by side and they may not end up booking with me. If I at least charge a fee to lock in a specific site number, it at least makes up a little bit for those two friends not booking.

I am always open about fees and I don’t like to surprise any of our guests. When you receive our email confirmation it states that the site number is not guaranteed, unless you pay that site lock fee.

On the plus side to paying the site lock fee, if you choose to take advantage of this option, it can give you a peace of mind knowing what to expect when you check in.

Do you remember the game Tetris? I play this “game” all day making room for guests to come and stay with us. If I can’t shuffle people around to make room, I lose out on new reservations. I will attach a picture to this blog entry so you can see a visual. This is just a small portion of my grid and who is scheduled to come in. The customer with the green line has locked their site, so I can’t move them. See how there is a large gap before he arrives and after they depart? If I was able to move them, this would allow someone to come in on that site for an extended period of time, or potentially open up some more date options for future guests, but because he is locked I am very restricted to booking. If someone wants to come in on the dates before him and overlap, the new customer is going to have to change sites in order to stay their entire time.

I hope this brings awareness to this new feature we implemented this year. If you have any more questions regarding the site lock fee and how it should be used please do not hesitate to reach out.

Top 10 Suggestions

camp@timberlandacresrvpark.com (Morgan Sanborn) — Sat, 14 May 2022 19:28:50 GMT

Top 10 Things To Do!

Hi all!

Morgan here,

We are finally open! We are working hard to get the campground in tip top shape after a long winter!

When guests call to make a reservation or when they arrive, their first question is, “where should we go?” “What should we do?” When you check in, we give you a packet of information and we are always happy to guide you in the right direction. In this post I figured I would make a “top 10” list of the places I typically suggest people visit or do!

Drive the Park Loop Road in Acadia National Park or take the Island Explorer for a ride. The Island Explorer is a free shuttle bus that has a stop at the Gateway Center just a few miles down the road from us. The bus that leaves from the Gateway center, goes right into Bar Harbor. From Bar Harbor, this shuttle will take you anywhere you want to go except Cadillac Mountain. I would suggest you drive or ride the Park Loop Road on your first day so you can get a lay of the land. The park loop road is a 27-mile scenic drive on Mount Desert Island. This drive is not only beautiful but will help you plan your adventures.
As you drive or ride the Park Loop Road, some of the stops you must do are Sand Beach, Thunder Hole, and Cadillac Mountain. Keep in mind Cadillac Mountain does require reservations. I will put a link to the reservations at the bottom of this post.
Visit Bar Harbor- Bar Harbor is just outside of Acadia National Park and is your “go to” for souvenirs, shopping, food, and views! This town is made up of local restaurants, inns, and has a great walking path called the Shore Path. Bar Harbor is a great place to stop after a hike for some ice cream as well!
Speaking of hikes, a few of my favorite hikes are Ships Harbor and Wonderland. These 2 hikes are easy and are great for kids. A few other easy to moderate hikes that are a favorite of mine are Flying Mountain, Beehive, and Bubble Rock. There are some more strenuous hikes, but please only do these if you are an experienced hiker and always wear proper footwear!
Bass Harbor Lighthouse- this lighthouse is located right in Bass Harbor, about a 30-minute drive from Timberland Acres RV Park. This is a good stop for the kids! You can walk right up to the lighthouse and it’s also a great spot for pictures. While visiting the lighthouse, you can walk Ships Harbor and Wonderland and take a drive by Seawall and back into Southwest Harbor for a bite to eat!
Schoodic Point- This is a forgotten gem but is part of Acadia National Park. This is about a 45-minute drive from the RV park and offers amazing views and allows you to explore the less busy coastal towns.
If you are lucky enough to stay for a week or so, take the time to explore the surrounding towns. Southwest Harbor, Northeast Harbor, Deer Isle/Stonington are great coastal towns and have shopping and restaurants as well.
There are several tours in the area that I would highly suggest and don’t disappoint. Olly’s Trolley is a great tour and cover different areas depending on which tour you pick. Whale watching is also a big hit and is offered right in Bar Harbor. If you are looking for a fun boat tour check out Acadian Boat Tours.
The Carriage Trails- if you happen to bring bikes or even rent them, the carriage trails are a must! They are beautiful and so much fun. These trails can also be a good walk and easy for kids to walk as well. You can also explore these trails by booking a horse and carriage tour with Carriages of Acadia.
Alright, I know you have been waiting for this one! “Where do we get the BEST/CHEAPEST lobster?” So, believe it or not the lobster in the area is all caught in our Maine waters. Lobstering is a full-time job for a lot of people in our area. Lobster prices vary day to day, so I never know what each restaurant is charging. I will say if you choose to go to a lobster pound versus a sit-down restaurant, the lobster pounds will most likely be cheaper, but that doesn’t mean the lobster isn’t as good! Lobster pounds are more of the picnic type dinner with picnic tables to sit outside and they call your name when your food is ready. I will attach a couple sit down restaurants and lobster pounds at the end of this blog.
Now I know I said I was only posting “my top 10”, but I had to include the Lumberjack show just down the road from us with Timber Tina. I will be completely honest, I had never actually been to the show until last year, 2021, I seriously loved every second! Tina is hilarious and it is such a fun show for everyone! They hold their shows at 7pm, so definitely check them out if you have time this year.

Cadillac Mountain Reservations

https://www.nps.gov/acad/planyourvisit/vehicle_reservations.htm

Union River Lobster Pot

https://www.lobsterpot.com/

Beal’s Lobster Pier

https://www.bealslobster.com/

Ruth & Wimpy’s

https://ruthandwimpys.com/

Lunt’s Gateway Lobster Pound

https://www.gatewayluntslobster.com/

Acadian Boat Tours

https://acadianboattours.com/

Mainely-Meat

https://www.atlanticbrewing.com/mainly-meat-bbq/

Carriages of Acadia

https://acadiahorses.com/

Introduction

camp@timberlandacresrvpark.com (Morgan Sanborn) — Wed, 06 Apr 2022 14:06:02 GMT

Who owns and operates Timberland Acres Rv Park?

Welcome to our website! I wanted to start our blog by introducing ourselves. I promise that this blog will not be all about us. The goal for this blog is to offer insight into the happenings in Acadia National Park, the happenings in the camping world, and whatever else may come to mind!

My name is Morgan, and I am married to Colton. We have owned Timberland Acres Rv Park since October 2018. My background is working in the health care field and Colton's background is construction and lobstering. We are a couple that are in our late 20's.

The last 4 years have been anything but ordinary! Our first season as new owners was 2019. During this season we planned our wedding! We got married in September of that year. Of course, 2020 and 2021 were the years no one enjoyed. COVID really threw us for a loop. We had to maneuver being new campground owners and the new protocols regarding COVID. I will say, during all the mess that COVID brought, we did have a little sunshine, as we welcomed our first child on opening day of 2021. I guess you could say he didn't want to miss out on any of the action that the 2021 season brought.

Throughout all the "obstacles" the past few years we have grown and learned so much. We have learned what works for us, our RV Park, and we are proud of the improvements we have made to this wonderful park. We are so lucky to have a park so close to Acadia National Park and even Canada.

You will see me, Morgan, in the office just about 7 days a week. I love to greet guests and listen to their stories about their travels. I love meeting their furry friends, talking about their campers, families, etc. We have had some pretty amazing guests, and some even stay for the entire season! I think my favorite part about owning a rv park is the connections you make. We have great connections with people all over the country and even have connections with fellow campground owners.

Colton is almost always outside. He loves to be busy. You will often see Colton on a mower, pumping propane, using large equipment, moving campers, or asking "what's for lunch?"

This has been my greatest adventure to date. Even though we are only open for 6 months out of the year, we are constantly planning, repairing, splitting wood, etc. to make our rv park a memorable experience for our guests.

We have so many plans for our park, and I can't wait to share our plans with you on here.

Thank you for reading!