Pelican Roost RV Park

What a great campground. We stayed a week and wished we had booked 2 weeks, will be going back again. The staff was friendly and helpful. Watching the ships come in & out was a treat. Facilities were great.

First of all, I rated Cleanliness/Hospitality low because of the way I was treated at check in. There is nothing wrong with the cleanliness of the park. We made reservations 4 months in advance for a waterfront site. We arrived early and expected to wait for a site. However, there was one site (#18) open and we assumed we would get it. Instead, we were assigned #10. If you've been here before, you know that in between Sites 8 and 10 is Site 8A, which uses what should be Site 10's lawn area. I asked the check-in person about #18, it was empty and available. He said #18 was not available. I didn't press the issue as I thought something may have been wrong with the utilities. We pulled into the front parking area and waited about 2 hours for #10 to be vacated, about 1300. Check-out is 1200. We were early so no problem there. What really set me off was while I was setting up in #10, a motorhome pulled in and got #18. I went to the office but it was a losing cause. The check-in person explained that the person in #18 was coming in for 5 days (he actually stayed 4 days) and another person was coming in for 10 days and we were staying for 10 days. What is he talking about? He explained again and I still didn't get it. What difference did it make? We got there first and should have been assigned #18. It took me a while but I finally figured it out. He was saving #18 for a friend of his or of another staff member. The "Pelican Roost Good Old Boy" network was at work big time. The first 4 days was uneventful. We had a good neighbor. They were replaced by a person who parked as close to us as he could get without hitting the utility hookups. He was about 6 feet from us. At check-in, the check-in person told us he would never allow us to be crowded by the people in #8A. He was at the site and watched this person crowd us. This person in the motorhome must have been part of the "clique" because the host in black and the commando hat hooked his utilities up for him. Two days before our departure, we asked the manager to come out and take a look at our situation. She told us the same assignment story that the check-in person told us. I still don't understand their system. She did say she would look into marking #8A better so people will park in the site instead of crowding #10. She agreed that the person in #8A was a little close to us. OK. After all this, we made the best of our stay and did enjoy our time. The ship watching was fantastic with an aircraft carrier and submarine coming in. They have added a new laundry room (free laundry) since our last visit. WiFi was great. It's too bad that sometime you get a jerk for a neighbor.

This is a great campground, The hosts Ed and Art are very friendly and helpful. Enjoyed our stay as always but new manager has cut out a lot of the activities there used to be at the Roost. We really miss this. The Chiefs club is great with good food and activities.

Was hoping for some social activities in the evening other than ice cream but nothing scheduled since our last visit in Jan. Someone mentioned grass cutting after each departure and this is really not necessary in the winter months in Florida. Site next to us was mowed 3 times in a week as people left so certainly a waste of manpower and fuel. Still have people walking through your site to take dogs to dog walk area and to dispose of trash. Manager has some plans for site changes so hope a designated walkway is put in for back row folks to use so they stop going through sites. Dog owners remove the leash from the dog in the dog walk and let them run loose and rules and regulations stipulate this is not allowed, difficult for hosts and manager to observe this all the time so be aware you may encounter a dog not leashed. Did report one person allowing a dog to run loose without the owner being anywhere near the dog and manager addressed it immediately so do not hesitate to report a dog problem. Kathy, Mgr. is very personable and easy to talk to and we will be back later in the year.

Ditto and Ditto again to all the positive comments. A new manager, Kathy, took over last June and she is a great leader with a fabulous management style. The following are some things we did while here; walked the beach to find shark teeth, fished and caught 10, watched amazing sunrises, toured St Augustine, toured World Golf Hall of Fame, enjoyed the mild temperatures, cool breezes, took fabulous walks on the Atlantic ocean beach !

This was our first stay arriving 24 February for 2 weeks on site 28. Definitely not our last as this is at top of list. Staff very helpful and friendly. Great location and enjoyed the serenity and entertainment of watching ships enter and leave. Beach affords a nice walk and is dog friendly. The Roost clubhouse was great for gatherings, pancake breakfasts on every other Saturday morning, free coffee and ice cream socials. Dog walk spacious with good supply of bags. Next time hope to get front row to have better view of ships. Laundry room one of the cleanest and free. Never had to wait. GPS will try and take you into gate on A1A, but correct GPS for Mayport gate is 30.37741 081.41029. This at end of wonderwood rd. Also we found the St John's ferry easier than going through Jacksonville if coming from the north or departing for the north.
Also, be sure and visit Fort Clinch on Amelia Island..again take the ferry to A1A. Beautifully restored fort. We looked at Osprey Cove while there, but decided Pelican Roost is the best. Looking forward to our next visit.

Location: Perfect, for doing nothing...other than walking the beach, bird photography, surfing, ship watching, sitting in the sun. For the more energetic, Jacksonville proper has a multitude of things to do and see and NAS Jacksonville is only about 35 miles away. Cleanliness/Hospitality: Probably the most well kept facility we have visited, the sites were cleaned and grass cut after each departure just prior to the arrival of a new occupant, which happened very soon after the sites were vacated. Staff was very courteous and efficient. Check-in was very smooth and organized, including a short briefing on facilities and available services. Amenities/Facilities: FREE Laundry, not too common these days, with ALL machines in good working order, and clean. Bath rooms were very clean and nearby, with plenty of hot water. The Roost provides a great gathering place for activities or for just socializing and watching TV. Good internet is available there as well. WiFi at the sites was not always speedy or available. Only suggestion would be for a dumpster be located on the South side of the campground to reduce the traffic THROUGH the sites to reach the dumpster located across the road on the River side. Seemed most people were prone to walk through occupied sites rather than follow the road to the dumpster. Value: All things considered, Full hookup, Free laundry, location, scenery..Great Value for the price. Overall Experience: Very Good, peaceful and relaxing. We will definitely return. We are fortunate to have such places available. Now only if the Galley would allow retirees to dine there on a regular basis.....

I hope they never amend the 28 day rule. There are enough homesteaders sucking every campsite in FL. I wish they would change it to 14 days actually. So you would not have to reserve a spot 9 months out just to see what it is like in a nice campground, that doesn't cost as much as a motel 6.

R.L. left this review using the Directory software: - They have a 28 day MAX stay policy. Would like to see this amended on a space available basis.

Great Park, great people, great coffee. Beautiful site, yo can just sit there and watch the ships go in and out. The staff is just great except for one of hosts who seems to be pissed off at the world and lets you know it, not the friendly kind at all (not Art). Would definitely come back during spring or summer.

I concur with all of freakville03's comments. Additionally, Jacksonville is a pretty nice town. Very easy to get to RV park. Had a water front site which will be great in warmer weather! Easy walk/ bike ride to beach. Plan to return in the spring. Great staff, great coffee.

Great Place. Very Clean. Wife and I will be going back. They had something planned each evening, Saturday night was a Ice Cream social to get to know your neighbors. Full hook-ups, 50/30 Amps, Head and shower areas were very clean. Brace yourself for this one, Free washer and dryers. Pet walking area. This is truly a very nice place, and you can not beat the price. Most expensive site is 20 dollars for River front.

This place is great. Under the direction of the new manager, there are several activities planned throughout the week. Everything was clean and the laundry room was great. When someone moves out, the men immediately mow and trim the grass. They don't just trim, they edge and blow off the trimmings. Everyone involved seems to take pride and "ownership" in everything involved with this facility.

First time back since Feb. 2011 and met the new manager and liked her immediately and she has already made some necessary changes. As we drove in it looks as though the Fitness Center is under renovation so hopefully it will accommodate more folks. New Years Eve party was not attended by many (not sure why) but we had fun and made some new friends from Pa. and Mi. Participation in activities definitely was poor compared to the past so hope that will change in the future as we go back here in a few months for 2 weeks.

We've also stayed here before and love it. The location is hard to beat and the campground is well run and well maintained. The long time manager, Bob has retired and the new manager is continuing to run a well maintained campground. One positive change is that you can now reserve a waterfront site for $2 more. Glad to see that the old staff is mostly still here. In Woody's case the emphasis is on "Old." What a great place to spend Christmas.

We have stayed here before. It's in a great location and the host and staff are helpful and friendly. Free laundry,free wifi, catv, big rig friendly, and right down the street from a great beach to walk. The only negative is the base sewer plant is close by and if you get a day of the breeze blowing in the wrong direction it's pretty bad.

This is our 4th visit to Pelican Roost... VALUE: The improvements are wonderful and for the extra $2 a day for waterfront is worth every penny! AMENITIES/FACILITIES: Base access is simple as long as you have the required stickers on the RV and car. Cement parking pad, full hookups, FREE ice and laundry, coffee all day, WiFi and the best view anyone could ask for. CLEANLINESS/HOSPITALITY: Didn't use the bathrooms but the laundry is very clean and FREE. Staff is always friendly and helpful. OVERALL EXPERIENCE: I forgot that our prior visit we departed a day early and was given a credit. When we made our reservation for this visit I was informed that we had a credit and it would be applied toward this visit. We have been to quite a few other campgrounds do not offer a credit or refund if you depart early. Super Customer Service!!! Will be back next time we visit FL.

Amenities/Facilities: Fitness Center is small and usually very crowded. The BX/NEX and Commissary are several miles out the front gate. VALUE: I rated value lower because there is no discount for weekly or monthly payments. EXPERIENCE: I was required to pay for the entire 2-week reservation at the time I arrived. I decided to leave 1-day early due to approaching weather. I was unable to get a refund but did receive a credit for $20 for my next visit. Entry into the facility was very easy because I had a Navy DOD sticker on the motor home and vehicle in tow.

I had a reservation and called one day before to confirm it. At that time I was told that effective Oct. 1, 2011 that you could reserve the front row (closest to the water) for $2 more or for a total of $20. The other full hookup sites are $18. I took the up front sites and the view of the ships is worth the extra. I also noticed that Osprey Cove, the long term stay RV park, is listed on this site's map of FL, but Pelican Roost is not. I wanted to get the reservation information out on the site and will give a report of our stay when we leave on Nov. 10.

Great park. Staff is very customer friendly. Great upkeep of all the facilities. Only negative, very erratic wifi and cable on west end of park. New park manager who is super. A breath of fresh air. Has made a few much needed improvements and has a lot more planned. Front row sites are now $20 a day but you can reserve the front row waterfront. Definitely a top military rv park.