FL - Don't take reservations/take reservations?

Taking off for FL in a few days, have 2 weeks at Mayport lined up. We try year after year to get reservations at MacDill, call Oct. 1, but nada. We really would like to stay for a week or so at Patrick, but again, were told they do NOT take reservations, first come, first served. What happens if you go to Patrick and there's no room? Where do you go? We've previously stayed in, Mayport, Pensacola (Blue Angel Park), Destin Army Recreation, etc. but are told, even when calling early, that they are full. Anyone have any advice for us? Any campgrounds to check? Due to family circumstances (elderly parent) we have to sometimes wing RV traveling, but are totally confused as to how some Florida military campgrounds 'work' availability-wise. Guess we've been spoiled by being relatively close to the Hampton Roads area where you can actually make reservations and they try to accommodate short term visitors as well! Thanks for any words of advice for this winter!

I hear you. Those of us that live and RV in Florida are blessed and cursed. You've pretty much got to plan a year out and be very lucky to get a winter reservation at a military campground or our Florida State Parks. These days I'm not a risk taker. I probably don't have the heart to just show up at places that don't take reservations. I got lucky and got one week at Mayport in Feb.

The good news for us is off season it's pretty easy to spontaneously decide to go someplace.... Jacksonville to Key West.

I may know of a RV spot in a 55+ park in Fort Myers, near the beach that has the month of March and April available. If that would help you, send a private message. Good luck to you. There are always in season cancellations. While you're at Mayport, work the phones or something might open up at the Roost or Osprey while you're there. Safe travels... Bob

And if you like N.E. Florida weather, don't forget to check Kings Bay, NAS Jacksonville and Camp Blanding.

I don't believe that famcamps should take reservations, period, unless it is from active duty. Rv-ers should have to show up and get whatever site is available. We went to Nellis in October and there appeared to be many empty sites, but they were reserved, so could not be rented to us for a few nights. This should not happen. Show up and pay. Davis Monthan has a good system that seems fair. So does Yuma Proving Grounds. Nellis could make a few sites - maybe 1/3 - available for reservation but pay up front for the entire season ( keeping those who reserve "just in case" from messing it up for the rest of us), but most sites should be first come, first served.

We called MacDill on our way over from the week before Christmas and they had several spaces available which we could have to two weeks (we only stayed 8 days) Have to admit we have been pretty lucky going the first come first serve route. Have gotten spaces at Mayport, Keesler and Laughlin without reservations. We just try to call in the morning and ask what it looks like.

...Macdill went no dry camp this season,limited number of pads for max 2 week stay, then you wait your turn first come first serve again... love for someone to chime in about their 2018 raccoon creek famcamp experiences and tell us how that's going hahaha. Place needs a top down management change, a few yrs no reservations except active duty on leave orders (get rid of homesteader active duty types making their kids live in campers/traile parks & to end the legacy reservation scheme invented long again to favor the ugly snowbird clicke it bennifits at macdill...write commander of Macdill, as well as head of MWR be good start to ending those toxic dysfunctional traits of raccoon creek campground..

...key west downsized after the mayhem hurricane Irma cat 5 storm brought...made me move back to sun diego and enjoy earthquakes again, I'll be going home to key worst in feb but just to pick up last of my stuff in Florida, do some spiny lobster fishing, coconut water drinking (two things I can't spend money on after living in key west where these items are abundant for free...

....I've always done good just showing up, never been turned away much more usually not charged for overflow. This became a problem few yrs ago NASKW, people getting overflow were exploiting the free camping status of overflow...people would pullout their slideouts, setup their screen porches in temp overflow getting what I call "too comfortable" in transient free camping, which had the effect of killing the moral of paying people creating ugly gossip game drama which occurs with weak leadership...one foolhearty camper, drunk yelling at some acquaintance he'd met about how his group at overflow (which was basically curb parking on a main thoroughfare on base/sigsbee rd) and they weren't paying cuz they weren't plugged in but he had a job site rattlebox generator running??? These episodes are why I joke and call/refer to famcamps especially ones where squatting/homesteading (especially if there are active duty housing their dependents and this misuse of allowances is allowed) as "trailer-hood" (Toby Keith song) nowadays.

Something I notice in my 10yrs so far with onbase famcamps...seems they aren't making more, or at least they're losing more spaces/availability than is created new, and this goes on as veterans/retirees live longer and desire for these famcamps increases..I think there is a correlation between all this "commanders making up the rules for famcamps at their discretion/desire and not a more uniform operation to how these facilities are operated? Personally that part bothers me most as it introduces too much opportunity for the "let's make up the rules as we go" mentalities and promotes rule breaking/rule violations by people whom can't respect rules (these people never would've made it they an enlistment, they'd been separated from service/active duty for good of government for being trouble they are...yet at famcamp this is OK unless it's done by sponsor/service member?