I'm constantly asked "how do I make a reservation" for a U.S. Military Campgrounds or RV Park. This website doesn't handle reservations for our military recreation facilities.
Each military campground is mostly independently operated and establishes their own reservation policy. The Navy has been trying to standardize (Navy GetAways) among their recreation facilities, but it's been an uphill battle. Many Navy facilities use the DoD Lodging website (https://get.dodlodging.net) for online reservation or their central phone number (1-877-NAVY-BED) for phone reservations. However, this system has also had numerous problems. I talk about these problems below.
A few military campgrounds do operate their own website for online reservations. A few others require you to mail-in a form to obtain a reservation.
I've found the best way to make a reservation at a military recreation facility is to call them directly. Each listing on this website includes the phone number of the facility. There's also a section for "Reservations" that will mention any known pertinent information on their reservation policy,
When calling, you may need to try several times, as they can be busy helping customers and will fail to answer the phone immediately. I've also heard reports of return calls not being received. Persistence is the key to getting through to make a reservation.
DoD Lodging Reservation System
Website: DOD Lodging
Phone: 1-800-NAVY-BED
The Dod Lodging system was established to find availability and make reservations for the various military temporary lodging available. It was then expanded to include military recreation facilities. However, only the Navy has elected to use this service. Even then, many Navy recreation facilities won't use this system.
I've received reports from several users, and from several Navy recreation facilities of problems with the Dod Lodging reservation system. Personally, 've never been able to use the DoD Lodging website. The website doesn't provide me a way to pay for a reservation. The Credit Card field is always grayed out and I can't use it. I can call to make a reservation, but most of the time I'm told nothing is available. However, if I call the recreation facility directly, there's plenty of available spaces and I can reserve directly with them.
