Campland on the Bay

Stayed at Campland on the bay for four nights, July 9th - July 13th, Site F16 and paid a total of $847.93
This was our first time here. We were invited by friends that have camped here for over 28 years!
The park is huge and offers a beach, water sports, pool, and lot's of activities and entertainment for children and adults alike.
Many of the reviews talked about the RV park being overcrowded and rundown. In a nutshell, my overall impression of the park is exactly that...way super overcrowded and in need of significant updating and manicuring.
One particular aspect that really disappointed me was that guests were allowed MULTIPLE vehicles to be CROWDED into and around their campsite. It was just CLUSTERS of cars and trucks everywhere. So crowded that we could hardly maneuver our 40foot trailer through the paths as we made our way to our campsite. It was so frightening to see people speeding in golf carts, kids racing around on bikes and skateboards, and adults walking down the middle of driving paths with no regard for oncoming traffic. It was shocking to see because there were just DROVES of people everywhere!
When we arrived our campsite we could not believe there was a car parked right smack in the middle. Evidently, a family at a neighboring campsite was so overcrowded with cars that they though they would move into adjoining spots? I had to walk around asking neighboring campers if they knew who's car that was. After about 30 minutes a man walked up and asked why I was looking in his son's car. Really? I said, "see that trailer on the path blocking traffic...it should be parked in this spot". So, he say's...Oh...it's my son's car...I think he is at the pool...let me call him. No apology, no sense of urgency whatsoever.
In general, I find that most campers display a measure of "camping etiquette" when camping...things like not walking through other peoples campsites, not playing music too loud, not blocking roadways...things like this. I felt like there was a shortage of this "camping etiquette" and in my opinion Campland wasn't actively enforcing many of it's own rules to keep order.
Lastly, our first night the guy in the next trailer came over to warn us that his wife's bicycle had been stolen the night before. He suggested we not leave anything of value out. Really? I mentioned this to one of our friends who invited us to camp here (he happens to be in law enforcement) and he mentioned that it's true...said there is a big problem with theft. Honestly, I never felt so trapped in my life. Had we not paid so much we would have packed it up and headed home.
I believe I mentioned we paid almost $900 for four nights..we won't be returning ever again.

First, this campground is not going to be for everyone. It can feel packed-in and can be bustling with too much activity at certain times of the day. It seems like the short-term sites are very crowded compared to the monthly sites. We stayed in two Bayview sites with excellent views and relatively decent privacy. The location in San Diego is unparalleled with easy access to Mission Bay and Pacific Beach by car or bike.

We enjoyed the park and will definitely stay again when we want to spend time right in the city next to the ocean. There are lots of amenities at this park that drive up the price. There are two pools and hot tubs, a beach, a little store with all the necessities, a decent off leash doggie area, a nice laundry facility with good hours and the campground even accepts deliveries!!! Stock up on all your online shopping!

We wanted a city camping experience and the adjacent Mission Bay RV would not accept rigs older than 10 years, so despite some not so great reviews online we booked at Campland. Mostly people complain about children and noise. We stayed for quite a while and I can truly say neither bothered me in the slightest. If you cannot tolerate children then this campground is not for you. We were here in the off-season while school is in session so there were probably fewer children than in the summer.

I found all of the facilities to be very clean and the staff to be helpful even though they are not always cheery. I loved the hot tubs...and its adult time in the pool are from 9pm until they close at 10:45. The laundry was great and priced very reasonably at $1.75 for a large front loader. Dryers worked great and were about $.75 per load. Mail pickup was always easy. I had several packages delivered without a problem. You can pick mail and packages Monday-Friday from 2pm-5pm. Beach access was nice if you want to paddle around Mission Bay or lounge on the beach. They are very doggie friendly with a nice sized leash-free area right on the bay (no water access). They even have a nice playground for kids with lots of play equipment. Other amenities include: skate park, basketball court, horseshoe area, grassy open spaces throughout...etc.

PROS:
Fantastic location in San Diego
Clean facilities
Pools and Hot Tubs
Resort style camping without the snobby attitude
Great biking trail right outside the campground
5 minutes to the beach (by car)
15 minutes to the beach (by bike)
Nice bayview sites
Full-hookup with cable

CONS:
Slightly expensive
Watch out for ants...they will help you with them if you have a problem
Lots of children around
Some tight spots and some rigs can look run down
Wi-fi is terrible

We had a great time at Campland and our apprehension from other reviews we'd read before arriving quickly subsided. Yes, this is a "family campground", so there are kids and all the accompanying noises, so planning your stay around school breaks is advised depending on your situation and sensitivities. If you have kids, they'll have plenty to do here. The sites are compact but the campground is full of beautiful mature plants and trees and is very nicely landscaped and maintained. So, there are plenty of nice little patches of green to find your peace should you need to escape the bustle of close neighbors. But, the real reason to be here is the gorgeous city all around the park. The best San Diego has to offer including beaches, restaurants, shopping, the zoo, etc. is minutes away, often accessible by a reasonable bike ride. We also appreciated the bike/walking paths connecting the campground to Mission Bay and its numerous parks and beaches.

This park is the old rig-friendly alternative to Mission Bay RV park next door, which does not accommodate RVs older than 10 years. So, we felt right at home in our 29 year old motorhome and actually enjoyed seeing the variety of old rigs, some more lovingly maintained than others. The exclusivity of the other park just results in an atmosphere that feels more RV dealership than campground in our opinion. If you are an old rig enthusiast or just appreciate the quirky side effects of an anything goes attitude, then you'll feel right at home.

The campground offers a ton of great amenities too including a marina, beach, dog park (small), pool, hot tub, skate park, tennis court, a well-stocked (but overpriced) market, café and laundry facilities.

Overall, Campland on the Bay exceeded our expectations, but we did enjoy a couple of great sites because we booked an extended stay. Some of the sites are fairly packed-in and less appealing, so there is probably some degree of luck involved in scoring a primo spot and that may be less likely if you are booking a shorter stay.

As close to San Diego as you can get. Large well cared for clean campground. I chose to dry camp and would do so again. Very close to the water and views. Still has access to all ammenties. Many other options available for a price.

We normally stay in Mission Bay RV Park when in San Diego, but couldn't get a space over the new year holiday there so had to move to Campland next door. This area is cool and close to everything SD has to offer.

The benefits of Campland over Mission Bay are that the park is closer to Pacific Beach and the beach is closer for accessing the bay. If you want facilities then Campland has much more, a pool, a bar and generally the facilities are better maintained.

We had to stay in a dry spot (only thing we could get) which had a nice view right on the beach, but the dry area - means generators.

Even with these benefits I would still choose Mission Bay RV Park every time. Campland attracts families and we were surrounded by day-drinkers, kids and industrial generators. It was just kinda low-rent. I would never begrudge someone a party, but we ended up leaving the park for a long as possible because we couldn't stand the noise. If you are looking for somewhere to party and hang out with the kids this is a good choice. Just not our kind of place at all.

We were only here because of visiting family for the holidays. We did get weekly rates, $70 is the daily rate. This location probably works for many families with kids, it's very much geared that way, so I can't blame them for that. We kinda knew what we'd be facing, so we just sucked it up. The place is huge with 700 or more sites, like most old parks it was not designed for the rigs we have today, so every site is just inches away from your neighbor, and if you have a tall rig like ours be aware of trees. Really it's the most packed park we've seen. The park is easy to access from Interstate 5 and the best part it's in Pacific Beach, good biking to the hot spots. Plenty to do in PB. We were here for Christmas and New Years so use your imagination. It's a Party spot for sure, so if serenity is your thing stay far away from this place, but if drinking and partying with wood campfires all night is your thing, this is your place. like I said, I can't blame them it's a weekend getaway spot for the locals to have a place to party and be on a beach. There is a general store, a bar, some hot food, a place to rent bikes, boats, jet ski's game room for the kids etc. Be aware of kids on bikes everywhere, so go extra slow driving through the park.

I came in from a 2 day drive from Texas & couldn't find a place to stay & it was late in the evening. I took a chance and Campland was open & they had an opening! I was so exhausted from being on the road. I was so relieved when I pulled in & could finally rest. The next morning I woke up to children's voices playing in the water & the view was lovely! I would definitely refer my family & friends to Campland. Thank you so much!!

Overpriced parking lot, half dirt/paved, uneven spots, noisy inconsiderate campers blasting music, party central.Old smelly RVs. No Room to park a vehicle in the spot or deploy your awning. Laundry room dryers only work part of the time. There are better cleaner parks. Trust me as we drove around to all of the parks in the San Diego Area after arriving at Campland.

There's a lot of variance in reviews here and I can understand why. The place is HUGE, and depending on which spot you end up on you could have a very different experience. We paid a hefty price for a "distinguished" spot but it was pretty nice. It was a back-in but was under trees and we only had one neighbor for half of our stay.

There are two pools and two hot tubs, and the pools are heated. One was especially warm and the kids spent a few hours each day in the pool. Since we visited in February, it was pretty cold for playing at the beach (though we did spend a little time playing there just the same).

The laundry room was large and most of the machines were working. The store had a decent selection of the essentials. The ice cream shop was a favorite, with a $3 "single scoop" that was more like two generous scoops. We did not eat at the cantina but it was pretty popular most nights that we saw.

The staff was friendly, and security was pretty decent. In fact I had a second car we were parking outside the campground, so getting home at night meant I was walking in to the park past the security guard. I called out which spot I was in one night but wasn't very clear and did not wait to see if the guard understood me. I met my family by the pool, and a few minutes later the guard (plus a second) showed up to confirm I was actually a guest. They said they had recently had trouble with someone who looked a little like me and wanted to make sure I was not that guy returning for more trouble. I really appreciated them following up and making sure some random yahoo had not come in to the campground. Of course it's not fort knox, but it did seem like the security folks were cruising around often in golf carts and keeping a pretty good eye out.

We stayed very much in the off season and not during any school holiday, so the park was only half full. I imagine the place could get crazy during the summer, but we certainly enjoyed our stay and thought it was fun, clean and quiet. We will definitely stay again next time we are in San Diego.

Not sure what positive things to say. You want a shower, well make sure to take one in your trailer since the hot water doesn’t work. You want peaceful, good luck with that, after the weekend party people leave you then have the crazy full time residents who are CRAZY! Treat this like the Monopoly game and keep going!