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We were planning a trip to Kitty Lake cabin the last week of September. Called yesterday the 25th at 7 am on the 5 month out mark only to find out its already booked. Sept 25 to 27 and again 29 to October 1. When I inquired about how it's already booked for the 29th they couldn't give a straight answer. Any thoughts? Although disappointed we are changing our plans to camp but given we have some newbies and late season we were looking forward to the comforts of the cabin. Oh well. Always next year. I'm guessing perhaps it's booked for park staff or work crew.Nonetheless still a little ticked.
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Or someone could have started a booking 3 days earlier, for a 7 day duration etc. (not sure what max stay at cabins is) but have run into this with "front country" campsites before . . .
Park scalpers snatching up all the best reservations to resell on Kijiji?
That sucks when you have a plan 5 months out that doesn't work out. I'm positive you'll have just as good a time elsewhere in the Park.
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Remember the 5-month booking windows is for the START of your trip, not the end.
So I could call today, and make a 22 night reservation and book any cabin or campsite as far as October 17th as long as there are no more than 16 consecutive nights at the same spot (let's pretend you can book a cabin past Thanksgiving for this example). So I call today, book say, 6 nights on Kitty Lake, and 16 nights at the cabin. My reservation would be from Sept 25 to Oct 17 - well beyond the 5 month window.
So in theory, you can book something almost 6 months in advance - as long as your start date is 5 months.
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Peek wrote:
Remember the 5-month booking windows is for the START of your trip, not the end.
So I could call today, and make a 22 night reservation and book any cabin or campsite as far as October 17th as long as there are no more than 16 consecutive nights at the same spot (let's pretend you can book a cabin past Thanksgiving for this example). So I call today, book say, 6 nights on Kitty Lake, and 16 nights at the cabin. My reservation would be from Sept 25 to Oct 17 - well beyond the 5 month window.
So in theory, you can book something almost 6 months in advance - as long as your start date is 5 months.
Don't some people do this, but then cancel the first part of the trip, just so they could book past the 5 months window?
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I'm sure they do, and it's a dick move if you ask me.
But the financial penalties are steep for cabins, so I'm not sure its truly worth it.. to each their own with spending I guess...
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I'm sure they do, and it's a dick move if you ask me.
But the financial penalties are steep for cabins, so I'm not sure its truly worth it.. to each their own with spending I guess...
Definitely a dick move. It happened to a friend of mine trying to book Nellie Lake in Killarney for August. He went to book it on the first allowable day to find out it was already booked through into the next week.
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Sorry that happened. It just stinks, especially for the amount of time that goes into selecting dates and plans. I've got my family scheduled for a trip in August, and even though we're going from a Monday to a Thursday, I booked it as soon as the window was opened, but did so online - here I had to wait until the end date was within the 5-month window to complete the reservation. I wonder if it is different when you call, or if just didn't know what I was doing online.
I have a friend I'm planning a short trip with in September, and have been hounding him about the route for this exact concern.
Shayne, I hope you come up with something that works out really well for your group!
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I can see the 25th being booked but it's another separate booking starting on the 29th. That is past the 5 month window for sure. The 25th through to the 1st I can see but it's an additional booking not an extended booking. Thats what I don't understand. Oh well. I'm good with camping. The newbies will have to buy some gear.
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Definitely seems a bit fishy, yeah.
Probably better for your newbies to rent gear though. Late September is no time for the finest Coleman tent and sleeping bag Canadian Tire has to offer ;)
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Definitely seems a bit fishy, yeah.
Couldn't someone have made a reservation for a few nights of canoe camping, and then a couple nights in the cabin, hence the 'new cabin reservation' over 5 months in advance? I've thought it would be fun to make a trip that combined tenting and a cabin. There's no other way for a reservation to 'start' over 5 months in advance, because you can't cancel part of the trip until 4 months in advance of arrival. You wouldn't be allowed to cancel the night of the 28th until May.
Either that or rangers, I expect.
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Definitely seems a bit fishy, yeah.
Couldn't someone have made a reservation for a few nights of canoe camping, and then a couple nights in the cabin, hence the 'new cabin reservation' over 5 months in advance?
Not sure why that didn't cross my mind. Seems like the most obvious scenario.
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Definitely a dick move. It happened to a friend of mine trying to book Nellie Lake in Killarney for August. He went to book it on the first allowable day to find out it was already booked through into the next week.
I think most folks who want the high demand lakes in Killarney have to visit them at the end of their trip. It would be very unlikely that those lakes would be available at the beginning of the trip, because your beginning is someone else's end, so they were able to book those dates before you. Just the way it is when you've got 2-3 sites available on a lake that hundreds of people want to visit. You have to be very flexible in Killarney, and it's worth it!
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NVM. Never crossed my mind either but definitely possible I guess.
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Definitely seems a bit fishy, yeah.
Couldn't someone have made a reservation for a few nights of canoe camping, and then a couple nights in the cabin, hence the 'new cabin reservation' over 5 months in advance.
Lol this is the exact example I provided a few posts up and that's exactly what happened.
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I agree that someone is probably screwing the system but there is still the possibility that the local wardens are using the cabin those dates.
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yep, the old rolling reservation trick.
wee bit of a loop hole, eh? i have used this method many times over the 30 + years of algonquin tripping. i have also been stung by this tactic used by others. it pays to do your due diligence!!!
i just hate the reservation system. i remember tripping years before, when there was no system for reservations, and with out any problems. but now the algonquin park secret is out. we would some times start our trips after mid night. now, ya can not get a permit after 7pm.
que sera,sera.
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