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I think the more effective motivator will be the barrage of phone calls asking for the information that the new system has omitted.
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nvm wrote:
... If you're a group of 9 and you only booked one site, you all have to cram onto one site, even if there are 2 sites available on the lake...
My concern was for the case of greater than 9 people, who would then be required to have 2 sites booked. Anecdotally, I think a small group is not very likely to split across 2 sites but a large >9 group would all cram onto one site, which is against the rules, so they can all remain together. Someone I know told me that this is what their large group did.
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feb 7th, 2019 m.p.p. david smith from peterborough was appointed as a special advisor for ontario parks. included in this file was the challenge to increase park visitors by 10% , roughly one million visitors, according to the global news article .
perhaps contacting the m.p.p.`s office in your area,, might be the ice breaker needed to get the bean counters at ontario parks to sit up and listen to the canoeing communities that utilize these parks,,
we certainly have to pay enough to visit a park here in ontario,,
express these concerns , your experiences , in terms of past practice, in dealing with the reservation systems.
Last edited by swedish pimple (12/15/2019 11:52 am)
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Was reporting an issue with the new site when doing searches and also included the standard request that sites remaining available on a lake be listed. Below is Parks' response which I think this echoes some other reported responses:
"As well, we understand the value that the "sites remaining" feature adds to the backcountry trip planning experience and can confirm that we are actively looking into including this pertinent detail on the new reservation website."
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While the wheels of government move slowly, that response is one that leads me to believe that the issue is getting appropriate attention.
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Hi ... its been a while since I posted.
I tried to book a backcountry site for the beginning of May, 2020.
The new reservation system doesn't seem capable of letting me book anything until May 14, 2020.
Anyone else have this problem, or is there a way to book a backcountry lake/site in late April or early May that I am missing (as was done in the past)?
This seems to be a major inconvenience to early season trout anglers.
Thanks,
John Cameron
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Early season trout anglers have been iced out of the park for the past few years, so it seems they’re only taking bookings starting on the 14th this year. It is my understanding that if the water thaws before that, they will open the park and you can reserve at the park office for earlier dates (maybe they’ll open online booking too, I’m not sure). I suppose they got tired of refunding all these reservations every year.
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Good day all!
Has anyone tried reserving interior sites yet? Any problems? The system wouldn't let me reserve
Nipissing River browse Junt to Remona L - call it 7 hours
Robinson L to Red Pine L - call it 5 hours
Red Pine to Shippigew L - call it 4 hours
It's not out of the question for these distances. Would I have a better chance in calling it in?
Any info would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Last edited by Splakin (1/13/2020 3:51 pm)
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Good day all!
Has anyone tried reserving interior sites yet? Any problems? The system wouldn't let me reserve
Nipissing River browse Junt to Remona L - call it 7 hours
Robinson L to Red Pine L - call it 5 hours
Red Pine to Shippigew L - call it 4 hours
It's not out of the question for these distances. Would I have a better chance in calling it in?
Any info would be greatly appreciated,
Thanks
Did the system tell you why it wouldn't let you complete the booking? If not then this would be something else that they should fix before the final release of the website. Maybe it was due to the dates you choose?
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So I've mentioned the ridiculous distance limitations a few times and have been told they just copied it over from the old system. Yes there were silly limitations in the old system but to me it seems worse. You will need to call unfortunately.
On another note I had to change an existing reservation today and the online system won't let you change the days or number of days right now. ( ie shorten a reservation etc) I had to speak to a jr developer to even make the change . Regular rep couldn't do it. It's a known bug and they're working on it.
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Well low and behold if I tried it again and it worked. Really weird. The one thing I really don't like about the new system is being able to see how many sites are already reserved on a lake. eg. 2 of 6 booked. I really like this feature specially for the summer. I don't go to much in the summer because I like to stay away from the madhouse. Thanks for the replies solos and ShawnD. I appreciated it!
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Well low and behold if I tried it again and it worked. Really weird. The one thing I really don't like about the new system is being able to see how many sites are already reserved on a lake. eg. 2 of 6 booked. I really like this feature specially for the summer. I don't go to much in the summer because I like to stay away from the madhouse. Thanks for the replies solos and ShawnD. I appreciated it!
Please send them an email saying as much- the more of us ask for it, the more likely they are to reinstate it. I’m sure this will drop off the radar if they’re not being hassled about it.
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My message and response:
Hi,
I was checking out the new reservation system and was disappointed that one can no longer see the number of existing reservations per lake. This is crucial information - I will not book a trip without it. As such, it will be necessary for me to use the call-in option for making reservations. As an IT professional, I commend the effort for the roll-out of a new reservation system and understand that there are always unforeseen aspects that will need addressing. I do hope this one is high on the priority list.
Sincerely,
Thanks so much for your feedback and information!
Hearing from those who use the new reservation service will help us make improvements. We understand the value that the "sites remaining" feature adds to the backcountry trip planning experience. We have flagged these details you note below to our reservation service team and can confirm that we are actively looking into including this pertinent detail on the new reservation website.
Thanks again and happy camping!
Sincerely,
Ontario Parks
I'm worried that this is just lip service and that it won't be rolled out for this season. I as well plan to follow through on plan to call in to verify if not fixed.
"How many on this lake? Ok thanks, I'll call back in an hour to confirm again..."
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I submitted a likewise message to them a few days ago and got an immediate reply exactly like the one above - I followed up asking if they had any estimated timeline for resolution like “within weeks? Months? Or next year?” They never responded back to that question
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I'm worried that this is just lip service and that it won't be rolled out for this season...
Oh the cynicism! Maybe they are working on a killer feature where you can zoom in on a graphical map and simultaneously view the number of open/reserved campsites over a span of a few days. Expect the worst but hope for the best? Good thing I spent all that time studying the open/reserved on the old system so I have a good feel for the typical usage patterns.
Yeah I shouldn't come off as cynical. My experience with developers is that they always deliver on time, within budget and are super accommodating when faced with post release changes. This should be no different.
