We have now stayed at this park for almost two months – the longest anywhere. While I usually do not provide much in the way of campground reviews, I wanted to provide this quick update for others who may wish to stay here.
Overview
The park near Cocoa Florida has about 75 sites located along a long loop and has a paved road throughout. This Christian owned campground is very full during the winter months and has been a joy (no pun intended) to stay here. The entire staff is made up of volunteers and all proceeds go to orphanages in Africa for children of Aids victims.
The advantages have been the location just off I-95 near Cocoa, a large heated pool, large rec hall, and very friendly and helpful staff. The only real downside is during heavy rains the sites can become muddy and the RV pads are just grass/dirt paths.
Link to campground here ==> J. O. Y. RV Park link
Link to map ==> J.O.Y. Park map
Site Quality = 3.5/5
- All of the campsites are level and have full hook ups
- Most of the sites are big rig friendly
- There is room to park the camper plus one vehicle at the campsite. Extra vehicle goes to a central parking lot.
- Each site has a concrete patio area
- Some sites have picnic tables
- There is some amount of road noise on the east side of the campground from I-95. We were located about 2/3 of the way down the camp road and the noise was not objectionable, although still noticeable
- The sites were mostly oriented north-south, but depending on which side of the road that you were on would determine if you have morning sun or afternoon sun. In the winter, afternoon sun is good, but in warmer weather it is not.
- There is no cable TV, but very good wifi. We were able to stream Netflix.
- The RV is parked on a grass/dirt pad. This is fine in dry weather, but after a few days of rain, there were standing puddles and deep ruts where the vehicles were driven. Ken said that the water table was only about 1.5 feet below the surface making the sites swamp land when wet.
Facilities = 5/5
Their large rec hall is a very nice plus. The main room is huge with a large projection TV at one end and rows of tables throughout the building. We have seen large groups playing games, bingo, watching movies, working on crafts or sewing. It is a very comfortable place to work on projects or to meet friends.
It also includes a nice kitchen to prepare the large pitch-in meals, very clean restrooms and showers. The laundry room is also clean and includes three washers at $1.50 and three dryers at $1.00 for each load. Very reasonable.
Location = 4.5/5
The location is very convenient to the major interstate I-95 at just about a mile from the exit. It is also kind of hidden back behind and old housing subdivision, reducing any undesired interest. Being on the far west side of Cocoa and out of the way, it is a bit of a drive to many places of interest.
Overall = 4.3/5
Overall it is a very friendly small RV park that we would most definitely return to again. Many of the other campers have been coming here each winter for years. That says something. A group of 10-15 people play ladder ball every afternoon at 3pm in an open area. They are very inviting of newcomers to join in.
The monthly peak season rate is $740 per month plus tax and electricity usage. That rate drops to $680 per month in the off-season and if staying for multiple months can be discounted even further.
And finally, the park manager is Polly and is one of the sweetest and most helpful park managers that you will ever meet. She is teamed up with her husband Ken and maybe another 5-6 park volunteers to operate and maintain the park.
The photos below are of random campsites selected to provide a feel for the quality and size of each site.
Our stay here will be over tomorrow morning as we pack up and drive across the state to experience some of the Florida gulf coast winter. We actually tried to extend our stay here, but they are fully booked up and only have a couple of sites open a few days only.
We did not get to visit the Kennedy Space Center, the Disney attractions, and a few other places but that will give us a reason to return another year.
Take care and God Bless.
Travel safe and enjoy the gulf!!