2023 CRUISE AMERICA RV Rental HONEST REVIEW and WALKTHROUGH // After 2,000 Mile Family Roadtrip!!
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- @cruiseamericarv #cruiseamerica #rvrentals #rv #rvlife
Check out this awesome review and quick tour of a Cruise America RV rental! We just finished a 2,000 mile family road trip in a Large Cruise America RV and had a blast! The general features of the Large RV are the same as the Standard and Compact rentals. We will walk you through the inside and tell you what works while driving and what you need shore power for. Next, we move to the exterior to show the storage and other features. Finally, a review of our experiences while driving and camping. If you didn't know, it appears that Cruise America also operates Cruise Canada with like products. Thanks for watching and remember, YOU CAN TOO!
Thanks for this review. Just rented one for the holidays and it was great. Slightly inconvenient that the power outlets need the generator to be on while not plugged into campsite power, also the hot water was not the best and lasted about 4 minutes in the shower before needing to wait another 15 for reheating. Not showstoppers! Got about 10.6mpg according to the dashboard display! Granted we didn't use the A/C at all and just used the propane heater which did a great job keeping us warm in 12 degree weather. Overall pleased with it!
Forgot to add for those nervous to drive it. It's surprisingly easy to drive, just need to go slow and swing wide while making turns. Didn't have any problems making turns in parking lots, highway ramps, campsites etc. Good rule for tricky turns is to start turning when your rear wheels pass the obstacle. Didn't have any problems at gas stations, mostly stuck to the outside pumps. Braking takes some getting used to as you have to take extra time to slow down, the tow/haul mode helps with this a little.
That’s great info to share with everyone. Sounds like a fun trip!
Yeah the power outlet thing tripped us up. I had to bring a Jackery for the kids to run their devices off of instead, and charge that off the cig lighter. Overall, these models aren't bad. I would even consider buying a refurbished one.
Thank you Mr. Greg for showing the car seat attachments for families that need them❤ and thank you for showing in detail, the use of this rental RV. Super helpful. 👍
You’re welcome, partner! Thanks for watching!
Thanks for the overview, thought about renting one of those once but never did it. Now that decent hotels are nearing two hundred a night I imagine these start to make sense for a family.
You’re welcome, partner! It’s an experience. Probably still cheaper to get a hotel, but it beats airfare for a long family trip.
Man that RV is awesome! I’ve never done an RV trip but really want to take wife and kids on one! I’m a bit scared of those huge bus type RVs but this one right here seems the right size for a first timer. Thanks for the informative vid!
You can too, partner! Take very wide turns and enjoy your trip!
Thanks for this video we pick one up today for 17 days. This really helps
Thanks again
Awesome! Please let us know how your trip is going!
Great review! Me and my husband are going to be renting this in 2025!!!
Enjoy your trip!!
We rented the mini one in June and took a trip to Yosemite, had a blast, RV was awesome and so easy to use, highly recommended company!
That sounds awesome, partner! Would love to go to Yosemite someday! Thanks for sharing!
Great Video, thanks in sharing!
You’re welcome, partner! Glad you enjoyed!
Dude. Love the rapid fire info. I’ve had a 2005 drivable Airstream and 2 different 35 foot Winnebagos. Looking to the class C next! Because it’s easier. Thank you. Mike - Lancaster, PA
Thanks, partner! Glad you enjoyed and good luck on your next RV!
great video, and I learned about the bedroom door trick from it. We rented the regular size one before and we are going to rent the large one a few weeks later. This information is super helpful since I snore very hard😂
You’re welcome, partner! Hope you have a wonderful trip!
Great walk through. Considering buying their used ones which are consistently serviced. This one is running $52k with v10 engine.
Howdy, partner! I like the idea of their used fleet. Super simple and robust design that hasn’t sat for years without use. Let us know if you buy one!
Do not rent with Cruise America. The contract they make you sign up front is a full “happiness” contract meaning you will have absolutely zero recourse when their horrible shoddy RV breaks down on you mid/trip as it did us. Our fault for not reading the fine print.
The RV we picked up was filthy. It was the day before we had to drive from Michigan to Florida for my daughter’s wedding so I just rolled up my sleeves and cleaned it.
We got to Atlanta and it simply broke down. They directed us a place to pick up another. Our ONLY option was a spider infested bust less filthy version we took out of desperation.
Mid-way on that one we tried to use the bathroom and it began to spew water all over the floor upon flushing. Our plan was our family was going to sleep in the RV on the way to Florida. No can do without a toilet.
Cruise America said fix it when you get to Florida ON OUR DIME.
So of course we had to get hotel rooms.
Once we got to Florida they wanted me to drive that heap miles to a repair shop. IT WAS MY DAUGHTER’S WEDDING.
When we got back I wanted half my money back and when I tell you the obnoxious rude nasty way we were treated I can not begin to explain it. They gave us like a $100 discount. Thanks! And I will tell you, our experience was so harrowing our local newspaper did an article about our experience. They have no customer service, their vehicles are not maintained, the one that broke down had a squirrel’s nest in the engine, and they do not care about you the customer. Rent from private individuals. Never this company. Ever!
That sounds terrible, partner! We have no affiliation with Cruise America, just sharing our experience which sounds like it went much better than yours. Again, sorry to hear what you went through.
Loving the videos and your channel! I do have one question, roughly how many miles did you get from a full tank of gas?
Thanks, partner! Really appreciate that. We averaged about 9 mpg and I want to say it had a 55-gallon tank. So probably 400 miles or so is possible between fill-ups. Good luck!
Re: comment on the frig running on propane while driving. That frig looks the same as the one I have in my personal motorhome, a Dometic 3 way. It runs on "house" batteries (not vehicle) while driving and will stay on house batteries or shore power if you have it on Auto. No reason to have the propane on while driving. It's a 3 way because it can run on propane, shore, or batteries. You actually have to take it off Auto to have it run on propane.
Howdy, partner! Thanks for the insight, but that particular model is a Dometic 2-way. Cruise America simplifies operations without a full battery bank. There is a spare battery that can augment the main battery in case of a cold start or leaving the LED lights on, but that’s it. Appreciate the info though!
I’ve rented these also, and the fridge runs on propane or shore power, not 12V.
Very helpful thank you!
You're welcome, partner! Have a great trip!
Did you travel on any dirt roads on your travels? How did it do on the dirt roads if you did? Thank you! This vid is very informative.
Howdy, partner! We did not hit any dirt roads, but I am sure it would do just fine. The suspension is stiff so it may be a bumpy ride.
Why is it Nobody is talking about the Cost of Rental🤷🏼♀️
Howdy, partner! The costs change, but they aren’t too bad. You can get a good estimate from their website. Thanks for watching!
We have rented 4 times and it is quite reasonable, but be aware that they charge by the day and by the mile. So a long trip will cost more. Also you will only get about 9MPG.
Figure $1000-2000 per week all in. That does not include campsites.
I've used Cruise America and I've used El Monte RV. Hands down, El Monte RV blows away Cruise America. I'll never use Cruise America ever again. Sage advice.
Thanks for the info, partner. I’ve never used El Monte, but will keep them in mind as well!
thanks for the quick tour. We have rented one for this summer and I was wondering how did you navigate? For example: is there any means to put your iPhone in a stand on the dash?
Howdy, partner! We just put an iPhone in the cup holder or had a great navigator riding shotgun. A temporary mount would be a great addition!
Good review. i pick one up tomorrow and take it on about 1000 mile trip in 4 days. hard to find a dump station around me. might just have them do it and pay the extra $$. interesting they have no slide outs. guess thats just one less thing to go wrong.
Have a great trip, partner! The lack of slide-outs definitely simplifies setup and minimizes issues. Safe travels!
Awesome walkthrough! Thanks. Is this Cruise America's "large motorhome" that is ~ 30ft and sleeps 7?
Thanks, partner! Yes, it is that model.
Thanks for reviewing! We’re thinking about getting one this summer and have never RV’d before. What is a good driving distance per day to plan for? Also, just to clarify, can you run the generator and water while driving?
Howdy, partner! The generator will run while driving as long as you have at least 1/4 tank of fuel. It burns the same gas as the engine and I think it uses about 1 gallon per hour. The water pump will run off the car battery and does not require the generator. Distance per day is up to you, but count on about 65 mph on the highway to be safe. If you wanted to drive 3-5 hours a day you would probably cover about 200-300 miles. Happy RVing!
Ok I am considering a change of plan but it would require to go 6 days free camping or visiting some campgrounds that don't have electricity. My main concern is charging my computer and phones as I need to also work a few hours a day. The C30 Motorhome has a generator that I believe it runs on fuel. Do you know about the consumption? I guess I could use it for a couple of hours until I charge my devices while free camping but I am wondering if this will consume a lot of the gas in the fuel tank.
You should be just fine for phone charging. The generator burns about 1 gallon of fuel per hour. You could also just plug in a DC power cord or use a cheap power inverter as long as you run the RV enough to keep the batteries charged. There is a backup battery in case you overdrain the main.
If you have passengers will you need to run the generator to keep the cabin cool? Or will the AC in the front be enough?
Great question, partner! We found the AC in the front to be sufficient most of the time. If it gets too warm in the back, you can start the generator while underway and turn on the main rooftop AC. Within just a few minutes the cabin will be very cold and you can turn it all back off.
I’m considering doing this for my road-trip this year. How was your gas mileage and roughly how much did it cost to fill up
Not too bad. I think it got about 9 mpg if I remember correctly. Tank is large - can’t remember exact size but probably 40+ gallons.
Any comments on the drivetrain and gasoline consumption and fill-up’s?
The drivetrain was just fine - drove well. Gasoline consumption was around 9 miles per gallon. It performed better at highway speeds than I expected. Safe travels!
Why do Americans insist on doing things back to front? A Queen size bed is bigger than a King size and don’t even get me started on you date format 🤣
Howdy, partner! Don’t forget about the metric system. God Bless the USA!
do they come equipped with leveling jacks? If they don't did it rock around a lot with people moving around in it?
No, partner. No leveling jacks - which makes it very easy to set up. Very minimal movement when people are walking around. Need to make sure you park on level ground.
Nice review...Do you rent smaller ones..length wise?
Howdy, partner! I have no affiliation with Cruise America, but yes, they rent smaller RVs as well.
how do you insure this rental?
Hey Greg, nice video. I am doing a trip to Canada with my wife and 3 little monsters and I've rented the same RV. We are doing a 20 day road trip and I was wondering every how often did you have to recharge the generator, how often you had to replenish the water for the shower and empty the black water. It's my first time driving such a huge vehicle and since we don't have such enormous ones here in Italy I wanted your opinion as to plan my trip accordingly. I don't wanna be going to organized camping that often but I want to plan well and check how many times I will have to do this in my 20 day trip...
Howdy, partner! The generator runs off the same fuel as the RV engine so that shouldn't be hard to keep full. You'll mostly only need the generator to operate the air conditioner or kitchen appliances. Refrigerator will run off gas and that lasts a long time (maybe your whole trip). The shower water and gray water tank all depend on how long your showers are. I would recommend keeping them quick if you aren't going to refill or dump. Black water is based on toilet usage and again you can control that to a point. Sounds like a really fun trip - just need to be conscientious if going several days without a stop at an RV station. Hope that helps!
@@MRGREGSHOWTO thanks for your answer Greg. Really helpful! I am doing the planning now so just in case I will organize every 3-4 days to stay at an organized camping to be on the safe side.
@@solidsn2011 sounds like an awesome plan. Please let us all know how it goes!
You have to empty the black water every 3-4 days with a family of 5. The gray water about the same. I doubt your water will last more than 3-4 days even if careful.
Not sure where you are going, but it is hard to not go to campgrounds with a big unit like this, as it is quite obvious, and many places do not allow overnight camping.Look for state and national parks to overnight or commercial campgrounds like KOA.
The generator is only needed for the air conditioner or the heater(the fan will run the battery down).
These units are not designed for off grid camping for more than a night.
@@randolphh8005 thanks for your comment. We will be doing the east side of Canada from Niagara Falls and up until Percè. I have booked mostly campgrounds with water/electric/sewer facilities just to be on the safe side. We will only be doing free camping 3-4 days out of 20 so it will be fine. I’ve also purchased full insurance for the motorhome as this beast is more than double in length than what I’m usually driving 😝
Did you tow a vehicle with this RV?
No, partner. We did not, although I am pretty sure it is allowed and capable.
Nice but I need for one way trip do you think it’s possible?
Howdy, partner! I think so - would encourage you to check their website or give them a call to verify. Good luck!
We just booked a one way trip from Nevada to North Carolina with CA. The only issue you'll/they'll have is finding a drop off location close enough to your destination. Unfortunately ours is 5 hours away in Virginia. Still worth it though as we have children and pets. 👍🏻
Awesome video! THANK YOU
You're welcome, partner! Glad you liked it.
What kind of gas milage are you looking at 65mph? great vid
Thanks, partner! I think it got about 9 mpg.
That’s sad, just finished a trip through Britain with a MH on a Fiat chassis and diesel engine and was running close to 30mpg!
@@michaelsutherland4660And you most likely still paid more in petrol. 😂
"it's so spacious you can fit someone in there (but I'm still online, ) so I won't recommend that"
Very true, partner! Lots of room for sure!