RateItAll: The Opinion Network

Ocean City was cool the first couple times I've gone, but I have to say the last time I visited which was in July of 2007 it was horrific. We stayed at Harrison Hall which is directly on the Boardwalk near 13th Street. The hotel was very old and in desperate need of renovation. The carpet was musty, the wall paper was stained a peeling, when we sat on the bed the headboard fell off the wall. The bathroom was very small and shower was disgusting. The bed had a huge bent in the middle and the sheets didn't look very clean. The best part about this hotel were the oversized rocking chairs on the porch. Definitely not worth what they charged per night. We were so uncomfortable in the bed we ended up checking out two days early. We grew tired of the continuous copycat Mom & Pop shops along the Boardwalk selling the same cheap trinkets. I did enjoy the Farris Wheel at the carnival was very pharaniod because it was so old and rikedy. We saved money on food because it was not too expensive. I say the highlight of the trip was the one night we went to Seacrets. This place is awesome!! It has the nightlife , drinks, live music, and great scenery. This place is a Must See!! I think OC is great for a family vacation, but definitely do not skimp on the hotel or your entire trip will be ruined. I find that the individually owned condo's are much better than the hotels. The beach is nice, but the boardwalk gets boring after the first day or so. If you bring children you probably want to plan to go outside of the boardwalk area like to Mr Jolly Rogers.

J1 International Students J1 International students are advised to avoid Ocean City, Maryland. For the past five summers, beginning in late spring 2000, the J1 Advocate has met and interviewed hundreds of international students working in Ocean City, Maryland. For most with the J1 visa, Ocean City appeared to be an ideal place to work, earn money, meet and serve vacationing Americans, socialize with fellow university students from around the world, and get a tan. But the disparity between what they expected vs. what they actually got, that makes Ocean City the one travel destination to avoid. The average J1 student begins their summer several thousand dollars in debt, with loans from relatives and friends intended to cover their sponsoring agency, round trip airline tickets, bus ride from Manhattan, and the apartment security deposit. But that’s only the beginning. J1 students flock to Ocean City by the thousands in search of immediate employment from non-existent employers who, through International Student Services, sold them `job offers' costing as much as $300.00 per offer. It wasn’t until the student presents at the office of prospective employers who they assumed had pre-arranged a job through International Student Services, were they then advised of the differences between a `job offer' and a `job guarantee.' There goes another $300.00 As each season draws to a close, a disturbing, although repetitiously predictable pattern emerges in the accounts offered by the students - employers issued bad checks shutting down for the season within hours of issuing it, particularly following labor day weekend. Employers refused to return the J1 student's passports and social security cards, holding them for `safe keeping' throughout the summer. Without their passport and social security card, the student tends to stick around longer, unable to switch jobs before the business owner is ready to shut down and call it a season. Landlords by the hundreds refuse to refund the J1 student’s security deposits. Ocean City Police harassment included incidents of sexual assaults. Arrogant library staff let students know that the added work their presence brought was more than just an inconvenience. And what is Ocean City, Maryland without the annual federal and state income tax filing scam sponsored by International Student Services. Most Ideal Summer Employment Surveys conducted annually of hundreds of J1 students working and living in nearly two dozen east coast summer resorts revealed that the most ideal work environment could be found in the State of Massachusetts, along Cape Cod. No complaints were registered regarding landlords stealing security deposits, police harassment or assaults, or unethical employers. Students who had, in previous summers, worked in other U.S. resort communities, lamented not having discovered Massachusetts sooner. Cape Cod, Massachusetts offers the J1 student a higher standard of living, higher hourly wage, and a more refined, friendly, educated and upscale social environment. For the fifth year in a row, the J1 Advocate recommends avoiding Ocean City, Maryland and suggests Cape Cod, Massachusetts as the ideal setting for the J1 international student.

August 28, 2005 re: Police Corruption in Ocean City, Maryland - A Costly and Growing Problem The answer is: Restaurants, Hotels, Board Walk Peddlers and Police Corruption. And the question: What's BIG BUSINESS in Ocean City, Maryland? Whether you are a vacationer seeking refuge for a weekend at the beach or a visting international student working in one of Ocean City's hundreds of businesses - BEWARE - Not all of Ocean City's sharks are in the water. Over the past three years an increasing number of vacationers, business owners, and international students interviewed in a city wide survey point to the growing trend of Police Corruption in Ocean City, a problem as wide spread as it is costly to the thousands of visitors looking for a weekend refuge at the resort community on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Many motorists targeted for random police stops within city limits report being harassed by ill trained and poorly supervised seasonal rent-a-cops, and in some cases year round veterans of the force. Drivers report being provoked into a confrontation with verbally aggressive in-your-face officers anxious to make a `score' with a lucrative summons during road side stops often exceeding an hour. Others report motor vehicle charges against them to have been fabrictated, particularly during off peak hours, in one case by Officer E. Campbell who had previously stopped the same motorist several years previously, and against whom a complaint for the same illegal activity had previously reported to his supervisor. The supervisor claimed to have conducted an investigation (which didn't include interviewing Campbell's targeted victim), and concluded to have found nothing wrong with his behavior, illegal though it obviously was. According to his supervisor, `Campbell produces.' When asked what Campbell's supervisor meant by `produces,' he had no further comment, and terminated the call. Several dozen International students surveyed in recent weeks, many of whom come from non-English speaking countries, report being heavily fined, man handled, assaulted, and ocassionally arrested for what started as a minor pedestrian infraction or what officers represented in the summons they issued as `loud music.' A number of female international students report being targeted for harassment, officers anxious to get more from them than simply their names, addresses and dates of birth. During the month of August alone, three international students selected at random for an interview report being struck by a motor vehicle in Ocean City, one of which resulted in a trip to an emergency room, x-rays, stitches, facial scars, tetanis shots, and torn ligaments. Because the incident occured so recently, the student had yet to receive the resultant medical bills. In each case, officers from the Ocean City Police arrived on the scene. After demanding personal identification from the students in question, and without asking them a single question about the incident, officers subsequently accused the international student of being in the wrong. One student reported hearing the officer advise the driver who struck him, `don't worry this happens all the time,' `we know how to handle it,' `if there's no police report, your insurance company will never know about this,' `these students don't know how to contact your insurance company and we aren't going to tell them anything.' Anyone with knowledge regarding corruption attributable to Ocean City Police is encouraged to contact the Office of the Attorney General, State of Maryland: Main telephone number (410) 576-6300 or 1 (888) 743-0023 toll-free in Maryland TDD: (410) 576-6372 Mailing address Office of the Attorney General 200 St. Paul Place Baltimore, MD 21202

Ocean City is a fantastic place to visit. It's boardwalk ahs everything and is very family friendly. Yet it has a great adult life as well. Maybe the best bar/night club is on 49th street called Seacrets. it is a must go to for anyone looking for a sensational night out. Heading there in just a matter of days to have another go around. Ocean City like any beach has it's hang ups like traffic but it is a great place to go to.

Ocean City is nice, except don't go during the fourth of July weekend, unless you enjoy massive traffic jams and fireworks going off everywhere. The police of OC really lose control of that city during that whole week!

This rating is an all inclusive rating ro ocean city and the surrounding sites and cities. Now Here's my story! first off, the roads are confucisn an maryland and the first time whe went there we laughed at the fact that there are signs with a question mark and we thought they din't know what was there but something was there. and we din't know what thart maent, we also was a tad misled about the sing that had a pine tree falling over a picnic table! we found out it meant that it was a rest area. that was strange. oh well, let's get to the fun stuff! we went twice and the first time we stayed at a hotel that was 150$/night and the second time we brought our motor-home and camped at a wild west campground that ahd alot of water parks and stuff, it was cool. now the first and second times the boardwalk experice was the same and we did and saw basically the same things the nice sea shore and smelled the nice ocean breeze. This is mostly about the second time. The second time it was more fun and we ate at a pizza place that gave us a HUGE pizza for only $12.99 it was at some itallian place I don't remember the name, but it was cool. I loved the beach and the waves were huge some were 20 soem feet high! I swam out really far and rode the big waves it was really fun, the part I hated about it was when the salt-water got in my eyes and it burned! I didn't stay in the water too long since it was too salty and it was kinda cold. oh well, then back at the camper we went to the water park and rode the water slides and swam at the pool, then at night we went to see tarzan at the movie thingy and it was good, I left early since I got tired, the movies were free, that was cool. I did have a good time there, we really did'nt do much, we went to an anime convention in baltimore maryland called OTAKON2000 and it was really cool, I dyed my hair pink and we saw alot of animes and i boght a sailormoon shirt and someone dropped a couple of anime cells (pictures)on the floor and we got them for free! the person was gone, we did not see them drop on the floor so my mom an sis wanted me to take them so I did. he he. then we went to my uncles house, I did'nt do much at the convention since I ahd to take care of my little cousin hillary and I had to take her to movies and stuff that was kid-friendly. oh well our ocean city/baltimore vacation was really exciting and cool!!!

I am surprised at these low ratings. Have these people been to Ocean City, Maryland? Granted, I enjoy Rehoboth Beach for it's quiet charm and peacefullness. However, surprisingly, Ocean City has a similar charm. Sure there are a ton of souvenir shops, games etc..that suck the money out of your wallet. Hey, that's what vacation is all about. If you are simply going to the beach, it is a great area..clean, watchful lifeguards, etc...If you are with your kids and decide to venture to the Boardwalk..keep your budget in mind. Between lunch, rides, games and trinkets you can drop at least $100 in a couple of hours. However, it is fun, surprisingly clean and an overall FUN time. Don't miss the Thrasher's fries (with plenty of vinegar), a trip through the Haunted House or a stop in the picture booth..there is nothing like one of those sets of black and white photos of as many people as possible stuffed in that little booth to remember your day at the beach.

okay, i live in northern virginia, and generally when my friends and i wanna go to the beach, it's either ocean city or virginia beach. personally i don't see why virginia beach is so much higher up than ocean city. sure ocean city's a little more posh and expensive. but i'd have to say it's more fun and definitely more clean....