YMCA Camp Bernie — Hotel in Lebanon Township

I have been a camper here for a decade. Until this summer, it had been the thing I look forward to the most each year. I have built the best friendships and made the best memories here; YMCA Camp Bernie shaped me as a person and had a huge part in who I am. After the change in administration, this place will never be the same. In short, DO NOT send your children here. It will be the biggest waste of $2300 you could ever spend.

To promote inclusivity to new campers, returning campers are not allowed to practice camp traditions until at least week two. Instead of retaining the long-standing campers they had, they pander to new ones that won’t even want to stay because they don’t get the actual Camp experience. Our camp is built off of its traditions and the community of people that uphold them, even when not at camp. Those campers and staff have been shoved away, and without them, there is no one left to continue its legacy.

On the first full day of camp, the entire camp was gathered together. At the end of it, one administrator, Drew, sang a repeat-after-me style song. That specific song has a joke version that the campers sing in response. My group and two other units were singing the joke bit. Drew stopped in the middle of the song, stormed over to my group to berate and threaten us, saying to “never do that to another child or else we would be in serious trouble”. His tone and body language were (in short) extremely unprofessional, and so is screaming at a group of 16 year olds that you don’t even know.

The administration is quick and very willing to blame other staff for their wrongdoings, instead of taking accountability and fixing the mistakes. They removed the entire Dirt Bike program halfway through the summer, which was one of the most loved and lucrative programs. The Admin also had the genius idea to send the only person who could run the zipline on the whitewater rafting trip once a session, and made it so that the zipline could only be used on that day. Aside from age-restricting activities and removing activities entirely (if they didn’t decide to cheap out on the staff then maybe we’d actually have some of those), there is a lack of good activities and a host of new, very boring and unwanted ones. For example, one called stream came in replacement of another activity, such as canoeing, outdoor cooking or dance. There was literally an activity called rec hall, where the campers spend an entire hour doing nothing. While that sounds nice, you don’t go to summer camp to do nothing. It was the worst variety of activities I’ve ever seen, and most were split between the older units and the younger, due to like half the activities being age restricted.

The Admins have done absolutely nothing to push camp forward, instead removing practically everything that made Camp Bernie Camp Bernie. Drew, Charitie and Andrew’s entire list of accomplishments at this place is “we got rid of _”. If that’s all you’ve done, do you really think you’re doing something right?

Staff are paid more to do less, and more is put on the campers. Yet somehow, the staff end up being overworked, probably because they decide to spend less on staff so the camp is always at a severe coverage deficit and deny it entirely. It is to the point where multiple

Camp Bernie was a horrible experience for me I did not like the curriculum or structure of the Camp but I did meet very generous and genuine people. The campers, counselors, and staff really make a great atmosphere and positive vibe. Everyone was very friendly and outgoing. The Campers and Counselors made the camp very fun. But sadly the reason why I dislike this camp was the unsanitary of the cabins, lack of Air conditioners, (only two cabins had Air conditioner), parents have to send their children with their own fans and sometimes the fan cannot cool the entire cabin due to more than two campers in the cabin rooms. I complained several times about providing the campers and myself with air conditioners to the counselor of the head of the camp but they refused to understand our needs. When it comes to sanitary, campers were barley given the duty to clean their bunks, cabins, and bathrooms everyday. I shared a room with six campers and sometimes they refuse to clean or just didn't know how to clean properly. BEFORE I started to get my things settled to the camp, the campers and I were faced with a very disgusting and unsanitary bathrooms. Lack of hand soap, the cabins showers were so disgusting and unsanitary. The bathrooms were very hot and humid. There was no even one sanitary cleaning product AT ALLL. Everyday I kept bothering my camp counselors to please ask the head of the counselors, their boss, or manager of the camp to PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH CLEANING&SANITARY PRODUCTS. I understand Attending camp can cause messy, dirty because everyone is outside and sweating but the sanitary issue must be fixed to avoid many sicknesses and viruses. ONE MORE THING THAT MADE ME AND TWO OTHER CAMPERS FEEL very UNCOMFORTABLE SLEEPING IN THE CABIN WAS MICE. It constantly came everyday in the cabins. I am not going to say the Pacific cabin but usually majority of the cabins all have mice. If phones were allowed at camp I would have all the evidence to show my parents how the campers are actually living during camp. Never again I would never attend this camp again. This camp needs improvement with how expensive this camp is they should always have sanitary products provided for the first day of camp, everyday and including the last day. NO CAMPER should have to constantly ask for sanitary/cleaning products. I do not recommend any parent to send their children to this camp BEFORE checking through the camps and doing further research. I will give this camp a one star because the food /meals were pretty good! I had no issue with the food quality. The food quality I will give it a 4. Everything else in the camp must...

We had an incredible overnight camp experience in New Jersey at YMCA Camp Bernie in Port Murray. As a parent of a young first-time camper, I was understandably nervous — and so was my daughter, who at times, can be very shy in new environments. But from the very first moment, Camp Bernie exceeded every expectation.

The staff was warm, attentive, and genuinely supportive, creating a safe and welcoming environment that made my daughter feel right at home. While she gave us a brave, warbly smile at drop-off, the girls in her cabin came right up to her, respected her boundaries, but made it clear they were happy to share their cabin with her and help her get settled! She was especially anxious about being away for the first time and managing her food allergies, but the camp's allergy-friendly meal accommodations and proactive communication put us all at ease. I spoke with the nurse at medication drop off and knew my daughter's epi-pens would always be easily accessible to her, should she need them. The kitchen staff was fantastic and took her dietary needs seriously — I can’t express how much that peace of mind meant to us.

Over the course of the week, we heard and saw evidence of how her confidence grew as she tried new activities — from archery to kayaking to rope courses — all in a fun, low-pressure setting. The counselors were encouraging without being pushy, helping her step out of her comfort zone and discover new interests she never would’ve explored on her own.

Best of all, she made new friends — real connections that we’re confident will last beyond the summer. She came home glowing, proud of herself, and already asking to return next year. She literally talked about camp for 48 hours straight. If your child is like mine, and the most you get out of a day at school is that it was "good", you understand that this was amazing.

YMCA Camp Bernie is truly a hidden gem in the world of New Jersey summer camps. It’s not just a camp — it’s a community where kids are seen, supported, and celebrated for exactly who they are. As I write this, my heart still squeezes at how proud I am of my daughter and how grateful I am of the staff and the experience she had here.

If you're searching for a safe, inclusive, and growth-oriented summer camp experience for your child, I can’t recommend Camp...