To be worried about Butlins?!

It wss absolutely nothing like that ime,but hey this is mumsnet.

We been skeg and Bognor and had a great time. There's so much to do and the kids have a ball. Yes some of the customers are a bit rough and ready but we've never seen any trouble etc.

@NewbieT

True from what people have said!

How can anywhere else compare to loud day swearing and drinking, bed bugs, mouldy mattresses, fag buts left in room, smell of urine, murky water 🤣.... Very exciting indeed... Especially for a timid 4 year old..

Unless your extremely well off of course and can afford to take the hit.

Cancel. Forget the disco.

I go to Pontins Sand Bay regularly, as FWB has a preference for it. The food isn’t the most appealing but it’s edible, and if you avoid the cheapest “unrefurbished” rooms we’ve found it clean and serviceable - and certainly cheap.

More sequence dancing and line dancing than I would like but hey ho. Most visitors well over 50.

Wow that would be dull as ditch water compared to Butlin's to be honest

Just cancel.
It's not what it was and there is absolutely nothing there you can't do elsewhere.
Your dd will have a wonderful break in a gorgeous b and b somewhere next to the sea, pottering around with buckets and spades etc.

We go to Skegness as an extended family holiday every year (8 weeks to go til ours!) - definitely not my favourite destination 😂 but it’s very affordable and have never seen ants/bugs and rooms have always been clean. We go for the gold apartments with disabled access, and they’ve always been okay. Swimming pool changing rooms are NAFF, but we’ve learnt to take warm stuff to throw over us til we get back. Pools themselves are nice and clean. Some ‘quirky’ parenting but normally that’s later in the evening and we tend to head back after dinner and play board games etc. Dreaming of the day I talk everyone into trying something else one day 😏

**edited to say after reading all these comments, I’m now firmly committed to trying another Butlins site as clearly we’ve chosen the worst!

The main factor would be whether the pool (which you say is the main reason for going) will be open. If it will then I'd prob make the best of it, but if it is still closed I'd cancel.

A lot of snobby replies here.
OP call Butlin's and let them know your daughter is autistic, I believe they can give guests with additional needs a different wrist band which means you can skip the queue, in the fairground definitely and I think for shows too.

I've been regularly to Bognor for years and don't relate to your description . It's a fun place and the staff are brilliant . Just make sure you know exactly when the 'plan my day' site opens for bookings so you can get the shows you want. Since Covid and booking I haven't seen anyone queue excessively - maybe start up to an hour before if it's the headline show but if you're not bothered about a front row seat it's not necessary

@Screwballs eww. I don't go on the adult weekends and tend to stay in caravans.

@Burlee are you going term time, or half term?

Why do you keep going back if you think its awful?
We must have very different ideas of what incredibly cheap is its far from my idea of cheap.

Not everyone*

I've only been to Bognor. My kids love it. The pool is fantastic, better than CP.

We stay in the hotel, not the chalets and the food is fine, it's not Michelin but usually something I can eat and I am fussy.

It's also not a cheap holiday.

I can't speak for Skegness but it is a great place for people watching.

We’ve been once to Bognor for a tots week, and once to Skegness in a standard (non holiday) week. There was a lot of swearing and smoking at Skegness together with a fair few badly behaved (school aged) kids - I don’t know whether this is down to the location or the fact that tots week has a gentler vibe. Your kids will have a brilliant time though so I’d focus on that.

Yes and about time too
But my point wss Butllins is nothing like pontns , they invested money into Butllins
Im.not suggesting everybody enjoys these types of holidays
But Butllins in no where as bad as people are making it out to be on here

We've been to Butlins Skegness once and once was enough! It was not cheap, in fact quite the opposite but then we didn't get the meal package which I guess is where we went wrong. However what really put me off was the dirty accommodation. Suspect stains on the bedding and floor and loads and loads of ants in the room! Not surprising my 11month old at the time came home with a nasty stomach bug which spread through us all! Safe to say it put me off for life!

It wasent built as a prisoner of war camp ,some of the campsites were taken over by the military during the second World war
But the sites have all changed massively since the 1940,s
It is what it is not Jerry one will enjoy holiday camp type places but most kids do.

Having read this thread I’d be cancelling OP 😱

@x2boys if it was a booking in Pontins, I'd be concerned about the site still being open, as they have shut three(?) places at almost no notice.

I took the kids to Butlins at Bognor Regis years ago. We left early.

The accommodation had been built as a prisoner of war camp. It was really boring and unpleasant. The food was bad. Everything was bad.

But - that was years ago.

Honestly it’s not that bad.

we went in July last year and my 3 year old loved it.
we stayed in a caravan so couldn’t book the shows but still got in.
we’ve booked again for June.
the skypark is brill and the tots fairground is good for little ones too.

head into skegness for a day- the seal sanctuary is worth a visit. Fantasy island has lots of rides too.

We’ve been going to Butlins Skegness every year for the past 10 years and have honestly never had a bad experience. Best one was during term time when we could still go then, the rest have been during the holidays which are a lot busier. I’ve always found the vast majority of people to be “normal”. Not much swearing.
I’ve worked out that the best accommodation, in my opinion (and have booked this the last 3 times) is the “New style Silver” - not as shabby as the budget standard and not as popular as the gold and other levels (seaside, fairground etc) and the layout of them is in such a way that there is less noise - no external walkways. They seem a bit more solid too.
I’ll admit that the swimming pool has gone downhill in the last 5 years or so - used to be so lovely and clean; changing rooms aren’t as fresh now and the jacuzzi pool has been closed off for years. My girls still love it, though.
The entertainment and activities are brilliant - throughout the day and night. No need to queue for anything - just go in when everyone else has gone in and there are always plenty of chairs to sit on. I can highly recommend the Animal shows, the pantos and Electric city.
If you’re paying for a food package, the premium dining is very good. Very clean and lots of choice.
We are taking a break this year, however, and will possibly give Center Parcs a try (much to the annoyance and protestation of our eldest - Butlins is her happy place).

Many years ago, standing in the check in to fly to the US, our two teens moaned that we never went to Butlins so later in the year we booked a few days at Ayr. They never moaned again!