To be worried about Butlins?!

You're going so I'd assume people like you will also be going. Don't look down on other people just becuase their culture is different to yours. Some people pay a fortune to experience different cultures

The upper middle class mums from my London NCT group would store bottles of wine in cool bags in the pushchair and take the babies to cocktail bars at 1pm...

Perhaps go to Centre Parcs you get a better class of drinker there. Prosecco instead of Stella.

You will have a brilliant time. I've taken my kids and done a couple of adult weekends always have a fab time. Have you paid for the food package onsite? Definitely worth it if not.

I'm not very comfortable with the narrative around people being 'better' or 'worse' than others, however in the spirit of this thread I'm a non-drinking, educated professional and wouldn't be considered 'rough'.

Have only been to Bognor but it was great. We were in the hotel, which was perfectly fine (I have anecdotally heard that apartments aren't great). The pool was better than Centre parcs for me (OK not tropical but slides just as good, closer together and the changing rooms were cleaner). Entertainment was good. Bookable so no need to queue unless you want to sit at the front. We go to bed early so no issues with drunk adults. Food (buffet) was fine too and straightforward.

We went for DS (now 9), not for us. He loved it (which is what matters) but we enjoyed it too.

If you want to see feral kids and parents drunk (and high) at 11am, Camp Bestival is the best place to spot them, and that's as middle class as it comes! I've never seen so much woefully neglectful parenting in my life, I loved it when mine were kids but twice we had to alert a steward who called the Dorset social services over due to the adult responsible being too drunk to take responsibility for their fairly young children (not talking about teens here which mine were). And yes everyone hides booze in the buggies there too!

Is it because people on mn only live and socialise in rather middle class/posh circles? So don't normally bump into the wider population?

And then are shocked when they do? (I heard a friend refer to centre parcs as "paying the chav tax " as she was blatantly wanting to buy a holiday amongst "her people".

After being at oxbridge I often thought those that go from boarding school to oxbridge to law in London or other "naice" professions really haven't been outside their bubble. Ot sure that's a good thing for MPs but surprised a bit to find a thread here with "there were smokers!?!?!?!!?!?!?" And People Different To Me on holiday...

Making observations is not equivalent to sneering. OP may not want to surround herself with people who store cans of Stella in their pushchair (true story) It's okay to choose an environment you're comfortable with and to ask opinions on an environments demographic on an online forum. If pointing out that some people swear at their children is offensive to those people then perhaps they should stop calling their children cunts.

But isn’t that the case in the UK these days? You can’t be spontaneous about anything as so many things needs booking way in advance. Years ago we would go to a shopping centre and drop in and see Father Christmas with the kids. Now I’m hovering on my computer for the moment the tickets are released - three months beforehand- so my grandkids can have the same experience.

Typical snobby MN thread.

Butlins is great but don't go if you are going to spend all your time sneering at other people.

You don’t have to queue at 2pm, you book everything in the app anyway but we found it helpful to queue for 30-40mins as we wanted seats. There are plenty of rough families there and plenty of not rough families. If you are looking for ‘rough’ families then you will find them but other than a few crappy kids on the sky park we didn’t notice anything as we were busy having fun ourselves. You no it’s going to be a cheap and cheerful holiday so just enjoy it, my kids had a great time. All the rides worked when I was there.

FWIW I see more feral DC at our expensive local private gym each weekend and the not at all rough or drunk parents are just as useless at controlling their DC.

I took mine when they were little as I used to go as a kid. To be honest, some of the clientele is definitely as you’ve probably seen online. Sitting there getting pissed with kids running round, swearing, just horrible parenting. We did our own thing and tried to avoid these people and I went back 3 times so it wasn’t as bad as you’re expecting. Last time I stayed at the hotel which was nice

OP as long as you manage your expectations you'll be fine. It is full of rough (and slightly drunk) parents but it is a cheap and cheerful holiday.

We went years ago so it might not be relevant now but overall it was fine. Accommodation was basic but did us ok. Food was plentiful, however dh got food poisoning but i think he was just unlucky. We were in skegness and the beach is nice. The fairground was great but cost extra. There was snooker and football on for the kids so my dcs enjoyed it. We didn't go near the shows as we dont like them, or the pubs. I imagine they'd get wild.

I think the Bognor one is mean to be the nicest out of the lot.

I've been twice in the past couple of years. But not in school holiday time (I do think this majes a difference!)

We stayed in a fairground apartment both times, it was very nice, and clean. All but 2 of the rides were open the first time. All were open the 2nd.

We attended a booked show, no queue. We went in "Red" , no queue and in the centre bit fir the kids stuff.

The 2nd time I did the premium dining plan which was a bit busy at times but was ok.

Honestly, it was great, the kids loved it. But again, I don't think I'd go in the holidays.

We go roughly every year because my children love it. Rough as toast is accurate for skegness. And a lot of smokers who are always near bloody entrances. We used to always stay in gold apartments and yes they are not clean enough. I always take cleaning products and give surfaces a wipe down. when my children were little i took a mat or large blanket for the floor for them to sit and play on as the carpet is filthy.

The entertainment at butlins though cannot matched. The shows are brilliant and all the staff are too, not just redcoats. Reds is great and theyll love the skyline gang. Mine are teens now and use the adrenaline passes and hire the bikes rather than see daytime shows. We now always go catered because it is easy and food is ok.

People at butlins do love to queue. we queued for reds to get good seats and shows like steven mulhern.

I much prefer minehead but my dd really wants to go to skegness this year as the pool is so much bigger. If youre saying parts of it are shut, that might work in my favour…

I got ring worm from Minehead. We went for Shiine.

I had a brilliant time at the Minehead one last year. Apartment was clean but definitely a bit rough round the edges and the people below us were so loud. But that aside, the entertainment day and night was great and we didn’t have to queue for anything. Most things you have to book before you go anyway, just be very quick when you get your booking window. I would recommend upgrading your accommodation if you have the lowest type and can afford to. I genuinely would go again, DC absolutely loved it and was 4 at the time like yours. There’s plenty of normal people that wouldn’t call their kids cunts there but yes there’s an element of that too. I remember seeing a woman holding a fag in one hand and a baby in the other and the baby had some sort of bright orange drink in its bottle! It takes all sorts to fill a Butlins

I’ve been to Bognor Butlin’s twice and loved it both times. Great food, accommodation was fine (and we were in a silver apartment!) didn’t see it hear anything awful going on anywhere. Both times (one pre-Covid, the other after Covid) were fantastic.

The reviews are an entertaining read

It is quite rough. Well; the people are
A four year old will like it though

I was at Butlins Bognor in half term and it was busy. You had to book the shows (free) on the app and people were queueing to get to the front. But we arrived as doors opened and (also autistic dc) just happily sat at the back and to the side (near the sir con)
It wasn't Center Parcs. But it wasn't terrible. The rooms in the hotel were clean and huge.

A friend went last year for last minute long weekend break… they left at 9am after the first night, sorry.

Went to Skegness last year, will go again this year. It's not posh certainly and it does get louder at night time but it's absolutely fine

and I'm an anxious mum with a timid kid and the kind of person who arrives on holidays with wipes to clean the place down just in case (and I didn't need to) I would suggest arriving in day light, accommodation is really hard to find first time in the dark