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Original poster

Center Parcs -extortionate?

110 replies

tomboytown · 30/07/2019 22:01

I’m so shocked at the prices of everything.
Basic pasta dinner for 4, one beer- £85

No availability at 4pm for dinner, the restaurant had just opened and was deserted, nothing available TIL 8pm apparently
Was still half empty at 5pm

V basic (crap) burgers for 4 £35

A badminton court for 4 for 1 hour is £35

The map is really bad

The staff are great, fabulous idea, but needs a massive overhaul

OP posts:
unicornsrule · 30/07/2019 23:21

We love centre parcs
Cumbria our favourite
We eat tea in lodge for a few nights and book ahead when we eat out the rest of the time
Love the swimming especially the rapids
We pre booked activities before we left to go
Also loved belgium centre parcs

Skittlenommer · 30/07/2019 23:23

My husband and I always go in term-time and it’s fabulous!

Biiscuits · 30/07/2019 23:23

OP, £85 is outrageous!

We love Woburn. We eat most days at Leon which is basically fast food because the restaurants are crap and overpriced. I love Leon... or we eat at the chalet. I hate cooking when on holiday but I also hate paying £85 for 4 people, so...

(I take easy ready meals with me. A pizza, M&S big bung in the oven pasta dish, that sort of thing. I have a friend who takes a toastie maker with her and she and the kids eat cheese and beans toasties, and banana and Nutella, every day for lunch! They love it!)

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blackteasplease · 30/07/2019 23:24

I haven't been to centreparcs but I have been to Bluestone a few times. Really love it there- I went at Christmas time and it wasn't cold at all in the cottage we had.

The food doesn't seem too expensive there to me, although I do live in London where things are famously expensive.

Biiscuits · 30/07/2019 23:24

Oh and the rapids are the best bit. Fact. I go on them with the DC over and over til I get a headache and have to stop!

hadthesnip2 · 30/07/2019 23:27

Am I missing something. Everytime I've been to Center Parcs I've gone to a supermarket (offsite) bought my usual groceries - you can then cook when you like. Its expensive enough without paying their restaurant prices.

llangennith · 30/07/2019 23:27

Only ever been in term time, much cheaper. We eat lunch out but evening meal we cook ourselves and eat at home. Means we can get the kids to bed at a reasonable time and then open the wine and relax.
I'm always amazed how many people eat in the CP restaurants. Mediocre food and extortionate prices.

MrsBlondie · 30/07/2019 23:34

Eh we just paid 9.50 for badminton court hire. About 10 for tennis
Shop at Tesco before and eat in.
It is over priced but so is everything in schiol hols :(

cestlavielife · 30/07/2019 23:37

Hot cooked chicken x2 from the onsite shop with crisps and salad...Maybe £15 max?
Pasta sauce jar from the onsite shop parmesan and packet of pasta and garlic bread in oven £10 to £15 max?
Frozen James Bingham meals from onsite shop.... with small amount of effort you don't need to spend 85 each meal.
High st chain restaurants with high st prices.

Entrance to a pool with rapids and slides elsewhere at lesst 60£ for family or more... that s included . So if the kids like that it s worthwhile.
Badminton bowling boats crazy golf are not too expensive.

notso · 30/07/2019 23:52

It's a giant rip off unless you go term time, cook and don't do any activities.

Bunnyfuller · 30/07/2019 23:59

Centre Paris, over-priced, manufactured ‘nature’ with 100s of others attempting the same thing.

Went once when the DCs were tiny and was horrified at the cost of everything and crappity activities for 30 mins painting. And that was when you could use the Tesco vouchers in the restaurants. They put a stop to that!

Had a friend work for one for a while, no diversity training and the first aid training was lip service. No thanks.

BarbaraofSeville · 31/07/2019 00:10

Doesn't having to book everything in advance take some of the benefit of s holiday away because you'd be clock watching all the time. We need to be out of the pool by X time so we can get to Y activity and then make the dinner reservation at time Z.

And no I don't know what time I want to have dinner weeks in advance.

Titsywoo · 31/07/2019 00:25

We enjoy it and are going back in 2 weeks. Not keen on their restaurants so we don't eat there. We get a better lodge which has a decent kitchen and eat there most of the time although we do use dine in a couple of nights and found the food good and price reasonable. We don't overdo the activities and use the pool quite a lot and cycle around a fair bit. We go to elvedon which is completely flat. I like holidays where the kids have complete freedom to roam safely which they do here. Yes it's expensive but I don't think crazily so.

PrayingandHoping · 31/07/2019 08:16

They don't turn the rapids off at LL when the wave machine goes on... they only turn the lazy river off (which is connected)

ExpletiveDelighted · 31/07/2019 08:26

We don't know what time we will want to eat either, it depends on what we've been doing, what we've had for lunch etc, I find the having to pre-book tiresome and agree that clock-watching on holiday is annoying.

We went to Bluestone in winter once and it was great, not cold in the lodge at all. The only issue was that outside the park a lot of places were closed or limited opening (for example restaurants in Tenby).

PandaPantaloon · 31/07/2019 08:29

Also does anyone know if there’s anywhere that does a similarish set up in Scotland or Ireland?

Centre parcs has just opened in Ireland.

Morgan12 · 31/07/2019 08:34

Can you please explain how that pasta meal cost £85? What did the dishes cost? That's crazy!

Anyway I've never been because DC are too young just now but I know I'll give it a try eventually despite the prices. Going abroad is probably cheaper.

Skyejuly · 31/07/2019 08:34

I wouldnt be able to afford 85 for 4 meals. To me its extortionate for pasta.

ohsitdownnexttome · 31/07/2019 08:49

I think it is expensive if you do coffees, lunch out, ice creams, toys, dinner, activities but I guess a lot of people do. We are on a budget and go out of holidays and eat at the lodge taking food with us from home.

Lindormilk · 31/07/2019 08:52

Eat in then? You know CP us expensive. Everyone does. I only go when our half term falls a different time to Englands, usually ever 4 yrs.

The supermarket is very well stocked, and if you complain that us expensive go to Morrisons in Penrith to stock up.

And up hill? I really do 🙄 when people say up hill. Its not on a mountain.

Bellasblankexpression · 31/07/2019 09:00

Only been once never again.
Really don’t understand the appeal of paying so much for accommodation and then taking all your own food etc because the restaurants are so expensive.
After CP we went to a self catering cottage at a lake side resort with lots of free activities, nowhere near the price of CP.
Some people just seem to love it though - my SIL does and jokes it’s like a cult. She pays more for the five of them to go to CP, including activities and eating out, than we do to go abroad!
Each to their own I suppose.

Bellasblankexpression · 31/07/2019 09:02

Also last time we went the pool was absolutely rammed. Literally like sardines.
The spa was lovely but every one of us who went in got the flu afterwards! The people in our group who didn’t go we’re fine...

Waiting1987 · 31/07/2019 09:41

I'm guessing it wasn't £85 for 4 bowls of pasta. Soft drinks? You've already mentioned dough balls and also a beer.

Refusing to take snacks around is odd. Surely most parents carry around a drink and small snack for their children on a day out?? A few bits of fruit and water bottle are hardly heavy.

I will agree it isn't cheap, but have always enjoyed our trips there. Reading reviews would have made you aware of the expense before you went.

DerelictWreck · 31/07/2019 09:47

I didn’t think it was going to be cheap, but 4 bowls of pasta and some dough balls for £85?!

Where are you eating?!? Or was it actually £85 for two courses each and soft drinks plus a beer?

We go every year and never pay anything like that. Tbh if you're going to go and eat out all the time then it's going to be expensive, that's why the lodges are self catering.

Have been to 4 different U.K. parcs and have never seen the prices you mention or things like the rapids being turned off when the waves come on. So you're very unfortunate in your experience

Yogagirl123 · 31/07/2019 09:53

We have been to CP a few times when our DS’ were younger, not been for many years, but I remember it being expensive then! Also many activities are booked up, so it makes it difficult to book certain things to do while you are there. Try to make the best of your trip OP, the pool is lovely for kids.