Centre parcs - is it worth it?

[grimmeeper]

Looking for the February half term with a five year old
Would be the Cumbria one
Is it really worth the money ?
Sorry I'm sure this has no doubt been asked before

Yes, for us it is because my little one is a wheelchair user who needs a profiling bed, a hoist, an adapted wet room with a shower trolley and special facilities to enable him to use the swimming pool which CP provide with no extra charge.

Going abroad would be a logistical nightmare with all the equipment we need to travel with and places like Butlins don't really seem to provide the extras we need.

Well I never fancied it but DH wanted to go and we’ve booked for this month and now I’ve looked into it more I’m really looking forward to it! Going two families so we went for a fancier lodge, £350 per family. We probably won’t do anything paid, but I believe there are three soft plays (in sports plaza, bowling alley and above cafe rouge), a kids disco in the bowling alley, and a winter light trail all at no extra cost plus of course the swimming and outdoor playgrounds if we get decent weather, might do the storytelling session which is only a £1 each donation to charity and have booked some meals so we’re only cooking one night. Interested to see if it lives up to the hype/ confirms the negative views here!

Our kids absolutely love it there. We often go as part of a group, usually for a 3 or 4 night break, and have so many amazing memories. We live rurally and love having so many facilities within easy reach and not having to drive anywhere.

I'm sure there are many more beautiful and adventurous places we could be going for similar or less money, but we see it as an easy relaxing break where we don't have to think about much and that makes it worth it for us.

I love it for a mini break destination, I usually do one more expensive activity a day such as field archery and one cheaper one. I eat out each night and really enjoy the spas. I wouldn’t fancy doing it on a budget.

We go to Bluestone in Pembrokeshire, similar vibes but a lot cheaper and just as good with stunning views and the staff are brilliant ☺️

Our DC are 10 and 7 and we go at least once a year and have done since they were born as it was always our family holiday when I was wee too. It's one of their favourite places, and even chose it over a beach holiday last year.

We usually go with other people though, so the cost comes down. We go to the pool every day and the kids get to pick one or two other activities while we are there.

They probably didn't get as much out of it when they were toddlers though ( but we always went with friends and family with kids of all ages). There's good activities for adults too but again you might not get the most out of it if no other adults to do childcare.

For us it's definitely worth the money, we usually go in October and our school hols are the week before most others so it tends to be a bit cheaper. This year we are going to go in the summer but splitting the cost with another family and just doing 3 nights.

It’s worth it if you go abroad as the parks are huge and you get the sun. But the best bit is the rapids which at 5 they are probably too young for.

We had a cancelled trip in Nov 2020 due to covid and haven't been back since as prices have just been crazy imho.

On the plus side, I really like that it is car free (although some CFs think the rules don't apply to them) and I'm not aware of other places being car free (please anyone tell me if there are!). But sadly I do think that prices have gone up beyond the value and quality of the product. I also think they benefit massively from nostalgia. There are plenty of people, like me, who went in their own childhoods and have happy memories they want to recreate with their own kids which means that they can keep charging and people keep paying. Which is fair enough as it is a business after all.

You really couldn't be more wrong when it comes to my.family! However we are fortunate to be able to do quite a few holidays in a year and my children just love cp. We have a wide age.range and it's easy to find activities for all without driving all over the place. Personally, I find that quite relaxing for a.half term occasionally. But even if he didn't do anything else, people can spend their money doing what makes.them.happy! People expose themselves to different peolle and life experiences in lots of different ways...not just holidays. Not being well travelled isn't some.sort of character flaw!

Our family love it and we are going at February half term. I've paid £1400 for a two bedroom lodge though so you've got a great price! We go mainly for bring in the forest and the swimming.

There are many things to hate about Center Parcs. The lodges are pretty basic. The food options are really poor. Everything comes at an extra cost. The central bit is like a motorway service station.

BUT if you have a young kid and you need a break then its priceless. We put ours into the crèche / classes and got two amazing mornings to ourselves. The spa is actually one of the things that lives up to the hype (yes it's silly expensive but worth it).
Our kids like clubs etc so were keen to go. Not the same for everyone.

I reccomens doing a big shop before you go. Treat yourself and buy nice stuff and self cater with style. That way you save some money.

Forest holiday is an alternative. Better cabins and less people

Lol at CPs being a "beauty spot" 😂

I imagine for most people it is a short break rather than their main Holiday. It is such a easy holiday and I love it for that. We also go abroad and to different places in the UK too.

warmcatsofa · Yesterday 21:14
I've always seen CP as a holiday for people who can't be arsed to travel outside this little island. It's not a cost issue because it's not even that cheap. With a little bit of effort you could take your family somewhere new.
Travelling to new places is essential. Otherwise you only ever expose yourself to similar people, how very boring.

I disagree, CP is a nice little extra break for many people in addition to travelling to new places.

Definitely not

You do realise that not all children are the same , neither of mine would ever have been happy with the local council pool . It’s a bit like saying Disney is a waste of money because your child would be just as happy down the local park .Maybe your children would , numerous others wouldn’t , including mine

You have a council pool? Swank.

@RoastLambs can you explain what your post actually means because it makes no sense to me at all .

It’s worth it, but only outside school holidays. My kids really enjoyed it plus we could take the dog. Haven’t been for ages but teen dd has asked to go for her birthday weekend so am about to book.

Things to know:

Do a food shop before you go.
Get the logs delivered - especially if going in winter - the fireplace is lovely to have if you don’t have one at home.
Go to the pool at lunchtime or between 5 & 7 pm - everyone is at dinner then so it’s quiet.
If it’s a CP with the pancake house, don’t bother, the queues are ridiculous and the pancakes exceedingly ordinary.
I felt a bit out of place as a single parent - but not enough to stop me going again.
Take scooters for younger kids who can’t ride or aren’t confident on bikes.

Going against the grain, but my kids love it. They are 4 and 6 and love a CP break. They talk about it fondly throughout the year.

It's not just swimming which is free but the play parks too. We haven't been to Cumbria but the other sites have superb parks!

I would def go for that price

Just don't bother eating out. The restaurants are generally just a bit rubbish! Cook something nice in the lodge or buy a cook dinner

The podcast Older & Wider had an episode on this recently - not sure which one, Judith and family went. I'm only telling what I can remember

It sounds expensive - booking not too much, but you then pay for EVERYTHING. Washing up liquid, dishwasher tablets, bike hire, the bus, schedule events , maybe even use of the swimming pool.

It may be worth it for you, but I'd look a bit deeper first.

Centre parcs pool is included in the price

The land train at Longleat is free and wrt dishwash tablets etc you just take stuff from home . Swimming is free and you can take your own bikes

That's hardly analogous. They are different things.

Children generally don't give a crap if the 30cm deep kiddies pool is at Centre Parcs or at the local pool...

If anyone in the family has allergies take your own food in the car, I found the on site shop and restaurants had very little allergy friendly stuff