To have genuinely thought Center Parcs was enclosed in a giant bubble?

[steps2change]

I am at a stage in my life where Center Parcs may be just the thing. But I had this idea that it was all under a giant (and yes it would have to be bloody ginormous) bubble, a la Eden Project.

I do not mean "metaphorical bubble of getting away from it all".

Was there some kind of advertising at some point that gave me this idea? DP thinks I'm barmy.

[Pointlessfan]

I thought so too for years, my mum still takes the piss. I blame the ad about being the holiday the weather can't spoil, very misleading to an impressionable young mind. So glad it's not just me!

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

Is it really, really not all under a dome?

[Pointlessfan]

Really not. The swimming pool was when I went but not the entire forest, I was gutted!
A few weeks ago I texted my mum to ask her who somebody was on tv (I'm rubbish with famous people) and I got the response, "she lives in a giant bubble in Sherwood Forest". DH found this so hilarious it has become his amusing answer to any question I ask him!

[Cutiecat]

I am so shocked by this revelation. As children my brother and I imagined a whole world of excitement under a massive bubble. I am going to have to call him tomorrow and break it to him gently.

A whole generation was lied to by these people. :o

[alltoomuchrightnow]

wow i had no idea . I thought it was the place where it would rain and you wouldn't get wet. Very Truman Show. Gutted in an odd way!

[FreudiansSlipper]

I thought it was how they kept everyone in from escaping

[Pipbin]

Watching the advert again it does kind of look like the whole thing is under a bubble but honestly, look at the stuff they are doing, then look at the size of the bubble. Would there really be space for water skiing?

I was always wary of a company that can't spell either of the word in its names.

[KenAdams]

This thread is hilarious.

[RaisingSteam]

I'm amazed nobody has mentioned The Hunger Games - trees, dome, lake, desperate people it's all there.

[NadiaWadia]

I thought it was all under a dome as well, and don't even have the excuse of having been young when those adverts were out. Yup those adverts must have been misleading -it can't be we are all thick- oh no. I always thought that was why it was so ridiculously expensive (never been).

But thinking about it now, how would the trees and grass grow with no rain getting through the dome?

[Fletchermoss]

I'm reading a book called Deaf Sentence by David Lodge. He describes Center Parcs brilliantly in Chap 15 or 16 except in his book it is called "Gladeworld". I'd advise you to read it before you book.

[PetulaGordino]

why do people not like center parcs? i haven't been for many years (since i was a child) and i always enjoyed it when i was little. has it changed in recent years, or is it as i suggested upthread, that there are more similar options that are better/cheaper these days?

[Hoppinggreen]

When they were building the channel tunnel I thought it would be a concrete tube sitting on the seabed with windows so you could see the fish!!
I'm usually quite intelligent, honest!!

[BertieBotts]

No the "holiday that can't be spoiled" is just because their holiday park is so totally and utterly amazing that you won't mind if it rains.

I always thought it was the same thing as Butlins with more forests.

[LauraChant]

I also thought this for some time, so I am including myself in this, but guys, if the technology existed to enclose a forest in a climate controlled bubble, in the 80s even, wouldn't we all be living in bubbled estates by now? Or even on the moon?

[BertieBotts]

I suppose these days it's just as cheap to go abroad isn't it? If it is I'm surprised these kinds of places survive TBH.

[BertieBotts]

Well no Laura because they found out in 2002 when one of them burnt down that it was a lethal death trap, luckily everyone got out though.

[PetulaGordino]

the channel tunnel seeing the fish thing is lovely. i imagine the sea bed of the english channel to be pretty grim, all murky and silty

[MrsToddsShortcut]

For anyone not getting the robot duck reference, WestWorld was an absolutely brilliant horror/sci fi movie from the early 70's. It was about a luxury holiday resort in the US, where you could indulge every whim, except, it was entirely staffed by robots who were indistinguishable from real people except for their hands.

All the animals and wildlife were robots too. Underneath the resort were a series of underground labs where lots of men in white coats programmed everything.

Of course it all goes horribly hideously wrong when Yul Brynner malfunctions and goes on a crazed robotic killing spree, followed by all the other robots...

Could CP be a secret enclave of robots, possibly ready to malfunction at any moment with disastrous results?

Do you really think all those fluffy bunnies, cute ickle ducks and cuddly squirrels galumph onto your decking each morning because they're being friendly?

I think on balance, the Dome may be the least of your problems...

Mwahahahahaha!

[LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett]

Fair point Laura

[sisterofmercy]

I also thought it was under a dome to be weatherproof until fairly recently.

Even the Centre Parcs twitter acccount has just tweeted to mumsnet's account that the person behind the tweet also thought it was under a dome too.

[whatsthatcomingoverthehill]

Do you all realise how absolutely enormous a dome over the whole resort would be? It would be the biggest building in the world. The structural engineering involved would be immense, let alone all the climate control required.

Just to give an idea - the domes at the Eden Project cover about 5.5 acres, whereas the Sherwood centre parcs is 400 acres.

[VivaLeBeaver]

What? The person running the CP twitter account who I presume works for CP also thought it was under a dome?

[LauraChant]

But BertieBotts I don't think that was the bubble everyone is imagining that covers the whole centre. forest, chalet and all - that was some of the restaurants and the swimming pool. It was like the Millennium Dome, I imagine, but glass.

[PetulaGordino]

i would assume they meant before (well before) they actually started working for CP

can you imagine the job interview?!