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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Centre Parcs SN enquiry

20 replies

HattiesBackpack · 04/07/2016 17:13

Ok this is my first AIBU so please be gentle!

I emailed Centre Parcs Woburn asking when are the quieter periods during Oct-Nov as I want to book a mid week break and would prefer a 'quieter' week. (DS has ADHD) I even said just your best guess would be helpful- the response was essentially "we have an average 98% occupancy rate so i wouldn't be able to advise you the best time for you to book"

So- I don't know whether to pursue this or not- do you think the person I got a response from doesn't have booking information and it's worth trying further up the food chain or AIBU and it was a silly question?

OP posts:

PurpleDaisies · 04/07/2016 17:15

I'm a bit confused about what your AIBU is. Are you asking if the person on the phone should have been able to recommend a quiet week? It sounds like they were answering your question with "there is never a quiet week". Forgive me if I've misunderstood.

Sirzy · 04/07/2016 17:15

It sounds to me like they are saying they don't really have a quiet time.

FeelingSmurfy · 04/07/2016 17:16

That is true, but it seems quieter during school times because there are a lot of adults who are quieter and may spend more time in villa etc

OnionKnight · 04/07/2016 17:17

They are saying that they don't have a quiet time.

Nightstalker · 04/07/2016 17:17

Sounds like they don't have a "quit week" which isn't really that surprising

MrsHathaway · 04/07/2016 17:18

How unhelpful.

They do genuinely run at 95%+ all year round so there aren't quiet periods.

However, if you look at the prices you'll spot where half term falls (mostly w/c 24/10 but some 31/10). Avoiding those weeks in favour of a cheaper week would swerve the weeks that are most likely to be really heaving with children.

Lunar1 · 04/07/2016 17:19

I have been to centre parcs lots, not Woburn but they are fairly generic. They will be full most of the time. Go away from school holidays and there will be less children. Oct/Nov is good as its past the main wedding season where they do get hen/stag parties.

Have a look at the special weekends and avoid those, haloween/bonfire night and go before they start the Christmas winter wonderland. That will be your best bet for less children around.

flikflaktictac · 04/07/2016 17:20

I doubt they have a quiet week as such. Weeks around half term will be busier due to different schools holidays. The rest of the time is likely to be families with pre schoolers.

Frazzled2207 · 04/07/2016 17:22

We went in feb outside school hols it was full but It was adults and pre-schoolers unlike at half term when I would expect swarms of school aged kids.

nulgirl · 04/07/2016 17:23

The other posters are correct that Centreparcs is never quiet. You could look at the prices and pick the cheapest week. This would indicate that it might be marginally quieter than the other weeks.

I don't know how old your ds is but assuming that he is not yet school age then you'll probably find that you should avoid school half term weeks (normally end of October in England I think). Outside this time, it might be just as busy but with less bigger louder school kids.

We always go during Scottish school holidays to Whinfell and the place is full of Scottish families and shell-shocked English families with toddlers who were hoping for a sedate toddler-pace holiday.

Original poster

HattiesBackpack · 04/07/2016 17:23

Ahhh yes that makes sense, she was just saying they don't have any quiet weeks! Ok I will try and switch my brain back on I really didn't get that's what she meant!
We went in term time in March and it felt quiet I was hoping for another week like that one, but that's a good point about it feeling quiet but still being heavily booked.

Thanks everyone

OP posts:

blueskyinmarch · 04/07/2016 17:24

If they said the third week in November is looking quiet and then you booked it and when you got there there were loads of noisy, rambunctious families you would be cross. So they are basically telling you that they cannot guarantee a quiet week which seems fair enough to me.

CaptainCrunch · 04/07/2016 17:26

They're telling you the truth. My brother works for them and they have an astonishingly high occupancy rate, year round 98-100%. There is no "quiet time". Beats me how as I cannot stand the place.

The cheaper times are obviously term time on the Monday to Friday lets so if you were taking your DC out of school it would be cheaper but it wouldn't be "quieter". My brother says a lot of travelers book in at the cheaper times as school terms are less rigid for them.

Not very sure what your AIBU is either, you asked a question and were given a factual, accurate answer. There's nothing to "pursue".

CaptainCrunch · 04/07/2016 17:27

Sorry X Post, see that you've understood what was meant now. Hope you get somewhere nice sorted for you and your DC.

scarlets · 04/07/2016 17:31

When I was there several years ago it was fully booked but I found it quite tranquil and relaxing, with the exception of the pool and the pancake place, which were constantly busy.

NeedAScarfForMyGiraffe · 04/07/2016 17:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JustHappy3 · 04/07/2016 17:39

Ignore the 98% occupancy thing. There's a very different feel to peak times vs term time even tho there are the same no of people there.
In term time there are more preschoolers and toddlers there - who have naps and early tea times. So "busy" places like the pool and sports cafe are much quieter.
After that every thing needs booking so nothing is ever rammed.
The restaurants can get busy 5-7pm in either period.
Hope that helps

Original poster

HattiesBackpack · 04/07/2016 17:52

Thanks for replying everyone, all helpful stuff.
We've been authorised to take DS on a term time holiday (he has very severe ADHD and school think a holiday in the quiet time will be a massive benefit to him) so I think we will look at the cheap weeks and go from there.

Thanks for all the help

OP posts:

Vickyyyy · 04/07/2016 18:43

I would recommend a mon-friday break, weekends are usually really full with kids. Term time obviously.

We have only ever been during term time and its usually relatively quiet tbh. Pool can get quite busy 1-4 ish but go before or after that and its fine.

HostaFireandIce · 04/07/2016 19:04

I agree - it may be pretty much full all the time, but it is full with different types of people at different times. I've been for weekends at Woburn in January and mid-September and there were quite a lot of what looked like corporate groups, which meant that a lot of the kids' stuff was not too busy. When I went for a weekend in July, all the kids' stuff was a lot more crowded. I would have thought that any week well away from school holidays (I say well away because a lot of independent schools have longer holidays so the two weeks or so before school holidays are not necessarily the best) would be pretty quiet as far as kids go.

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