To wonder why on earth anyone goes to Center Parcs?!

[CakePigeon4]

I’ve had several friends who have been to various sites and raved about it, but to me it just looks like a slightly more upmarket Butlins?! It’s extortionately expensive, the chalets look like they’re furnished by Premier Inn, you have to pay for activities, you’re stuck on site eating at their overpriced restaurants... Am I missing something?!

And stop being supercilious over other people's likes and dislikes.
I really don't get the people judging their friends for going to CP?!

I totally agree. I’ve read through a lot of the responses, and the nicest ones are from people who are either happy to go to Centre Parcs, or not snobby about people who do!

A lot of people loving feeling superior because they are far too intelligent / aesthetic / independent to do CP. Wtf?! Grow up people.

Although if it keeps the unbearable snobs out of CP, then that’s all good.

And so judging by your replies OP I think you are missing something...
...unpretentiousness

*Is it a tiny bit pikey?

Will someone tell me?*

More Boden than Primark

its a funny old place but the kids love it. We’ve been twice with preschoolers who have had such an amazing time in the pools and just pootling around. It’s totally different to a cottage holiday (we do those too) because you are kind of captive, but we have great fun in the rapids and on the slides. It’s more affordable in the winter and on an inset weekend. Even more affordable before school age

I honestly felt like I was walking through a fake forest to the village square ... then when we got to the village square it was the equivalent of a service station ( service stations probably better )- an over priced clothing store very small heavy with security , overpriced toy story , a burger restaurant where they taste boiled like at a fair, an over priced co op , cafe rouge and a Bella italia . Oh and a Starbucks which was the only decent place. It was awful never again! Lodge like a bedsit expected baby to sleep in kitchen even though they told me there would be room in our bedroom for the cot they provided ( it didn't fit ) he is 3 months and I told them he needed to be with us . Then wouldn't let us leave earlier we had to have a mini bus pick all our luggage up while we walked with the baby 😂😂 following it

The Whinfell Forest one is the most disability friendly place I know. Jam packed with adapted bikes. Pool with proper disabled bathroom including hoists. Lots of disabled people children and adults with their parents about. It just feels great to be catered to like that.

I’m not judging my friends for going, although they do also like to camp and enjoy going on walking holidays . I just didn’t understand why they were getting super excited about the new one and how “posh” it was. I thought they were all generic 🤷‍♀️ I feel the same about buttons/havens/eurocamp etc For that money I can go abroad instead.

It sounds like that old TV series ‘The Prisoner’. I would half expect the big balloon thing to appear and chase anyone trying to escape.

Middle class wankery.

Just popping back to agree with the post from lasttime.

One of our friends uses a wheelchair and loves CP because it is so disability friendly.

They have adapted villas and the vast majority of the parc is accessible.

Even if she can't do some activities there's usually a vantage point where she can watch her children having fun (which is rarer than some people might imagine) and simply knowing she can take her kids somewhere on the site without needing her DH to help her gives her a freedom she sadly doesn't get in many other places.

Her only gripe is that the adapted villas are limited so they tend to need to book quite well in advance.

Middle class wankery

Stay away then and enjoy getting into a fight at you council estate pub that shows sky sports and smoking in the car with your kids in and shouting at people in the supermarket.

For the cost of 4 nights in August last year, we have had a whole week in a luxury holiday house in Suffolk. We have driven around seeing the sights which have not cost us loads - free beach, free parks, paid for a couple of things like a peddle boat. Taken picnics everywhere and self catered all but one meal. When we did centre parks the activities all cost a fortune so we didn’t do many, we couldn’t get off site - well you can but have to adhere to certain times which didn’t suit us. Yes the pool was free but we only got in that once. We paid cycle hire for us all which the kids loved but was an expense I could do without. It also meant we needed a mobility scooter hired too so the elderly relative could keep up.

It’s not really comparable to haven or butlins. Most of their activities for kids are free and they have their mini disco. Center parks had no evening entertainment that suited us.

@RingtheBells have you been to Portmeirion? CP and there are worlds apart, so why are you comparing?

We went once. It felt like being in a kind of middle class open prison. I particularly remember going for a cycle ride and reaching the perimeter fence.

The food was expensive as were the activities. I'm into mountain walking and wild places so actually hated it.

However our kids did enjoy it and we went as a big family group so it was fun for them.

Of course I have been to Portmeirion

So how can you compare both sites?

I’ve booked to take my dd next Easter half term, Monday to Friday for £470 I thought that was reasonable for centre parcs and it being half term.
I can’t afford thousands on holidays abroad and am a bit nervous to travel on my own with dd so for us it’s perfect. Each to their own.

@Supermum29 which park is that and which dates please?

middle class open prison

Yes!!

Whatever you think here, nearly 10.5k people have rated the Whinfell one an average of 4/5 on Trip Advisor. It can’t be that bad.

It's just such an odd mentality:

"Why would you want to go to Center Parcs?"

"We like it, suits us right now"

"No, you're wrong, let me explain all the reasons why Center Parcs is shit and you're an idiot for not realising it. I would never go there"

I honestly can't say I give a seconds thought to where other people are going on holiday. I've never had a burning desire to go to Disneyland for example but I can understand why others might and would never dream of explaining to them all the reasons why I wouldn't go there! It's just a really odd thing to do!

Each to their own sugar.

My mother booked us all in so she could spend time with the grandchildren. The lodge was grim. The wardrobes STANK of sweaty shoes
My husband is an engineer and immediately took his screwdriver to the heating controls. Otherwise we wouldn't have been able to dry all the towels and swimming things - there wasn't a dryer.
I was shocked at the cost of extras. They even charged 20p for the spin dryer thing for swimsuits at the pool. Ok 20p is the least of the cost of the added extras but somehow it was the most shocking - I've never had to pay to use one before.
And dh and Mum's dh spent most of the time moaning about people in rangerovers who thought the no cars rule didn't apply to them and kept driving around when it was meant to be no cars.

The children loved the pool.

@Sunshinegirl82 EXACTLY!! Why do people feel the need to panic that not everyone likes what they like... It's actually childish.