Surprise Trip to Center Parcs

[bumum]

Hi All,
So 2019 has been a bit of a rough year for me and my family. I was forced to stop working due to depression and anxiety issues about a year ago, and my poor hubby has been holding the fort on his salary alone. Slowly but surely we have crept into the red and are now a couple of thousand pounds in debt as his salary simply does not cover the basics. We are discussing the prospect of putting our house on the market as our mortgage is just a tad more than we can stretch to at the moment, in the hope of reducing our outgoings by going back to rental.
My family (parents and brother) are aware of our financial difficulties. We have cut back dramatically on our spending including not having a holiday over the past 18 months. My parents and brother are all financially very comfortable and I think they are a bit perplexed by our situation - they simply can't relate to it. Anyway, for Christmas they gave me a surprise gift which is 3 nights away at Center Parcs for us and our two boys. They hoped that a change of scene would help lift my mood and that the boys would enjoy the activities available. Well today, I've actually gone on the website to see what it is all about and have been really shocked to find out how expensive all the activities are! Nothing but the pool is included in what my family have booked for us. We simply can't afford to spend money on any of the activities apart from some bowls and maybe a bit of pottery painting. My 9 year old has already expressed an interest in doing archery or aerial assault courses but they cost £30 a person!! I'm now really panicking that this is going to be a horrific stay for us. We can't afford the activities or to eat out so it will just be a weekend of saying "no sorry" to the kids and the entire weekend at the pool, before we go back to our lodge to self cater. I'm also now wondering why on earth my family would have booked this for us, knowing how financially tight and careful we have had to be since I have stopped work. I'm feeling really upset about it now. I know this has come from a kind place, but I just feel like it's a bit thoughtless and callous of them. They would have no problem paying for countless activities for themselves if they went to such a place. I'm considering asking my mum if there is any way she can cancel the trip - I don't want them to lose out on a deposit, but also it would be pretty pointless paying for it all if we get no enjoyment from it. Am I being unreasonable? Is centre parcs actually totally fine if you don't do any additional activities? Will my boys even notice that they are missing out? Or will it be really great and I'm just making a mountain out of nothing? Any insight or advice into this would be really helpful.

I think some of this is your anxiety talking... but I do get where you are coming from. It’s very very tough when people don’t know the situation you’re in.

They have tried to do a nice thing... can you say you didn’t realise you have commitments you can’t wriggle out of and they can use your booking instead?

You will have a lovely time without booking extra activities. Take bikes with you. The pool area is brilliant and kids love it. You can take your own food into the pool area- lots of families do this.

My kids (7 and 12) love centerparcs and we never do any of the extra activities. They are really happy with the pool and playgrounds and playing in the villa. We don’t eat out either - don’t know if you could afford this but we tend to buy some nice ready meals and take them with us in a cool box so we’re not cooking but it’s a lot cheaper than eating out. I think you should go and not worry!

We never do any paid for activities when we go to Center Parcs. We are in the pool for hours and hours. We self cater too and sometimes take little pottery painting sets from home to do in the Lodge. The outdoor play parks are good and the kids don't know what activities are on offer really so mine haven't really asked for them but we are big swimmers.

Have a lovely time!

Eat in, use the pool, go for walks and do pottery painting. You will have an amazing time

We didn’t do any activities or have bikes and still had great time. Walks, pool, feeding birds and squirrels. Good kitchens in lodges so just take some easy meals.

We had a few holidays at Center Parcs when DC were younger and we didn't have lots of spare cash. There's lots to do that's free.
For a start, pool has wave machine, lazy river, etc so can easily spend half a day there.
Lots of walks, looking at wildlife. Whinfell has a little beach.
We would self cater (take what you need, on site shop expensive) and all lodges have a barbecue area outside and little patio area .
You don't need to spend a fortune on activities.
We always found it very relaxing and now my DC (late teens) ask to go back and talk about Center Parc hols above other much more expensive hols abroad .
I think it's a very kind gift.

DS would spend all day throwing himself down the rapids at Center Parcs if he could. We do some activities when we are there but not as many as we used to as they are now so expensive. The villas are pretty well equipped for self catering (but take sharp knives with you).

When are you going? Do your DC have birthdays any time near the trip, could they ask for birthday money for some activities from relatives?

@UnrelentingFruitScoffer.
Not very helpful. Assuming you've never suffered from anxiety or depression...presumably why OP's family trying to help?

What a lovely gift.

As others have said, we find that pool and walks/cycling in the woods is plenty. When we’ve been, we’ve packed food from home and eaten out once as a treat. You don’t need to spend anything more than usual.

I would tell them how much you appreciate the gesture and say you don't mean to sound greedy but you'd like to give the boys a chance to do the archery etc while there so could you borrow enough for a couple of activities each for them? You say they don't relate to your situation but they've clearly got some idea now to have bought you a surprise holiday - they just didn't think about the detail.

Agree with others that you can still have a great time at CP without spending a lot of money. DC love the pool, cycling around the park (or scooters) and then coming back to the lodge. Take food for self catering, snacks, water bottles etc.

Get a couple of logs so that you have a fire. Lots of places that you can stop and have a hot chocolate/coffee after a walk/bike ride. Things like bowling or table tennis aren't too expensive.

You can go and spend £££ or you can just go and enjoy a change of scenery, some outdoor stuff and not spend a lot.

Your boys won't notice either way.

You only have two full days. It will be fine.

We go quite often mon- fri and only ever book bowling as extra activities. We spend hours and I mean hours, at the pool. My kids aren’t so young so we normally go swimming at around 3.30pm, bring in food which we eat about 6 and then stay till it closes at 9. We eat our dinner at lunch time and then take sandwiches, wraps etc in for dinner. There are places to sit and eat and rest in the swimming.

During the day we go to the free soft plays, the indoor park or the outdoor park, play at the beach at the lake, go scooting, do scavenger hunts that I’ve printed at home, leave out animal feed at the patio doors and watch the wildlife, etc.

We take all our own food with us and only eat out the one day when we go bowling. The kitchens are great and full size with cooker, fridge, dishwasher etc. Only a freezer box but otherwise just perfect. We shop at Aldi and keep it easy with pizzas, curry, etc. No more expensive than eating at home really.

We don’t drink alcohol and staying out at the bars isnt really a thing for us so don’t spend anything doing that either. Once we finish swimming we head home and light the fire (get the packaged logs from b and m and take them with you instead of buying there) stick on a movie and chill.

4 days lounging by the pool (in a heated indoor area) with a good book sounds like exactly what you need! Don't worry about the extras, the pool area is really enough to entertain most kids and there are parks and stuff as well.

Mine used to love Center Parcs. We did do a lot of activities, but the main thing they remember is the pool and the playground. You’ll have a lovely time, and think of it this way - when you’re at home, you’re still not doing archery so what difference does it make?

Thank you so much for many of your replies! You have all really put my mind at rest which I really appreciate. Will look forward to the change of scene and enjoy all the pool/outdoors have to offer when we get there, and I'll certainly be sure to go prepared on the self catering front. To the person asking why I can't just get another job - I won't justify myself to you. I am only pleased that you have never experienced similar mental health issues to my own. Thank you so much the rest of you :)

I agree with PPs: centreparc holidays are great as they are. The activities and eating out that cost extra are not essential to have a good time.
Take lots of towels, extra swimming costumes if you have them (so you can take dry costumes every day), bikes/scooters, tennis rackets, basketball, football. Lots of snacks, back packs and water bottles. Make sure you book early for any of the no-cost bookable activities that might interest your kids. eg feeding animals.
Anytime the kids ask for extra cost activities, say that you won't have time to do the extras. There's lots of other things to see, explore etc, and we should go back to the pool while we have the chance. If you want to stretch to it, tell them they can pick one 'extra' activity each. And again if you want to stretch to it, do the activity as a family. Book the extra couple of activities so that they stretch over the holiday.
It's a lovely gift. Enjoy the build up, the time there, and the memories.

My sister (not short of money) used to go every year with her two. They spent every day in the pool, cycling (took bikes from home) and enjoying the wildlife. Always self catered, but they liked having a BBQ.

Ooh you’ll have a great time. Agree with all the advice so far, take all your own food and drink. Plan for some nice long walks and plenty of pool time.
Buy a couple of those smoke free logs for the wood burners in the cabins (not just Woburn right mners ?) - the ones that just need the paper lighting and you can have cosy evenings in.
That’s if it’s cold if it’s warmer when you go most cabins have a bbq in the back so you could take bits to make burgers etc.
We take jigsaws, board games and a laptop with hdmi cable to plug into the telly and watch a movie in the evening.
Badminton and table tennis is quite cheap and the pool tables are also.
As long as you make a food shopping list and get everything you need then I reckon you could comfortably set a very strict daily budget (I’m talking 20 quid) and stick to it without the worry of hidden costs.

We have been to Centerparcs several times and never book the activities, the pool and woods are plenty.

Also, I'm not sure when the holiday will be, or how old your DC are, but could you ask family to pay for them to do an activity, such as the archery you mention, for a birthday present if they have a birthday between now and the trip?

Do the boys birthdays coincide with when you can go? You could then ask the family to buy some of the experiences?

Thank you all for all the amazing advice. We have scooters so will definitely take them! My boys are 9 and 4, sadly their birthdays aren't until the summer and this trip has been booked for the start of the Feb half term. My birthday is a week later and my mum say something along the lines of buying an activity or two for the boys for my birthday present. I'd be happy to do that as I don't want anything present wise :)

You will have amazing time! We go at least twice a year, and have learnt how to do things savvy over the years. We rarely eat out at center parcs, as you usually need to book tables in advance, and with 2 young children we never know what time they're going to cope staying up until. We occasionally will have a late lunch meal out on one of the days (the chain restaurants usually have good lunch deals running until 5pm anyway!) but we take food from home, stock up the kitchen and self cater for the majority of our stay. (The Pancake House is a fantastic and cheaper option if you want one "treat meal" out.) We will occasionally book an activity or 2, but you really don't need to. Activities such as badminton, mini bowling, mini golf, etc, are so much cheaper than the archery type things, and nice if you've got a spare afternoon, but I'm guessing you're going Fri-Mon, and think you will find the pools, playgrounds, and just general walking plenty for that length of stay. Take some board games, family activities etc, some homemade or shop bought "takeway" meals such as pizza, Indian etc, bottle of wine for you and dh, hot choc and sweet treats for the kids, and you'll find after an evening of swimming, getting back to the lodge, and cosying up in front of the fire with the family is one of the best parts about being in center parcs. The lazy mornings, cooked breakfasts in your lodge, and strolls around the forest are what it's all about. You could go and spend a fortune, but you really don't need to. There's facebook groups set up solely there to give money saving cp tips and advice, join a couple so you can get the best out of your break. Honestly, I don't think you'll be disappointed, it's a really great family holiday, and doesn't need to cost anything if you do it right.