We see you Center Parcs

[Doyoumind]

Due to go to Center Parcs later this summer.

Following today's announcements, they've said they will keep the restricted swimming slots. So where you used to pay a lot for a holiday but at least had free use of the pool whenever you wanted, you now get only 2 x 2 hour slots over 5 days/4 nights. They say customers like it.

I'm not convinced ending all restrictions now is right but clearly if people have limited time swimming, they will be paying for expensive alternative activities and CP will be making money from it. They know people are so desperate for a holiday they are unlikely to cancel.

I know they are a business and want to make money but they can't just carry on with 4 hours of swimming when people have paid so much and not expect a backlash.

We got back on Friday from a 5 day cp break. Absolutely loved the 2 hour slots. So much quieter, less noise, more ability to sit down and it was so clean. I've always hated the cp swimming previously as it just felt like an ordeal of loud noise, crowds and hair on the floor.

I am pleased they are keeping the slots. Much better. We had a fantastic week

@gardeninggirl68

I'm not surprised by this. I have friends who work there

Other activities are now filling up quickly too

They have to recoup lost revenue somehow ... people will, and are paying

Yes - because what else are you going to do? Pay £££ or sit and do nothing? We won’t be holidaying there in the future if this continues.

Slots work for little kids, but they soon grow up.

My teens could spend the day there (and still spend money on activities and eating out when not in the pool).

The thing is, if you go looking for holidays with CP at the moment they are clearly rammed, so they have enough people willing to put up with restrictions and so they have no reason to say reduce prices to reflect that there is less stuff available.

You just have to decide whether you personally are willing to to put up with it but accept that there are plenty of people who are.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

See what I’m hearing is “with these slots, there will no longer be unaccompanied teenagers all over the place” which doesn’t sound bad to me!

Believe me, your little children will become teens one day.

How dare they have fun on holiday.

The comments don’t seem to match the voting wonder how many are genuine.

@Duggeehugs82

Im gutted and means we probably wont go back, my daughter has autism and sleeps very little we know if we take her swimming for most of day she will sleep which is a holiday for us, 2 2 hour slots just isnt enough and we cannot book another activities even if we wanted to as she is unable to do them , im gutted

Yes, me too. I used CP a few times when kids small. I booked in the cheapest dates and once got a long weekend for £160 (back in 2007...)

My kids are teens now and I can't afford CP during term time.
But its a huge rip off and they WILL keep the slots anyway to try to force people to spend more money elsewhere.

@Carameljack

I bet they take advantage of the end of restrictions to book more lodges though! Funny how the soft play which is free is still closed for our safety 🤔 Once they book all the lodges out each slot will be heaving. So you’ve the worst of both worlds- can’t turn up when you like but the pool will still be busy.

Yes. People are forgetting that currently the limited swimming slot also comes with limited numbers who are able to book.

Got a vomiting bug from the pool at Centre Parcs. Happy to say that was the first and only time I set foot in a Centre Parcs. Grim!

I won’t be booking until the swimming goes back to being unlimited. It just isn’t worth the price for me. It’s ultimately why we book center parcs, just because we love the pool so much!
We don’t want to be resisted to a set time and only once or twice on a break, we don’t do many of the other pricey activities (one or two) so I’m not paying £500+ literally for just the cabin and no extras (the swimming) included.
Obviously just greedy of center parcs but I do think it will be a mistake in the long run if they don’t bring it back.
Butlins have announced that from the 19th swimming will become unlimited again and I’m so happy about that as we have a short break booked in September.

We are just back from a weekend CP visit. We went for weekend over mid-week because you get the same number of swims.

But there is some really, really odd social distancing rules in the pool. E.g. There is a totally anon-socially distanced queue for the rapids inside the building but then when you are told by a lifeguard that you can enter the pool bit before, you have to socially distance by following the lifeguards instructions. So the people that you were stood right next to for 10 mins+ are now some distance away from you.

You can queue right next to strangers for up to 30 mins for the Cyclone and other slides but yet, you can't grab a quick shower either before or after your swim. But you can get a shower in the spa.

In the spa, you can sit next to strangers in a steamy room or lounge but when you get a shower, every other cubicle is closed.

It's very random.

Still, we had a great time and we were glad to get away. Just hope the teenagers (and us although we are double jabbed) haven't picked up covid.

I haven't been and I won't bother if swimming stays restricted. It's not so much the time slots I object to as the number of slots. I would like a swim every day. Having browsed their activities, there aren't many I fancy or could pay big bucks for to fill up my time there. So swimming it is.

We won't be bothering going back atm.

Been at least once per year for the last decade and it's starting to feel a rip off.

Centre Parcs is just overpriced Butlins, it's the Boden of holidays.

We paid £1200 for a week at Butlins for six people, that was half board premium dining and the highest spec accommodation. The DC loved it. Pool including flumes, free. Fairground, free. Softplay, free. Shows, free. Play areas, free. Activities, free or else very low cost (the maximum we paid was £10 per person for the high ropes and climbing walls and that was the most expensive activity).

They seem to be forgetting that the unlimited swimming is not free.

It’s paid for in the booking cost. The booking costs are not any less now that the swimming is limited.

Yanbu and we would have booked for next year but will not until they return to normal.

We went this year with restricted swimming and didnt like it. It was too limiting and our young children were disappointed.

They will want to do it because it encourages people to book add on activities instead, at extra cost.

I envisage lots of parents having a less than ideal holiday with children getting upset they can't go swimming. It won't leave people feeling positive about their experience.

It might have been working well up till now, but we've got the main holidays coming up, with older children around who will expect to be able to swim at least once a day.

I agree that the deal is you are paying for swimming in the extortionate accommodation costs.

It's annoying when things gey away with being expensive because people will pay! If its unacceptable people should vote with their feet and not book it, but they still will. I can't afford center parcs anyway. Its annoying for us less well off people that so many things are just too expensive:(

you now get only 2 x 2 hour slots over 5 days/4 nights. They say customers like it.

I don’t like it at all. Who would like limiting swimming that was previously unlimited and included in the vastly expensive entrance price? Won’t go again if you can only swim twice.

Suspect this has been driven by private equity investors who don’t understand the customer base.

Will look into Butlins, thanks.

When we’ve been we swam twice a day most days - I would be ok with once a day, but not twice per stay! Might as well just get a nice cottage somewhere else

Can people post links/recommendations to other resorts or attractions that have swimming pools similar to CP, in terms of theming, rapids, water rides, indoor/outdoor etc?

I can recommend the splash landings resort at Alton Towers. It’s smaller than the subtropical swimming complex at CP Elveden but has a good mix of water rides (outdoor flumes typically have no/minimal queues), outdoor and indoor pools and good theming.

We did try Butlins Skegness about 8 years ago but were very disappointed and left early after just 2 nights

It’s per booking as well, not per chalet. So, when we go, we would have to find two slots for a family of teens, a family of toddlers (and baby) and grandparents.

As you can see, it’s nigh on impossible. One family chooses one slot and the other family the other slot. Grandparents opt out of having a choice.

That’s one slot per week of choice.

@GreatBigBird

It’s per booking as well, not per chalet. So, when we go, we would have to find two slots for a family of teens, a family of toddlers (and baby) and grandparents.

As you can see, it’s nigh on impossible. One family chooses one slot and the other family the other slot. Grandparents opt out of having a choice.

That’s one slot per week of choice.

And everyone has to go in that slot, or lose out.