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.

Never ventured inside a Center Parks but I think they are keeping the swimming slots and have stopped all the housekeeping etc as they don't want covid spreading 🤷‍♀️. Center parks is a big employer in Penrith (and also the cause of traffic hold up and accidents) and we already have cases rising around here so its a good thing they are keeping everything restricted.

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.

^^
I have a teen! And the other one is 7 and a competent swimmer!

I want them to have fun on their hols. I question who it benefits for them to be standing in queues all day unsupervised- I suspect the parents who can just get rid of them and either sit on the side or not go to the pool at all.

I love the swimming pools myself and am a big kid who enjoys water slides - I’d rather than my kids - including the teen - and I got a lot of goes on the slide in shorter time and then enjoy the park.

all the holiday parks are the same, my son and daughter in law booked a mon-fri at haven, all the things they wanted to do had to be booked 3/4 weeks in advance, we played bingo twice - pre-booked had to leave and come back to stand in line for 8.30 - 10 entertainment, no real acts just one of the staff dressed as a monkey or one of the other mascots, then a quiz, children not allowed to run around, at 10 they just played music, no bar, had to download app and order and pay then drinks brought to you. i enjoyed spending time with my family as i have had a rough couple of months with my partner passing away and being diagnosed with cancer, just seeing my 2 year old grandson laughing on the swings was worth it.

Sorry that’s garbled but the assumption that I have little kids was so stupid.

In the summer I would probably be happy with 3 x 2 hour slots. But in the winter , I don't want to be wandering round in the freezing cold. We like to use the pool in the day and then come back for the lights and outdoor pool at night. Will be cancelling in December if this is still policy

@PlantingGreen

Never ventured inside a Center Parks but I think they are keeping the swimming slots and have stopped all the housekeeping etc as they don't want covid spreading 🤷‍♀️. Center parks is a big employer in Penrith (and also the cause of traffic hold up and accidents) and we already have cases rising around here so its a good thing they are keeping everything restricted.

They don't want covid spreading? So why are they booked to absolute capacity? Their business model is based on you being captive on site and generating as much revenue as possible for them. Everything except walking costs you money, unless you risk taking your own bikes and getting them stolen. The deal is that you get access to a swimming pool, slides etc. If you remove that, there's no justification for the high accommodation price you pay and it should be reduced. They are being opportunistic.

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

^^
I’m not sure if you’re talking about minehead or Skegness but Bognor is nothing like CP. it’s all concrete and none of the nature.

The Butlin’s BR pool is good, but the resort as a whole is a very different thing to CP.

I’ve always been mainly a Bluestone person, but have enjoyed CP this year (it’s much nearer to me).

@TheSockMonster

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

There's a newish indoor waterpark that also has a small spa in Scarborough on the Yorkshire coast, so obviously there's also the beach and all the usual seaside attractions.

Wide variation in accommodation in and around the town including a Premier Inn, Travelodge, nice new luxury apartment complex (The Sands), caravan parks, independent B&Bs, guest houses and caravan parks. North York Moors and Dalby Forest not so far away.

You have to pay every time you go in the waterpark and I don't know if there are family tickets or multi day entrances available to make it cheaper to go a few times like you would at Center Parcs but you'd certainly be able to have a holiday for considerably less than Center Parcs in the school holidays prices.

We will not be booking whilst there are ongoing restrictions to swimming - we typically swim twice a day, plus do at least 1 paid activity each day.
Good opportunity to go elsewhere (although my young teens will be sad - they love CPs)

We considered going this summer but the prices are extortionate and the pool is about the only thing kids will want to do daily. Giving it a miss for that very reason.

Shameful behaviour

Tory Britain

whoever asked about similar pools. Waterworld is fabulous, you could book a hotel and do a couple of days at WW.
(they even do food, so you stay all day.)
which is what i'll be doing with my CP refund if they don't open up the bloody pool.

Two 2hr swims for a three nighter might be enough for some. Some will almost certainly prefer it if it means a quiter pool and smaller queues. There's a chance we might book that but depends on the price.

2 swims for a four night stay doesn't seem enough, I doubt we'd book that unless it was stupidly cheap, which it won't be.

At the end of the day, the market, us consumers, will decide if this works or not. If enough people are willing to pay for their new style product they might well stick with it.

We love CP and go frequently. Personally I'm quite happy with the reduced slots as it's so much quieter in the pool, so yes, if I'd need asked, I would have said that would be happy for it to continue.

The pool isn't the be all and and end all for us though, we do some activities but mainly chill.

Current slot allocation is:
For 2 night stays sessions are limited to one per break
For 3 and 4 night stays sessions are limited to two per break
For 5 and 6 night stays sessions are limited to three per break
For 7 night stays sessions are limited to four per break

Been asked, not need.

We are currently at Center Parcs and I can confirm it is only 2 swimming slots for a Monday to Friday ☹️

I can’t swim this time as I have recently had surgery but we have 3 of our DS’s with us ranging from 18-30 who would definitely have spent several hours a day in the pool. We have been regularly since the 30 year old was a six month old baby, but truthfully if the swimming remains limited I don’t think we will return.

We booked this break last year and postponed it to this year in the hope that restrictions would have lifted, we couldn’t postpone to next year as youngest DS is unlikely to be able to come as he is starting officer training next month. I am very sad with all our family memories that this might be the last time. I really think greed is behind it.

I do think they should increase the number of slots though, which is a sort of compromise. A bit more crowded but not free for all rammed.

A lot of people really hate queues and overcrowding- but love swimming pools! It’s a nightmare always having to try to dodge about and try to work out when it will be quiet.

Thank you @BarbaraofSeville. I assume that’s Alpamare that you mean? I’d never heard of it and it looks great.

Thank you to @bobby6678 too for recommending Waterworld. I’d heard of it, but completely forgotten about it! It looks amazing.

So Center Parcs think about people's health, unlike the Prime Minister and Tory backbenchers. How pleasing to read.

My pleasure. Calypso cove is good too....we are huge leisure pool fans😂

@Ruddyknackered

We love CP and go frequently. Personally I'm quite happy with the reduced slots as it's so much quieter in the pool, so yes, if I'd need asked, I would have said that would be happy for it to continue.

The pool isn't the be all and and end all for us though, we do some activities but mainly chill.

Current slot allocation is:
For 2 night stays sessions are limited to one per break
For 3 and 4 night stays sessions are limited to two per break
For 5 and 6 night stays sessions are limited to three per break
For 7 night stays sessions are limited to four per break

They don't actually offer 2 night breaks, 5 night breaks, or 7 night breaks though. You can only book for arrival on a Friday or Monday and departure on a Friday or Monday. They've made up those other options to make it sound reasonable!

They may be bookable at that length over Christmas or something (though I don't think that's the case), but they aren't standard breaks.

I'm one of those that like it! Going with DH in October and we don't use the pool a lot, having a booked slot with fewer people to battle against is bliss. I appreciate those with kids go for that reason but sounds like some of you spend hours/days there. Do you not do anything else? Walks, bike rides, crazy golf? We did a treasure hunt and geocaching last time as well which was cheap and fills a few hours. I love swimming but I don't want to spend my entire break in the pool.

Really don't understand people who say it's crazy expensive, costing us about £600 for four nights, will probably do a couple of activities costing about £100 total, couple of games of pool, badminton is dirt cheap, pottery painting, a swimming session. But otherwise have lots of walks and bike rides and just chill out...all of this fills our four days easily!

Yes that's it @TheSockMonster

People are paying a lot more than £600 in school holidays, that's what people are calling expensive.

CP are dead to me. I knew it was wildly expensive at the time of booking, which I was willing to suck up because of the convenience of the location and the freedom of the bike trails etc.

I quickly realised how grasping their business model actually is. Ok, I knew that too but two things pushed me over the edge:

1. On a huge, huge site there was no patch of grass big enough for kids to play football on. Vile, cynical and deliberate policy to make parents pay by the hour to access a locked football pitch.

1. Charging 20p for the spin driers in the changing rooms. Honestly, that made me want to hulk out and rip the thing off the wall in rage. How grudging and unwelcoming are you willing to be, Center Parcs? If you were a person Dickens would be embarrassed to write about you.

Just keep building more and more chalets in the safe knowledge that families who can't or don't want to travel abroad will always come. Well I won't, you penny pinching rip off merchants.