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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Having to precooked pool sessions on holiday

30 replies

Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:17

Ok so we are a large family of 5 Who has booked a stay and play Haven break for 3 weeks time.
We have only been able to prebook 2 sessions for the whole holiday as each booking is allowed 14 sessions.
AIBU to think the number of sessions should be bases on per person not per booking as a family of 3 can book 4 sessions but we can book only two.
Or should we just suck it up?

OP posts:
Original poster
Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:18

Fgs autocorrect. Prebook!

OP posts:
Sirzy · 22/07/2022 08:19

But the price is the same whether there are 4 or 5 of you in the van isn’t it? So you could argue it is unfair the other way to give extra based on per person

HamSandwichKiller · 22/07/2022 08:20

When we went in May some session tickets were held back and the 6pm session was just for whoever turned up and couldn't be booked in advance. If I were you I'd give them a call and see if there's some flexibility in your specific site

CourtneeLuv · 22/07/2022 08:30

Can you explain further? Your op says you can book 14 sessions, so what's the problem?

Original poster
Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:30

Yeah. I think maybe we will just have to go at 6PM. Annoying though.

OP posts:
Original poster
Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:31

14 sessions per holiday booking so as a family of 5 we can all go twice per holiday.

OP posts:
Original poster
Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:32

1 person = 1 booking.

OP posts:
greenbirdsong · 22/07/2022 08:33

I went to haven in June and the pre booking was really annoying.
We struggled to get slots then when we did get in there was barely anyone in the pool then we got kicked out after 50 mins even though no one waiting to come in the next slot!
Which meant upset kids.

On holiday I like to be spontaneous but with that you have to plan your day around the time you managed to get a swimming slot!

TibetanTerrah · 22/07/2022 08:34

@CourtneeLuv I think each person takes up one session, so presumably they could book one more if one parent didn't go as they have four sessions left, which isn't ideal with three kids depending on their ages.

PuttingDownRoots · 22/07/2022 08:35

How long a holiday?

2 swimming session in a weekend is different to 2 in a week

Onebabyandamadcat · 22/07/2022 08:44

I'm just back from a haven break and agree the 14 slots per booking regardless of the amount on the booking seemed a bit random - surely it should be an allocated number of slots per person?

That said, you can book as many as you want when you're on the park. The day after we arrived I went down and managed to book a slot for us all every day and I had a wide choice of slots, maybe do this?

CottonPyjamas · 22/07/2022 08:49

I was in two minds about this. I went to a Haven park earlier this month as a family of five. We were there ten days and also only got 14 swim slots. On one hand, I could say the swim slot is given per caravan rather than per person. However, my parents-in-law booked a caravan for three nights at the same park and also had 14 swim slots. It needs to be at least proportional to the length of the holiday

orbitalcrisis · 22/07/2022 08:55

I've never been back to a haven since booking one through sunholidays and paying a peak supplement then when we got there everything was closed as it was off peak!

Happyhibiscus · 22/07/2022 09:06

It’s about time they stopped this ridiculous pre- booking system for such activities. Never needed it before( covid)and don’t need it now.

alrightfella · 22/07/2022 09:06

So two people going on a three day break can book 7 sessions and 5 people going on a weeks break can book 2?

I'd be complaining....

Can you at least try booking a 3rd session for just four of you and turn up as a five?

GlisteningGoldGrasses · 22/07/2022 09:07

It is quite random. Shame unused slots can't be passed on too. We are going to Haven next week and as there are four of us we'll only use 12 out of the 14 slots as we won't take one child without the other. It's just for the advance slots though so you can book whenever you want once you arrive, and where we are going you don't need to book the outside pool or splash area.

Sirzy · 22/07/2022 09:09

The amount of slots should be based on the length of the stay. The amount of people staying in the van shouldn’t come into it as you pay the same for 2 or 8 in a van.

Nc830 · 22/07/2022 09:20

We went to butlins last month and you didn’t have to book, could go anytime and as many times as you want. Strange haven still have a pre booking system!

Soubriquet · 22/07/2022 09:22

That’s stupid.

It should either be per booking, no matter how many are in the party, or no booking at all.

Like a PP said, butlins never books. You just literally turn up and walk right in

Icanstillrecallourlastsummer · 22/07/2022 09:25

DO you all have to go each time? If you did one all of your and then 2 with only one parent you'd get in 3.

I can see why it's annoying, but it's not fundamentally unfair.

Mariposista · 22/07/2022 09:55

IMO you should not have to book at all. Going for a swim on holiday is a spontaneous decision. If the pool has a certain capacity due to lifeguard:swimmer ratio (understandable) you should be able to just go and wait until there is room. I would be going somewhere else - don’t like to have every minute of my holiday meticulously planned.

Fayekrista · 22/07/2022 09:57

I went to a haven site just a week ago.... heads up! If you intend to eat on site book that too!
We didn't realise & once there (mon-fri) we couldn't book a single meal! Breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Funnily enough the restaurants were always half full, plenty of tables free. People booked & just didn't show up but staff still refused us!
The whole booking system for everything is flawed.

Original poster
Holidafun · 22/07/2022 16:51

The fact that you get 14 sessions for a 3 night break makes it more ridiculous. Also it doesn't really follow per van as a smaller group would pay less as they probably would have a smaller van.

OP posts:
Soubriquet · 22/07/2022 16:52

Fayekrista · 22/07/2022 09:57

I went to a haven site just a week ago.... heads up! If you intend to eat on site book that too!
We didn't realise & once there (mon-fri) we couldn't book a single meal! Breakfast, lunch or dinner!
Funnily enough the restaurants were always half full, plenty of tables free. People booked & just didn't show up but staff still refused us!
The whole booking system for everything is flawed.

Jesus that’s even worse!!

CourtneeLuv · 22/07/2022 16:56

Holidafun · 22/07/2022 08:31

14 sessions per holiday booking so as a family of 5 we can all go twice per holiday.

😲 That's quite ridiculous, yeah, yanbu!