To think nipping to Tesco at center parcs is no biggie?

[GreatBrickMoose]

four adults /2 cars going to center parcs in a few weeks. Original plan is for us to get their early and go swimming etc then at checkin time, one car goes to lodge with children and luggage and second car goes to Tesco to get click and collect.

my partner thinks this is a bad idea and that getting out and then back in to center parcs on day 1 will be stressful and chaotic.

my sister has tried to mitigate this by booking early checkin but he’s unconvinced.

the alternative suggestions are one car arrives later and comes straight from Tesco (so miss morning fun) or we go to Tesco very early and have food in car for a few hours (sister is worried about food spoiling with this option).

wwyd? I’ve not been to centerparcs before so not sure how chaotic day 1 is. He has but not for a long time. . is it really THAT busy outside of half term in winter?

yabu- he’s right you should rethink.
yanbu- tell him to shush.

CP check-in is virtually 1 way.....can be long queues to get in, and once checked in you will be able to get car out but may struggleto get back in.
You buy non-spoiling stuff before you get there then go to the shop onsite for any fresh stuff.

We’ve just got back from Woburn CP. We got there about 1.30 on the Monday (straight in no wait) parked up and had coffee/ice cream. Checked in to the lodge at 4pm and emptied the car. Adult left and collected the tesco click and collect by 4.30 - we had a 4-5pm slot.

Drove back to the lodge (again no wait) and had the car back in the main car park by 5pm! Was supper easy. We were going to do a late C&C but the last slot ended at 8pm which with the kids dinner and bed time didn’t work.

The on site shop is good but for baby and toddler stuff (16m and 3yrs) it would have been a fortune to get everything we needed!!!

I had a small car my first visit so went shopping locally and had it on our laps

Now bigger car I took it with us, at least heavy stuff. The shop.on site is pretty good imo.

And no I wouldn't queue to get in again

Food spoiling in February in a car or ice box 🤣 fucking hell. Just get it before you go in and chill out ffs

Your family are packing all sorts of neuroses. Centerparcs is not going to be so crazy at this time of year. Food isn’t going to go bad from a few hours in a cold car. I hope you manage to have a relaxing time!

It will be fine to go out and come back in. You are all worries over nothing. With early check in it will be even easier. Just go and collect it at the check in time.

we have been to Center Parcs countless times and just take the shopping with us. We’re always there at 10 and and the unpack when we can get into the lodge at 4 (in your case earlier). It’ll be a real pain getting back in and out again. I would not be going to do a click and collect once I’m there.
plus Parc Market (though a bit pricey) has everything you need if you haven’t brought it with you

Only on check in can your car go to the chalet to unload. The rest of the time it's parked away in the carpark. So you really don't want to be lugging shopping from a click and collect after you've unpacked etc.

What we do for Butlins is organise a click and collect on the way. It works well and gives us a toilet stop.

But they let you come in at 10am and you can’t drive to chalets until 4? So that would mean anyone who gets in early and goes for swim can’t drive to chalet which doesn’t make sense?

Fridges and freezers are pretty small btw!

I genuinely wouldn’t bother, maybe do to C&C on your way there with non perishables and just get other stuff at the shop on site. I don’t think it’s that expensive.

Queues to get in can be long, queues to get out can be long (imagine all the cleaning staff alone finishing throughout the day).

Take some groceries with you. Enough for a day or so or get Tesco to deliver. Not rocket science surely.

@GreatBrickMoose they are the rules unfortunately!

We arrived in a hired vehicle , and had to wait to get in with an impatient autistic child in the back having a meltdown. They still made us wait while they checked the the back seats to make sure we weren't smuggling in an extra person.

Thank you for all the advice. I also think that food will not spoil in a few hours but I’m not going to upset my sister by insisting on feeding her kids sausages that have been in car 6 hours even if we do put them in a cool box just to prove a point.

it’s funny as well how some posters are telling us click and collect would be a terrible idea and result in hour long queues whilst others are calling us neurotic for asking if there is a risk of queues.

I didn’t realise the on-site shop was decent so that’s helpful to know. We’ve decided to bring non fridge with us and we’ll just pick up bits from shop

thanks mumsnet :)

Sounds like Colditz.

We are just back from center parcs and we always get a food delivery the day we go or day before. I put the milk and meats in freezer and then pack in a freezer bag with all the cool bits. Everything is always fine when we then unpack at 4 and go into lodge. X

Lots of people seem to have missed the details that they are going in a few weeks, not now. I would take enough for night 1 in a cool box and then someone go shopping the next day.

Agree with this, if you hit 'check in time' it will be carnage trying to get out and back in

@Peanutsnanna we joked about this when we were finally in. It's certainly an acquired taste.

Just pop to the Tescos nearby in Flitwick before you go in, no sausages spoiling in the car for 6 hours then! Or Waitrose in Ampthill.

That sounds like a good compromise!
Last time I went to CP the on-site shop was well stocked and not much more expensive than supermarket prices, but you don't want to be lugging a full grocery shop back to your villa from there, and they may not have the exact brands/items you want - so bringing all the ambient stuff with you and just picking up things like meat from the Parc Market makes sense.

Tesco deliver to centreparcs direct to your lodge.

And the onsite shop is extortionate, be prepared to cry.

We’ve been to Woburn and the queue to get in only took about 15 minutes. I wouldn’t want to waste time going back out though. Like everyone else says it’s Feb just use some ice packs and cool boxes. People manage to keep their food cool in these camping in summer!