Center parks with a 2 year old… worth it?!

[Yallll]

Have heard mixed things… we are looking at the Sherwood Forest one.

Depends on your 2 year old. We’ve just got back from Elveden and it was well worth it but then DS is such a little water baby that access to the pool made it completely worthwhile. We didn’t book many activities but he did the mini trek and loved that.

We loved it when the kids were under school age. The pool and walks are all we needed and they were too young to nag for any of the paid for activities. Not been since they started school as it's too expensive in the holidays.

If you can go midweek out of season then yes.

It is nice to have a place set up for kids and access. Not been to Sherwood but mine loved it when little.

But it depends how much it is a stretch of your budget. You don't have to pay for any extras when there but if you want to, food and activities are pretty pricey (though probably depends on your perspective and how much you usually spend eating out etc).

At two, Butlins or Haven will also be great fun for your child and better value but Center Parcs is nicer for adults.

If CP is a reasonable drive, we tend to book a cheap premier inn the night before and get there early so we can enjoy the pool on Monday afternoon as well. You can't get in your lodge till 4pm but you can do he check in and use facilities from much earlier and it avoids queuing.

Definitely, CP is fab. We used to go every year when the kids were young. Now we have 3, all in school, it's not affordable any more.

At that age you shouldn't even need to book any activities as the pool and park should keep them occupied.

Yes, however the one thing I would warn you is that the cleaning standards at centre parcs are very poor, so be prepared to clean the lodge and all kitchen bits yourself when you arrive. The pool, changing rooms etc however are appropriately cleaned.

My DC loved our Center Parcs holidays when they were toddlers.

Out of term time eg in January or March when it’s cheap yeah I’d say so. We went twice when our kids were very small.

otherwise no

Depends where you live - we went and I just thought, I’d could have stayed home sleeping in my lovely comfortable bed with everything I need around me, and do day trips to all these activities that centerparcs offers. We live close to everything.

European centerparcs on the other hand is far better value, less crowded, and overall nicer and more chill and more fun IMO.

I’d wait a year or so, but definitely go out of school holiday time!

Loved center parks outside the school holidays when ours were little. We’d usually swim at least once a day, then either do a little walk or take turns to do an adult activity in the afternoon, or put DC in the crèche and have a nap! My only reservation would be if your DC doesn’t like swimming or if you only plan on going once- in which case I’d leave it until your DC is 3/4 (just before they start school).

IMO it’s much nicer than Butlins and Haven and I enjoyed not having cars/ living in the lodges with open fires etc.

Definitely worth it! Especially if you go midweek in the winter.
My kids have been going there since they were babies. There’s lots to do with toddlers and they’ll love the pool, adventure play areas, little boat trips, activities like meeting the owls or themed crafts.

We have loads of happy memories and now eldest DD goes with her DH and DD (1 yo).

We also have the memories of DD2 having a meltdown in Rajinda Prakash after too much of a long day, and DS running to the land train and face planting and ending up with a glued forehead in A&E but it couldn’t happen in a nicer place! 😂 Oh and there’s a fabulous post (I think in classics) about the CP rapids… definitely worth a read 😂

We had a lovely routine, one afternoon I’d book the crèche and my DH and I would have a few hours at the spa together. We’d feed the DC tea out in restaurants and then put them to bed and my DH and I would have a takeaway with the fire on. Or if it was warm weather we’d have a bbq.
During the day we’d go the play parks, book arts and crafts sessions, swimming, coffees, walks etc.
We often put some baked potatoes in the oven after breakfast and then go swimming and come back and eat them with lots of toppings, they always seemed to taste delicious. I have so many lovely memories.
It really was a holiday for all of us, we enjoyed our Haven holidays too and we went to a Butlins hotel once as well and that was fun.

We went to Sherwood a few times and loved it but we NEVER went during the school holidays. That would be certifiable insanity 😅

We took all our own food, never used any of the restaurants and only did some of the payable activities on one occasion when a relative gave us about £150 spending money. Otherwise the pool and park was adequate.

Yes, loved it with our 2 year old. He's now 3 and we're considering going again this year. We have been a lot in the past with family, but twice with our son so far. I would like to make the most of it before he starts school, as I'm not sure it will be worth paying more during school breaks!
With DS we enjoy: baby or toddler sensory classes, swimming, feeding the animals that come to the lodge, playing in the sand outside, the playgrounds.

Yes! It’s great as a zero fuss, relaxing holiday for you because you know the kids are going to be safe and happily occupied. I’ve done it with DC yearly aged 3 to 10 and he’s loved it.

I’ve not been to Sherwood but looks like it has loads of bits to do in the pool. Elveden is very tired and needs redecorating all over. Woburn is my happy place - pool is smaller but everywhere is clean and it’s quite new.

Btw the bits they do at Christmas are great with little ones - Santa visit, snowy village to wander through, singing reindeer, pony rides through the forest, new years light shows. Definitely worth it for a bit of magic at that time of year.

I took DD to CP as everyone says what a great place it is. I cannot tell you how much I hated it. Damp accommodation with black mould on the bedroom windows and a kitchen with a tiny fridge and barely any utensils. Not even enough chairs for our party to sit at the table to eat. You couldn’t drag me back.

The pool was rammed all the time, any paid for activities were ridiculously short and often early in the day so once done the whole day stretched ahead of you with only walks and bike rides to keep you entertained. As PP has said, I’d much rather stay at home and do day trips where activities aren’t done and dusted in 30 minutes and I can sleep in my own clean and warm bed. We have had much better and much better value holidays by doing day trips from home.

I loved at when DC were that age. You look at all the posts on here where it is clear that the world is completely hostile to young children and their mothers - can't do right in restaurants, expected to teleport from A to B without using planes, public transport, parent parking spaces, etc. Whereas CP is literally designed for you. It's like a sanctuary from the world.

@JustGotToKeepOnKeepingOn which one was this. I’ve been to Woburn, Sherwood, Elveden and Whinfell and the lodges have been immaculate in every one. Some more fancy than others but all completely spotless and well equipped, quiet and comfy. I think you got really unlucky. Also did you go in the school holidays or midweek in term time? I’ve seen the pool busy but never ridiculously so and if you time it well (over lunch/ late afternoon) you can miss any crowds. Plus I think they have some sessions just for toddlers don’t they?

Yes we find this with cleanliness, we have always had to clean everything on arrival. We only go as we join a friend and centre parcs is very good for disabled access, otherwise we wouldn’t go.

That’s weird, we had six dining chairs for our group of four and booked lots of fun activities for mid morning and mid afternoon.

Worth it. There’s also enough to do at that age that you don’t need to pay for any extras.

Absolutely.

The pool is included in the price and there’s also a park.

plenty of time and space to wander - can take a bike or similar and spend time feeding ducks at the pond.

I would imagine a 2yo would be shattered after a morning swim so you can put them in pushchair and when they sleep you can walk and have a coffee at one of the coffee shops.

Ig can be expensive if you want to add a load of activities but a 2yo won’t know or care they are happening so it’s possible to avoid them!

eating out is expensive but if you’re SC lodge or apartment you can avoid this too.

Woukd recommend treating g yourself to a pancake though😋

We sadly can't afford centre parks now, it's so expensive in school holidays.

But when mine were little, centre parks was cheaper, and we could go off peak, we went a lot!

It's lovely and I'm sure you'd all have a wonderful time, especially if your 2 year old likes swimming or would enjoy going for bike rides on the back of your bike. Personally I just loved the peace of the lodges and getting away.

If you can afford it, go for it.

This. We only ever went when our DC were pre-school age, from DD at 18 months to DD being 3 and DS being 1. Would have done another year had Covid not happened.

We did do a couple of the little toddler classes, but other than that, they had a lovely time with the walks, playground, animals, swimming and beach.

It was the perfect, inexpensive, easy first holiday for us to be honest.