European Centerparcs - help please?

[katepol]

We have been to CP in Europe for the past two years. This year though our youngest child will be of an age where we will have to go for a 10 person villa rather than an 8 person one (we go with friends - we don't have 7 children ourselves lol!). This is bupming the cost up HUGELY - like about another 30% for the extra room.

So, has anyone seen any discount codes for Euro CP's, or been able to sweet talk CP round to letting us still have a 8 person willa but for 9 people? Any other ideas - I am just clutching at straws really

Have you looked if it's cheaper to have 2 villas next to each other. I know it doesn't seem likely but it might be.

They have told me before that they strictly don't allow extra number due to health and safety and fire regulations (insurance wise I guess) so doubt they'd allow an extra, unless any of the kids are in a cot and under 2. Our DS was over 2 but still in a cot but they still said they had to count him as a child not baby in cot.

You could always opt for a midweek rather than w/e. At certain times of the year during term time, it's way cheaper to go for a week than a weekend.

I did think about 2 villas, but it would make life tricky as we go as a group, and we would all be squeezing into one villa or the other all the time!

It just bugs me a bit. In Europe, you can have a 4 bed villa with 8 people plus one 2 yr old and that is ok. You can't have 8 people plus a 3 yr old (who can sleep on a blow up bed which takes less room than a cot), unless you pay about 600 Euros more for the exta bedroom. Seriously, the extra cost is really disproportionate!

It is partly because the discounts you can get from European Centerparcs kick in for 4 bed villas more often that for 5 ned ones, so not only is the original price higher, but you don't get the same discount either. Grr lol!

I have had same problem, 2 families 9 of us including 5 children. Have decided to go for midweek break with 2 cottages beside each other. Got young families 15% discount but it was tricky on the website to make sure it applied to both cottages.

This may sound daft, or I may have missed the point, but how would they know if you had 9 people in it?

Well PDT, in Europe, you gets passcards for the swim complex, so you would only get 8 cards for 9 of you if you only booked for 8...plus they do look in the cars as you go in, so might spot an extra one lol!

It is tempting to 'mistake' the dob of our youngest on the booking form, so that they look like they are 2 not 3 yrs old, but then they might check with the passport dob. Not sure I am brave enough to try and fiddle it tbh.

Just annoying really. So much more money for one extra room just because the child is a few months past their 3rd birthday.

When we went to Germany our DS (who was a small baby, I will admit) didn't have a pass and we just carried him into the pool area.

I can't remember whether they checked our passports or not.

It is madness, I think I would be tempted to try and fiddle the system!

PDT - where we went had turnstiles to the pool, which was ok to carry a baby/toddler through in our arms, but not so easy with a 3 yr old (who is very loud and apt to tell everyone how old he is as his birthday will have been quite recent). The turnstiles did break down a bit and require a member of staff to sort out, in which case our lack of pass might be noted (and I am not sure I could live with feeling like a fraud lol!).

Hmm, I can't remember of they do check passports, and even if they did, we could try innocence to an error with the dob, but I just don't know if I have the gall to carry it off....could they chuck us out? I bet there wouldn't be a bigger villa for us to change to (and pay for), so they might just say we had breeched the T&C's and show us our cards, or they might just slap our wrists - who knows!