Butlins VIP pass worth it?

[OKwhatsNext]

Hello, we're off to Butlins at the end of August and are debating the VIP package as we're worried about getting a table for the evening shows. My kids are 5 3 and will be nearly 1 yo. We've cashed in on a school inset day so will be going right at the end of the school holidays but staying for a day when most schools return (as it was cheaper) so not sure if it would be a little quieter. It's going to cost £180 for the passes.

Any advice for peak time at Butlins would be great thanks 👍

Well this sounds like a nice way for the middle class ex-Centre Parcs crowd to lord it at Butlins now that there is a cost of living crisis, shame really!

I'm a big believer in two things:

Not queue jumping
Not encouraging poor service.

I never buy VIP or fast passes because it IS queue jumping and it encourages these already expensive things to have shit service so we all feel we need to give them more to make it OK. They've got us completely conned.

Totally agree but I also haven't taken my children away at all and don't want to regret it. I do feel cornered. It is shit. But it's also our only break. Has anyone any insight?

Not worth it, you'll always get a table if you're early x

Thanks @starryeyedchicken I was hoping that's the case. My boys would love a dinosaur show they have on I and don't want to be letting them down (yes I'm caving to a system I know) it's literally our one and only break for the foreseeable.

You will spend all evening chasing your 1 yr old (and probably the 3yr old too) around the place. The kids won't sit through the shows especially in the evening when they're tired

I was just wondering if they'd even be awake for evening stuff! We did mainly daytime stuff at that age and bed after dinner.

Well by evening I mean the 5 o clock shows 🙂

There's a Dino show, Stephen mulhern etc at 5

Though I do expect they will be tired of course, but they are the two they want to see (my 5yo)

I just had a quick Google at the pass, so you'll get a VIP table up front at the stage, table service, 10% off food, a free drink. No queues. Sounds OK to me for that price.

Tbh I'm the type of person who likes to make life easier for myself and my family and if I can afford the cost to do this I will.

If you can afford it, I would, if you don't and you are standing in queue when you get there, you'll be wishing you did. If it means getting a table in a good area, extra bonus points. Nothing worse than been at the back and seeing little.

You can always let the kids have a 2 hour nap during the afternoon, it'll give them a little boost for the evening, you could get in some nice food, couple of drinks while they're napping or let them have a couple of hours just before dinner and you can use that time to shower, do hair and makeup etc

Jesus what a judgy thread.

Did you do it in the end, was it worth it? I'd do it for all the reasons people above said not to, don't want to be waiting in massive queues with young children and then when they get into the venue they are already at breaking point. It's not queue jumping, you've paid. My 7 year old really wants to see the masked singer thing and when I've been before things have booked up fast, so guarantees a spot. I'm alia massively anxious and hate the thought of battling with people for a table (people literally let the kids go in first and race to tables to secure them). Think that much cheekier than paying to go in first.

We are thinking the same so would like to know if you did it?