Center Parcs swim sessions

[WhichShoes]

Does it seem like pre-booking swim sessions at Center Parcs is another pandemic measure that will stay? For us, swimming is the main reason we went and booking one three-hour slot per day is no good to us. Given that Friday evenings are 'turn up and swim', it doesn't seem like the booked sessions are there for covid-safety reasons (unless covid takes Friday evenings off..?)

I assume it's worked out nicely for CP as everyone will spend more money on activities if they can only use the pool morning or afternoon during their stay. It's already such an expensive break that I am incredibly irritated by them limiting the one 'free' activity like this and using covid as a convenient excuse.

Does anyone think it's likely they'll go back to free access to swimming or is that it now? I am sure some people prefer it as it will make the pool less busy which must be nice, but if I'm already spending so much, I want the freedom to swim whenever!

Also just back from a CP on the continent. There were no restrictions at all and it was busy but not packed, hardly any queues. It was also €600 for a midweek stay, rather than nearly £2k at Woburn. I wouldn't book a UK CP break with restricted swimming.

I'm definitely going to look at European Center Parcs for the future. It doesn't sound so bad to get a morning session and evening I guess, I just like the spontaneity of being able to turn up as and when!

I don’t know why they are bothering with the booking system, I think it’s become a token gesture that they have Covid guidelines in place, we went recently and I was expecting swimming to be quieter, what with limit on numbers, it was anything but, actually found swimming busier than pre pandemic when it was turn up whenever. After 6 you don’t need to book.

I've booked this year.

It's 3 hr slot in the day and then turn up as and when after 6.

My ds is a teen and this works well for us because he loves swimming later into the evening. We also always tended to go at 10/11am and he's order burger etc for lunch whilst there.

We will do an activity maybe one afternoon as always. (Think he wants segways).

Then we often book golf or rowing if nice or badminton or bowling (if raining!) or something like that if we want an activity another afternoon and there's space last minute.

My only bugbear is that it's still 4pm check in and they want to charge £60 for 3pm.

I’ve been a couple of times since the swimming slots were introduced and I much prefer it. The queues for rides were much shorter.

You can - this is what we did.

@Classicblunder We were there 2 weeks ago - used the shuttle bus from Flitwick Station to Woburn CP and left bags. No problem on that front!

We went in Sept and Dec last year (both postponed breaks from pandemic) and hate the prebookable slots. It completely ruins the spontaneity of the holiday and meant we had to work backward from a certain time in order to be at the pool for our slot.

They didn't really police them, we could have walked in round the back and noone realised or stayed much longer but the hassle of booking and planning the day or risking not getting in if you are caught trying to sneak in doesn't make for the premium holiday you've paid for.

Swimming is our favourite activity and together with cycling, the primary reason we go to center parcs. There is no chance we are returning while the slots remain, we cancelled our break for March 2022 and cited this as the reason

Now DC are school age, we will absolutely not be paying peak prices for reduced pool access, could just about justify it for off peak but we can go abroad and get in the pool whenever we want for same price

Great to hear! We were there only a couple of months ago and they said no shuttle or left luggage

This.

We went to Center parcs in Germany for half term. It was less than half of what my brother is spending on 4 nights at Woburn including eurotunnel, hotels in France to break up the drive and petrol.

And the swimming was normal entry, no booking.

I highly recommend Center parcs in Europe!

I would never go to CP in the U.K. again. European ones are much better and cheaper

Also European campsites in general are excellent and much cheaper - usually about 1/4 of the price! Pools, slides, playgrounds and kids clubs all fully included and the on site cafes and shops are cheap. Check out places like Eurocamp or canvas holidays. It's absolute madness to go to CP. I don't get it at all.

I went recently with 3yo and the booking system was a nightmare. Sometimes he just wasn't in the mood for swimming at the times we had booked (aka had fallen asleep, needed a nap, just didn't fancy it) so we didn't go. He was then really excited to swim in the afternoon but as we had missed our morning slot we weren't able to go. 6-9 was too late. Really regret going as it made it really stressful.

We just got back from Les Trois Forets near Metz in France. Everything open and normal, no restrictions or time slots, and something else you can't even get close to guaranteeing in the uk - lovely warm weather. the final golden ticket - it was €650 for a VIP cottage over the may half term. Less than a third of the price of the uk equivalent. Obviously we had to pay for the tunnel and fuel as well, so probably came in closer to a grand, still half the price. We will only go to non-uk center parcs going forward.

Completely agree with you. We went a few weeks back and paid over £1000 for a weekend. We were quite far out and had to get the land train which was a bit of a rush tbh. I love CP but the price has gone up SO much and like you, swimming was the huge draw for us.

It is all well and good stating the CP in Europe or other European camp sites etc are better and cheaper but some of us don't live near to the Eurotunnel and it is a 5 hour plus drive to it for us from up North. If we used the ferry crossing from Hull which takes 7 hours, it costs almost £600 for the dates we have CP booked for this year which is July and not in school holidays.

Some of us have less choice if our children want to return to CP. The booking of swimming slots is very frustrating and we will be feeding that back to CP.

Cp also had not reintroduced housekeeping for their executive lodges at the time of our last trip. So we are expected to pay ever increasing prices with that cut out in addition to restricted access to the only facility where there is no fee

As others have said, its clearly popular with some which is why it is still there but they've lost our business (and we used to visit 2-4 times a year from the time dc1 was born)

you’re right, there is still no house keeping, even if you stay in a treehouse. They don’t offer the hampers full of goodies in the treehouses any more either.

Check I’m used to be 3pm and is now 4pm (you have to pay extra to check in at 3pm) plus they haven’t brought back the children’s disco.

Is anyone else sick of covid being used as an excuse for restrictions , poor service etc?

I wonder if staff shortages or the concern/fear that they may happen in the near future is partly behind the continuation of some of the changes. Remember we do not have the movement of people from the EU who might work at CP, unlike those centres abroad which are in the EU.

I don't think it's anything to do with staff shortages. I think it's literally that the U.K. population just puts up and shuts up.

Me!!!
Really annoying.
Just got back from Centerparcs Europe and the pool was never very busy anyway. But l haven't been to cp in the UK since dd started school- prices are crazy.

We went in April. I logged on the booking system the day it opened for our stay in February at 8:45 am (opens at 8:30am but I as on the school run) the majority of the early morning swim slots that we prefer had gone! We were a party of 12 (3 families) it would only let me book all 12 at once, so we all had to go at the same time. We are going to CP in France this year, even taking into account eurotunnel and fuel, it is working out cheaper than a week at Whinfell or Sherwood! No restrictions on swimming either!

We paid £600 for the overnight ferry there and back. It was so high because we'd originally booked economy tickets for 2019 and had to roll it over two years running, which added fees. TBF they did refund about £100 worth of fees when I complained. I used to pay the majority of the fare using Tesco vouchers, which brought it down to about £150. Stena also do good deals on Black Friday and after Christmas, so worth signing up to their emails and planning ahead. The ferry overnight works really well for us: it feels like part of the holiday and we arrive early at CP on Monday morning having had a decent amount of sleep. We also avoid the craziness at Dover. Some people at CP said they were stuck at Dover for over 24 hours with all the delays and backlog.

Our break cost €609 for a 4 night stay in a new-style premium cottage for six people, including free chalet choice and 3 free activities. The ferry was £600. We chose a catering package that allowed us to eat at a different restaurant each night: €332. Activities like swimming, the huge and brilliant indoor playground, feeding the farm animals every morning, the children's farm, the treasure hunt and the beach were all free. Total = £1407, vs £2000 for just the accommodation and restricted swimming at our closest CP in the UK.

The £2000 midweek quote was for a basic cottage too, not one of the fancier options.