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!

@MsSquiz yep, we’d lined up all the first slots but I suppose it’s nice to know now that we’re not tied to them if through something miracle the kids give us a lie in one day!!

I looked at booking at Easter next year. £2200 for a 2 bed lodge, absolutely shocking cost compared to only a few years ago. We went to Butlins last year and it is honestly much better when you have toddler, so much more to do and far cheaper.

Instead next Easter I'll probably book to go to Tenerife - £2500 half board at a 4* hotel with great reviews, kid's club and all day swimming. I can't see how CP are justifying their prices anymore, I certainly won't be going back

How strange, we went in the Easter holidays this year (weekend before Easter) this year and it cost £1850 for 10 of us - a 4 bed lodge and a 1 bed apartment.

Yup we’ve just booked a 3 night stay mid march next year - £499 for a 2 bed for 3 nights - cheaper than a hotel for 4 of us.

It is compared to some of the other CP pools that I’ve been to. Bigger, sprawlier, more steps and more hidden bits.

@NancyDrooo I'm assuming your was for 3/4 days? This was for a 7 day stay. It was at Sherwood Forest as well which is usually cheaper than some of the others. I was really shocked that it was so expensive. The 4 bed lodge was near £4000. This would be our main holiday of the year, so don't really want to go just mid-week and we have no option to be going out of school holidays.

By the time you add on the cost of food and activities to CP it makes it far more expensive than going to Tenerife and the weather much more variable!

@CupcakesK definitely hop on a plane instead!! We love CP but to be honest I would never pay school holiday prices - a relative paid for us last time as a treat. Prior to that we’ve always gone during term time and rarely paid more than £250 for Mon-Fri (sharing with friends) which is excellent value.

Even the price of a caravan in this country is ridiculous during school holidays, even more so since covid.

For people who like the sound (and prices!) of the European center parcs but are put off by the long drive to the Channel tunnel -- we often drive down at our leisure the day before and stay in a chain hotel around Folkestone.
We check-in in the afternoon, have a nice walk around town and a drink/bite to eat. We're bright-eyed and bushy tailed for an early shuttle the nexy morning, still fresh for the drive through France/Belgium/Netherlands, and often have plenty of time for a nice mid morning stop for coffee and pastries.

A cheap hotel should be around £80-100, plus say £25-30 a head for an evening meal, less if it's fast food, and even with the Eurotunnel fare you're still saving good money over the £600 quid overnight ferry fare, not to mention the hugely more expensive UK Center Parcs.
(i found two hotels in Folkestone charging around the £100 mark for a family room on a Friday night in July, as well as a two bedroom apartment for £155. A bit more but you could take snacks and sandwiches or order in pizzas instead of eating out.)

They have just scrapped it from 11th July!

Good news with the swim slots stopping . Just hope this doesn’t mean people being turned away if they reach capacity quickly

Great news that the slots are over! I'll look at it for the autumn though definitely researching European CPs now too. I never found the pool reached capacity meaning people were turned away pre-pandemic when they didn't have the slots at all - is that something that happened?

Which European CP would you recommend?

I think De Kempervennen or Het Meerdal. (Netherlands) They both score highly on Trip Adviser too.
But this website www.holidayparkguru.co.uk/best-center-parcs-europe-france-germany-netherlands-belgium.html
has a full breakdown of the parks in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium.

Thank you @SiobhanSharpe

Wow, I just did a search for De Kempervennen and Whinfell (our nearest U.K.). First week of the Easter holidays 2023 (Monday 3rd April for 4 nights). One lodge with 2 adults and 2 kids (one 8yr old and one 2yr old)
Whinfell: £1099
De Kempervennen: €523 which converts to £449

I will definitely be looking into this more! As I’m in the North East we have the DFDS Seaways ferry sailing from Newcastle to Amsterdam, I’ve just looked up the drive time from the port Ijmuden to De Kempervennen and it’s less than 2 hours. The ferry prices aren’t out for April 2023 yet though.

HOWEVER one of the most sickening things is that the £1099 at Whinfell, exactly one week earlier (i.e. in school tern time) is £429!! I am a teacher and one of my DC is in primary school, it just feels totally unfair to have such a drastic difference. A hundred or even a couple of hundred I could understand but it’s more than double.

@MarianosOnHisWay I think a lot of the term time breaks are offered at prices below cost and subsidised by those going in the holidays.

We stayed in one of the hotel rooms for 4 nights when DC1 was 4 months old and paid £220 for 4 nights. The hotel room was standard of 4* hotel, cleaned daily and incredible - I dont know of anywhere in UK that we could get 4 nights in an equivalent hotel for that price and thats without the pool access we got at the time. After DC2, we had multiple 4 night stays in a 3 bed lodge for under £350

Now children are school age and we also need to go in holidays, we will be visiting the EU counterparts too, there is a brilliant Facebook group that provides lots of advice for anyone who is interested.

Almost £900 for a three day weekend in s four person chalet in November at Longleat.

What is the Facebook group @prescribingmum ?

@DorritLittle its center parcs Europe for Brits. Lots of lovely people there to advise if doing first European break

UK CP prices have definitely risen over covid and weekends were always higher than Mon to Fri breaks. The super cheap ones I quoted were weekdays and usually from Jan and before Easter where there are no events. Winter wonderland is in Nov, not sure if European resorts do this too..?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, but if you go to one of the European CP and book an activity, is that activity not carried out in the local language and if so how do you participate?

Thanks @prescribingmum !

I don't understand why they've kept the slot either.

Yes 3hrs is enough, it's just the fact you have to plan your day around the pool. Clock watching.

On holiday I like to be more spontaneous.

We went to Havens last month and you still had to prebook the pool there too and only got an hour.

With covid restrictions gone it makes no sense to me.

@garlictwist I don't think it would be too much of a problem in the Dutch ones, many, many Dutch people speak very good English and I would think that the CP employees certainly would.

I can't speak for elsewhere in Europe but I would think that a proportion of park employees would have some English.
If you're going to a French park it probably wouldn't hurt if you could speak a bit of French, though. Just like if you were going anywhere in France, really.

@greenbirdsong the swimming slots are cancelled as of 11th July

We've had an email/text to say they've scrapped them. With that, and not having to wear a mask at the dentist this week it's been excellent news all round!