Anyone have a booklet for booking extra activities at CP?

[strawberriesandcream01]

I am trying to get an idea of how much the extra activities cost and what sort of thing they do. Thanks

Have you booked already? You get a link to the activities.

Ask away, I am about to go to Elveden again so I have full price list of stuff.

Let me know how old your DCs are and what you are thinking about doing. Am about to go and get my sons ready for bed so will look back later.

Just booked this afternoon but didn't say anything about the link to the activities. Do I have to pre register before I can access this? Also when you pre register can you change details if you make a mistake. Have to put in details of bikes we are taking but dont really know model etc, they just sit in garage

Oh yes and sorry. 2 DD's aged 5 yrs and nearly 2 yrs old. Dont really know what they do for kiddies? Also can you tell me how much horse riding is please for an adult hack!

they only ask for bike models for security in case the beggars get lost/stolen. They don't inspect your bikes when you get there. My dcs are same age as yours and whilst there was a lot to do for the toddlers it seemed five year olds fell through the gap a bit, being too old for the baby sessions but not old enough for the big kid activities. I was hoping to get them all in an activity together but we ended up splitting up a few times to do different activities.

You are like me although I have 2 boys just 2 and just 5!

Bear with me am posting you a bigger message in a min with costs on. You will get your booklet with all activities and everything you need to know 4 weeks before you go, then you can book 2 weeks before you go. It is like a secret club that you only get the details of once you have joined

Oh and which one are you going to?

This is for Elveden (whinfell do horse riding from 2 years old - Elveden is from 4 years old)

So for beginner pony trek min age 8, 45 mins £22

Intermediate pony trek again min age 8yr, 45 mins £27 (you will do rising trot so must be experienced)

Children's pony ride (just an introduction to it really but still lovely) min age 4 (sob) 1o mins ride time £11.50.

An activity you can do with both girls is "let's paint" 2-5 yrs so that includes your 5 yr old, "time to roll up your sleeves and create some mini masterpieces using different painting techniques including marble, sponge and finger painting" 45 mins £6 each child.

Canopy capers 3-5 yr using canopy, beanbags, and hoops, playing games. 30 mins £5 per child.

Animal allsorts from farmyard to safari, look at all kinds of animals in this craft based session, mask making, puppets and pictures. 2-5yr 40 mins £5 per child.

Teddy bears picnic again 2-5 yr olds, bring your teddy, join in songs and games then meet Rupert bear!!! £8 2-5 yrs (they provide the picnic I think)

There are activities you can do with your child like above or you can put them into the creche and leave them to get messy there! For your 2 yr old a 3hr morning session would be £18 and for your 5 year old £15. All OFSTED inspected.

Feed the fish is free!

Any other questions just post away. We have been to CP 8 times in 4 years. We have never been to Longleat though as we live in Yorkshire and it is just too far!

PHEW!

Just seen your other post so assume you are doing Elveden. You should have waited for discount code!!! We get 25% off for being a regular

Just seen your other one further down!!!! Ok the bike takes you almost to the centre, there are large bike parks so you park up there and walk round.

A bike with trailer to take your 2 year old would cost you £32 for the wk & £25 for the trailer. They will only attach the trailer to their own bikes. It has a small section in the back for your shopping. If you have a strong DP/DH then they can put both your children in. We have 2 boys and it is now a squish so this will be the first time ds1 will have his own bike (with stabilisers)

Elveden is flat so very easy to get around. No cars, everyone accepts that children are wobbly on bikes and there are lots of people just walking around.

Swimming, cycling, exploring the forest are all really good things.

We have been there when it has snowed and rained and this has never stopped us going out/cycling etc We are going the week before you!

We are in a Woodland Lodge -the new refurb ones. We have stayed in a comfort plus an the en-suite executive.

Hi. thanks for all that info!

Yes going to Elbeden, cant wait, althoguh it is a week on Mon! Not sure if they will have time to post us the booking brochure. I have tried to pre register online but it wont let me for some reason.

We are staying in a 3 bed comfort, I hope it will be ok!

Do you know if they except tesco clubcard vouchers in the restuarants bella italia and cafe rouge?

Horse riding, does that price include an adult too and do they do and experienced trek?

Not sure if DD (5) will be ok riding her bike around or if she will need a seat or trailor.

Here are some activities I fancy
Jack and Jill show
Yogabugs
messy play
Pop on the parc

Thanks for all your help Fizzy

in order - they usually send you an email saying you can book your activities and the link they include will let you. (I tried to do it from their website and couldn't get it to)

Your activity brochure will be with you on Saturday I bet.

Yes they accept Tesco clubcard vouchers. I haven't ever done it but I have read elsewhere on MN that they are fine about it.

Horse riding the price is for one person to ride, for the younger children you walk alongside. If you are experienced enough then you and your child could ride but you would pay for both of you. It isn't a Center Parcs company it is outsourced.

Jack and Jill show we are hopefully going to see. We have never been to a show but our in-laws have been to the evening ones and said they were good and they are picky picky

Yogabugs I haven't done nor pop on the parc.

We have done messy play which is fab, they play with plastic farm animals in jelly, dinosaurs in beans and plastic spiders in spaghetti!!! They can do painting, water play &play doh. They say to wear "swimwear" but they provide your child with an apron and I would wear dark clothes that don't show stains!!

I may have said on another thread that they provide toilet roll but this isn't true they give you one roll!!

Remember to bring handwash for the kitchen &bathroom, cling film, plastic tableware for the girls, etc

They provide a tea towel, sponge, a cloth &a sachet of washing up liquid. A few sachets of coffee and tea etc with those milk carton things you get in a cafe.

The supermarket is really decent so don't trek loads of stuff with you. The fridge is the under the counter type with a freezer box at the top so they expect you to shop every few days. Plan your first nights meal to be simple.

The way we work is that we arrive early afternoon, collect bikes, go swimming. We get to villa, DH abandons me with the boys so that he can go and get the car. He then runs back and forth from the car with all our stuff and I try to keep the boys inside the villa. He then returns the car and I get the boys rooms sorted out first then the rest of the unpacking.

If your 5 yr old struggles to cycle round then you can just pop her in the trailer. To be honest I find the pace nice and slow at CP which is why we go back twice a year. So toddlers riding bikes very slowly is just how it is.

Sorry if I am overloading you with info Wish I worked on commission

Thank you so much fizzy! All this info is just great, not overloading at all! I am trying to do as much research as possible before we go.

I have managed to register online but it wont let me book activities, says only for sherwood forest at the moment. I was thinking will probably get the booklet in post tomorrow.

I changed up my clubcard points last night and have £70 worth of vouchers!

Thing is was not sure on, what time to arrive, think I put noon, but you can go to pool until 2pm. Can you park onsite before you check into villa? Or do you have to take car to car park and then bring back again at 3pm to get into villa? I had thought is it best to go to pool after 3pm when we have checked in. We are taking our own bikes. So if we had to take car to car park before check in we could unpack bikes and cycle for a bit and find other things to do then get keys and DP could cycle back to car and bring it to villa. Is noon an ok time to arrive?

Thanks again! Much apreciated.

Ok, they say no going in the pool but they don't know!!!!! There is no logging in desk big individual family changing rooms.

We just have our rucksacks already packed with swimming stuff, they have those big dryer things that you stand in so you can dry off loads after your swim. There are those costume driers for 20p (I think they do charge for those) and there are hairdryers so you can swim and continue your exploring!

On arrival

You drive down long windy road through lots of lovely trees, you then pull up to what can only be described as a big shed where they take your booking number they say hello to your little ones usually by name!!! They give you a map and your keys. (there are still cleaning staff around so you cannot get into your villa until 3) You drive into large car park.

Get your bikes off your car and off you go, yes your DH can cycle back to car park and there is a cycle park where he can lock it up and collect the car later.

Noon would be fine (the time just gives them an idea for staffing levels on the entry gate thing) you can explore, grab some food, go to villa, then go swimming.

The beds are made up you will just have to sort your cot out and don't forget your cot bedding. We have a "first night bag" it has bedding for the cot, pyjamas, nappy, their special comfort toys and a night light thing.

See this link, at the bottom on the right it says "download a PDF of this map" which gives you far more detail than the map above. Hopefully you have adobe acrobat reader on your computer (it is a standard thing)

here

sorry big haystack driers in the changing rooms cost £1. We have a locker just with the towels in and use the £1 from that to fund the drier.

Yes we are anal, we even take WD40 with us to un-squeak any doors so that we don't wake the boys when we go to check on them.

After all this you will probably hate it and swear you will never go back

Thanks fizzy! Im sure we will love it, I cant wait.

When you park car in car park when first arrive is that the car park which is miles away? Do we then leave car, go and explore and then DP will go and get it and bring to villa later?

Click on that link above and you can download a very detailed map that shows you all the villas and their numbers, all the cycle parks and all the shops and restaurants. It is the same map you will be sent in the post.

If you are nervous about downloading it then don't be it is really easy (hopefully you use internet explorer) just click on download the map and it opens up a window with the map in. Simple, even I can do it

Center Parcs is easily walkable and you will see that even if you were to park at the far end of the car park it is only a 7 minute walk to the centre where pretty much everything is located. Bear in mind that cycling you'll be going quicker.

You basically collect your car after 3pm when they open the barrier that allows you to drive on site, there are little parking bays outside some of the villas or you just park along side the road. Once unpacked you return your car back to the car park. Some people don't do this until the evening which is fine.

The big board road signs that direct you to certain villas are for the cars and can take you a very roundabout way if you are cycling so always go off the map as there are lots of cycle paths that cut through everywhere.

The roads are one way so that traffic is only ever coming from one direction, hence why you need to ignore the big square board signs when you are cycling. There are ye olde wooden sign posts that direct you for walking and cycling to sports plaza/village square etc.

So yes, you park up, explore (this has always for us included locating villa and riding past other villas thinking ooooh that would be a nice location for next time) then go back and collect the car, unload it, take it back.

It means that there should only be cars on site on Mondays and Fridays and the only other cars you ever see are CP's maintenance vehicles and laundry vehicle. It means the children are very safe from cars but watch out for cyclists especially the teenagers

I hope you have a lovely time and I'll look out for you posting about it when you are back.

Thanks Fizzy.

Sorry if I fried your brain with questions!

No it's fine. I wish I could have asked someone all those questions before I went.

The map makes CP look huge but it really isn't that massive, we often go for cycle rides all the way round the village.

I will say that the comfort accommodation is basic but the beautiful surroundings make up for it. All the villas back onto water (it's not that close) but you will get ducks and swans on your patio every morning and of course you have to feed them. So buy some extra bread.

Fizzy

ok! Looked at the map, we are in the outskirts which is fine.

Now DP and I cant decide what time to get there. I want to get there at lunchtime but he says we may as well wait until 3pm when we can settle into villa and then go swimming or something.

I am so excited, cant wait, just need to start packing soon.

Have you been already or did you say your going soon fizzy?

Can now book online so will be doing that tonight!

I have just returned!! I am sore from rock climbing (the things a parent does because their child wants to do it)

We were in Birch 483 and it was a 5 minute cycle ride, Dh with trailer and me with a tag-along for our 5 yr old, to the main cycle park.

The tag-along was brilliant and if you look at the map, because we were in birch we would come down the road, turn left into the path that cuts across and again and the second path had a bit of a small incline which meant that my 5 year old could peddle his legs off to help me get up the hill so we would come out almost opposite the tennis courts. The cycle park is then just a bit further round. Huge adventure play area and all parents being terribly PC with their children!

I would always go early because by the time you get to the villa you just want to get everything in and unpack. Go at lunch time, explore, swim and then go to the villa.

We hand fed some very brave squirrels chocolate chip biscuits on our patio!!! You will need bread to feed the ducks and swans who venture onto your patio. I felt like a disney princess we had at one time, 4 squirrels, 2 rabbits, numerous ducks, some birds and a swan on our patio at one time

We were sad to leave as always, my 5 yr old cried

Have a great time!

We went to Elvedon in June. I haven't got my prices book still but see you already got loads of help with that.

The jack and jill show went down well with the children though adults found it less interesting i felt. My son was one of the oldest at 9, but he loves panto and shows and things so got himself right to the front.

Another thing you can try as a family for not too much money is the treasure hunt. It took us ages I have to say! And lots of cycling around looking for the clues.

We always stay in the comfort accomodation. It is basic compared to teh otehr but compared to some places i've stayed it's luxury!

And yes, definitely remember to bring loo rolls and hand soap and if you're not hiring towels be sure to bring lots of hand as well as bath towels as the toilet is in a different room and the only place to dry things is over the bath.

The giant haystack driers work best for boys/men. i found my costume wouldn't dry and resorted to wrapping a towel around myself in there which meant i dried a lot better. It's worth the £1 in what you save in damp towels everywhere in the chalet.

Make sure you have plenty of £1 coins as you need them for lockers too (though you do get these back).