Just booked Centre Parcs - any advise and hints?

[Hulababy]

We have booked to go for a week, week beginning Friday 15th December.

Have never stayed before, but have been in the Sherwood Forest one with a day pass earlier this year.

We have booked a new style Woodland Lodge at the Cumbria parc, and we are going with us, DD (age 6) and PILs.

Haven't prebooked anything else yet. DH ad DD will probably take their own bikes with them, but I will need to hire - how much does this cost on top?

Towels and linen are included, but what else will we need to tske?

And what other activities are worth doing, and how much are they?

Anything else we should know?

oops sorry i do think it is more expensive

we are ging mon - sat over xmas

yeah midweek always betetr price..oh and forgot to say to Hula, when we went last year (nov 16th) boat house was clsoed for winter?..so dont know if you were planning on doing anything like that?

Just recieved the email this morning about prebooking activities. Will look out for the Christmas list and get that booked. Might get DD a couple of 1:1 swimming sessions when there, to brush up her strokes as struggling to find swimming lessons at moment.

We are staying in Beechwood area, on the edge near the top, according to the map anyway. np - it told me online as soon after I had booked it; didn't chose a specific location or anything.

I fancy some Spa time, as does MIL.

Need to hire a bike for me - £32 for week by looks of it, which is fine. Dh and DD will have their own.

Good to know that we don't all have to be present at 3pm to move car/cases. Me and Dh can sort it, and leave DD with PILs in the village bit itself having tea and cakes

I've just booked our activities online for the week of 15th December.....it's my first holiday alone with the boys and I've secretly booked fencing and roller skating. They will love it!

I cannot wait.

No, Dogsby there is most definately a difference

At Butlins, tattoos are the norm and there is much swearing in the vicinity of or directly at children, going on morning, noon and night.

At Center Parcs - tattoos are far less in evidence, particularly on women and there is hardly any swearing to be heard even when stress levels are high.

Where Butlins has pests of the rodent/insect variety, Center Parcs has the addition of squirrels, ducks and frogs, all of which may try to access your chalet/lodge at some time if they think there is food available.

We love CP and we're going to book as soon as we can for next summer holidays but I'd need to be paid a large sum of money to go to Butlins ever again.

Hi Hula, we are also staying in beechwood..more in the middle and clsoe to where you drive in(but away from road) and near to the outdoor childrens play area..it IS really nice to be a bit further out, our first time there we were in a huge 2 story thing with my SIL and her family and were at moorland veiw i think it was, a good 10-15 min walk to even just the sports plaza and we all have pushchairs back then too!, but was lovely seeing all the surrounding areas, thats the bit you miss when you stay at lakebeck like we did the last twice, but had no choice as we took my mum who has trouble walking distances.

There is also a delivery-takeawy place there now, just opened, think its italian (pizza), Indian and chinese i think?, about £2 delivered but a nice treat

oooh my new centerparcs mag arrived today telling me all the stuff thats going on from now till xmas inc halloween/bon fire night/xmas events/panto's..eeeh etc etc

woohoo...its at the top of the page!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

we used to take the chldren to the swimming pool around the time most have an evening meal, the pool was nice and quiet and the kids didnt need to que for too long on any of the slides, it made the changing rooms alot more bearable too, enjoy your holiday

we are going for christmas 2009 for a week 21 December till 28 December booked 3 weeks ago paid £887.00 price has now shot up to £1381.00 so book early as prices go up all the time.