Dont have to do all the overrated stuff, it’s popular for a reason. Allows adults to relax a bit
Looks good for the kids whilst Mum and Dad’s bank accounts get absolutely rinsed.
Yes, it’s expensive. Buuuut my stays there with my kids were many years ago, and it’s not the price that I remember- it’s the fun we had.
That price at the start for 4 nights is insane. That same week we are doing Eurocamp in Italy for 7 nights with flights and a hire car for the same amount. There’s 2 adults, 2 teens and a kid
It’s probably cheaper to visit Centre Parcs in mainland Europe than it is here.
Fucking spiders. You’d expect most of that stuff to be included.
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I have never felt more like a walking wallet as I did at centre parcs. Activities in these places really do depend on the enthusiasm of the people running them, and they were mostly run by young fed-up people it seemed. The ‘restaurants’ were all served by the same central kitchen, the Pizzeria served pizza made with frozen pizza bases (basically cardboard). Dreadful place.
Just the video I needed to show the Mrs.
Diggerland, now that’s how to keep the kids entertained for a full day without emptying your wallet.
Fucking highway robbery!
The trick is to not be a mug.. you don’t HAVE to do all of that.
1) Do a cheap weekly food shop, take that with you.
2) There is a massive indoor waterpark included in the price which is great for adults too, spend the majority of your day there.
3) Watch reviews of the activities on YouTube before hand to see which ones genuinely look worth paying for.
Jesus I thought the point of the place was everything was included, color me SHOCKED why the fuck do people do it?
Someone on here once described it as Middle Class Butlins 😂
We don’t do any of that stuff. It *is* all overpriced but none of it is the reason we go.
Swimming is included and it’s just nice to chill in the villa with a log fire or go for a nature walk.
I mean, he’s not wrong 😂
Genuine question, but is Centre Parcs any good for adult couples? My partner raves about his experiences going to Centre Parcs as a kid, but he also had a very middle class upbringing.
He’s suggesting that we do a week there sometime this year, but I wasn’t posh enough for Centre Parcs as a kid so never got to go lol. Is it worth it? I just want a cosy week in the woods with a warm bed and my Kindle.
This guy has really done it all wrong. As a kid we just did a few things (like maybe one big thing) and went swimming and just went around on the bikes.
When I’ve gone as an adult a while back now, it’s just a nice place to chill. Bring your own food, maybe eat out once or twice, go swimming, go paintballing once.
It’s always expensive i’ll grant you but when my dad took us as kids he didn’t spent close to what this guy was and we were happy.
I’m so glad to see the pottery in here. I almost lost it at the till when they charged me for the pound-landesque crap they were charging £30 for…after you paid £18 to get in… PER CHILD!
Was fine when we went. Just swam and cycled all week.
Christ, how many activities? I took my daughter in October and the only thing I paid extra was for her to see the baby owls because she loves owls and it was around £20. The rest of the time we were in the pool, the playgrounds, the beach, or just going for a walk.
We go to one in France. It’s about £300 a week for the whole family if you book early, flights are 30 quid, picturesque woodland location, neighbours are always friendly from German, Netherlands, Spain, it’s fun to meet people. The pool, entertainment & playground are all free, there’s a reasonably priced bar and takeaway/ sit down restaurant, it’s near the beach & a quaint little town and more importantly, it’s sunny and there are no gammons. Why anyone would pay through the nose for Centre Parks is laughable.
That’s what happens when you choose the worst options. A lot of things in Centre Parcs are included in the price of the accommodation, and these are added extras that are marked up because lazy people use them.
I live near this Centre Parcs. You can drive about 5 minutes down the road and get cheaper food at 3 different supermarkets. There are local restaurants in nearby towns that have better food and are probably cheaper that you can just Google.
10 minutes away is Woburn Safari Park, which is a decent day out with the kids and while not cheap isn’t £40 for 20 minutes of play time.
20-30 minutes away is Whipsnade Zoo. Again, a good day out with the kids.
5 minutes down the road there is a train station with regular services to London, which you can get discounted off-peak tickets to.
There are loads of smaller local attractions that are either free or cheap to get into, like historic houses, country parks, and even a theme park. There are also loads of footpaths around the site where you can go and explore the countryside.
If you go to somewhere like this and just rely on using everything on the site, of course you will get fleeced. How people haven’t figured this out yet, and plan accordingly, I will never understand.
We go annually, Woburn is really good but Sherwood is better.
Very little beats that magical week.
I’ve never been to centre parks because I wasn’t a rich kid and I’m not a rich adult but I always thought it was all inclusive?! Is it honestly that much just to stay in a cabin in the woods??
I can not conceive ever going
As a child I loved Centre Parc there was always a minimum of 20, usually around 12 kids it was phenomenal. Around 5/6 cars between us all, we would stop at little chef for that stupidly massive breakfast. It was at this point we’d discuss who was hiding, yes hiding. My parents and their friends would hide a one child per car in the footwell covered in a duvet.
Honestly when we got there it was a free for all, I had the time of my life both in the footwell with cool boxes sweating out a little Chef.
Nowadays it seems less joyous, and like you couldn’t snuggle a few free kids places.
Its been 100% full since it opened in the 80s.
Ha. Surely the whole point of C/P is the free amazing pool and cycling around. When we go the kids just want to swim all day every day.
And they predictably went specifically for the shittest activities in that review.
I agree with the prices in the holidays though. The last time we went it was cheaper to drive to Holland and go to one over there in July by about 50% and more fun!
I feel personally attacked about the dryrobe thing
Yeah but don’t sign up for all the activities 🤷🏼 be selective and the cycling/swimming is worth it alone. You ask my kids what their favourite holiday to go on is and it’s Centre Parcs. They’d say that over anywhere else we’ve been.
I’ve always been happy to avoid them on the grounds that they can’t spell either Centre or Parks correctly. Not getting fleeced is a side benefit.
UK Center Parcs’ are a complete rip off.
I highly recommend any Center Parcs in Europe, specifically Center Parcs De Vossemeren in Belgium. Been 7 times.
Prices are half of what they are in the UK, and the quality of the European parks are generally better.
i’ve lived in england my whole life and been all over the country and abroad hundreds of times, and I can safely say holidays in the UK are fucking wank.
“oh but the country side is pretty” yeah so fucking what, so is the country side in every country. at least abroad you can get some heat and different food that isn’t just shit mass produced pub grub.
Also, if a royal dies they’re likely to tell you to fuck off home.
For those prices, you mmight as well buy all the equipment for cash – yours forever…..Rent a farmer’s field and tent it ^^
We’re going next week for the first time. Thankfully we’ve got a toddler so I think pool and soft play should have us covered for the week!
They’ve just done all the stupidly expensive things. The trick is to just go swimming every day – the pools are brilliant. If you end up booking too many activities it ends up feeling quite stressful and not so much like a holiday… my kids could spend all day messing about in the pirate ship bit of the pool.
I’ll stick to 10 days in benidorm in the summer holidays for less than £3k
I’ve been with extended family for a years now, it’s nice to get accommodation that houses a lot of people all in one place and you can go around to each others for dinner etc. The trick is to buy your shopping beforehand and take it in, don’t use the supermarket on site as it’s a captive market, supplied by co-op, so they price gouge on a lot of things.
I guess it comes down to what you make of it, my nieces get to choose 2 activities for the week and the rest of the time is spent swimming, being outside, walking, cycling etc. On a personal level I’ve not really engaged in any of the paid activities there other than hiring an electric bike and maybe playing pool or something.
Admittedly whenever we’ve gone it’s always been in the off peak periods (i.e. during term time), I might think a lot different if you were going during the peak periods…
I know its tongue in cheek but ffs..
Books all the expensive activities, then complains, it’s expensive.
Despite knowing the priices before arriving.
Then complain that food prices are expensive at a self-catering holiday, you bring your own surely? You can even get a tesco delivery or take away direct to the lodge.
The jeeps and football pool was great, complaining about the go carts use your own energy at an activity centred holiday, really?
41 comments
Dont have to do all the overrated stuff, it’s popular for a reason. Allows adults to relax a bit
Looks good for the kids whilst Mum and Dad’s bank accounts get absolutely rinsed.
Yes, it’s expensive. Buuuut my stays there with my kids were many years ago, and it’s not the price that I remember- it’s the fun we had.
That price at the start for 4 nights is insane. That same week we are doing Eurocamp in Italy for 7 nights with flights and a hire car for the same amount. There’s 2 adults, 2 teens and a kid
It’s probably cheaper to visit Centre Parcs in mainland Europe than it is here.
Fucking spiders. You’d expect most of that stuff to be included.
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I have never felt more like a walking wallet as I did at centre parcs. Activities in these places really do depend on the enthusiasm of the people running them, and they were mostly run by young fed-up people it seemed. The ‘restaurants’ were all served by the same central kitchen, the Pizzeria served pizza made with frozen pizza bases (basically cardboard). Dreadful place.
Just the video I needed to show the Mrs.
Diggerland, now that’s how to keep the kids entertained for a full day without emptying your wallet.
Fucking highway robbery!
The trick is to not be a mug.. you don’t HAVE to do all of that.
1) Do a cheap weekly food shop, take that with you.
2) There is a massive indoor waterpark included in the price which is great for adults too, spend the majority of your day there.
3) Watch reviews of the activities on YouTube before hand to see which ones genuinely look worth paying for.
Jesus I thought the point of the place was everything was included, color me SHOCKED why the fuck do people do it?
Someone on here once described it as Middle Class Butlins 😂
We don’t do any of that stuff. It *is* all overpriced but none of it is the reason we go.
Swimming is included and it’s just nice to chill in the villa with a log fire or go for a nature walk.
I mean, he’s not wrong 😂
Genuine question, but is Centre Parcs any good for adult couples? My partner raves about his experiences going to Centre Parcs as a kid, but he also had a very middle class upbringing.
He’s suggesting that we do a week there sometime this year, but I wasn’t posh enough for Centre Parcs as a kid so never got to go lol. Is it worth it? I just want a cosy week in the woods with a warm bed and my Kindle.
This guy has really done it all wrong. As a kid we just did a few things (like maybe one big thing) and went swimming and just went around on the bikes.
When I’ve gone as an adult a while back now, it’s just a nice place to chill. Bring your own food, maybe eat out once or twice, go swimming, go paintballing once.
It’s always expensive i’ll grant you but when my dad took us as kids he didn’t spent close to what this guy was and we were happy.
I’m so glad to see the pottery in here. I almost lost it at the till when they charged me for the pound-landesque crap they were charging £30 for…after you paid £18 to get in… PER CHILD!
Was fine when we went. Just swam and cycled all week.
Christ, how many activities? I took my daughter in October and the only thing I paid extra was for her to see the baby owls because she loves owls and it was around £20. The rest of the time we were in the pool, the playgrounds, the beach, or just going for a walk.
We go to one in France. It’s about £300 a week for the whole family if you book early, flights are 30 quid, picturesque woodland location, neighbours are always friendly from German, Netherlands, Spain, it’s fun to meet people. The pool, entertainment & playground are all free, there’s a reasonably priced bar and takeaway/ sit down restaurant, it’s near the beach & a quaint little town and more importantly, it’s sunny and there are no gammons. Why anyone would pay through the nose for Centre Parks is laughable.
That’s what happens when you choose the worst options. A lot of things in Centre Parcs are included in the price of the accommodation, and these are added extras that are marked up because lazy people use them.
I live near this Centre Parcs. You can drive about 5 minutes down the road and get cheaper food at 3 different supermarkets. There are local restaurants in nearby towns that have better food and are probably cheaper that you can just Google.
10 minutes away is Woburn Safari Park, which is a decent day out with the kids and while not cheap isn’t £40 for 20 minutes of play time.
20-30 minutes away is Whipsnade Zoo. Again, a good day out with the kids.
5 minutes down the road there is a train station with regular services to London, which you can get discounted off-peak tickets to.
There are loads of smaller local attractions that are either free or cheap to get into, like historic houses, country parks, and even a theme park. There are also loads of footpaths around the site where you can go and explore the countryside.
If you go to somewhere like this and just rely on using everything on the site, of course you will get fleeced. How people haven’t figured this out yet, and plan accordingly, I will never understand.
We go annually, Woburn is really good but Sherwood is better.
Very little beats that magical week.
I’ve never been to centre parks because I wasn’t a rich kid and I’m not a rich adult but I always thought it was all inclusive?! Is it honestly that much just to stay in a cabin in the woods??
I can not conceive ever going
As a child I loved Centre Parc there was always a minimum of 20, usually around 12 kids it was phenomenal. Around 5/6 cars between us all, we would stop at little chef for that stupidly massive breakfast. It was at this point we’d discuss who was hiding, yes hiding. My parents and their friends would hide a one child per car in the footwell covered in a duvet.
Honestly when we got there it was a free for all, I had the time of my life both in the footwell with cool boxes sweating out a little Chef.
Nowadays it seems less joyous, and like you couldn’t snuggle a few free kids places.
Its been 100% full since it opened in the 80s.
Ha. Surely the whole point of C/P is the free amazing pool and cycling around. When we go the kids just want to swim all day every day.
And they predictably went specifically for the shittest activities in that review.
I agree with the prices in the holidays though. The last time we went it was cheaper to drive to Holland and go to one over there in July by about 50% and more fun!
I feel personally attacked about the dryrobe thing
Yeah but don’t sign up for all the activities 🤷🏼 be selective and the cycling/swimming is worth it alone. You ask my kids what their favourite holiday to go on is and it’s Centre Parcs. They’d say that over anywhere else we’ve been.
I’ve always been happy to avoid them on the grounds that they can’t spell either Centre or Parks correctly. Not getting fleeced is a side benefit.
UK Center Parcs’ are a complete rip off.
I highly recommend any Center Parcs in Europe, specifically Center Parcs De Vossemeren in Belgium. Been 7 times.
Prices are half of what they are in the UK, and the quality of the European parks are generally better.
i’ve lived in england my whole life and been all over the country and abroad hundreds of times, and I can safely say holidays in the UK are fucking wank.
“oh but the country side is pretty” yeah so fucking what, so is the country side in every country. at least abroad you can get some heat and different food that isn’t just shit mass produced pub grub.
Also, if a royal dies they’re likely to tell you to fuck off home.
For those prices, you mmight as well buy all the equipment for cash – yours forever…..Rent a farmer’s field and tent it ^^
We’re going next week for the first time. Thankfully we’ve got a toddler so I think pool and soft play should have us covered for the week!
They’ve just done all the stupidly expensive things. The trick is to just go swimming every day – the pools are brilliant. If you end up booking too many activities it ends up feeling quite stressful and not so much like a holiday… my kids could spend all day messing about in the pirate ship bit of the pool.
I’ll stick to 10 days in benidorm in the summer holidays for less than £3k
I’ve been with extended family for a years now, it’s nice to get accommodation that houses a lot of people all in one place and you can go around to each others for dinner etc. The trick is to buy your shopping beforehand and take it in, don’t use the supermarket on site as it’s a captive market, supplied by co-op, so they price gouge on a lot of things.
I guess it comes down to what you make of it, my nieces get to choose 2 activities for the week and the rest of the time is spent swimming, being outside, walking, cycling etc. On a personal level I’ve not really engaged in any of the paid activities there other than hiring an electric bike and maybe playing pool or something.
Admittedly whenever we’ve gone it’s always been in the off peak periods (i.e. during term time), I might think a lot different if you were going during the peak periods…
I know its tongue in cheek but ffs..
Books all the expensive activities, then complains, it’s expensive.
Despite knowing the priices before arriving.
Then complain that food prices are expensive at a self-catering holiday, you bring your own surely? You can even get a tesco delivery or take away direct to the lodge.
The jeeps and football pool was great, complaining about the go carts use your own energy at an activity centred holiday, really?