Holiday Reviews - Theme and Holiday Parks
Which theme or holiday park will suit your family? Reading other parents reviews of theme parks will help you make the right choice for your age of children.
Haven holiday parksHaven caravan holidays are a must weekend break getaway if you have young children. The resorts are great and lots of them are by beaches and great value for money. There is lots of entertainment for the children so even if it's rainy you have still got loads that you can do and all is included in the price of your caravan, all of which I have found to be excellent in regard to condition/cleanliness. We have stayed in luxury caravans, with full central heating, and free-standing furniture: a true home from home. On our last holiday we took along our labrador so stayed in a pet standard caravan which was still great. My eldest daughter, who will be five in December, is always asking when we can go back to see Rory Tiger - he is one of the Funstars of which there is a whole gang that do all the fun stuff for the kids and put on some great shows and entertainment. Great value fun for all the family and highly recommended even though
the British weather can be a bit of a let-down. It definitely wont stop
you having a good time. Disappointment in Port Aventura My family, which now consists of two adults and two children, went on a theme park holiday to Port Aventura in Spain twice. The kids are now 5 and 1 and they loved the theme park and local water park. We stayed both times in two different 4-star on-site hotels. These hotels were child-friendly. They had high chairs, kids' food, children's pools and a kids' club. But there were downfalls such as no kettle, no iron in the room, long queues at hotel restaurants. We felt that hotel/animation staff were not that good with us and the children, and they could have done a lot more to engage with the British-speaking guests as there were a lot of us. The kids' club didn't seem to have any organised events either. This
was a bit of a waste of a kids' club I feel. Looking for a more child-friendly
holiday now. We recently returned from a weekend at Disneyland, Paris, where we went 'en famille' - three generations: baby (13 months), parents and grandparents. We drove down to Paris - it's a long way by car, but at least the ferry journey gave Sam and his granddad a chance to run around and let off steam for a while. The sign-posting to Disneyland leaves a bit to be desired and we got lost en route. Sam slept some of the way, but was fed up with being strapped in his seat for so long and we spent the last 45 minutes singing every nursery rhyme we could think of to amuse him. I'd recommend rail or air travel if you have any choice. We adults have been fortunate enough to visit the Disney parks in America, but we have never previously stayed in a Disney hotel. It was a great way to feel part of the Disney community and the opportunity to have photos taken with Eeyore and his pals was a bonus (if you didn't mind the queue - but, hey, queuing is what Disney does best!). We stayed in Sequoia Lodge, officially 3* accommodation but considerably better than another 3* hotel we'd been in recently in France. Two double beds and a cot fitted in one room - just. I wouldn't want to share with the family for more than a couple of nights, but it was perfectly adequate for a weekend. The bathroom was cosy, but at least we had hot water - if you ran the taps for long enough. Ear plugs to cope with son-in-law's snoring should be available from housekeeping to aid a good night's sleep. Breakfast was included in our package, one of which we had in the hotel and one in the park. Both were continental style (I bet you get hot food in America) but there was plenty of choice and food to suit everyone, even picky toddlers. The advantage of eating in the park is that you are straight onto the rides as soon as they open. Compared to the American parks the two in France are smaller but definitely have a distinctive French atmosphere and are not just clones of their big brothers. I was impressed with the language skills of all the staff and my 'O' level French was only needed once. For toddlers there is plenty to see and do and the provision of a baby room with a microwave to heat up bottles and food was much appreciated. Nappies are available, but not free. Buggies can be hired and seemed popular with pre-school children who can walk but tire easily at theme parks. Little Sam had a wonderful time, nearly screwing his head off trying to see everything and we went on the 'It's a Small World' ride three times for his pleasure (and ours, if we're honest). The smaller nature of the parks suited younger children (and ageing grandparents) much better than the American parks. We had a great time at Disneyland Paris and the time flew by. Blessed with good weather, we stayed in the parks all day, but then weather isn't reliable anywhere and we've had tropical storms in Florida where there's no more cover than in the French parks. My only real criticism of the place is that there doesn't seem to be much of a community around the parks. In America the customers can disperse into the surrounding area to buy their evening meal, whereas in Paris it seems like you could only really go into the Disney Village to eat; clever planning on Disney's part, no doubt, to gain all the available custom, but the facilities were woefully inadequate for the crowds at park closing time. We gave up queuing for a restaurant table and spent over 30 minutes waiting to be served in McDonald's instead. Not ideal for a hungry toddler, but we went with our own supplies for Sam (ignoring the notices that said no food to be taken into the park). If you're considering a Disney trip but don't fancy the flight to America
I'd definitely recommend Paris. I hope you have as much fund as we did.
Just remember the ear plugs!
We visited Disneyland Resort Paris for 5 days in January with our six year old son and one year old daughter. It was absolutely freezing but we were well prepared and with plenty of 'Hot Choclate Breaks' we managed to stay warm. Best of all, we saw some fantastic icicles and a frozen waterfall which fascinated my son. On the last day we woke to find a two foot blanket of snow and we built some amazing snowmen outside the hotel! Sleeping Beauty's castle covered with soft powdery snow is a sight not to be missed! As it was a special occasion, (hubby's 40th) we travelled first class on the Eurostar. Having previously travelled in the standard carriages we didn't notice a huge amount of difference. Personally, next time I would save the extra money it costs to spend in the park. We stayed in the Disneyland Hotel - almost perfect! Incredibly expensive but totally fantastic. The character breakfasts were a bit of a let-down - they don't tell you you have to be seated by 9am to be able to meet characters this way but if you are that little bit later, you get plenty of opportunity to be entertained in the queue for a table for the restaurant! There are also characters in the lounge area most of the morning as well as in the afternoon in reception. We did have one nice surprise at breakfast - the brochure said cooked food was available at a supplement but sausage, bacon and eggs were included. Depending on who served you, my daughter's bedtime milk either cost £2 or was free! The staff however were all excellent and so child-friendly. The location was perfect and our room was in the wing of the hotel right by the park entrance as well as by the swimming pool. Another nice touch there - floats, arm bands & inflatable jackets were all readily available. If only we'd known, it would have saved on the packing. And how luxurious were those bath robes! Yes, this hotel costs a lot to stay in but all of the little extra easily outweigh the few negatives we encountered. This was supposed to be a one-off treat for us (we'd previously stayed in the Hotel Cheyenne) but, to be honest, we don't think we could stay anywhere else if we go back again. Disneyland Resort Paris is a fantastic place to take small children.
I would highly recommend it. They, (or rather 'we') can't wait until next
time. I have recently come back from the best holiday ever. We went as a family to Gardaland in Italy and had the most fantastic time. We stayed at the Gardaland Hotel, which was like a princess castle, and they really did make us feel like royalty. We were near the Gardaland theme park, which we visited and found to
be really friendly, clean and well thought out. Due to the hot weather
there was a cooling steam while we queued for the rides but we never had
to queue more than a few minutes. We will be going back next year...and
the year after. I took my son (4 years old) to Disney World this year on our first proper holiday together. My fiancé died when my son was a baby and I have raised him alone. I haven't been able to afford anywhere until I achieved my sales targets and earned my bonus this year! I didn't tell my son where we were going until we arrived at the airport to check in. He couldn't believe it when I did eventually tell him (I had said we were going for a drive and I hid the suitcases and hand luggage from him) and to see the look on his face after all we have been through was the best feeling in the world. We travelled in British Airways Club World flat beds to which he kept repeating the words "mummy, this is really cool!". We were looked after all the way to the hotel, even having the Disney bus service transfer. We had a brilliant time cocooned in the Coronado Springs Disney resort and my son especially enjoyed meeting all the characters as well the rides we went on, including a 'kiddiecoaster' in Toon Town at Magic Kingdom (a short rollercoaster ride) that had me screaming all the way around much to my son's amusement!! All I can say is the 10 days we spent weren't long enough to see and
do everything but wherever we have gone, the time we had was special,
special because we became closer and our bond is as a result ever stronger.
It is something I will never forget… So we had a fantastic time in DisneyWorld, Florida. The whole Disney magic got all four of us. Our boys are 7 and 3. I wouldnt recommend it to any younger than three, but he was just old enough to get it. The hotel, Port Orleans French Quarter, however, left a lot to be desired. We got to the hotel at around 9pm, and I was upset to find my request for a bed rail had been ignored. I spoke to the front desk and they said they'd get one sent to the room. Half an hour later nothing had arrived, so i walked back to reception to speak to them. They said such a request could take 'up to an hour', which infuriated me as I had made it clear when we checked in that it was already 2am 'our time' and my children were shattered and needed to go to sleep. Worse, when I got back to the room and pulled back the sheets for the first time, I found there was a large yellow stain that could have been nothing but urine. I was naturally horrified and immediately removed the sheet, upset that they had put a dirty sheet on my bed. But when I removed the sheet I saw the stain went through to the undersheet, so the stain must have been made THERE!! In other words, the sheets were not clean on for us - the previous occupant had soiled the bed and the cleaner had just made up the room! I called housekeeping and they sent someone to change the sheets, and I also asked them to bring a bed rail, so we could finally get some sleep. Which she did, but obviously failed to relay my request to cancel the original request of a bed rail that I made at the front desk, because at 11pm, about half an hour after we had all fallen asleep, a man started trying to let himself in to our room with another bed rail! Another disappointment in the hotel was the food court, which was truly crap. The food was poor and the staff were appalling. Not one of them spoke English, so a simple request for a bowl resulted in a confused face and a five minute wait whilst they went to get a supervisor! Ordering a cinnamon danish had to be done syllable by cyllable so that the correct danish, out of a choice of three, was delivered. Any variation from the menu was simply impossible, one could not replace the egg in a breakfast with an extra sausage, for example, unless you struck lucky with an English speaking 'cast member'! The hotel has two things going for it; the pool and the location. Using the Disney Transportation System, that has been totally upgraded this year, we almost never took more than 10 minutes or so to get to any of the parks - apart from the occasional bus that went around the Riverside resort, they all went direct to the parks. The pool was lovely, perfect for young kids, although the lifeguards upset me by saying that I could not sit at the side of the pool with my legs dangling in and drink coke from a plastic cup. I was told in no uncertain terms that unless I took my drink 6 foot away from the pool i would be frogmarched out of the hotel! Apparently they would have to evacuate the pool if a drop of coke got in there! What a crock of ****, the pool would be full of kiddie wee, they arent going to empty it for a small amount of coke. Notwithstanding the fact I had a cup with a lid and was never going to spill it anyway! In the parks, despite the crowds being probably at their maximum, we never queued for more than 15 minutes thanks to following a touring plan and picking up our fastpasses at the appropriate times. The lines for the Thunder and Splash mountains were up to 2 hours long. Why would anyone join a 2 hour queue for a 5 minute ride? Edward Bowden, Harpenden In September 2007 we embarked on our first proper family holiday to Center Parcs in Longleat. We arrived on a chilly Monday morning and went to find our villa. Benjamin, who was 19 months at the time, loved wandering up the paths looking at all the big trees. Our villa had 3 bedrooms and Benjamin was amazed by all the space we had! He ran from room to room checking out all the bathrooms on the way. When we had settled in we went to the Plaza for a swim. Ben loved it. He swam very well and by the end of the week was swimming well on his own, what a little waterbaby! We had a lovely time as a family group, walking, swimming, cycling and generally getting muddy! We had ducks visit us on our patio - Ben made friends with them and every morning they came and knocked their beaks against the windows! Ben did a couple of activities at the time-out club. Messy play was brilliant and very well run. That was a momentous day as it was the first time Ben told us he wanted a poo before he had actually been! He really benefited from having us both around and really began to talk. We used the babysitting service which was great and safe as well. Stuart and I used the spa: heaven on earth! We had some lovely meals, and their kids' meals are fantastic, good value and not just chicken shapes and chips. We had a lovely time and have booked to go back in January for five days.
I would recommend it to anyone. Center Parcs was fantastic, the customer
service was great, and the kids' activities are brilliant. My husband, our son and I went to Legoland in Windsor. We booked our stay online and, with it being over a few hours' drive, we decided to stay the night. We booked through the Legoland website and stayed in a 4* hotel which included tickets to the park for £117. Also we were able to print the park tickets off at home and this enabled us just to walk straight in, so no queuing which is a blessing in itself. The hotel was only 10 minutes drive and its parking was free. Once we landed at Legoland we noticed how clean it was, even the bins were clean. The best thing we did at the start was to hire one of their prams: a bit like a child's car seat, which cost £6 for all day but worth every penny. It was a very busy day but there was lots to do and see. I would recommend it to anyone. One thing to say is the park opens at ten, and you do tend to queue to
get into the park which took quite a while! Here are babyworld tips on visiting Legoland: Bring plenty of drinks The only gripe I have with the park is to do with the vendors. At the burger places etc, you could buy a kid's meal with a drink but adult meals were at least £5 and then you had to pay an extra £1.50 for a drink. So, make sure you bring plenty of drinks - although there are water fountains everywhere with the toilets if you want. Legoland gets my thumbs up as a good place to go! It is reasonably priced too. We will definitely go back again. Travel clockwise around the park Legoland is best for kids under 10. Miniland is amazing! There are two driving schools for different ages, which my kids loved. TIPS
Sammy The most special-needs-friendly day out! Just one comment about Legoland - it's probably the most special-needs-friendly day out we've ever had! The staff are wonderful, and very accommodating to special needs families. It's not just the child with difficulties that gets five-star treatment - the whole (stressed out) family do! They provide a free carer's pass for one adult, bringing down the cost of having to take along an adult solely to help one particular child, and have really planned well to make everything accessible for a range of needs. As a pregnant woman taking two under 6s for day trips, it's right up at the top of our list. There's something for everyone, and the kids never tire of it! Oh, and
my husband always manages to get himself a new toy too... Where to next?
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