This year we visited Butlin's for the first time. You can read our reviews on the accommodation and entertainment, but I felt a tips post may be helpful if you are planning to go for the first time too. This is based on staying at Skegness, but I am sure most of it applies to the Bognor and Minehead resorts too.
1. If in doubt, take a buggy. Little man rarely uses his buggy these days and we weren't sure whether to take ours or not. Thankfully we did. The site is huge and there is a lot of walking involved. There are many places you can park your buggy inside the Skyline Pavilion.
2. Download the Butlin's app before you go. This will give you the show times so it is great to have to hand. I kept forgetting to take my guide with me and didn't realise there was an app until the penultimate day.
3. Get to the popular shows early at peak times. We went to see Dick V Dom and the Scooby Doo show. Both were extremely popular and not everyone was able to get in. To get a table you need to get there really early and be prepared to queue. Alternatively you can pre order a B line pass. These are pricey but worth considering if you have older children and are planning on going to the evening shows.
4. Splashwater World seemed busier in the mornings so go there in the afternoon.
5. The outside fairground was much quieter in the morning than in the afternoon.
6. If you have friends and family nearby, why not get them to come and visit for the day. My Mum came to visit us and the boys loved showing her round and taking her to their "Butlins house." Day guests also benifit from half price entry if they are visiting you. My Mum who is a senior only cost £6 for the day (10am - 6pm) Prices vary for the time of year and the resort so check the website for more details.
7. If you play the arcade games you will win tickets. These need putting into machine to count them and then can exchanged for prizes. Big man was keen to get some sweets with the few tickets he had and we made the mistake of doing this on the final day when the queues were really long. If can, try and exchange them the day before you leave when the queues are shorter.
8. Accept that you won't have time to do it all. Pick out the things you really want to do and focus on them. There is so much on offer, you will not be able to do everything in one stay.
9. If you don't want to self cater, consider a dining plan.We had the premium package and there was a great variety of food. There are a variety of plans to suit different budgets.
I hope this is helpful if you are planning your first Butlin's break, and I hope you have a fantastic time like we did. If you have been before, what are your tips?
This is utterly brilliant and really useful, thank you. I particularly like the swimming vs fairground time tips! :)
ReplyDeleteHi wat u have just wrote is brilliant for new comers to butlins ive been coming to butlins for a long time and wat u have wrote is true i agree with youn100% on everybthing u said especially the queing up well wrote andrew g barclay
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew! I found it quite daunting as a new comer to Butlins as there are a lot of return customers that know what to do. I hadn't appreciated the size of the complex at all I think I would also consider getting an activity pass for my eldest next time - have you used these? He really enjoyed the Thomas type shows this time but would be a bit too old next time so I think he would like to do things like the climbing wall. I think one of the good things about Butlins is the range of activities for different ages.
ReplyDeleteThanks - it worked well for us in Skegness but I imagine Bognor could be different as I believe it's a lot bigger x
ReplyDeleteHello, thanks for all the information, it's been really helpful. We are going on our first trip to Butlins Skegness in a couple of weeks, my little boy is getting very excited!. I purchased Sky bar passes at the time of booking, can you tell me exactly what they are please?. I've a feeling I've wasted money on them and I should have bought the fast track passes instead?. Many thanks
ReplyDeleteHi Kirsty, I didn't have any passes, but wished I had so we could get a seat. I'm afraid I don't know enough about the different passes to really help you but if you aren't sure I would give the customer services team a call as they are really good. It will also depend on who is in your party as to what option is best. Hope you have a lovely time x
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