Caravan Club Bookings

[crocs]

PJay - 2016-12-08 5:11 PM

 

EJB - 2016-12-08 4:05 PM

 

There are pages and pages and even more boring pages about this on the CC site

I come here to get away from it.

Help!!!!!!!!! >:-) B-)

 

So what is the general rule of thought then EJB ?

 

Not being a member , would be interested to know.

PJay

 

No, trust me, you really wouldn't! >:-)

[crocs]

StuartO - 2016-12-08 8:58 AMThe Caravan Club do not release information about how many mass early bookings are made and then subsequently cancelled without penalty, so we cannot analyse that pattern of behaviour.  But the booking system encourages a mad rush to reserve anything you might want while it's still available, preventing only duplicate bookings for the same weekend at different sites.

 

I looked again at the Chatsworth bookings and found that all weekends up to the first weekend in July are now booked up and so are some weekends in September.  But nothing is fully booked in late July and August.

 

Does this suggest that the old folks are being greedy, booking serial weekends throughout the season except during school holidays, when sites will be full of noisy children?

 

I didn't appreciate until I saw the OP's posting that the over 75s get advanced access.  I wonder what other sorts of reserved or privileged access the Caravan Club gives, for example to staff or Committee Members?  Certainly a big chunk of weekend slots for Chatsworth are gone very very early, maybe even before the official opening for bookings happens.

Do you think the 'over 70' bit might have been a wind up? :-D

[Colin Leake]

All right I confes it was a wind up. I was on the site first thing but even then could not get the exact dates I wanted for Chatsworth due to most of the weekends Being booked up. We were trying to book 7 nights there when the horse show was on. We managed it last year but this time the best we could get was 5 nights which means missing the best main two days.

 

We do book all the 120 or so days we are away for most years. It's one of the attractions of the club as far as we are concerned. Enables us to go where we want to go rather than less popular sites where we have no desire to go. Simply setting off looking for a site is time consuming and when weekends are needed to be included on a trip not remotely possible. We often encounter members looking for some where to stay late into the evening or only managing to get a few days before having to move off the site because weekends being fully booked.

 

I would add that we don't book on spec with any intention of cancelling at the last moment. We book where we both want and fully intend to go.

[Steve H]

It seems logical to me to prioritise the order of CC bookings because if all those getting in first just book weekends, then nobody can get a clear 14 day holiday.

 

Perhaps once the booking service is opened only 14+ days holidays can be booked for the first month. In the second month only 7-14 day holidays can be booked.

 

After those two months it's a free for all - and yes, all bookings should be with a non refundable deposit to reduce the risk of abuse.

[StuartO]

Colin Leake - 2016-12-08 7:32 PMAll right I confes it was a wind up. I was on the site first thing but even then could not get the exact dates I wanted for Chatsworth due to most of the weekends Being booked up. We were trying to book 7 nights there when the horse show was on. We managed it last year but this time the best we could get was 5 nights which means missing the best main two days.We do book all the 120 or so days we are away for most years. It's one of the attractions of the club as far as we are concerned. Enables us to go where we want to go rather than less popular sites where we have no desire to go. Simply setting off looking for a site is time consuming and when weekends are needed to be included on a trip not remotely possible. We often encounter members looking for some where to stay late into the evening or only managing to get a few days before having to move off the site because weekends being fully booked.I would add that we don't book on spec with any intention of cancelling at the last moment. We book where we both want and fully intend to go.

 

Well you took me in, so well done.  I suppose because you wouldn't be surprised if CC had a secret pre-booking period, it would be entirely credible for the senior seniors to get one.

 

So although you make multiple bookings with the broad intention of actually using them all, how many did you cancel last year?

 

[crocs]

Steve H - 2016-12-09 11:52 AM

 

It seems logical to me to prioritise the order of CC bookings because if all those getting in first just book weekends, then nobody can get a clear 14 day holiday.

 

Perhaps once the booking service is opened only 14+ days holidays can be booked for the first month. In the second month only 7-14 day holidays can be booked.

 

After those two months it's a free for all - and yes, all bookings should be with a non refundable deposit to reduce the risk of abuse.

 

Do you think some people might just book 14 days and then, when the dust settles, just cancel the mid-week dates?

[Keith T]

Just a few random thoughts on some of the above comments.

 

Firstly, we 've been members of the CC for more than 25 years-got their reward sticker this year!! Over the years we have used lots of the sites, but often find it difficult as we don't really want to book months in advance. I cant think of one occasion where, unusually, we have booked way ahead, and then cancelled.

 

Yes there are often odd pitches available if you call the site wardens direct , despite the computer showing full. This year we managed to get a couple of nights at Baltic Wharf Bristol, it showed full on the computer, and indeed when we had called them a couple of weeks earlier there was no space. However, by calling them on the Monday to get a reservation for the Saturday, and they found what must be the only grass pitch there for us....on arrival, somewhat tongue in cheek we asked it the pitch was available for Sunday night also, and yes, that was fine, in fact we could have had it for several days it appears!! SO it''s always worth a try.

 

Bearing in mind we like flexibility, and last minute - even same day - decisions, that's why we like France, as other than the mid July/Aug period when we really wouldn't want to be there anyway, we've never had any problems in finding space on sites, and indeed usually they don't even want you to pay when you get there, just in case - as has happened to us serval times, we stayed longer. They actually welcome you rather than saying when are you leaving!

 

This year we spent the whole of October in France, partly influenced by the fact that it worked out cheaper overall, including Ferry, Sites, Fuel etc, than doing the same in the UK, and generally better weather. Plus for me, at least, more enjoyable driving.

[Colin Leake]

I had to extend the stay on one site and before I could do so I had to cancel the next site we were due to move to when I put my back out and could hardly walk for a few days. Wardens handled the process for me and despite the short notice no penalty was involved. Brilliant service from the wardens.

[Colin Leake]

crocs - 2016-12-09 2:17 PM

 

Steve H - 2016-12-09 11:52 AM

 

It seems logical to me to prioritise the order of CC bookings because if all those getting in first just book weekends, then nobody can get a clear 14 day holiday.

 

Perhaps once the booking service is opened only 14+ days holidays can be booked for the first month. In the second month only 7-14 day holidays can be booked.

 

After those two months it's a free for all - and yes, all bookings should be with a non refundable deposit to reduce the risk of abuse.

 

Do you think some people might just book 14 days and then, when the dust settles, just cancel the mid-week dates?

 

Why would anyone want 14 days on the same site? We tend to stay around 5 days then move on and this seems to be what most do. Longest we ever stay is a week and that's only because the site is in the village I was born in and we have a lot of relatives to visit.

[yeti]

Booking club sites online are now almost as difficult as trying a Glastonbury ticket!

[AlanS]

We didn't use any CC sites last year as we spent most of our time in France. However we have always wanted to visit York (we are Southerners and very rarely venture North) and recently. much to our surprise, we managed to book for 2017 Rowntree Park for 4 nights midweek and as we do like Baltic Wharf in Bristol we managed to book that too without any problems. Perhaps it was because we were after mid-week slots - I know it is not the same for families with children though where weekends are difficult to book.

 

Tunnel booked for our early 'France' trip although Italy has been mentioned by my wife, however our later tunnel crossing not booked as yet as they haven't released their dates for our return crossings (October and later). Once again our Tesco vouchers have / will have paid for the crossings, so a bit of a saving there.

 

Alan.

[Fred Duck]

We wanted various sites throughout the year to fit in with various events we're attending. Some sites were the more popular ones, some not so. Started the process at 10.00 am on the opening morning and by 10.15 am all were booked. Eight bookings in all. I've been very critical of the CC in the past but this year, praise where it's due as far as I'm concerned.

 

FD