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Center Parcs Longleat Forest 15th-18th December 2017

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Today, my family and I arrived in Center Parcs Longleat for their Winter Wonderland event. I have been to this holiday park a lot over the years, but I've never been at Christmas before. One thing I will say is that if you've ever been to a Center Parcs before, then you probably know what it's like. Also, may I just applaud Center Parcs on their efforts with their Christmas decorations. There are Christmas decorations just about everywhere you look, from the wreaths on the lodge doors to the Christmas trees in the Village Square. Speaking of the accommodation, I'm staying in an Executive Lodge, and it has definitely been revamped since I last stayed in one. It looks lovely. In fact, the whole park has been refurbished quite a lot since I last went. Not that any of Alton's facilities are particularly dated, but I think Merlin should spend some money doing revamps of some facilities. The main reason I posted this thread, however, is to review the water park, which has recently had two new rides installed; Tropical Cyclone, a ProSlide Tornado, and Typhoon, a ProSlide TopsyTurvy (I think?). There are some other great attractions at the water park too, like the Wild Water Rapids. Here are my personal reviews of all the main attractions:
Tropical Cyclone:
Wow! I had high expectations for this ride, and it really delivered! Basically, this attraction consists of some turns and a large funnel, which doesn't really sound that interesting on face value, but is actually the best ride in the waterpark in my opinion! You ride in a 4 person raft, but the employees do let you ride with 2 or 3 people in your group. I got a really intense moment of airtime going over the drop, which photos and videos do not do any justice with regards to how large it is! Another great thing about this ride is that you can choose a visual and sound experience while you ride. The options are Thunder, Underwater, Coral Reef and Waterfalls. I rode the ride 3 times today. For two of them, I had Thunder, which has lightning bolts projected onto the ride. For the other ride, I had coral reef, which has sharks and water projected onto the ride. My description probably doesn't do this any justice whatsoever, but that's the best way I can describe it! But in conclusion; brilliant.
10/10

Typhoon:
It may not be the best of the two, but this attraction really pleasantly surprised me after what Omocka Rocka at Aquatica was like. It was much better because it felt much faster and much more exciting than Omocka Rocka. If you've never ridden one of these attractions before, then you basically go down in a 1 or 2 person tube. Like on Tropical Cyclone, you also get to choose your experience, however on this, you only get to choose the lighting. The options I chose for my 2 rides were Rainbow and Atlantis, as examples of what you can choose. I really felt that you got thrusted against the walls with much greater force and speed than on Omocka Rocka. However, it's not particularly nice having freezing cold water chucked on you in both funnels, especially in December! Brilliant attraction, though!
9/10

Wild Water Rapids
The Wild Water Rapids is a Center Parcs classic! It's quite unlike anything I've ever ridden in a water park before! It's basically a mix between a lazy river and a concrete body slide, but much more fun. Part of what I love about this attraction is how fast it is and how much it varies between rides. For example, you might have a ride with loads of slipstream moments and then have a ride where you get stuck loads! This attraction is not too easy to describe, but it's great fun!
9/10

Small Green Slide (Unnamed)
This ride doesn't do anything significant, but carries a good pace to it. It's a fun ride, but pales in comparison to the new slides.
6/10

Large Green Slide (Unnamed)
Meh. Didn't ride today, but I don't remember it being that good. I actually completely stopped midway through when I last rode.
4/10

Other stuff at the waterpark includes a tipping bucket play area and some straight water pistes. Overall, Center Parcs is really good, and I'd really recommend it, if you ever get the chance to go. I actually think that this waterpark has a superior offering to the Alton Towers Waterpark now that Tropical Cyclone and Typhoon have opened. Come on, Merlin, invest some capital into Alton's waterpark. It needs it to be able to keep up with Center Parcs and other UK water parks. On a side note, I am here for another 3 days, so is there anything you guys would like to know while I'm here?
 
What is there to do other than the water park?

We drove past it on the way back to our campsite last year and the Mrs went 'ohhhh centre parks' but we've never been in one. The most 'exotic' holiday camp experience we've had is Bognor Regis Butlins.
 
There's absolutely loads to do other than the waterpark @IanSR! For example, we went bowling this morning and played badminton yesterday! There's absolutely tons to do!
 
What is there to do other than the water park?

We drove past it on the way back to our campsite last year and the Mrs went 'ohhhh centre parks' but we've never been in one.

There's lots to do, but at quite a price. Activities ain't cheap once they've got you in there! I'd recommend giving it a try though, if you can book while the kids are at school in Jan/Feb you can get a midweek stay for next to nothing, the villas have well kitted out kitchens, take your groceries with you and pop back for lunches and some dinners rather than eating out all the time, and it really isn't expensive at all. Even if you don't do many activities it's just a nice place to be, and the pool is free once you're there, I'm happy spending literally all day floating about!

I've been to all the Center Parcs in the UK over the years and the rapids at Elvedon are by far the best; really long and flow fantastically. I found the Longleat ones very stop start-y, with lots of disjointed little drops into slow moving pools, rather than flowing connected sections. The new ones near Bedford (name escapes me) are great and in a similar style to Elvedon's, but far too short. The pool isn't big enough there either.

Like coasters, riding the rapids in the dark make them even better, and the pools stay open until 9 or 10, so plenty of night riding opportunity!

The new rides they are putting in are incredible, not tried the Longleat ones yet but they look great. The drop into the cone at Elvedon is insane, especially if you can get a few heavy people in a raft. I know there's been the odd one reported in The Fail, but don't know how there aren't tonnes of injuries on these things.

The Centre Parcs pools do put splash to shame really, especially with the new oversized rides going in. I find splash a bit dull if I'm honest, and the opening hours are atrocious.
 
Thanks guys, unfortunately with a 13 year old booking legitimately during term time is out of the question, doubly so since he was coincidentally off ill the first day SW8 was testing and the little sods at school started a rumour that he'd bunked off to go and ride it which ended up with the School phoning us to confirm he was home (I can laugh about it now, but the sheer stupidity of the school believing rumours we'd drive three hours to a theme park that had been closed for over a month without first bothering to check the opening times got them a right mouthful).

So back to Centre Parks, I presume them you pay for the activities when on site? Or is that just dining and stuff. At Butlins everything bar the obvious is included free, so I'm not going to be too pleased if you have to pay for your kid to go into the playground or something, iirc bowling is free at Butlins with just a deposit for the shoes.
 
Apart from the swimming, everything is money money money. Bowling about £20 for 45 mins, sports courts about £8, shooting and archery £25, treetop courses and zip lines are a lot. The (excellent) Spa getting on for £50 for three hours at peak times. Some more unusual things too, like segway forest trek, pottery spinning and painting, and coffee tasting 'classes'. It all adds up. A lot of (free!) swimming is the answer!
Some of the dinning is the standard cafe rouge type chain stuff, plus there's some different things like a pancake restaurant, but none of them are cheap. For some reason their Indian restaurant is always bar far the best value, and excellent food too.
But it is a lovely place to just be, each villa is nestled away in the woods. A lot have things like pool tables, jacuzzis and saunas in them. Coming 'home' through a snowy forest to an open fire and hotpot you put in the oven at lunch, after spending the early evening sliding through steamy outdoor hot water rapids, can be quite a magical thing. And worth every penny.

Although I know people who have been and hated it. Can't please everyone!
 
I have not been to Center Parcs for 20 years.

I find the constant paying more for everything objectionable, so I just don't go.

Shame, as the concept is nice.
 
I've been to all the Center Parcs in the UK over the years and the rapids at Elvedon are by far the best; really long and flow fantastically. I found the Longleat ones very stop start-y, with lots of disjointed little drops into slow moving pools, rather than flowing connected sections. The new ones near Bedford (name escapes me) are great and in a similar style to Elvedon's, but far too short. The pool isn't big enough there either.

Like coasters, riding the rapids in the dark make them even better, and the pools stay open until 9 or 10, so plenty of night riding opportunity!

The new rides they are putting in are incredible, not tried the Longleat ones yet but they look great. The drop into the cone at Elvedon is insane, especially if you can get a few heavy people in a raft. I know there's been the odd one reported in The Fail, but don't know how there aren't tonnes of injuries on these things.

The Centre Parcs pools do put splash to shame really, especially with the new oversized rides going in. I find splash a bit dull if I'm honest, and the opening hours are atrocious.
I haven't seen a POV of Elveden's, but from a POV of the Woburn ones, I actually think Longleat's look more interesting! Guess it's down to personal opinion. But I completely agree with you that a Rapids night ride is great! I actually had the very rare experience of a night ride completely on my own last night, which was great. Well, my Mum was with me, but I mean that we were the only group. The new rides, honestly, are both incredible. I never thought that I would see such brilliant slides in the UK. I don't rank water attractions, but they probably rank in my top 3 waterslides along with Ihu's at Aquatica Orlando. Typhoon surprised me, as I found Omocka Rocka to be a bit of an anticlimax when I rode it in August 2016. I also think that the rider-chosen visual elements are a really nice touch. But Tropical Cyclone is definitely the better of the two. That drop provided me with a really good moment of airtime. As I did above, I will say: Come on, Merlin. ProSlide are practically screaming out to build one of these at Cariba! It is quite sad when you are being trumped by something that doesn't even claim to be a proper waterpark! All that the Alton Towers Waterpark has going for it is Master Blaster, and I don't even remember that being particularly mind blowing. All I remember is queueing for 45 minutes to get a raft! I only visited Cariba once in 2009, and I don't really remember what I thought, but my parents both said they hated it and they were never returning. Also, Longleat's water park is actually really nicely themed/landscaped!
 
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I haven't seen a POV of Elveden's, but from a POV of the Woburn ones, I actually think Longleat's look more interesting! Guess it's down to personal opinion...

I suppose it's when they flow fast for extended periods, getting you really out of control, that I enjoy. The problem with POV's is they give no sense of the force of the water on you, and little sense of speed. The sequence as you return into the dome at Elveden is just perfect...


(not my vid)
 
Center Parcs is fun. It's also the best example to use when people suggest a MAP is not good value for money when compared to similar/equivalent activities.
 
I suppose it's when they flow fast for extended periods, getting you really out of control, that I enjoy. The problem with POV's is they give no sense of the force of the water on you, and little sense of speed. The sequence as you return into the dome at Elveden is just perfect...


(not my vid)

You see, I find Longleat's quite fast and out of control in sections @pluk and the little drops add to it for me. The second big drop is admittedly quite slow, but it's a great rapids. Definitely better at night, though. Also, I felt that the slopes seemed smoother than when we last stayed in October 2016. It's entirely subjective, though. On a side note, that waterfall section at the start is rather bracing in mid-December.

Also, I went back to the waterpark today and rerode the green slides. Both are faster than I remember. The new slides are in another league entirely, but they are both much better slides than I remember.
EDIT: I just read online that Center Parcs are claiming Tropical Cyclone to be the largest water slide in Europe. Is this true?
 
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I visited back in November and was impressed with their new slides apart from being thrown from the ring on Typhoon as we entered the first funnel! (was a mad rush to get back on the ring for the rest of the slide). I agree about the rapids being stop/start, the ones at Woburn flowed much better.

What is also interesting is that the slides at Longleat are not made by Proslide like the other funnels at the other Center Parcs, they are made by a company called Van Egdom which is strange as I thought the funnel and clover leaf ring were a Proslide patented design! (I assume they are cheaper?) Tropical Cyclone at Longleat certainly didn't run as smooth as the Woburn one.
 
What is also interesting is that the slides at Longleat are not made by Proslide like the other funnels at the other Center Parcs, they are made by a company called Van Egdom which is strange as I thought the funnel and clover leaf ring were a Proslide patented design! (I assume they are cheaper?) Tropical Cyclone at Longleat certainly didn't run as smooth as the Woburn one.
Really? I didn't notice any smoothness issues. I thought that they really resembled ProSlide attractions at other parks. @Matt I thought that the cloverleaf was patented, but I think other companies make funnel rides too. I suppose that would explain the sticker in the station with Van Egdom on it. I thought it was like a construction team thing or something. That would also explain why the rafts didn't have "ProSlide" printed on them.
EDIT: I had a look at their website and it actually looks like they have built a fair amount of water attractions. Although something about the Cyclone 50 (Tropical Cyclone) and Crazy Cones (Typhoon) do rather look like knockoffs of ProSlide models, even though they probably aren't. Maybe the reason Center Parcs went with them is because it says that they offer effects with the slide, so maybe Center Parcs went with Van Egdom so that they could have the whole choose-your-ride thing at the start, which I'm unsure whether ProSlide would have offered.

On a side note, I had a look at an ITV News article that said the new slides were part of an £11m development. So maybe Van Egdom aren't any cheaper.
 
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The best CenterParcs rapids ride in the UK used to be the one in Whinfell Forest. It was built under the Oasis ownership before Center Parcs bought it out and rebranded. It was by far the fastest of the rapids and pretty brutal too. In fact so much so that following the Center Parcs take over they built a plastic slide on top of the original which is nowhere near as good. That original rapids now just sits disused under the newer version.
 
The best CenterParcs rapids ride in the UK used to be the one in Whinfell Forest. It was built under the Oasis ownership before Center Parcs bought it out and rebranded. It was by far the fastest of the rapids and pretty brutal too. In fact so much so that following the Center Parcs take over they built a plastic slide on top of the original which is nowhere near as good. That original rapids now just sits disused under the newer version.
Do you mean that they built a new Wild Water Rapids or do you mean that they replaced it with a slide?
 
It’s sort of a hybrid. It’s a wide water slide of a similar width to the rapids, but it doesn’t have the same type of plunge pools that the rapids have and it’s also set above the ground rather than into it.
 
It’s sort of a hybrid. It’s a wide water slide of a similar width to the rapids, but it doesn’t have the same type of plunge pools that the rapids have and it’s also set above the ground rather than into it.
Ah right. Is this the Canyon Ride on the Whinfell water park map?
 
That’s the one. You’ll notice there’s no white water rapids ride like the other parks as this is what replaced it.
 
That’s the one. You’ll notice there’s no white water rapids ride like the other parks as this is what replaced it.

Well, there's a reason not to bother going all the way up there then!

Edit: just watched a POV if it and it looks quite fun. It's no rapids though!

I did go to Oasis as a kid, but for some reason I can barely remember any of it.
 
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