D Day approaching
We are nearly their for the mad scramble for the top sites to be booked in advance, Top of the list Chatsworth where you will be lucky to get a weekend 3 days after the 2018 booking site is open. l remember before we had online bookings that it never happened as you had to ring the site or the CMC. Today l would hazard a guess most of the top sites will have most of their weekends booked, its a shame for those that have to work and can only book holidays nearer the time which usually are families.l feel their has got to be way of keeping weeks free for the holiday season. l myself as pensioner and can go when we please would not object to system that catered for bookings within 6 weeks.The reason we have this problem that members book has many has they can and then cancel when not needed, surely the club can look at some way of making it fairer, has anyone any idea's that could be a sensible solution
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They can, it's called taking a non-refundable deposit with bookings but apparently that is too unpopular and in any case been discussed to death.
The alternatives are to join the on-line booking panic or to book with either private sites or the C&CC and pay a deposit.
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l myself as pensioner and can go when we please would not object to system that catered for bookings within 6 weeks.
I also am a pensioner! Booking 6 weeks ahead would not be acceptable to me at all. I shall be booking 5 or 6 commercial sites, 6 C&CC sites and 11 CC sites. The commercial and the C&CC sites I shall book before December.
Taking a deposit will not affect my bookings in any way. I will pay a deposit on 11 sites but not the 11 CC sites which is fine by me.
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Agree with ET, but it has all been said on this thread recently Heethers.
Edit
Why has the site suddenly started hanging up again, ☹️can't be many on it at this time on Sunday.
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Yes I keep getting that
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back to the OP, as the club has said, and I agree, there are certain sites that are very very popular and no new ideas (rolling bookings, deposits...) will change that.
But I can only think of three or four sites for the top sites rating. Plenty left for families to use. Are the 'top sites' that useful for families?
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I have never entered this 'booking day scramble' and have no need to, but for those that do my advice is to fill your boots, get as many as you can and pick/delete at your leisure
The system is there to be used, remember you and yours are No1 in this world so go for any system that favours you.
Me, I'll book my CL's at a leisurely pace as and when I need them.
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For the first time ever, I shall be experiencing the idiocy around Frenzy Day. I would like two nights at the most popular site on the network! But it won't be the end of the world if I don't get them, I shall just opt for somewhere else slightly further away, and no doubt cheaper. Never got involved before, no idea what to expect, but I am blowed if I will spend more than half an hour in the effort. Not weekend dates, so I may just chance it and log on in the afternoon instead!
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Can't say that I have considered it much of a scramble. Sat down with a cup or two of coffee. In the past it has been a pleasant enough way to book whilst engaging on the forum at the same time. I am though not desperate as I want none of the weekenders' 'top' sites. I can think of only one occasion when I wanted to make certain of a particular site and so booked that first. Purely because I think it had only 18 pitches and I had no idea how popular it might be nor if there were any special events during my 5 night stay. That was Cadeside.
I could just as easily book following day or a week later for the sites that I want.
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Good luck with that TDA, my only forays into booking day have been for particular events where a certain club site would suit. I managed one by sheer luck last year as there is an anomaly on one site that makes it look booked up at first glance. Like today when the site appears to be running slow I've had problems with that too as we're not on fast broadband at home, don't know how it works for people who ring up to make a booking? Anyway good luck to all if you are hoping for a particular place or date.
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I've just had a look at the price, way way more expensive than we usually pay, in fact more than double! I might look at Travelodge which might work out cheaper!
Just out of interest, can you phone the sites direct on booking day, or is it just website bookings only, anyone know?
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The first thing I did when I saw some of the price rises was to look at Premier Inn/Travel Lodge in the same areas as some expensive sites! Not a bad idea if you can book a long time ahead. To be honest I didn't do very well with those searches either but you might be lucky.
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I do use the booking system on frenzy day, but as with the majority would not abuse it in the manner suggested. It might be within the terms of the rules, but certainly not the spirit.
I have only one site that requires booking first thing, and if I can't get on in the first 20 mins, it probably won't be worth bothering. So can wait till things calm down,
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But surely the big clamber to book what they want is in itself being selfish, as in I want to get in first before anyone else. The spirit of ruling has already gone out of the window by thinking "sod them I'm here to get my pitch" , I'll keep pressing the redial to come out on top, and at the end of being successful are you happy or sad that someone unknown to you failed in their task.
Just glad I don't participate.
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Decisions, decisions! Do I pay £34 per night and walk to event venue, or do I pay £15 per night and get a bus in and taxi back......
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No decision for me it would be the nearest site!!! We do use a taxi now and then but we have also been ripped off with some taxi companies on relatively short journeys, whilst on others we have been pleasantly surprised. It may also depend on the event if it's just a small family affair then probably no problems but if it's a large event there might not be that many taxi's around.
David
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TDA. Easier to walk, you'll have to book a taxi, find a bus, more to organise! By the way I agree with the sentiments expressed by Metheven, I can't imagine anyone is thinking about others when they book on Dec 6th, it's every person for themselves, I don't like it but that's the way it is with the present system. Not taking part this year, so that's one less in the scrum.
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Yes the site is running very slow today I gave up on it earlier.
I looked at booking the nearest Travelodge to Rowntree Park for my daughter whilst we are there last week in February 2018. Room rate £56.00 per night midweek, £124.00 per night weekend. Parking extra £8.00 per 24 hours. Rowntree Park £21.80 per night for two persons. Can get Travelodge midweek a little cheaper if you pay up front now with no refund if cancelled.
No longer bother trying to book this and other so called honeypot sites except for winter when I have had no problem booking for up to two weeks. I will still be making bookings for other sites for off peak times on opening day.
On getting any changes to the booking system or even putting right some of the problems on this site do you really think anyone with any authority or ability to make changes is reading our posts and is ever going to do anything because I don't.
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On here we do sometimes get a response that our comments will be passed on to relevant departments. On Facebook, which has frequent responses, the norm seems to be "we're sorry to hear that" and nothing more. So I regard CT as slightly more pro-active on the social media side of the club.
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But surely the big clamber to book what they want is in itself being selfish, as in I want to get in first before anyone else.
What makes you think for a moment that all will be clambering to get in first? I shan't be.
Yes I will book CC sites on that day. I will also browse the forum. However the sites that I am booking I could do later as non are, as far as I know, honeypot sites. I simply like to get all my ducks in a row before I go off on 15th December for a 15 night Christmas break. Between the 5th and 15th I have several days taken up with visiting friends and family. A couple of days out with friends. caravan to stock up, a couple of days Christmas shopping. A doctors appointment and Hospital appointment. A social diary to prepare and put out for January for our friends group. That should leave me two days available to book after that date so I might as well sit down on booking opening and complete my bookings.
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Yes , soon be that time of year never had a problem even when we were both working .
The secret is to have alternative sites & dates to your first choices , if they aren't available .
Only booking 3 CMC sites for 2018 plus one at Chatsworth which is already booked beginning of March , the rest of our bookings are a combination of C&CC sites & their cs 5 van sites around 9 in total , we don't book weekends now at all , its full weeks or 10 night stays .
Good luck to everyone on booking day , hopefully members will get their chosen sites/dates .👍
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Not really the same as your suggestion of booking sites, many of which, one has no intention of using. The frenzy day is a lottery system, sometimes you are lucky, sometimes you aren't. Not a lot of different to many things in life. Often, when one suceeds others are unsuccessful. Obtaining employment, for instance. What ever system you put in place will make no different to the clamour for popular sites, on popular dates. Neither will you ever make a system that is going to be equally fair to all. Even if you move frenzy day to Sunday, for instance, some still have to work. However, abusing a system, as you suggested, is most certainly unfair.
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Just out of interest, can you phone the sites direct on booking day, or is it just website bookings only, anyone know?
tda, you do have to use the website for the bookings on "frenzy" day. Hope that you get the one you want.
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I disagree, firstly by those selfish people who use the system, you are by doing that supporting a flawed system, shame on you, much better to not use it to bring change. Secondly by abusing it you are highlighting its flaws and that in itself may bring about change.
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I do use the booking system on frenzy day, but as with the majority would not abuse it in the manner suggested.
SteveL, how do you know that the majority don't do just that. It might be that the most of those that post on CT don't but you've no way of knowing whether it's being done by the majority of CC members.
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