Center Parcs has today confirmed it will close all of its UK villages for the Queen's funeral.
The company was hit with a wave of criticism after it was announced that all of its UK parks will close from 10am on Monday, September 19, for the Queen's state funeral. People are being told not to travel to Center Parcs on Monday, with all of its holiday villages remaining closed until the following day.
There are five Center Parcs sites across the UK, with the closest location to Liverpool being at Whinfell Forest in Cumbria. Thousands of families will have their holidays cut short by the closures, which many described as an "outrageous decision."
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In a statement on their website, Center Parcs said: "Following the announcement of the date of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, we have made the decision to close all our UK villages on Monday 19 September as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic moment.
"Guests who were due to arrive on Monday 19 September should not travel on this day, though we will reopen on Tuesday 20 September and be ready to welcome our guests then. We hope our guests will understand our decision to support our Queen on her final journey.
"All guests impacted by the closure will receive an email today explaining the options available."
Guests claim their holidays have been ruined by the closure, with many having booked their visits months in advance. Dozens of people took to Twitter to respond to the announcement as they hit out at the company.
One guest said: "This is an appalling decision. You could have done something to mark the occasion in the park. Everyone having to leave by 10 will be a nightmare, nobody is going to get to see or pay their respects stuck in the queue to get out of the park!"
Another added: "What a really outrageous decision to disrupt 1000s of people’s precious holidays. Record the funeral and show it on a loop in the staff room. Really poor customer service."
A third said: "This is wild - by all means hold a two minute silence or be flexible with staff who want the day off and offer a increase for those staff working a bank holiday. But cutting short thousands of peoples holidays just seems cruel."
Center Parcs said it will email all impacted guests and offer them the option to reschedule or cancel their trips with a refund. Guests who will have their break cut short by the closure will be offered an automatic discount by the company.
Responding to the announcement on Twitter, one guest said: "Pretty disgusted at this. Had my week booked since January and you're now telling us less than a week before? Not ideal. If you're taking a day off our holiday I would rather be allowed to stay the Friday night than get a 30% discount."
Another added: "@CenterParcsUK absolutely disappointed with youse how could you shut the park down on such short notice and only offer 30%? Absolutely ruined our holiday a four day break now becomes two and you only offer 30% - absolute joke."
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