Center Parcs has confirmed a major overhaul of its cancellation policy for spa and activity bookings, drawing widespread criticism from customers. Effective from Monday 12 October 2026, the company will require guests to cancel at least seven days before a scheduled activity or spa session in order to receive a full refund. Previously, cancellations made up to 12 hours in advance were fully refundable.
The tightening of the rules means that any booking cancelled within seven days of the start time will incur a 50% cancellation fee. The change applies to all activity bookings and Aqua Sana Forest Spa sessions, as well as restaurant reservations and extras booked through the resort's website.
News of the revised policy emerged on 1 August 2026, prompting immediate backlash from customers, with two guests quoted in The Sun expressing their frustration.
Guests voice anger over the new cancellation rule
One disgruntled customer told The Sun: “How disappointing and incredibly unfair for a venue that already charges excessively. The cost of activities is already ridiculous.” Another said: “The effect will be that we book significantly less activities, if any at all.” These comments reflect a wider sentiment that the new policy could deter guests from booking extras in advance, for fear of losing money if plans change.
Under the old system, guests could cancel up to 12 hours before the booking and obtain a full refund. That flexibility is now being replaced by a seven-day cutoff, which many consider too rigid for a holiday environment where weather and schedules can change at short notice.
What Center Parcs says about the policy change
A spokesperson for Center Parcs confirmed the change in a statement to The Sun: “We have made some changes to our activity and Aqua Sana Forest Spa cancellation policy for guests staying at Center Parcs from Monday 12 October 2026 onwards. Guests can now amend or cancel these bookings up to seven days before the scheduled start time and receive a full refund. Cancellations made within seven days will incur a 50% cancellation fee.”
The company has also updated its website with detailed instructions for guests who need to cancel bookings. The site states: “If you need to cancel your activities, restaurant reservations, spa session or treatments and any extras you can do this within your itinerary.”
How to cancel your Center Parcs activities and spa bookings
To cancel online, guests must log into their account and navigate to “My Itinerary” within “My Booking.” From there, they can select each item individually, and a “cancel” button will appear at the bottom of the details page. After clicking this, a green refund button appears, and following that shows a confirmation screen. Notably, no confirmation email is sent, so guests are advised to check the screen carefully.
The company stresses that the activity must have been booked and paid for by the guest directly on the Center Parcs website, and the start time must not be in the past. Each item must be cancelled separately, and refunds will be paid back to the original card used for the transaction.
For guests who booked via the Contact Centre, online cancellation is not possible. Instead, they must call the team directly on 03448 267723 to process refunds. The website advises: “If you booked your activities via our Contact Centre you will need to get back in touch with one of our team to process all refunds on 03448 267723.”
Impact on guests and future bookings
The new cancellation policy could have a notable impact on how guests plan their stay. Some have already stated that they intend to book fewer activities, or none at all, because of the stricter terms. Given that the quoted customer described activity costs as “ridiculous,” the 50% fee for last-minute changes represents a significant financial risk.
With the change set to take effect in October 2026, guests who have existing bookings for that period may need to review their itineraries now to avoid being caught out by the new seven-day rule. Center Parcs has not announced any plans to delay or revise the policy.
