Reviews of Wild Duck Holiday Park, Norfolk, England

We have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss D HAYWOOD

Comments:

We have just returned from a fantastic family break. We selected Wild Duck due to its picturesue and relaxing profile. This certainly did not disappoint.

We arrived several hours prior to our check in time and the Reception Girls were so lovely, they took our contact number and called us as soon as our caravan was ready for us. We were lucky to check in at 2pm, 2 hours early!



The caravan was spotless, hats off to the cleaners, it must be very difficult not to miss something when you have such a large turnaround! They were brilliant.



We ate from the restaurant 3 times daily and absolutley loved the food, our little one is extremley fussy but the team were so helpful in helping her choose and prepare her meal. Nothing was too much for the team. Admittedley though we didnt eat from the Jolly Fryer, but we found the Oasis too appealing.



The evening entertainment was nice as it wasnt all sell, sell, sell like we have experienced at other parks. Our little ones are a bit too young to stay up too late, so we usually ended up back at the caravan at 9pm exhausted but entertained.



I really would recommend the Wild Duck to anyone, whether you have children or not, they do have so much to offer, whether you want fun filled entertainment or relaxing woodland walks. We made the most of it all and have already booked to go back early next year.



Thank you to all the Team

i just returned from wild duck...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss S MORRIS

Comments:

i just returned from wild duck park after a 3 night stay.on the whole i had a very nice time outside of the park. However on the first morning at the onsite restaurant i ate a full english breakfast.within hours of eating it i was in alot of pain and now 3 days later after seeing the nurse she says i have had food poisoning.I know it was from that breakfast because i didnt eat anything else that day...I am still very poorly now and i must say the food onsite is very poor quality.the chip van is disgusting aswell.

On the last night we decided to go and watch the entertainment at the showbar.and i cannot believe some of you people said it was fantastic because it was a joke. The people dressed in bear costumes was nice for the kids but after that, the actresses who did a short show were very unprofessional and unprepared. They didnt really know what they was doing and one of them had her head down reading from the script!! how crap

Also the onsite shop was a complete rip off!!! even the shop assistant was telling me how ridiculous the prices were.



On the otherhand it was not all bad. The caravan was amazing!! very clean and of a very good standard for the small price we paid. the swimming pool was lovely and clean and very warm...the staff were nice too. its a nice quiet campsite but beware!!! do not eat at that restaurant!!!!!

bring your own food beforehand you dont want to be paying the silly prices at the onsite store.

We have been to Wild duck 3...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

haven website

Submitted By:

Mrs B Rees

Comments:

We have been to Wild duck 3 times now and we enjoyed every minute.Its very friendly and the staff all round are great.We cant wait to go back in 2 weeks time.The reception staff are most helpful as we had to postpone our holiday as our daughter was rushed into hospital, I phoned the reception to let them know at the last minute and they have booked me in for 2 weeks later at no extra cost. How many other holiday companies would do that.So many thanks to Danni at reception

We booked 7 nights at the Wild...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr S J Harding

Comments:

We booked 7 nights at the Wild Duck, in a Prestige Caravan. We have been to 3 Haven Parks now, and I can wholeheartedly say this has been the best so far.

In my opinion, I would take reviews of Haven holidays with a small pinch of salt. I say this because most of the time, if people are not happy with their caravan, then things can snowball downhill and make the rest of the holiday be viewed in a darker light. As much as Haven would argue the pro's and con's, there ARE poor shabby caravans on their sites, but these are older models, and allow those on a tight budget to get away for a family holiday. Sometimes though, people expect more than they are paying for, and this is when complaints arise.

Therefore - I would advise people looking at this type of holiday to try and afford the best grade of caravan they can. A Superior PLUS caravan is the least I would book, trying if possible to get a Prestige so long as budget allows! At least then, whatever happens during the day, a family can look forward to returning to a nice caravan to spend the evening and take stock.

The Wild Duck site is quite small, however this does make it feel more family driven. I can honestly say, as someone who lives in the north (Stockton-on-tees) the staff on this site were very friendly and helpfull whenever we needed. It took us around 6 hours travelling by car from Teeside, beware of speed camera's EVERYWHERE around the area of the Wild Duck.

The swimming pool is very small, and has frankly, pathetic changing rooms. Many people simply change around the pool edge (having put their swimware on under their clothes beforehand) where there is a surrounding ring of plastic tables and chairs. It gets VERY busy most days, and often we were turned away due to the pool being overcrowded. We discovered the outdoor pool, and this was often very empty. If you can brave the sometimes cold wind then it's a good alternative to the indoor pool.

The entertainment was good. Not as good as some of the Haven sites we have visited before though. Even out of peak season we found other Haven holidays to have better evening entertainment. However, this is really for the kids and for that it did the job fine. I have to say the Showbar is really nice, well designed and good seating/viewing for all. Make sure you get to the Showbar for around 5.45pm to be 1st in the line for a good table. We made the mistake of going down at 8.00pm and having to leave due to there being no seats at all. It reminds me of having to put towels on sunbeds abroad, but with no German's!

The site feels very much like a CenterParks, which is getting very costly to visit. I would go back here next year for sure.

Just returned from a weeks stay...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Haven Holidays

Submitted By:

Miss J Crowe

Comments:

Just returned from a weeks stay at wild duck and all i can say is it was amazing. You would not have known you werent abroad the weather was great! we stayed in a 3 bedroom superior plus caravan which was decorated and furnished to a very high standard. There were 8 of us 4 adults and 4 children and we all had a brilliant time. The park was very relaxing and the woodland surrounding was lovely. The 2 swimming pools were basic but did the job! The parks were brilliant for the kids. We ate a few times in the Oasis bar and the food was great and not overpriced. Even the drinks werent overpriced. There is a small bit outside of the bar which is hired to a couple running a little train,bouncy castles and trampolines which were £1.50 a token ( so take your change!! )

The shop was well stocked with nessecities and also not too pricy. The staff were great with the kids and very friendly.

It was a fantastic holiday and I cannot wait to return next year!



Would recommend for any day trips : beWILDer wood!!! also gouleston beach.

We have just returned home from...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

HAVEN

Submitted By:

Miss T DAY

Comments:

We have just returned home from Wild Duck, I want to go back!!!!!

The caravan was clean when we arrived & was decked out to a good standard, hot water in the shower constantly(even after 8 of us had showered!!)

The park is really relaxing(even when quite busy), & our caravan was in a lovely spot, in between everything. I was a bit dubious about the eating outlets as we went to Seashore in May & the chip shop & the Burger King there were disgraceful, not only was the food cold, greasy & taseless, the staff were soooo miserable!

But we were pleasantly surprised when we went walking in Wild Duck & found the chip shop was outside & had benches to seat on, the chips were lovely & so was the curry sauce!

The restaurant was spacious, clean & not over priced, & the food was lovely, staff were very pleasant & helpful. One thing I will say is the rides outside the restuarant are not HAVENS & the ground is hired privately so you have to pay, which was all right but it was £1.50 for 6 Mins(ok if your little ones stayed on that long!!), but overall it did keep them happy for a while, so don't forget to take your change with you!!

The shop sells most things, but not over priced, some things might be slightly higher than a regular shop but nothing major.



The place has 2 parks which the children loved, one is shady & in amoungst woodland which was lovely, & the other is mostly in the sun but still lovely.

There is an indoor & outdoor pool which were nothing special but did the job!!!!

We found a really lovely beach in Gorleston which is a few miles away, but worth the short drive, not alot there but gorgeous beach.

We found everyone to be friendly & relaxed, exactly what we wanted.

We are definately going back as soon as we can!!!!

we have just returned from a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs L Pinnell

Comments:

we have just returned from a short break in our touring caravan as wild duck. it was brilliant; we got snowed in !! and stayed an extra night much to the childrens delight; we found the park excellent- well organised,clean and the staff v helpful; the entertainment staff were v good and tried hard; the shows for the children were outstanding; the entertainment manager was brilliant and worked hard(as did the others) but i feel she deserves a special mention; the only slightly not as good as they could be things were- no marked pitches for tourers; cold shower room(showers were lovely & hot) room just not heated! otherwise it cant be faulted; we shall def return!!

Just returned from 2 week stay...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr S Clarke

Comments:

Just returned from 2 week stay on touring site. Which is well organised, with plenty of space. Ample toilets and showers which are kept clean. Disabled toilet shower could do with some modernisation and a second one would be useful, broken toilet seat took 3 days to repair.



On site shop very expensive but there is a Budgens just outside the camp and a Tesco Express close by. Excellent Fish and chip van with good sized portions and well priced. Main on site food venue again overpriced and poor quality.



Very orientated towards child entertainment with very little for adults. Plenty of wildlife to watch and pleasant countryside walks. Swimming pool very basic, but popular and hence quite crowded at times.



All staff very polite and helpful, security very keen.

We (family of four aged 42, 28,...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs S M Ribbons

Comments:

We (family of four aged 42, 28, 5 and 1.5 years) have just returned from a six night break at Haven's Wild Duck Holiday Park in Norfolk and we have had a wonderful time!



We booked direct as a last minute break to go and visit relatives who live in the Norwich area. I decided to book a Silver level Caravan as we have had bad experiences with the level of quality of the Caravans on other holiday parks (not Haven run).



We arrived mid afternoon and had to collect the keys from the entertainment complex as the reception could not handle the volume of people checking in.



We were directed to our accommodation and when we got there it was fantastic! Well located in a spacious pitch away from the entertainment so it was quiet; well laid out with a door to separate the sleeping and living quarters and spotlessly clean! It even had a decked area and garden furniture to sit and enjoy the sunshine.



On exploring the rest of the site we found it was all well maintained and clean. The entertainment programme looked varied and well produced (we only caught one show ourselves) and there was plenty for the little ones to do, with a mini adventure park and a crazy golf course. All surrounded by trees in a woodland setting.



We had 2 meals from the takeaway as it was reasonably priced and the food well cooked - the only thing we didn't do at all was swim and this is why I have only given it a rating of 8/10 as the pool area looked really boring, if they could inject some of the excitement and imagination they have shown with the new complex at Primrose valley it would score a definite 10/10, but then I suppose it would be fully booked all year and the prices would go up!



Even so we are looking forward to returning next year when we go visiting again and maybe make more use of all the facilities.

Just returned from our holiday...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs L Bennison

Comments:

Just returned from our holiday at the Wild Duck and once again we had a brilliant time. Gold caravan was excellent, food in the oasis bar was as good as the last time we were there and the staff are a credit to the park.



Anything you wanted was never too much trouble. I would like to mention the fun stars you were all fabulous, funny and our children can't wait to return next year, we hope to see you all again.



We booked our holiday for next year before we returned home, anyone reading this give the Wild Duck a visit you won't be disappointed.

My god this park is relaxing, if...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr J Reilly

Comments:

My god this park is relaxing, if you need to rest and recharge I recommend a few days here.



The surroundings are beautiful (squirrels and rabbits right outside our caravan a particular delight for our 5 year old and us too) and very peaceful, nice clean park and caravan, great friendly staff who kept my daughter amused for the week which is no easy task.



I didn’t want to go on a caravan holiday at all but after the first day I was already planning more visits, in fact we are off again in October to have a recharge.



Thoroughly recommend Wild Duck to anyone we love it.

We went with our own caravan....

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs L H

Comments:

We went with our own caravan. Touring park is quite disorganised. Pitches are not clearly marked and it is more suited to tents.



You are met by a man in a golf cart who will show you to an empty pitch area. We were quite lucky to get a larger than average area, but some people were squashed together and in some cases looked to be overlapping each others pitches.



I have no idea how the staff can possibly know if they are fully booked or not. Grass on pitches completely worn out and on dry days very dusty.



Entertainment good for kids and shop adequately stocked. The best bit about this site is the fabulous fish and chip takeaway. The chicken curry and scampi are the best dishes.



My kids loved their chicken burgers. Prices very reasonable. Swimming pool was very crowded. Overall the site is quite old but kept clean.

Just returned from a four day...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr M P Norris

Comments:

Just returned from a four day holiday at Wild Duck.



We had a Bronze caravan. It was of very good standard and I was surprised of the level of furnishings and features as this is this I believe is the lowest grade of caravan available.



The meals in the Oasis bar were good value for money. The site was tidy and litter free. All The staff I encountered were friendly and professional. Unless you love Bingo you might find it a bit too much, both The Barn and The Show bar run several games an evening. The acts in the Show bar starts around 9.45pm.



Pleasure Hills theme park in nearby Lowestoft is really worth a visit, we had great day there.

I can honestly say that this...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Haven Website

Submitted By:

Mr GJ Lyall

Comments:

I can honestly say that this park deserved the award it received from Holiday Watchdog and we chose to come here after reading the reviews.



After what seemed a never ending journey from east of Scotland, we arrived at a clean and quiet park, staffed by very courteous and efficient staff.



The check-in procedure lasted all of 2 minutes and did not involve going to an entertainment centre unlike some other haven parks. The park is well signposted from the main road.



We booked a silver 3-bed caravan and was spotless throughout, excellent. The park has a varied amount of activities and the four seated bikes were good value (but 1/2 hour is more than enough for a committed smoker!!)



The thing that really surprised me was that you were not faced with a barrage of 'buy-me' or 'spend your cash as quick as you can' attractions. In fact, the amusement arcade was deserted when we walked around! Did I mention that the staff were brilliant?!!



We will definitely be coming back next year and hope to sample the evening entertainment this time.



The pool looked good too but we were out and about most days. That is no slur on the park by the way, just personal choice!



The whole area is nice to visit with lots to see and do. If you get a chance visit the Alexandria Restaurant in Regent street Great Yarmouth, super food and lots of it!



Overall a first class holiday park.

I went to Wild Duck this year...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Miss A Dixon

Comments:

I went to Wild Duck this year with my fiancé. This was our first holiday together.



We both loved the park and the area we stayed in. All the staff were friendly towards us. The only problem is the bus as it took 45 mins to the city centre. And it’s not nice!



They have an indoor and an outdoor pool, both of them are really great!



The everyday shop is good and has everything in it! And if you love wild life, this is the park for you as we saw lots of wild life!



My fiancé and I loved it so much that we didn’t want to leave and we are coming back again next year!