Great Wolf Lodge?? is it worth the $$$$

[npmommie]

We may do a night or 2 at gwl this summer, is it as fun as it looks? and worth the $$$$
I did manage to find some codes to get the price from $304 a night to $251 a night.

 

[santa's surpriz]

We have 2 in Ohio and usually save it for a winter getaway. I believe the pricing is a little better.

 

[Tam1067]

We went to Sandusky over Memorial Day, and we're planning to go to the Traverse City location in October. My kids had a blast. We had a cabin room which the kids loved (better than the Polynesian according to one of my boys), and the waterpark is very nice. We were particularly impressed with the staff who were really close to Disney in terms of being helpful and pleasant.

 

[dizneyluv]

My coworker went to the one in Williamsburg recently and said it was a blast and the kids LOVED it.

He said the website does not do it justice.

 

[ccfmioa]

We love the GWL, we have been to the ones in Ohio several times, I believe last time was the 4th, but I gave up counting. We use them as Mini Vacations, on winter break. Since our DD's b-day is in Nov, its a nice break from chuck-e-cheese and other overpriced kids destinations.

The first time we thought.. man that is expensive. But with some research we found that you can check in early, goto the waterpark on check-in day. And goto the waterpark for the entire day of check-out. So in reality, its 2 days in a waterpark for a family of 4, with Resort amminities.

They have several package add-ons that are nice, one gets you breakfast for 4 in the buffet in the morning and they have everything you could want.

The service totally ranks up next to Disney. Any problem I have had was immediately resolved and they are proactive.

So when planning, look at the factor of what you get for the price.

Also google for codes on the internet, we used one last time for 20% off and made a great deal.

 

[Memaw2Wm]

Since our DD's b-day is in Nov, its a nice break from chuck-e-cheese and other overpriced kids destinations.

My granddaughter's b'day is in November too. And last fall we took her to the Wmsburg GWL for her b'day weekend.

We've also been in January when the kids have a four day weekend due to teacher's workdays.

Yes, it's a bit pricey, and you have to stay 2 nights, but it's well worth it IMO.

 

[WantToGoNow]

We've been 2x in the last year and will going again for 2 nights next week. My kids absolutely love it. It's like a mini-vacation when a full vacation in not in the cards. We will be checking in Sunday and out on Tuesday so we really have 3 days at the waterpark.

To us, it's worth it, but it is expensive so we can't do it very often. We got a discount code by email which saved us 10%. Then we called and asked for an upgrade because my dd3 (now she's 4) found a pill under the edge of the bed last trip that housekeeping hadn't found - she wasn't harmed but we went to the manager and they put a note in the computer under our name. We are now staying in a KidCabin for $179 a night.

 

[luvmy3jewels]

I don't think I would spend the $$$ to go to Great Wolf in the summer, since you have a lot of options with waterparks and outdoor swimming pools. However, we did go to the one in Williamsburg for dd's b-day in December and it was a great place to go in the winter!! Their decorations and kid's show (it snowed inside) were really cool! And the kids really enjoyed playing in the water in the dead of winter.

 

[lucigo]

We don't have one close to us, but I'm just curious, what ages does it target? We might go to KC when we are "home" for Christmas.

 

[Whipperwhirl]

We went to the williamsburg GWL last summer - it was expensive - but fabulous. I want to go to the poconos version this winter - If you have any kids between 5 and 15 they will love the magic quest component of the hotel - buy some ebay gear before you go - Enjoy!

[/IMG]

 

[wendylou922]

We went to the one in the Poconos this past spring and it was awesome. My kids DD9, DS7 and DS1 loved it. DH talked to the bartendar at the pool bar for awhile and he said the best time to come was in the fall or spring. Its their slow time. When we were there it wasn't that busy at all. It is worth the money if you consider your paying for your room and your park passes. You can stay in the park on the day you check out till it closes. The only thing I will do differently next time is bring more food with us. The food was terrible and it was expensive. Our second day there we finally went out and got breakfast and then ordered dinner in from a local pizza place. It really was a great place for kids to just run around and be kids. We thought we would be crazy while we were there and actually it was very relaxing for us! They had a real shallow area that was great to hang out in with the baby. We will be back in the fall for sure! Good luck and have a great time.

 

[christianne]

We also went to the one in PA last summer & loved it. The Magiquest game was terrific- the kids had the water park during the day, quick break to eat dinner & MagiQuest all night (interactive game w/ swords- extra charge for this but so worth it!) They had an awesome kids craft center.

We preferred the summer b/c DH & I could take turns relaxing by outdoor pool (mostly adults w/ grill & bar) if indoor park got too crazy.

We also stayed in a kid cabin suite, again, we could watch our own TV at night.

 

[dijid]

We went and thought it definitely wasn't worth the money. Depends on when you go and the ages of your kids, I guess. We went over Spring Break and it was a ZOO - despite the fact that it was 2 weeks until Easter. Took 50 minutes to check in. They ran out of towels and life vests every time we went to the water park. My kids enjoyed it a lot, but DH and I have said we wouldn't do it again. It just wasn't a good value IMHO.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just noticed they have a new one in my area (when I saw a picture I showed hubby saying "aha, THAT is what we saw from the highway!).

Do they have a list of height requirements anywhere on their site that I'm not seeing? Or does anyone know what sort of heights kids have to be?

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

Just noticed they have a new one in my area (when I saw a picture I showed hubby saying "aha, THAT is what we saw from the highway!).

Do they have a list of height requirements anywhere on their site that I'm not seeing? Or does anyone know what sort of heights kids have to be?

There is a list of height reqirements. If you go under waterparks, then go to Frequently asked questions, it should have the height requirements. I tried it for yours (assuming you would use the one in WA) and it says opening early 2008. Seems like they need to update their website.

All the GWL's are different regarding heights also, so check with yours just to make sure.

 

[bumbershoot]

There is a list of height reqirements. If you go under waterparks, then go to Frequently asked questions, it should have the height requirements. I tried it for yours (assuming you would use the one in WA) and it says opening early 2008. Seems like they need to update their website.

All the GWL's are different regarding heights also, so check with yours just to make sure.

Interesting. I even checked with another one, and all I get are general rules like no running and such.

 

[npmommie]

Thanks for all the replies, if we do go I will report back on it!

 

[waltskids]

We just got back from GWL in Sandusky, OH (today actually). We used the $99 dollar code and we loved the resort. For the price you are speaking of, however, there is another great hotel/waterpark in Sandusky called Kalahari which we visited and decided we will stay there next time. The room rates for this week started around $199.00 (quoted at the front desk) and their waterpark is much larger. GWL is great too though.

 

[truegirl]

We spent a couple of nights last June in the Traverse City location.

We live in Michigan, but it was our first time in TC. We're not really into sand dunes or beaches, so we spent most of the time at GWL. (We did visit the Music House Museum, though, which is great if you're into nostalgic instruments and the like. )

The resort itself is cool for kids. (This isn't really geared at all toward grown-ups, save the spa downstairs.) You can load a lot of money into MagiQuest, but we only bought a wand for our daughter (6 yrs. old at the time). There are a lot of upgrades you can buy (wand attachments, costumes, etc.) The MagiQuest staff stays in character.

We spent a huge (HUGE) amount of time bouncing up and down 3 flights (elevator and stairs) amidst many, many kids and their parents. Hubby and I were exhausted, but DD loved, loved, loved it. You buy the wand once, and you can use it again at other GWL's at later dates. They also had a tv channel in the rooms with the backstory and more info on MagiQuest.

GWL has programs for kids (the name eludes me right now) where they can craft and do other things with GWL mascots. They also have a bedtime story animatronic/live action program in the lobby in the evening. We had cookies brought to the room before bedtime for our daughter by GWL mascot Wylie, I believe.

The downstairs arcade is fun. Reminds me of a cross between Chuck E Cheese and Dave & Busters. Decent prizes.

The restaurants are pricey, and the food is just okay. We would have preferred to go to the family restaurant up the road. Better food and cheaper. (You can also use the MagiQuest wands in the restaurants onsite.)

DD loved the waterpark. It was her first time to a decent sized waterpark. She didn't do the tube slides, but they have smaller slides, fountains and a huge fort. Her absolute favorite was the 'big bucket' countdown and then the massive waterfall on our heads when it tipped over.

I don't know if it was worth it pricewise ~ I think GWL could do better in that arena. But my daughter had a blast, we have memories, and that's what is ultimately the most important.

And besides, who wouldn't want to see grazing buffalo when you look out your balcony window in the morning? true

 

[Gillian]

We just got back from a 2 night visit to the GWL in the Poconos, our second time there. They emailed me a code for $129/night. In the Fall we had $99. Sunday - Thurday. I'm not sure what is the most I'd pay.

For us it's worth it. Our kids are 5 & 7. It was nice to be able to use the outdoor pool this time, DD5 loved it for some reason.

The staff was great, I agree. Our assigned room wasn't clean at 5:30 so our check in person got us moved to a loft room with a fireplace, which we actually used and enjoyed! The restaurant had nice people working there, even if the food was pretty awful (we knew that going in, from our last visit).

Food - rooms have a fridge, microwave and small coffeemaker. The Poconos one has a lot of food nearby, outside the resort. The book in your room has ads and directions for many of them. The resort was full, but the restaurant never was (mostly empty actually), if that tells you anything. It's been bad both times we tried it, and we sampled a lot of different items on the buffet.

Magiquest - last time we got a wand for DS7, and got another for DD this time. It's fun and great exercise!

Waterpark - there are slides for kids of all ages. Last time DD was the daredevil, this time she only did baby slides while DS got brave and tried the hydro thing and every other slide in the place that he was afraid of last time. For DD 5 I brought our own vest. It made it easier to watch her. I wore water shoes the whole time but no one else in our family did, and most people didn't.