Is 2 nights too long for Great Wolf Lodge???

[Mom3girls]

Is 2 nights too long at Great Wolf Lodge??
We plan on arriving late afternoon on a Tuesday so kids don't miss school. Figured we would use waterpark Tuesday til close, sleep in and do their breakfast. Want to go tubing at Camelback on Wednesday (hours are 2-8). Then use waterpark on Thursday til we leave to drive home. My kids are 10, 11, and 14. Will they be tired of the waterpark??

If we just stay the one night we would arrive early Tuesday and use the waterpark. We would skip the tubing and leave late Wednesday to drive home after using the waterpark most of the day.

First scenario would cost us roughly $820.

Second scenario would cost roughly $367.

BIG difference!!!!

 

[krcit]

I haven't been but my SIL has and said 2 nights was too long. My best friend also said the same thing.

 

[of the seas]

I do't think 2 nights is too long. My kids loved GWL. We've been to 3 of them. We stayed 2 nights at all of them and thought it was a good amount of time. Bring snacks, though!

 

[clh2]

Is 2 nights too long at Great Wolf Lodge??
We plan on arriving late afternoon on a Tuesday so kids don't miss school. Figured we would use waterpark Tuesday til close, sleep in and do their breakfast. Want to go tubing at Camelback on Wednesday (hours are 2-8). Then use waterpark on Thursday til we leave to drive home. My kids are 10, 11, and 14. Will they be tired of the waterpark??

If we just stay the one night we would arrive early Tuesday and use the waterpark. We would skip the tubing and leave late Wednesday to drive home after using the waterpark most of the day.

First scenario would cost us roughly $820.

Second scenario would cost roughly $367.

BIG difference!!!!

Yikes - that is a big difference. IMO - the "difference" of $453 is substantial. Personally - that amount of money would take my trip down to 1 night in a heartbeat. Easily justified - you could do a whole different "one-night stay" at a different time for the $453.

That additional money is REALLY only to use the water park a couple of hours on the last day - they probably won't want to use it more than that.

Are there any additional discounts or codes you could use for that time period? Now, it has been at least 5 or 6 years since I've done GWL (in Wis Dells). We always tried to go off peak, and our room rates were in the $100 to $120 range.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

We stayed 3 nights the only time we went... IIRC. And I know that we wish we had stayed only 2, and quite frankly, one would have been enough.

 

[Mom3girls]

The rate for the five of us is $342 a night including taxes...and thats a tuesday or wednesday with a code! I think their rates at the Pocono PA location is much higher than others because there's so much to do like skiing and tubing in the Poconos. I've heard that it has alot of rides (slides and tubes) for tweens/teens too.

 

[Mom3girls]

Yikes - that is a big difference. IMO - the "difference" of $453 is substantial. Personally - that amount of money would take my trip down to 1 night in a heartbeat. Easily justified - you could do a whole different "one-night stay" at a different time for the $453.

That additional money is REALLY only to use the water park a couple of hours on the last day - they probably won't want to use it more than that.

Are there any additional discounts or codes you could use for that time period? Now, it has been at least 5 or 6 years since I've done GWL (in Wis Dells). We always tried to go off peak, and our room rates were in the $100 to $120 range.

That additional $453 also includes $135 for the five of us to go tubing.

 

[Mom3girls]

Sorry, one more thought...two nights over a weekend is $600 each night!!! So it would cost me $1500 to go over a weekend. Now you see why I chose midweek!!

 

[MomofKatie]

Gee! That's a lot of $$! And they say WDW is expensive... it's nothing compared to GWL!

 

[dislaney]

One night was plenty for us. I don't think I could stand two nights. That place is loud!

 

[Swank]

I guess it depends if you are really want to go tubing, Otherwise if you don't go tubing the one night during the week is a lot of fun. That is what we did and we had a ball. My kids were also into the Magiquest and they spent a lot of time doing that as well. I really like how you get two days water park for only one night stay, that was very economical. Also we liked the buffet for dinner, but the next day we did the sit down table service for lunch and found it was way overpriced for what we got.

 

[Big Cuddly Bear]

Gee! That's a lot of $$! And they say WDW is expensive... it's nothing compared to GWL!

I guess that depends on how you look at it... and, we are not big fans of GWL, for sure.

But we paid - several years ago - $279 per night, but it included meals and the waterpark ( meals only at the buffet ).... so it worked out to $75 pp, approx. Is that "expensive"?

That said, once in our lifetime was enough, and we will more than likely never go again.

 

[Mom3girls]

I think my kids would LOVE the tubing! I would just arrive early Tuesday and go tubing but the hours for tubing are from 2-8. and I don't believe you can check in at the lodge before then. Check in time is actually not til 4:00. Now, if I did just arrive and tubed from 2-8, do you think using the waterpark on Wednesday only is enough time? We would probably have to leave the lodge by say 3pm for the drive back home. I just don't want to cut the kids short on the waterpark.

 

[dislaney]

I brought 3 girls and while we have never done the tubing, we did check in around 4 and they all used the water park as soon as they changed. They stayed until it closed that night. The next morning they were back after breakfast. By the time we left that afternoon, they were all ready to leave. You know your children better than I do but mine were definitely ready to leave when we did.

 

[JVL1018]

Where in NJ do you live? They have tubing at Campgaw in Mahwah, so if you live close enough you can just go there without needing to stay overnight.

 

[Mom3girls]

Where in NJ do you live? They have tubing at Campgaw in Mahwah, so if you live close enough you can just go there without needing to stay overnight.

We live in South Jersey.

We REALLY need a vacation. My MIL has alzheimers and lived with us for a little over 2 years. She had a mild stroke and mild heart attack in October and we have spent sooo much time and energy with her care we feel the kids deserve a well earned break. She has been at a rehab center and now long term care center since her hospital stay. We were trying to come up with a vacation that's fairly close to home and inexpensive would be nice too. She has really gone down hill and we would like to be close by if we needed to return or to not lose tons of money on airline tickets or hotel stays if we had to cancel if she deteriorates any further. Thanks for letting me ramble on. Sometimes it's nice to unload on someone you don't personally know. Thanks!

 

[aprilgail2]

Whenever we go we find one day to short and rushed- a few times our room wasn't even ready until 6pm the day of check in! We really prefer to stay 2 nights (once we did 3 nights!) and if its winter we will go skiing or tubing in the morning then the water park in the afternoon and night...if its summer we go around and make sure we hit some local places like a pretzel and candy place there and maybe horseback ride!

 

[Hillbeans]

Bring lots of $$ for the arcade!

I think 2 nights would be fine, you may get sick of the food but now they have a lot more restaurants within just a few minutes of GWL. Have fun!

 

[dimimi]

I say one night an then ski, not tube. Your kids are perfect ages for skiing.

 

[mjkacmom]

Are there any additional discounts or codes you could use for that time period? Now, it has been at least 5 or 6 years since I've done GWL (in Wis Dells). We always tried to go off peak, and our room rates were in the $100 to $120 range.

There are NEVER rates like that in the Poconos! I've never seen a special under $200 (the cheapest we've gotten away with for our family is $304 with a special and mid-week, off season). OP, they will let you start using the waterpark as soon as you get there, but I understand not wanting to take older kids out of school. I just noticed your username - there is a great outlet mall about a mile away from the GWL. Someone mentioned skiing, but that really kills a budget with rentals and lift tickets.

I think that an afternoon of waterpark, followed by some shopping, dinner, waterpark, bed, tubing, and then finishing in the waterpark sounds nice (especially the adult hot tub). I know you can use the waterpark the whole next day, but we tend to get there in the morning when it opens, and we're ready to pack it in by noon (at least I am).