Thoughts on great wolf lodge?

[Nevada Jen]

Has anyone stayed there? For our upcoming trip this was by far the best rate I could get anywhere close to Disney. Curious to hear what dis folks think. And although it is highly unlikely, if anyone has used the water park there with a kid in a wheelchair I'd love to hear your experience. In case anyone else is interested there is a really good Groupon for it. I got it for the same price as motel 6 all the way in fullerton!

 

[PinkBudgie]

DisUnplugged Disneyland Edition podcast just did a segment on this a few weeks ago. You should look it up. Lots of info.

 

[AuntieKels]

I haven't stayed at the GWL near Disneyland but I've stayed at the one near our home a few times. Here's my feelings about our stays at the one near us.

Ours is probably 10 years old at this point and looks pretty ragged. We found our rooms, the water park, the communal areas and the food to be poor at our last stay and won't be going back until they do some upgrades. It seems most of our friends really enjoyed their first visit but then felt the resort wasn't being maintained well enough to be worth the money.

With all that said, if I was getting a great deal and I didn't mind being a drive away from the parks I don't know if I would bother me as much to stay there. To me it's just not a destination but if it's a cheap hotel you're looking for and this is an option, go for it!

I hope you have a great time wherever you stay!

 

[MillauFr]

I guess I don't understand the point of the Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim/Garden Grove. Sure the water park can be fun but that is the last thing I would want to do after a busy day at Disneyland. Are the room rates really much cheaper than the hotels closer to the park on Harbor?

 

[ImTooExcitedToSleep]

DisUnplugged Disneyland Edition podcast just did a segment on this a few weeks ago. You should look it up. Lots of info.

http://www.disunplugged.com/2017/01/30/dis-unplugged-podcast-012917-disneyland-show/

 

[Nevada Jen]

They were for our week. Which admittedly, I waited too long to book. We have annual passes and go a lot, so we are perfectly happy going in the morning until the park fills up and then going back to the hotel. THe water park is a bonus for us. THe thing I am most worried about is that we have had extremely bad experiences with water parks and my daughter in the wheel chair. I am hoping since the water park is not the focus of the days, it won't bother us that they are not at all accommodating.

Thanks Tom! I never know where to find the pod casts!

 

[DLgal]

I guess I don't understand the point of the Great Wolf Lodge in Anaheim/Garden Grove. Sure the water park can be fun but that is the last thing I would want to do after a busy day at Disneyland. Are the room rates really much cheaper than the hotels closer to the park on Harbor?

Their primary market is LOCALS. They heavily advertise on radio stations in So Cal. It is the only year round waterpark in the area so it's a great thing for families who want to do one or two night (or longer) staycations.

We live about 15 min south of Anaheim. We have been to GWL twice so far and are going back in a couple weeks for a one night stay to celebrate my son's 11th birthday. He chose it last year in lieu of a party and wanted to do so again. We got a rate of $139/night for a Sunday stay. Letting the kids be "sick" and miss school on Monday since you get two days of waterpark access with a one night stay! The price is fantastic considering how much you get.

The waterpark is VERY nice, clean, and it's HUGE (it's the largest of all the GWL waterpark). The food onsite is really, really good! The head chef has quite a pedigree and the food is high quality and not just typical fast food junk...They have lots of healthy food options too.

The rooms are fairly basic but clean and comfortable. Beds were nice and the ""family suite" (the lowest category room) easily sleeps 6. The room size is pretty big... larger than Disneyland hotel rooms.

What really impresses me about this place is the phenomenonal customer service from EVERYONE you encounter. I have to give props to management there...The place is a well oiled machine and I don't give that kind of praise lightly.

The hotel has free parking and is as short drive to the Toy Story lot. And even though the podcast review indicates otherwise, they DO run a shuttle to the parks. It's operated by the hotel itself. It runs every 30 minutes.

Can't speak to wheelchair accessibility but I can tell you that all the slides require climbing lots of stairs so those are probably not an option. But there seems to be a lot of things that can be enjoyed, depending on degree of mobility. All the pools and lazy river are shallow and there is a wave pool. There is a huge structure with dump buckets and sprayers that you can probably wheel around in as well.

 

[GatorChris]

We're staying there for a few nights next week, so I'll have to remember to come back to this thread when we return. Being in February and on weekdays, we got rates at around $175/night, which is about as good as you get on Harbor within walking distance to DL. But my kids LOVE waterslides, so this should be fun for them. And I didn't know about the shuttle, so that would be nice.

 

[Nevada Jen]

Uh oh. I just listened to the podcast. I think Nancy and I might be hotel soul sisters in terms of our minimum requirements. The rooms don't sound too great. Chris, I'm excited to hear what you have to say about your visit. I really love waterslides also, but it is so hard to enjoy with a kid in a wheel chair. It feels cruel to make her just sit there. I am hoping the lines for the rides will be short enough that my husband and I can take turns going on rides and that there is enough seating that someone can sit with my daughter while we wait.

 

[DLgal]

Uh oh. I just listened to the podcast. I think Nancy and I might be hotel soul sisters in terms of our minimum requirements. The rooms don't sound too great. Chris, I'm excited to hear what you have to say about your visit. I really love waterslides also, but it is so hard to enjoy with a kid in a wheel chair. It feels cruel to make her just sit there. I am hoping the lines for the rides will be short enough that my husband and I can take turns going on rides and that there is enough seating that someone can sit with my daughter while we wait.

I found the room commentary rather nitpicky, to be honest. We have never paid more than $200/night so maybe that is part of it, but I would put it on par with any of the newer Harbor properties. I'd say it is comparable to a Springhill Suites. I might feel differently if we paid $400/night. We have used the e standby upgrade feature and were upgraded last time to the Grand Bear 2 bedroom suite for an additional $75 (over the $159 we paid). That was a fantastic deal.

There is TONS of seating at the waterpark and the lines are never longer than mabe 15 minutes for any of the slides. 5-10 min is more typical. Sometimes they are just walk ons.

How old is your child? Small enough to be carried? There is a kiddie area that is really neat!

 

[Nevada Jen]

She can be carried but she is 50 pounds. She can't sit independently is a chair without arms so I doubt they will let her on any slides even if we carried her up the stairs

 

[Albort]

There was a groupon promo for it, i think the rooms were $200 a night. im not sure if its still running.

edit: found the link. https://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-great-wolf-lodge-southern-california-2

 

[GatorChris]

She can be carried but she is 50 pounds. She can't sit independently is a chair without arms so I doubt they will let her on any slides even if we carried her up the stairs

Man, that puts you in a pretty tough position. It may be that this isn't the right resort for your family. Like you said earlier, to bring her to Great Wolf only so she can watch you guys hit the slides while she sits there does seem ..... well, tough. Prayers.

 

[Mysteryincorp]

She can be carried but she is 50 pounds. She can't sit independently is a chair without arms so I doubt they will let her on any slides even if we carried her up the stairs

I would call....there are a few raft rides that they may let her on? And she could definitely go in the lazy river, they have one of those chairs that Can lower you in the water. My daughter would have stayed in the lazy river all day if we let her. They also have cute activities throughout the day and some games and a pj dance party at night.
We just went a few weeks ago for our second trip and absolutely loved it. I found the rooms clean and spacious and the food was ok, lots of choices.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

We went to GWL as a separate trip, nothing to do with Disneyland. We went for only 1 night, so I didn't see everything, but it was during October when they have special Halloween activities. We also got at deal for 40% off. For the price we paid, it was definitely worth it. But, I wouldn't pay full price. It was fun. Aside from the amazing water slides and indoor swimming, there was a dance party, an arcade, a small bowling area, and a handful of other things. My preschoolers did an indoor nature walk that was pretty cool. I did find it was hard to keep track of our kids though. We had 2 adults with 3 kids and my 6-year-old got lost. Aside from that, it was good fun, though. If you go, sign up for their e-newsletter so you can get discounts. I wouldn't pay $500-$600 per night, but the $300 or so I paid was definitely worth it.

As for your kid in a wheelchair, I'm not sure about the slides, but they have zero-entry pools with lots of fountains and water activities which may work for you. Call them. I know I remember seeing a handful of people with orthopedic needs there, but I wasn't paying much attention to the details.

 

[tarheelalum]

If you get a deal on the rate, the GWL is a lot of fun. Many of my coworkers have been and everyone enjoyed it.

 

[mwrogers]

There was a groupon promo for it, i think the rooms were $200 a night. im not sure if its still running.

edit: found the link. https://www.groupon.com/deals/ga-bk-great-wolf-lodge-southern-california-2

Thanks for posting this, just changed from Hyatt House to GWL for Spring Break. Had been interested, but regular price was $130 more.

 

[ImaMomToo]

Yes, yes yes! We LOVE Great Wolf Lodge resorts especially for a quick getaway!
This is where you can find a current Great Wolf Lodge Groupon--> https://couponcravings.com/great-wolf-lodge-is-back-on-groupon/