Your tips on how to enjoy Great Wolf Lodge stay?

[jodifla]

We're going to the Sandusky GWL in a few weeks for an overnight. It's a quick trip, in one day, out the next, but we can be there as early as let let us and stay until they throw us out.

What kind of things should we bring? What should we definitely do, and what can we skip?

DS is 8 and loves the water.

TIA!

 

[stsomewhere]

We went with my DD-8 girl scout troop.

There is a show in the evening in the main lobby where the animals tell a story.

The ice cream there is very reasonable.

We bought a $5 cup for slushes and got $1 refills (maybe$2 very reasonable).

 

[Julylady]

We just stayed at the GWL in Traverse City last Saturday night. It was also our first trip. We arrived at the hotel just after 12n. The website said they would let you use the waterpark at 1pm. Our room was ready when we arrived and we were in the water by 12:30pm. We happened to be in the lobby at the 4pm "check in" time. There were long lines for checkin at this time.

Here are some "tips."

1. Pack your swim clothes in a separate bag in case your room isn't ready.

2. The changing room was very small and most people were using the bathroom stalls to change. This was a real issue when my 5 year old needed to use the potty NOW. Plan accordingly.

3. We had eaten a large breakfast on the drive up and skipped lunch. We ate at the bar/grille restaurant at 4pm. Good choice. Food was great and it wasn't busy at all. We all had ice cream later about 8pm.

4. The clock tower show and story time was pretty disappointing. The lobby was packed and the sound wasn't very loud. My kids were about 10 rows back and couldn't hear anything. They were ready to leave about 1/2 way through.

5. On Sunday morning we received an offer. If we checked out by 9:30am we would get a $10 rebate on the room. We packed our street clothes in one bag and used the changing room when we were ready to leave. We let the girls use the $10 at the Arcade which they loved!

6. The gift shop had some interesting offerings. Well worth a look around. Also, the snack store had some very delicious looking options!

7. We prepurchased the breakfast buffet for $30 for 4 people. Since adults are $9.99 and kids are $4.99, we didn't save any money. Next time, I would just order off the menu as the buffet items were only lukewarm.

8. We didn't use either the adult or kid's spa. Kid's spa prices looked over the top to me. We also didn't do any of the kid craft activities.

9. The waterpark was VERY busy. I lost track of my girls several times and had that panicky feeling while "looking" for them. I need to think about how to handle this differently next time.

Overall we liked the hotel very much and plan to return again next fall.

Donna

 

[minniebeth]

This is just our personal preference, but we brought all our own food, used the refrigerator and microwave in our room. We had lunch, dinner, snacks and breakfast the next day. We ate in our room. Our kids prefer what I pack, we didn't have to wait at crowded restaurants, and saved a lot of money. Like I said, it's just a personal preference.

My DD7 was bored with the show, we left half-way through, so if your DS would rather be swimming, on slides, etc., I wouldn't rush out to see it if he is having fun.

Be prepared for the extras, the arcade, gift shop, Magi-Quest, etc.
Set the perameters on all that ahead of time.

One last tip from our experiences is to keep everyone hydrated, it's warm in the pool/slides area and it's easy not to get enough hydration having fun.

It's a great time, have fun!

 

[skip323]

We went to GWL for the first time this past fall in Mason, OH. Loved it!! What everyone else said is right on target!! The show in the lobby....too crowded to hear. The pool area...super warm. Very easy to lose kids I just stayed out of the water for the most part and kind of followed my two around.

We brought our own food and ate breakfast and lunch in the room. We ate in the hotel for dinner (restaurant one time and ordered pizza delivery the other).

Magiquest was a bit of an expense. I don't know that I would spend the $$ if I were only going for two nights but it was fun and allowed me to get those kiddos out of the pool area once and awhile!!!

We purchased the kids pass deal...can't remember the name. It wasn't cheap but it was fun. Again, I can't say that I would do that for one night.

Finding seats in an "ideal" location can be difficult depending on what time you arrive. Our first day (when we got there) we could only find seats way off in a corner. The next day we went in right at opening and got a decent spot. We did bring bottles of water...very helpful!!

Enjoy!! We felt this was a place we could definitely do (if we have a discount code) on an annual basis!

 

[jodifla]

thanks, everyone. Great tips!

 

[deva]

My kids love GWL in Sandusky. I think this is one of the smallest GWL's, so the comments people put about it being crowded at the clock show or losing kids by the pool are much less likely at this location.

In addition to the slides, my kids also love the arcade. We also like to eat in our room (we usually stay in a Royal Bear Suite). The food at the hotel is only so-so, but there is a Steak and Shake in front of the lot and an Olive Garden right down the street. My kids do like the breakfast buffet though.

 

[jodifla]

My kids love GWL in Sandusky. I think this is one of the smallest GWL's, so the comments people put about it being crowded at the clock show or losing kids by the pool are much less likely at this location.

In addition to the slides, my kids also love the arcade. We also like to eat in our room (we usually stay in a Royal Bear Suite). The food at the hotel is only so-so, but there is a Steak and Shake in front of the lot and an Olive Garden right down the street. My kids do like the breakfast buffet though.

Thanks. I heard there were a lot of chain restaurants right around there. Been a long time since I've been to a Steak and Shake!