we have stayed at the Dells Great wolf for the past 5 new years eves..along with several other trips up there....we dont do the regualr hotel rooms anymore. We always get one of the condos, sometimes we split with another family...its noce to have space....our last stay was over spring break in a 4 bedroom presidential condo and paid about 750.00 for 5 days...full kitchen....lots o room.....was great!!!
We've been thinking of spending a weekend at the one in Grand Mound, WA--it's halfway between my house and my sister's house, so she suggested we meet up in the middle there. I'm wondering if it's worth the cost for us--her son is 10 (so I'm sure he'll have a great time) but my son is only 2 and of course not potty trained and won't be going on the adventurous water slides, of course--it'd be all splash pool for us. Anyone have advice? Should we wait until next year maybe, or do you think he'd have a good time?
We've been thinking of spending a weekend at the one in Grand Mound, WA--it's halfway between my house and my sister's house, so she suggested we meet up in the middle there. I'm wondering if it's worth the cost for us--her son is 10 (so I'm sure he'll have a great time) but my son is only 2 and of course not potty trained and won't be going on the adventurous water slides, of course--it'd be all splash pool for us. Anyone have advice? Should we wait until next year maybe, or do you think he'd have a good time?
Yes, he would have a great time. Two year olds can have a great time anywhere though.
If you would enjoy yourself, then take him. If not, then hold off for a year.
I like the lazy river ride. I don't know if they have one there, but if they do, then he could ride on you and just float along. That's what we always do with our small peanut.
My friends took their young daughter to the Lodge in PA and had a great time. They spent just one night sleeping there, though because my friend is a retired Naval Officer and he found a hotel nearby that offered Military Discounts and that always helps them save on family trips. They knew the park would be expensive but their daughter had a blast and so all in all, they were happy because Ally was happy. I don't think they *raved* about the rooms either but again, it was just one night. Also, given the time of year it was, it was great to find a water park that WAS indoors in the Northeast!! So I guess for some it depends upon how one looks at it all in general.
Yes, he would have a great time. Two year olds can have a great time anywhere though.
If you would enjoy yourself, then take him. If not, then hold off for a year.
I like the lazy river ride. I don't know if they have one there, but if they do, then he could ride on you and just float along. That's what we always do with our small peanut.
Thanks Michele! I figure we'll have a good time hanging out with my sister and her family, so it looks like we're going to go in August...will be sure to post back about how it goes!
We just returned from our annual stay at the Traverse City Great Wolf Lodge this past Tuesday. We usually stay for 2 nights and mix up 1 to 1.5 hour stints at the water park with other outdoor activities around the TC area. This was probably our 6th time at the lodge, and the first where we have been able to give the kids a little freedom to do what they want (they are now bigger, taller, and better swimmers!)
We always stay in a "kid cabin" suite, and the boys love having their own space with bunk beds and tv. This time we also enjoyed the mini-golf course, and had a good meal one of the nights at Camp Critter. The lodge and rooms are always very clean, and the water park is very safe with good positioning of the life guards. My only wish would be for them to add rides / slides from time to time to keep things interesting.
For those going for the first time, you should be able to find promotion codes on their main website. A good one to try is "green" which is for 20% off - just type it in the code space when checking availability on-line.
We loved the Great Wolf Lodge. My children, 8 & 10, and my niece, 12, had an excellent time at the Lodge off season (November). It wasn't very busy and it is great not having to stand in long lines to get on the water slides. We ate off-property a lot as there were so many restaurants nearby and the food prices at the resort were way too high for mediocre food. The breakfast buffet was really good though. They just opened Magiquest at the resort, and we cannot wait to get back to try it out. I read that it cost $2 million to to renovate for the game. I hope it is as fun as it looks.
Just back from the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, WA. This is a newer location for GWL, it's only been around a couple of years or so. This trip was DH and I and our DS (2) and my sister and BIL and their son (10). We all had an awesome time.
Both families got Wolf Den rooms, which worked great for both of us. The Wolf Den room has a semi-enclosed bunk bed area that looks like a cave made of rocks, with all sorts of stuff painted on the walls (wolves playing in a waterfall with frogs, etc.), and a TV with some kind of video game system in attached (there was a video game controller in there). For us, we could put Jim's pack'n'play in the little Wolf Den area (there was plenty of room) and then we could sit with the lights on and read while he was going to sleep. For my sister's family, my nephew could watch Cartoon Network while she and her husband watched something more grown-up. The room also had a microwave and fridge, so you could make food for yourself if you didn't want to eat in the (expensive) on-site restaurant and buffet (the restaurant also has a surprisingly not-too-expensive bar).
One other tip: we stayed 2 nights, but probably should have only stayed one. On the day you arrive, you can start using the water park at 1PM (and the arcade/everything else even earlier than that), and on the day you check out, you can stay in the water park all day. So, for one night's stay, you basically get two days at the water park. We arrived Friday evening and by then it was a bit late to be starting at the water park (it closes at 9PM).
The water park was definitely a big hit with our group. My son totally loved the toddler splash area (after getting over his initial "holy cow this place is big loud and smells like cholorine" nervousness) and the wave pool. Both are zero-entry so he was able to wade out as far as we'd let him in the wave pool. The toddler splash area is only a foot deep or so at its maximum, and has lots of spraying things (DS especially like the wave runners, he called them motorcycles) and some toddler-sized slides.
There is also a big climbing structure thingy that dumps/squirts water all over, and has a smallish water slide. And of course there's the two big slides, one the locals call the toilet bowl and the other a more traditional slide. And, there's a sports pool where you can play basketball and volleyball. They also just opened up an outdoor pool that has the splashing/dumping thing like inside, plus there's a hot tub that is both indoor and outdoor. Note: this location doesn't have a lazy river ride (although, we didn't miss it, there was plenty to do).
There was also a kids' camp with activities geared to the 5 and up set (arts and crafts, that sort of thing), and a teen center. My nephew wasn't interested in either of those. And an arcade (you pay for tokens), with skeeball and lots of video games--kids get tickets for playing the games to exchange for stuff. And there was also both a kids' spa and an adult spa. We didn't partake of those.
The other big activity was the Magic Quest thingy (extra cost for that)--it involved pointing wands at things like treasure boxes and TV screens. We didn't do that because my nephew thought it was for "little kids" and DS was too young to get into it, but the kids about 6-8 years old seemed to be totally into it.
There was also a big clock tower with audio-animatronic animals and trees and people that do a 10-15 minute show several times a day. At 8PM they also read a story to the kids in front of the clock with a person in a teddy bear suit. DS thought the bear was cool.
There is lots of opportunity to buy stuff at GWL. There's a decent sized gift shop, a swim shop in the water park, a build-a-bear-type place, temporary tattoos, a fudge and candy shop, a donut and pastry shop, and a Starbucks. There is also a snack shop/grill inside the water park. Up the street from this location there are quite a food fast-food places (McDonalds, DQ, Quiznos) plus a decent pizza place, and across the street from the lodge is a taco truck (a lot of locals eating there), and right next door to the lodge is a quickie-mart. It's also not that far from Centralia, which has a small outlet mall and lots more fast food options.
We had so much fun that my sister suggested going back at Christmas with my parents--it's the sort of place that they would totally love, and it's supposed to be pretty cool at Christmas time.
Hope that's helpful info for anyone planning a trip there!
Great Wolf Lodge is fantastic. The food is delicious as well, if you're staying. I do remember that the restaurant got pretty crowded. I'm not sure if they take reservations....maybe someone else knows. The wait for us was about an hour. The waterpark speaks for itself, though. It is so much fun.
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