I never thought we would be Great Wolf Lodge enthusiasts, but we are. The indoor water park has something for everyone, the staff is friendly and very helpful, it's a clean hotel, and the lifeguards are some of the best I've ever seen! They often have discounts offered on Groupon, and always offered for military and emergency response families, as part of their Howling Heros deal.
January 2016 - Family of 6!
It all started with a trip last November. Daddy scored a great deal and off we went. I scoured the web for tips and tricks on how to save money while staying at GWL. The ideas I gathered greatly helped me pack and prepare for our overnight stay.
After one trip, the kids were hooked (including the biggest kid of all - Daddy!). We returned to the Lodge in January to celebrate my daughter's 7th birthday. Only this time we were a little wiser and had a newborn with us. My husband's parents and brother, along with his family, joined us as well! It was a blast!!!
As a mom of four little ones and a mom with specific dietary needs (Trim Healthy Mama diet specifically), I thought my experience and tips may help others as well. So, here's a run down of things to pack and/or prepare for as you plan a trip to Great Wolf Lodge.
BE IN THE KNOW:
- Great Wolf Lodge (at least the one in Grapevine, TX) has the corner on the food market. They boast of their 7 different restaurants to choose from, but when it comes down to it the food isn't as good as home-cooked meal and is very spendy. So.... pack a cooler of food! Pretend that you are camping... in a hotel! There is a microwave and a mini fridge in every hotel room. This makes life easy when storing food from home and warming up a meal or a snack.
- You CAN take a few snacks into the water park, but not bags of take out food from your favorite local restaurant. I usually pack water bottles and snacks in our backpack so we are less tempted to purchase an over-priced snack or drink from the food stand in the park.
- In the past we have ordered pizza and salad from the pizza shop in the Lodge and eaten it for dinner at least one night during our stay. When we return next week, we plan to order from Little Ceaser's down the street and pick it up for a pizza party with friend in our hotel room. Again, saving money and a bit of heartburn, as the GWL pizza is pricey and greasy!
Pizza and giggles for dinner at the water park!
- There are various other "expereinces" offered at the Lodge. We stay away from MagiQuest and ShadowQuest but have enjoyed the Howly Wood XD Theater (a movie theater with short shows that you can enjoy in 3-D in chairs that shake and move), The Scoops Salon (an over-priced, heavy-scented place for girls to have their nails painted) and the Northern Lights Arcade (see below).
- On our first visit we purchased a refillable game card to add money to to play the arcade games. The games are much more enjoyable for the kids and Dad than our local Chuck-E-Cheese. Some games give tickets and at the end of our stay the kids have enjoyed choosing a stuffed animal or other toy from the prizes offered. This isn't necessary to enjoy GWL, but the arcade games offer a break from the warm air and chlorine in the middle of the day.
THINGS WE PACK:
For the water park:
- goggles for the kids (they are in heavily chlorinated water all day and the goggles help protect their eyes)
- Swimsuit covers and beach towels. Even though towels are provided at the water park, we take our towels to wrap our wet children in as they walk back to our room.
- Flip flops or water shoes. All of our kids prefer to swim without water shoes on, but Daddy likes having them on. At least have a pair of flip flops near by when you need to walk to the restroom or head back to your hotel room.
- A bag with water bottles, snacks (nuts, fruit, granola bars, etc), diapers, wipes, and sunscreen and sunglasses if headed to the outdoor pool.
- The Lodge provides great life vests and arm floaties. They fit our kids better than our own floaties did.
Snack time at the water park.
For the hotel room:
- A 12-cup coffee pot, sweetener and creamer of choice. This saves my sanity and pocket book! Even though there is a small coffee pot in the hotel room and a Starbucks down the hall, I prefer a good, cheap cup of coffee each morning to get my gears turning. A regular-sized coffee pot and even a mug from home makes my day begin well, especially if we stay two nights. I have also used it to brew hot water to make hot chocolate for the kids for a special breakfast treat.
- A small fan. This provides white noise for night time sleep as well as nap time. Being in a hotel with other guests guarantees that there will be some noise to deal with. A fan makes it easier to rest.
- Favorite movies, coloring books and picture books. Sometimes kids need to rest. That time for our family is in the evening before bed or even mid morning. A short show to watch on our laptop, or a book to read together helps out a lot!
- Food your family likes and that is easy to warm up in a microwave. We have ordered pizza for dinner before and have even gone out to eat at a local restaurant. The following ideas are for when you want to eat in.
- Breakfast items we have enjoyed - microwavable breakfast croissant sandwiches, homemade quiche, Jimmy Dean sausage and pancake on a stick (much like a corn dog), homemade pancakes, and cold cereal. Don't forget the syrup and milk!
- Lunch - sandwich fixings, fresh fruit, chips, drinks, and salad in a jar for mom.
- Dinner - microwavable Angus Burgers (from Costco), hot dogs, homemade lasagna and cut veggies with ranch.
- Snacks - nuts, granola bars, fruit snacks, fresh fruit, pretzels, yogurt, microwave popcorn, oatmeal in a jar, etc.
- Non-food items - paper plates, bowls, paper towels, cutlery, a sharp knife or two, extra cups for hot beverages, water bottles (lots of them), coffee pot filters, stir sticks, condiments (for burgers, sandwiches, pancakes, etc).
Breakfast time!
- You are allowed to arrive to play at the water park as early as 1pm on the day of your overnight stay. Packing a small bag with your suits, flip flops and goggles that is separate from your larger bags is wise. Then you can leave larger luggage in the car, as check-in is at 4pm, and go enjoy the water park. This will also help when it's time to load up your belongs and check-out by 11am, but you want to stay and play at the park. Guests are free to stay at the Lodge to play until the water park closes at 9pm. Just pack a change of clothes in your small bag and you are ready to have fun, then head home!
- If someone in your family is celebrating a birthday, tell the front desk when you check in. That person will receive a special wrist band that will allow them to get free ice cream throughout their stay (about one scoop per hour we were told). They also receive special birthday hat wolf ears! You can also bring your own decorations from home to place on your hotel door and in your room. This has made my kids feel so special, and also helps us find our hotel door easier :o)
Our birthday kids in front of our hotel doors.
November 2015 with Oliver and January 2016 with Violet
- Take advantage of the FREE Shutterfly photo book coupon (you just pay around $8 to $10 for shipping/taxes). In each hotel room is a card with a promo code on it for a free photo book. We have made one with photos from each visit and now my kids each have a book of birthday memories to enjoy!
- Be ready to make the most of the water park. As a mom of four kids, ages 7 and under, I can run on little sleep. But taking a rest with the baby in the afternoon is sometimes needed. I would say, be ready to be in a noisy (yes lots of rushing water is noisy) and heavily chlorine-scented environment for most of the day. But if you need to step out and take a break, do it and don't feel bad! Enjoy the time with your family and make great memories.
Momma with her baby boys... Nov. 2015 and Jan. 2016
I hope some of these tips and ideas help you enjoy your stay at Great Wolf Lodge even better! We are looking forward to our trip next week, although our kids don't know about it yet. We can't wait to surprise them!
God bless and have fun,
