– Check out the website before you arrive and plan out what you and your family want to do. – Purchase a Paw Pass to bundle and save on activities. – Explore the resort when you arrive to get an idea of the resort layout. – Let the kids lead the way. Plans are great but be flexible with your days. – Enjoy the water park early before the lines get long. – Take a break in your room and relax during the afternoon. – Pack water shoes or flip flops to use in the water park. – Towels are provided in the water park. – Participate in the daily activities and check the guides in the morning to see what you want to do. – Enjoy the buffet at least once during your stay. The food is great and the line for the on-site Dunkin Donuts gets crazy long!
– Boston/Fitchburg, MA – Pocono Mountains, PA – Chicago/Gurnee, IL – Kansas City, KS – Cincinnati/Mason, OH – Minneapolis/Bloomington, MN – Sandusky, OH – Traverse City, MI – Wisconsin Dell, WI – Charlotte/Concord, NC – Atlanta/LaGrange, GA – Grapevine, TX – Williamsburg, VA – Scottsdale/Talking Stick, AZ – Colorado Springs, CO – Grand Mound, WA – Anaheim, CA – San Francisco/Manteca, CA – Niagara Falls, Canada
I checked the prices for a Tuesday-Thursday 2 night stay for a family of five in mid-March at the Boston location. The price ranged from $250.00-$500.00 a night. If you are a family of four or less, expect to pay a bit less. Weekends and school breaks/holidays will see an increase in prices. Also location will have an impact on nightly rate. For Great Wolf Lodge deals try searching “great wolf lodge coupons” or “great wolf lodge deals”. This may help you find a groupon or special discount. If you are flexible with your dates you should be able to find a good deal.
Great Wolf Lodge offers different room types depending on your needs. They have standard suites that fit four, themed suites that fit 5-6, and premium suites that fit up to 10.
Water park passes are included with your stay at Great Wolf Lodge. This gives guests access to the water park on their arrival day at 1:00pm. There is also a daily entertainment schedule that is included with your stay. This includes a nightly story time and character appearances. When I mentioned earlier that you would not have to leave the resort but it is not all inclusive, I was referring to the Paw Passes that guests can purchase to do the dry activities at the resort. These passes are purchased by guests and allow them access to the numerous attractions at the resort not included with your stay. Dining is also not included with your stay.
The best time to visit Great Wolf Lodge for prices and low crowds is during the week in the summer. If you are looking for a spring break family vacation mid-week, not during a break is the best time.
Most things are taken care of for you at Great Wolf Lodge. Towels are provided at the water park. I suggest bringing water shoes or flip flops for walking around the water park. You may also want to bring your own life jacket, although they are provided on a first come basis. If you booked a room with a fridge you may want to bring drinks, coffee, and snacks to save on costs at the resort.
All the Great Wolf Lodge locations offer on-site dining. We stayed at the Boston location and it had two sit down dining options, a quick service option inside the water park, a Dunkin’ Donuts, and a sweets shop. These are not included in the cost of your stay. They do offer contact less ordering from their mobile app.
Great Wolf Lodge has a gift shop, candy store, and a swim shop. There is also a MagiQuest on site. MagiQuest in an interactive wand game that guests can play throughout the resort. Guests can purchase wands and perform spells as they explore the resort.
I want to stress that every Great Wolf Lodge resort has different attractions. At the Boston location there were many water slides and splash areas for families of all ages. There were 5 slides that had a height requirement of 42 inches and up. 2 slides were 48 inches and up. 5 activities had no height requirement and 2 had an under 52 inches requirement. This is really great for families with children that are spaced out or vary greatly in height. There is something for everyone to do and it is small enough to explore together.
The dry activities at Great Wolf Lodge include a rock climbing wall, mining, mini-golf, MagiQuest, ropes course, arcade, bowling, play area, Build a Bear, and a 3D theater. Attractions are at limited capacity due to social distancing. Guests can purchase a Paw Pass that includes some or all of the attractions. You can also purchase the activities individually.