Great Wolfe Lodge Review

When they say "Great" Wolfe Lodge, they mean it. It is pretty great, in fact. So great that I thought I'd share with you some highlights and lowlights from our trip over Spring Break. You can read all about their features and amenities on their website....I'm just reviewing our trip and hopefully giving you readers some good tips.

To begin with, we decided to travel with another family. I understand this isn't always the best experience for many families, but we were really thrilled the Stanford's were there with us. Kellie-Laine, Phoebe and the older boys were able to go off on their own and ride to their hearts content. The water park area is too large to try and implement the "stay together as a group" system, and the fact that the whole park basically caters to families made me feel a little bit safer about letting my kids go off on their own. Everyone is given a wristband that acts as your admission to the park, key to your room, and a "charge account" for purchases throughout the Lodge.

We only booked a one night stay, and I highly recommend at least a two nighter. It's nice to have access to your room if little ones get tired, cold or hungry. Check-in is at 4 pm and check-out is 11 am, so there's not much access to your room if you're just staying for one night. (I will say, though, that our room was ready early...which was a plus.)

The buffet was expensive....$20 for adults and $10 for kids, but it was worth it. The food was outstanding and the choices made gluttony seem a bigger temptation for me than it normally is. The dessert bar was fabulous, several kinds of cheesecakes, cupcakes with any topping imaginable, full ice cream bar, crepes, cobbler, etc. Go hungry....leave happy.

The kiddie area was nice and the deepest part was only knee-high. Landrie found a slide that she slid down about 476 times. It was the only thing she wanted to do. Speaking of slides...there is a slide that the Lodge allows entire families to slide down together. Even little Emerie was given the "go ahead" by the staff. So we climbed up what seemed like twenty flights of stairs while I promised myself to get back to the gym as soon as possible. There was a huge floatation device that seated five people, and the staff person helped us climb in while reminding us that everyone needed to sit alone and hold onto the handles. I gave a worried glance at Cody, knowing that our 18 month old was not only incapable of sitting along....in water....on a twenty story high slide...but she was also incapable of holding on to the handles by herself during the ride. He returned me with a "sure she can do it" smile, and with one kick of the staffer's foot, we were on our way. Warning: what I thought was a ride with similar speeds such as the Mini-Mine Train at Six Flags actually turned out to be a ride with speeds faster than the Shock Wave at Six Flags. Our family was traumatized after the event. Both little ones immediately started crying, I was shaking, Cody was laughing, and Kellie-Laine was scolding us by saying, "I told you it wasn't for everyone!"

Here are a few other observations:

Suggestion: bring milk and cereal for breakfast in the morning. Each room comes equipped with a mini refrigerator. You gotta save $$ any way you can.

Warning: if you book a certain type room, call the day of to make sure they have it correct. We booked a two-room suite, but we were given a loft suite with a steep flight of stairs. This did not work at all for us, and the Lodge graciously gave us two side-by-side rooms.

Suggestion: try to get a room on the first 5 floors. You can take the stairs to and from the water park, and you don't have to wait on the sloooooow elevators.

Warning: the beds in the standard rooms are incredibly uncomfortable. Not that I would know from personal experience. I was given a "king suite" which had the dreamiest bed ever. I slept like a baby. But I hear the standard room beds are yucky...or so my husband says.

Suggestion: The Magic Quest Wand game was pretty popular, but a little expensive. It's $15 to play, and you can keep your wand.

Warning: tokens for the arcade are expensive. $2 to $4 a game...but the games are very generous with tickets.

Let me know if you have any other questions or concerns!