Great wolf lodge?

[Parrothead]

We finalized our plans and will be going to GWL in Canada south of Toronto.

 

Has anyone been to a GWL? What is the food like? Is it reasonable or would we be better off eating elsewhere?

[Tammi K]

I don't remember the food (We were on an expense account so we probably went somewhere and splurged) but I remember we had a great time. You'll have a blast!

[sunnyday]

We've been to the one in our state a couple of times. The kids love being there! The food is generally decent but overpriced generic restaurant fare, as you'd expect in a place like that. Since we drive we usually bring a cooler and try to have several meals in our room to compensate for when we just have to splurge and get the kid-friendly entree that comes with the set of wolf ears. ;) The snack bar in the actual water park is particularly overpriced, so to avoid it we try to swim for a couple of hours, then take a break and get a snack at the room, then re-enter the fray for a second round. :)

[Mom in High Heels]

I'll be watching this thread.  We have a GWL about 2 hours or so from us, and Indy really wants to go.  I've never been to one, but I expected the food to be overpriced.  Isn't it always at resorts?  Sigh.

[Ottakee]

When we went several years ago the had a pizza and salad special that was delivered to the room which was actually pretty good taste wise as well as cost wise. other than that we went other places to eat.

[bettyandbob]

It is not bad, but it's not special. It's a bit overpriced for what it is. I think all the rooms have a fridg. Last time we went I took yogurt, fruit, banana bread, cut up veggies, maybe some lunch meat. We did breakfast and lunch in the room and had one dinner in the resort and one dinner out.

 

Have fun!

[GSOchristie]

All of our friends have been to the one in Charlotte and have had so much fun.  We might go next year for P's birthday, I've heard that you can get fabulous deals.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

We've been to the one in our state a couple of times. The kids love being there! The food is generally decent but overpriced generic restaurant fare, as you'd expect in a place like that. Since we drive we usually bring a cooler and try to have several meals in our room to compensate for when we just have to splurge and get the kid-friendly entree that comes with the set of wolf ears. ;) The snack bar in the actual water park is particularly overpriced, so to avoid it we try to swim for a couple of hours, then take a break and get a snack at the room, then re-enter the fray for a second round. :)

AMDG

 

We went to the one in Dallas and had a BLAST!!!  We all want to go back.  

 

We only stayed 3 days and had an approach to food similar to sunnyday.  On Friday and Saturday we ate breakfast and lunch in our room and ate supper in one of the restaurants.  It was a very large buffet kind of thing and as I recall and expected, on the high side.  On Sunday we ate out in town for brunch after mass, came back to play for the rest of the day, then ate in town on our way back home.

 

I remember the food being pretty good, I guess.  Actually, what I DON"T remember is that it was bad so, that must be good, yes?

[alisoncooks]

We go to each year for the girls' birthday.  We LOVE it.  Big fans. :p

 

The on-site restaurant is okay:  burgers/sandwiches/kids meals at dinner, buffet for breakfast -- basic but a bit expensive for what it was, IMO.

 

The GWL we went to had a Dunkin' Donuts on site so we bought some donuts for breakfast one day.  It also had a pizza take-out.

 

We tend to bring our breakfast foods & snacks since the room has a fridge and microwave.  Also, the one we go to is at a very packed interstate exit -- near a big mall with tons of restaurants -- so we went out for meals most days.  So we'd eat breakfast in the rooms, go to the water park, rinse off & go out for lunch.  Rest or do MagiQuest. Have a snack in the room and then hit the waterpark for the afternoon, get baths & go out for dinner.  More MagiQuest. :p

[KarenNC]

I've only been to the waterpark, and we packed a picnic, so didn't do much eating there (we went during their Big Brothers/Big Sisters Big Splash promotion). My daughter loved the waterpark (you may want to bring goggles). The one near us (Charlotte) does offer periodic homeschool special pricing for rooms, so that may be worth checking into. I think it was $139 per night the last time I remember seeing it, and I think you'd have to see which dates are offered at a particular location.

 

This link says you also get 2 20% off coupons for dining during homeschool days. http://askamom.greatwolf.com/questions.aspx?sort=&page=&questid=3975&parid=21&catid=179

[ThatHomeschoolDad]

Went to the one in PA twice.  Food was sub-par.  Water and inside air was chilly in the winter months.  The best time we had was just after Labor Day -- good temps, and zero lines.   If bringing at least some of your own food, or scoping out off-site eateries are options, go for it.

 

Otherwise, it's a hoot.  Expensive, but a hoot.

[alisoncooks]

I've only been to the waterpark, and we packed a picnic, so didn't do much eating there (we went during their Big Brothers/Big Sisters Big Splash promotion). My daughter loved the waterpark (you may want to bring goggles). The one near us (Charlotte) does offer periodic homeschool special pricing for rooms, so that may be worth checking into. I think it was $139 per night the last time I remember seeing it, and I think you'd have to see which dates are offered at a particular location.

 

I know the one in Charlotte/Concord and the one in Williamsburg do a "Homeschool Days" type event.  It may be for all the locations.  (I want to say it was in September.)

 

For my girls, we brought goggles and arm floaties/Puddle Jumpers.  They do provide life vests, though, and towels.  

 

Sign up for their mailing list -- I get coupons and special rates via email constantly.  We also always go midweek when it's not very crowded and rates can be lower.  

[digitalm0m]

We went in the dead of winter -snow outside and inside it was a balmy 80 degrees and everyone was in t-shirts.  It was awesome!  We absolutely loved it and hope to go back again someday.  Food is pricey, so we brought our own.  Did splurge on appetizers to get those cute wolf ears for the kids.  We thought it was very clean, very family friendly, and highly recommend it to our friends and family.

 

Oh!  And there is a promo code for homeschoolers.  You can call and ask about that and get a discount, so that's kinda nice.  :)

[Farrar]

The food was dreadful at the Williamsburg one.  Well, that's an exaggeration, but definitely nothing great.  Before ds and I went together this year for a special just us weekend I remembered what a waste the food was so, we went to the Wal-Mart up the street and I gave him a treats budget and he blew it on junk food for the whole trip.  And then there was no temptation to get any of the overpriced, not great stuff from the candy store there and we spent a fraction of what we would have.  I also bought fruit and a couple of healthy snacks.  I was pleased by that strategy.  We ate out for meals.

[Santi]

We went to the Concord one for a weekend and just got snacks at a nearby store and some drinks to put in the room mini fridge. The food there didn't taste that good for the price so we just ate at restaurants for bigger meals.

[Punks in Ontario]

We went to the Niagara Falls one several years ago.  It was one of the larger ones then.  We thought the food was expensive and brought breakfast and lunch.  The guys loved the waterpark.  Since then we've gone to Kalahari in Sandusky a couple of times, mostly because it's cheaper and has some rides that the older guys prefer.  The youngers liked GWL better.  We were told the Sandusky GWL was quite a bit smaller than Niagara.

[athomeontheprairie]

I tried to post earlier, only to see it didn't actually post. Thus us the short version:

The nearby restaurants by our GWL offered discounts to customers (verified by your wristband). Thus, and bringing food in, helped our budget a lot!

Have fun!

[Paige]

We went to one near Cincinnati and loved it. We got a great groupon and it was in the middle of the school year so we almost had the place to ourselves. Our kids were the only ones in the wave pool most of the time and we never waited for any rides. The kids loved MagiQuest too. I'd love to go back but only if we had another deal since it isn't super close and it was still pricey. I thought the kids' spa and the arcade were overpriced. We didn't do any of the spa things. I wished we had checked out the craft room earlier because DDs had a lot of fun there on the way out. We ended up staying an extra night because the morning we were supposed to check out they had slid an offer under our door for another night for less than what we'd paid per night with the groupon! I think it was only because the place was so empty.

 

The food was typical amusement park- overpriced and not that great. We ate at the lodge restaurant as well as the snack bar. The restaurant food was fine- not bad in any way, but not amazing. It was overpriced too but at least it wasn't gross. If we did it again, we'd probably pack some food to save money but I'm not sure we'd find it worth going to a restaurant off property.

[Alice]

The Williamsburg food was pretty bad and really overpriced. Everything else was really fun though. :)

[SKL]

I agree with the others.  It is a very kid-friendly place, obviously.  My kids really love it, and since it's active fun, they don't get crazy.  The food is reasonable in my opinion.  The one I go to is within walking distance to a grocery store that sells prepared stuff such as sandwiches and cut veggies, so sometimes we go and get that and bring it back to the room.  There are also other food options nearby.  If it was out in the boonies, I might bring something to eat between restaurant meals.  (Though they do have snack options and all that.)

 

Miss A wanted to have her 7th birthday weekend there.  As a special birthday treat, I took the girls to "Scoops," the kiddy spa at GWL, where they had their first professional manicure.  :)  Ridiculously indulgent, but what the heck.  Miss A loved it.

[Parrothead]

Thanks everyone. Making room for the cooler in the trunk.

[Tsuga]

Loved it. Bring your own snack food and go to a nearby restaurant for dinner, cereal for breakfast, and sandwiches for lunch make it quite a bit cheaper.

[TXMomof4]

I'll be watching this thread. We have a GWL about 2 hours or so from us, and Indy really wants to go. I've never been to one, but I expected the food to be overpriced. Isn't it always at resorts? Sigh.

Just fyi - we went to one of the Strong Bonds marriage retreats at a GWL. The army kindly provided gift cards to local restaurants for lunch and dinner and vouchers for breakfast at the hotel. It was well worth the couple of hours spent in a marriage seminar.

[alisoncooks]

We ended up staying an extra night because the morning we were supposed to check out they had slid an offer under our door for another night for less than what we'd paid per night with the groupon! I think it was only because the place was so empty.

 

The first year we stayed at a GWL, we got one of these coupons under our door & it was a great deal.  We did not get one this most recent stay -- not sure what or why determines these....?

 

We've never done the arcade, bowling alley (which at ours is only 4 lanes, LOL) or spa.  We did go to the Cub Club (name?) to look around and see what free stuff there was to do/play with.  Most of the activities did require a purchase (like purchase a toy or something that you could then paint or something).

 

Have fun! :)

[*lifeoftheparty*]

We love Great Wolf Lodge and have been several times, with the HS discount.

 

The food, IMHO, is awful. Blech.

 

As a foodie, I don't mind paying for good food, but the stuff in their restaurant was just awful. And SO over priced! I got a Cobb salad and it had a small pile of lettuce, some cold bacon, cheese- and on top was 1 poached egg. Ewwww! I tried to take it off and the yolk broke!

 

Eat anywhere else!

 

ETA: That Cobb Salad was $11.95!

[gingersmom]

We have been to Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania many times. My children adore it!

 

For the first night I always bring chinese food, paper plates, drinks, utensils, etc. 

 

For breakfast we go to the nearby Friendlys. Lunch is usually a pizza at the waterpark. 

 

Before you go I would see if you could find out what food options are within driving distance. Read some reviews on trip advisor and see if anyone mentions anything. 

 

The rooms have a microwave and refrigerator. 

 

The first time we went we ate at the buffett for dinner. It was so awful and so crazy expensive. Never again. 

[SKL]

We never did the dinner buffet.  Maybe that's why I don't have such awful memories of the food.  Or maybe it varies by location.

 

I have done the breakfast at the buffet place and the dinner at the other restaurant.  The buffet place was "palateable" but the restaurant was what I'd call "average."  I think the cooler idea is a good one.  :)  But I like to have at least one restaurant meal to round out the "experience."

[dsmith]

We go to the Great Wolf in Sandusky, even though we live close to the one in the Poconos. It's smaller and better for my s/n son to handle. We are headed out there next week, actually. This will probably be our last time going there. He is getting too old for it, and I'm really hoping he doesn't decide that while we are there. :sad: The food was ok, nothing special, but my son really enjoys it. The prices were a bit high, but not as high as other resorts we've been to. They usually have a decent pizza deal so we will do that a night. We don't have Steak and Shake around here, so we always eat there for lunch or dinner. I remember enjoying the breakfast there, and I know the kids loved it. We got a good deal on the room, plus it came with a $50 food voucher for each day we are staying, so that will go towards breakfast. We share a room with my sister and niece, so that also helps with the cost.  

[*lifeoftheparty*]

The only thing I did like, was the chicken salad wrap they had the food counter inside the water park. That was good- not great- but for a chicken salad wrap, it was good.

 

Ours has a Dunkin Donuts inside too- and there is an IHOP down the street and a Chick-fil-a around the corner.... We did those for bfast and lunch. Dinner, except for the one time we ate at their restaurant, was in downtown Williamsburg.

[Spryte]

Totally agree that the food is nothing special and over-priced.

 

On the up side, the GWL near us has "chefs" who are very versed in food allergies, and made us confident enough to allow them to cook food for DS, with his multiple food allergies.  DS was delighted, as it's not often the case that restaurants are in our comfort zone.  

 

Take the cooler, get snacks and picnic food, and plan a few meals out.  :)

[AmyontheFarm]

We've been a few times.  I agree with everyone about the food there.  We were told by the desk girl that our wristband were good until closing on the day we checked out.  Since, there are lockers and showers available.  We packed up everything we didn't need back into the car for the morning check out time and then went down to the water park and stayed until supper that day.  So, the kids had almost 2 full days at the water park for the price of one night.  I was able to shower them, toss them into their PJ's and we drove the 4 hours home and put them asleep into their beds.  Watch out for the bubbles at story time that float down from the tree thing in the lobby.  They can cause stinging in sensitive eyes.

[alisoncooks]

My youngest DD was obsessed with the mechanical singing woodland creatures at the bedtime show.  ("There's nothing to be scared of here, trust in Mother Nature....")  Blech. :D   She'd randomly start singing that tune for weeks and weeks.

 

I agree that the bathroom facilities inside the waterpark are great.  You can stay all day after you've checked out of your room.  The one in Charlotte/Concord has one of those nifty bathing-suit-ringer-outer machines.  Awesome.