Great Wof Lodge

For Christmas our family received an amazing gift from Auntie Nicole & Uncle Warren- a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge indoor water park located in Grand Mond Washington.  The kids are too young to understand exactly how cool or how large of a gift the trip was but Tyler & I continue to be grateful for the weekend of memories. The week before our trip I showed the kids the Great Wolf Lodge website and videos so they understood what was going to be there.  The videos opened the door for the conversations we had about safety and following directions. Both kids got excited knowing they were going to a water park. 

When we arrived our room was not ready and the place was swamped.  The kids wanted to jump right in to the water but the adults had to get situated.  On future trips I am going to have us wear our swimsuits under our clothes for the drive and have on our water friendly shoes.  That would have saved us a lil hustle & bustle and the need for two lockers.  Either way, we got on our swim gear and jumped right in!

 Above- the kids waiting as the guys went to get our bags.

Above & Bellow- the wave pool and water park

The water park has more to offer than I thought before we arrived.  But it quickly becomes over crowded between noon-3pm. There are plenty of lifeguards on duty and life jackets in all sizes available for your use at the entrance.  My only complaint would be that some of the older children are straight up RUNNING around, unsupervised and not paying attention to their surroundings; knocking down little children or pushing through groups.  Our group enjoyed spending the majority of our time in the wave pool and tree house.  The tree house has two smaller water slides that our children could ride alone and that really made them feel like big kids! I was concerned at first but they both had on life jackets and there were plenty of lifegaurds at both the top and bottom of the slides.

For dinner we ate at the buffet located downstairs.  Our server was fantastic and put up with the two kids and Warren with a smile. The food was all fresh and yummy for being what it is- buffet food at a family resort.  Our entire group filled up on salad, fruit, and a nummy entree selection that included everything from cheeseburgers and chicken strips to salmon and prime rib. 

After dinner we headed to the Magic Quest store.  Our children are 3 & 4.5 so we didn't purchase or need the full Magic Quest package or do I fully understand the entire thing.  However,  throughout the resort you will see children and adults alike running around with their wands trying to complete their mission.  For our kids we just got the basic wands and activated them for some play.  When we got home I made sure to put the Wands away for our next visit to the Great Wolf Lodge.  They are an item you only have to purchase once and next time we will just need to pay a reactivation fee.

I taught our children to say "ABRACADABRA" each time they used their wand.  They enjoyed wondering the resort and using the wands to make the birds chirp and the pictures talk.

After our Magic Quest Mission we had Ice Cream at the Ice Cream parlor upstairs.  The staff was nice and they had speedy service but there is a need for a increase in the amount of seating.  Either way; it is Ice Cream and you can't go wrong!

At "bedtime" they offer a bedtime story and songs at the Clock Tower near the main entrance.  THIS IS A WASTE OF YOUR TIME!  Although the idea is very cute; to have the children downstairs in their pajamas for a nice story time featuring the Great Wolf Creatures.....  We couldn't hear a dang thing so my children quickly lost interest and began to get frustrated.  We couldn't hear because in addition to over talkative children and teenagers you have parents and other adults talking on their phones; the sound system doesn't include a speaker from behind you only from the Clock Tower.  I was glad I had packed a few of our own books to read back at the room because Issac does NOT go to bed without a book, lol. 

Our room was very comfortable.  Lots of space and everyone slept great.  A little chilly throughout the resort so remember a hoddie for when your wandering around.

Sunday Morning we had coffee before heading downstairs to complete our magic quest and meet the Characters.  We had hot sandwiches for lunch at their lil "bar n Grill" before enjoying the water park for the day. 

Overall the trip was a lot of fun.  It is go-go-go the entire time your there so it was a great idea that Tyler took Monday off to recuperate. After our trip I understand why some people love it and some people hate it.  First off there is so many children running around unattended both inside the water park and throughout the hotel.  Second, everything is an add-on expense. The booking fee just covers your room and the use of the water park.    If we were to go again I would surely pack all our food and even prepare a dinner in the crockpot and plug it in upon arrival. 

There really are no words big enough to say THANK YOU to Nicole & Warren.  They really treated us to a worry free weekend and a great time.  The kids are still talking the trip and every time we load the car for a day or over night trip since Josie asks "we go to the Great Wolf Lodge?"