If you’re looking for a fun, family vacation that everyone will enjoy this summer, consider planning a trip to one of the 15 Great Wolf Lodge resorts! Everyone is sure to enjoy the fun water park, as well as staying in a lodge filled with lots of activities for everyone – including arcades, spas, fitness rooms, specialty restaurants, and children’s activity areas with Yoga and bowling. BUT, before booking your trip and planning your stay, here are a few tips you may want to read first…
1.) Save BIG with Package Deals
You can often find deals on Groupon, Zulily and even on the Great Wolf Lodge website for huge savings! Plus, be sure to check RetailMeNot.com for promo codes if booking on the Great Wolf Lodge site. If you can book at least 60 days in advance, you can save up to 50% on a three or more night stay.
Keep in mind that additional taxes and fees may apply in order to provide additional services that are often charged individually by other resorts. This fee covers services such as wireless internet, self parking, fitness center access, in-room coffee and two bottles of water, life jackets and towels in the water park, access to fax, wolf ears, local phone calls and a concierge service.
2.) Enjoy the Water Park for FREE on Check-in Day
Consider driving to the resort in your swimsuits as you can gain access to the water park as early as 1PM on the day of check-in and enjoy the water park until closing time on the day of check out (usually around 9PM). You can check-in to your room starting at 4PM and must check out by 11AM on check-out day. That means you can essentially enjoy 2 full days in the water park for just 1-night stay!
If you plan on staying until the water park closes on your check-out day, be sure to be out of your room by 11AM and store your luggage with the front desk or in your car. It would also be very helpful to pack a smaller bag with a change of clothes that you can take into the water park and store inside their lockers (available for rent). You can also use their showers and dryers inside the water park.
3.) Don’t Pack Life Jackets or Beach Towels
Don’t bother packing extra beach or bath towels as both are provided by the water park. However, you may want to bring a swimsuit cover-up as the beach towels must stay in the water park area (and bath towels must stay in your suite). Also, Coast Guard approved life jackets are available in a variety of sizes so you won’t need to bring your own unless you want to (inflatables are also not allowed).
4.) Military & First Responders Get Additional Discount
Great Wolf Lodge offers a 30% off discount to all qualifying military and first responder families through their Howling Heroes program. Note that a valid ID must be presented at check in and you must apply promo code HEROES at checkout when making an online reservation.
5.) Know Everything There is To Do
Although each resort offers different attractions, all resorts offer a variety of games, attractions and activities for your family to enjoy during your stay. Be sure to ask for board games from the front desk as it is a great way to unwind whenever everyone is tired and just wanting to relax in your room.
You can explore the lodge playing MagiQuest or ShadowQuest (an interactive adventure game), get pampered at Scooops Kid Spa (or the Elements Spa Salon for adults and teens), play games at the Northern Lights Arcade, visit the Iron Horse Fitness Center (with cardio & weight training equipment, flat-screen TVs and towel service) and even attend a nightly Story Time and lobby show in your PJ’s.
6.) Bring Food & Snacks from Home
You are welcome to bring your own coolers to Great Wolf Lodge but they are not allowed in the water park area. Since rooms do have microwaves and mini fridges, you can easily save money by having a supply of snacks and drinks in your room. A reader also suggested ordering pizza from Domino’s or Pizza Hut and having it delivered to the lobby and eating it there (can’t take to your room).
If you’d rather just eat at one of the on-site restaurants, one of the best options for feeding a hungry crew is to order a large 16″ pizza with toppings from Hungry as a Wolf, which costs around $14-$16, depending on your location. Bring a few 2-liter sodas with you to avoid paying for drinks and you’ll have a much more affordable dinner than eating at the restaurants.
7.) Save 42% by Buying Kid Passes
If your kids want to do extra activities around the resort that cost money, such as MagiQuest or ShadowQuest, getting a Glitz Glitter Tattoo, making a Creation Station animal or an Oliver’s Mining Co. Experience, consider getting a Paw Pass for just $79.99 (regularly $111.99). The Paw Pass includes:
- Choice of MagiQuest or ShadowQuest game
- Choice of classic wand, standard topper or Magi belt
- One Creation Station animal (outfit not included)
- One Clubhouse Crew Adventure
- One Oliver’s Mining Co. Experience
- One Paw Points arcade / attractions card (20 points)
- One 12 oz. candy cup
- One pair of Great Wolf Lodge goggles from Bear Essentials Swim Shop
- One Glitz Glitter Tattoo
- One Leather Treaty name bracelet from Buckhorn Exchange Gift Shop
The Wolf Pass is priced at $89.99 and it includes all of the above plus one game of bowling at Ten Paw Alley, one Compass Quest game, one game of Howl at the Moon Glow Golf, one movie at Howly Wood XD Theater, one game at Oliver’s Time Challenge, and one $5.00 Paw Points game card.
The Pup Pass is $52.99 (regularly $78.99+) and includes one Color-Your-Own Item at The Great Wolf Kids Store (t-shirt or pillow case), one Creation Station animal, one Clubhouse Crew Adventure, one Oliver’s Mining Co. Experience, one Paw Points arcade / attractions card (20 points), one 12 oz. candy cup, and one single scoop ice cream cone from Bear Paw Sweets & Eats.
8.) Print Coupons and Save While You’re There
If you’re planning to purchase items in the shops and/or take advantage of their services & entertainment options, be sure to print these coupons before heading to Great Wolf Lodge. To find coupons for your region, just click on your location and add “/coupons” to the end of the URL.
9.) Know When to Avoid the Crowds
To avoid crowds, hit the water park right when it opens (usually 9AM) and an hour before it closes (usually closes at 9PM). The lines at the water park are usually the longest in the middle of the day, especially for popular water slides so try to go on as many rides as you can during non-peak hours.
10.) Guard Your Wristbands
The Great Wolf Lodge wristband is an important part of your lodge stay as it acts as your room key and payment method, valid to use anywhere in the lodge during your stay. When you check-in, your credit card information is added to your wristband, so you’ll want to be sure and guard it carefully.
If you don’t want your kids having access to your credit card, be sure to mention this at check-in and they will get a different color wristband that will deny them access to your credit card. Whenever you leave the resort, it’s a good idea to cut or shred the wristbands so no one can access your information.
Also, if your wristband is too long, a Pack Member at the resort will clip off the tail to make it less irritating for you. Plus, wristband snips are saved by each department and then entered in the “Great Wolf Tail Competition”. Each little tail is collected, saved, and put in a large container as part of a monthly, spirited contest across all resort areas. The challenge is to see which department is a “cut above the rest”, and how many guests had their wristbands sized to perfection. Pretty cool!
11.) Going to California?
If you’re planning your trip to Anaheim, CA, consider checking out their packages that will allow you to save on Disneyland Resort tickets too. For instance, you can save up to 20% on a two, 30% on a three or 40% on a four night stay at Great Wolf Lodge Anaheim, CA and they’ll bundle in Disneyland Resort tickets. Plus, Great Wolf Lodge also provides a shuttle to and from Disneyland for its guests.
12.) Take Advantage of a Free Shutterfly Photo Book
As one of Great Wolf Lodge’s partners, Shutterfly offers guests a promo code for a FREE 20-page 8×8 hard cover Photo Book ($29.99 value)! Whenever you get to your room, look for a Shutterfly promotional card near a sample photo book with a unique promo code to redeem your offer.
13.) Got Food Allergies? No Problem!
If you or a family member has food allergies, you may be happy to know that Great Wolf Lodge takes food allergies very seriously and will do everything to accommodate your needs. The resort’s chef will personally come out and talk with you and discuss your needs for a gluten-free menu.
Thanks Hip2Save!
You might be eligible to get a $500 Pizza Hut Gift Card.
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