Let’s Talk a Little on Why you might want to go to Great Wolf Lodge sooner than I did

My kids have bugged me for years to go to Great Wolf Lodge and for years and years I have ignored them and made other plans. Our family tends to like outdoor things and nature-ish things and Great Wolf Lodge seemed like it would be the kind of chaotic, kid-filled place I would surely need a vacation from when we got home. And then an opportunity to stay presented itself in my email and I tentatively asked my kids…“do you guys by any chance want to go to Great Wolf Lodge and see what it’s all about?!”

Check in is at 4 pm but you can use the pool starting at 1pm

And this is how my college bestie and our 4 kids ended up on a road trip that took her from Vancouver BC to my house in Seattle and all the way to Grand Mound Washington ( 2 hours from my door, 5 hours from hers). We arrived at Great Wolf Lodge Grand Mound around 3 pm even though we knew we could start using the pool at 1pm only because we stopped in Olympia for a late lunch and ice cream at at Sofie’s Scoops. It was nice to take the drive at a leisurely pace and it was nice knowing that we could use the pool if we arrived early.

Grizzly Bear Suite at Great Wolf Lodge with kids

When we arrived we were delighted to find out we were staying in the Grizzly Bear Suite. For two moms and four kids this was such an awesome setup because there were two bedrooms and two bathrooms and we all shared a common space with a small living room with a sofa, table, sink and mini fridge where the moms could chat after the kids went to sleep. This suite is not over the top in its decor-we really appreciated the cabin wood theme a lot more than the cartoony animal theme rooms. My kids are 10 so I’m a little over that. The only thing I wish could have been better is the carpet-we are usually a shoes-off house but I would recommend bringing slippers or comfy shoes to wear in the room because the floor looked a little shabby and had stains in many places which I can understand since 365 days a year there are kids staying and spilling kid-things in these rooms. Otherwise everything else seemed very clean and I know this fact is very important for families. It was so hot in Seattle the day we visited, I almost forgot there was a fireplace in this room too and this would be so nice on dreary days in the fall and wintertime.  It was a nice decoration while we were there all the same and there was even a balcony with two chairs that we appreciated too but didn’t use. If we didn’t have a suite-style room I think another good choice would be a regular family room with a balcony because at least there would be a little space away from the kids at night.  We packed a bunch of drinks and snacks but it might have been fun to try the wine down service-I love when hotels offer neat things like this!(You just need to remember to order before 8pm.)

Paw Pass, Pup Pass or Wolf Pass-should we get a pass at Great Wolf Lodge?

We were given Paw Passes for the three big kids and a Pup Pass for the three year old.  Make sure you check what is included with the Great Wolf Paw Pass when you visit because the inclusions can change but my friend and I decided that the Paw Pass seemed a really great deal because it included many of the attractions our kids wanted to do.  The Mirror Maze in Oliver’s Mining Company opened the day we were at Great Wolf Lodge and we were able to try it with the pass that day.  We were also able to try the outdoor Howler’s Peak Ropes Course and my guys both want to come back and do that.  The cool thing is that you don’t need to stay at the lodge to just do the Ropes Course-when we visited it was $14.99 for a single climb which seems pretty inexpensive. Just make sure that your kids are wearing closed-toe shoes and there is a height restriction.  I had to run back to the car and find shoes because one of my guys was wearing flip flops.  The Magiquest was also a big hit with my guys and again, we learned that we can come back and re-use the wands they got from the Paw Pass and just pay for the game.  (The game when we went was $14.99 and the wand started at $15.99)

Food at Great Wolf Lodge?

There is a Starbucks here at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound Washington!  I was impressed that you can use your app to pay but unfortunately you can’t use any of your free drink credits.  We brought some breakfast items (cereal boxes, spoons and fruit) and snacks to put in our fridge in our room and supplemented our breakfast meal with Starbucks.  It was so nice to be able to eat in our room where the kids could sprawl out and relax and everyone could wear their pjs and we probably saved a little money by bringing some of our own food too.

For dinner we also ordered what seemed like a pretty reasonably priced and tasty pizza and salad at the Hungry as a Wolf Cafe-a large pizza and a family sized salad was more than enough for two moms and four kids and it was comfortable eating in our room again.  I talked with another guest while we watched our kids climb Howler’s Peak and she mentioned that they had eaten at nearby Azteca Casa Ramos and they were impressed by the food and the large portions.  The leftovers from their meal were enough for another meal so she said it was convenient to have a microwave and fridge in their room.

Since we had a long drive home we stopped at McDonald’s nearby and picked up Happy Meals for the car.  (The kids were totally excited that the current toy was from Nintendo!).  I looked at the menu for the Lodge Wood Fired Grill at Great Wolf Lodge and noticed that it has gluten-free and vegetarian options so it’s nice that there are many options for all types of eaters at Great Wolf Lodge. Of course, the candy shop was a popular stop with the kids too and we had some candy included on our Paw Pass.

The Pool

When we went to Great Wolf Lodge, the only way to use the Water Park was by staying the night at the hotel.  This summer for the first time ever, Great Wolf is now launching a Day Pass program where you can use the waterpark without being guests at the hotel.  It sounds like due to capacity in the water park, Great Wolf Lodge Day Passes must be purchased the day before you go to the waterpark and can only be purchased online.  I checked for Grand Mound Water Park Day Passes and they are $55 per person.  I still think I would stay the night if I was going to Great Wolf Lodge, but it is really nice to have a day pass option if you are passing through the area and want to stop and splash for a bit.

At 10 years old my guys are tall enough to go to all the places in the Water Park area, but I was scared of going in the waves and made them wear a life jacket in the deep end.  We also didn’t go on the big waterslides this time and we will definitely go again when we bring my hubby. There are no robes at this hotel so make sure you bring a cover up to wear if you plan not to use the change rooms-I totally did not read anything before I came and thankfully had a big shirt in my overnight bag.

Will we be back?

And yes, you heard that right.  I know we will be going back again for sure.  I knew my kids would probably have fun here but I didn’t realize how fun it would also be for me and my friend.  We brought walkie talkies and let the guys go on the Magiquest alone for a little while and because the resort is mostly self-contained (remember outside visitors can still come and go anywhere in the resort) it was pretty easy to give them a bit of this kind of freedom with a whole bunch of check-ins.  I know they want to go on some of the big slides that my husband would definitely be able to take them on but I just wasn’t ready for this visit-there still was so much for them to do.  I was just proud of us two moms for being able to adventure together and have a great time with the kids and yes, we were exhausted but this was probably the easiest way to have a road trip somewhere with all of our kids.

Deals on Great Wolf Lodge

I’ve noticed a bunch of deals throughout the year in my inbox from Great Wolf Lodge so signup through their website might help save a bit of money.  If your employer offers deals to local places, they may have a deal with Great Wolf Lodge-I know my husband’s work had a deal at some point. Booking early also might help you with availability and securing a lower price.

Have you been to Great Wolf Lodge-do you have tips on how to get a good deal on accommodation? If you have tips for next time I’d love to hear!

(PS. the ex-teacher in me always loves using an experience like this to further learning, especially in the summertime.  I had the kids write me paragraphs on what they liked about Great Wolf Lodge to encourage or persuade me to go back.)

(PPS. We were hosted for a one night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound Washington and as always the thoughts and opinions in this blog post are my own.)

Terumi

Terumi Pong is a Seattle-based family travel writer and mom of twin teenage boys.  She loves coffee and pastries, shopping local and looking for greener ways to live.  She is also known as Scout’s mom (Scout is a 5ish pound little black yorkie-poo)