Hi Moms - my big sis is coming to visit in Oct for about 10 days, and my hubby and I haven't had a vacation in a while. I'd like to find a fun family place we could ALL go to for a few days. I've heard about Great Wolf, but have also heard it's overpriced, etc. What is your feedback on that? Do you have any alternative suggestions reasonably close to the Dallas area that could also work? Thanks!
I have not been to Great Wolf lodge but did price up a short break for my family , and yes it was expensive , I have heard though that you can get good deals if you go during the week rather than the weekends , also keep checking their website as they have offers sometimes. Sorry don't have any alternative suggestions for you as we are not in your area.
My family LOVES Great Wolf Lodge (hubby, myself, daughter who was 2 when we went, my 3 brothers, my 2 sis-in-laws, and my parents). We have always done the condos so we save on food (there is a full kitchen) and we split the total cost per person (minus my daughter because she is free for now). We bring food along for all the meals, or make a quick stop at a grocery store after checking in, and it saves tons of money (we usually just do simple things like sandwichs, tacos, pizzas, chicken strips, mac & cheese). The water park is AWESOME and is well spaced out and we usually going during the winter and the swimming area and water are a good temp. They also have an arcade but of course have to spend money for that. They have an indoor playground that even my 3 grown brothers and dad loved playing with Julia in it (it is like 3 stories tall, climbing, slides... fun). Great Wolf does not have as many water slides as some of the other places but the ones they have are fun. One more thing about it, in the evening before the kids go to bed you can go for a story in the main lobby IT IS AWESOME and we went to it three nights in a row without it boring us.
Kalahari is another one to look into because they have more then a waterpark to offer. I personal have not been there yet but many of my other family friends have been and loved it.
Chula Vista is horrible... we went in Dec and the water was COLD, even COLDER in the kids play area (we measured the temp at 55 and complained to the manager and they just waved it off). We were there 3 days and each day it was COLD. The only warm water is where everyone was at playing water basket ball, the lazy river was freezing, the kids area was freezing and the water slides were ok temp wise but could have been warmer. The water slides were fun to ride but would easily pass them up if the water was too cold.
WE just kept looking for deals online, some years we pay "full price" other years we find great deals.
I went to the GWL in Virginia this past April. I thought it was awesome. My son who will be 3 at the end of the month he LOVED it. We only stayed one night but we had access to the waterpark area from 1pm to the next day at 9pm. I thought it was totally worth the money. My sister made the reservation so I am not sure if she had any discounts but for her, my niece (21 years old), myself and my son we only paid 198.00. Which I think is pretty good considering if you wanted to go to legoland water park here it would have cost us well over $250 and thats just for one day.
Hope you have a great time!
We go to the GWL in the Dells. You can get decent deals on rooms by planning ahead. Rooms have a fridge and microwave so you can save $$ on food that way. You can also get a condo which has a kitchen. I think it is the food/restaurants that are overpriced.
A friend just mentioned Great Wolf Lodge and that they're going in the Fall (I believe October) because it's much cheaper than during the summer months. ??
