Have a Great Wolf Day
We just got back form the happiest place on earth, if you are under the age of 15 and live north of the border, that is. Yes, Great Wolf Lodge. For the unintiated Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor waterpark/hotel in Niagara Falls (and 11 other locations in the U.S.). It is nirvana for the kids.
Waterslides? check
Talking trees and animatronic animals? check
Bunk beds with its own TV? check
Overly nice service by people who use the word wolf in every greeting? check
Kids in pajamas at mealtimes? check
Arcade with tickets and redeemable prizes? check
Junk food? double check
No rules? triple check
A fake log cabin on steroids with terrible food and waterslides would never have been my idea of fun in the pre-kid universe,but it is a great weekend because the kids are so deliriously happy. By the way, Great Wolf did not sponsor my trip and in no way gave me any SWAG.
They love the themed bedrooms, the wild animal decals and figures all over the carpets and walls, the craft room, the noise level and especially the waterpark which has slides and activities for all ages. But what parents and kids love most about Great Wolf Lodge is the fact that it is a weekend about kids. We parents can relax and revel in the kids’ enjoyment. It doesn’t matter that your kid is running down the halls screaming or eating ice cream before lunch, because there are bunch of kids doing the same thing.
That is not to say that it is a stress-free weekend, there are constant line-ups at the food counters and the meals are pricey (especially considering what you get); the check-out time is an inflexible 11 a.m. and the arcade can be a heavy-duty and expensive distraction from the waterpark (my daughter kept asking to go to the sparkly place) but all-in-all Great Wolf does a good job in keeping the kids happy and therefore the parents too.
Once you are a parent it can feel like you will never take a relaxing vacation again but if you go somewhere where your kids are genuinely excited and pull you into their thrills – it may not be margaritas on the beach but it is a vacation nonetheless. (Although my sister and I kept walking by a sign advertising the spa which said “It’s your vacation too”, to which we always replied: not really. But our husbands did make it to the Fallsview Casino one night so I guess they owe us some spa time.)
We have found that one night at Great Wolf is enough, especially since you can use the waterpark until 4pm on the day of check out, you just have to change in the locker room which equals a possible 16 hours of waterpark action. A two-day stay is good too, especially if you want to check out Niagara’s other sites (we like Marineland and the Butterfly Conservatory and you know, that other thing). One week is totally insane but we understand that some people do it.
If you are thinking of going, it is worth signing up for their newsletter (on the reservations page) to get special offers. It’s not cheap no matter how you do it, but I did get a 1/2 price rate from an email they sent me.
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