family DISCOVERIES: <BR>GREAT WOLF Lodge |
"Bubbles! You have to have bubbles to work here! Lots of energy, a fun attitude - you know, bubbles!" Great Wolf Lodge Manager Keith Simmonds finished our chat with this statement, and after spending two days at this incredible new Niagara Falls attraction I have to concur. Many members of the over 500 staff that work at the lodge are true ambassadors of the Great Wolf Lodge "Bubbles" philosophy.
When someone first mentioned to me something about taking my family to Niagara Falls to frolic in millions of litres of water, I did a double take. I mean I assumed they were suggesting I take the whole gang over the Horseshoe Falls! But I soon found out they were talking about this fun new family attraction. And when they say family at Great Wolf Lodge, they mean family! All activities are geared towards creating the ultimate family experience, "creating traditions - one family at a time."
Just arriving at this lodge is an experience in itself. As you walk into the front lobby or the grand living room as they call it, your senses are immediately confronted by a beautiful fireplace, big comfy furniture and a warm sense of comfort that catches you off guard a little. I get in line to check and I am approached by one of the "Ambassadors of Fun" who gives me some helpful information about the lodge, answers a few questions I have and then steers my two kids over to the face painting area, a free perk offered on most afternoons at the lodge. I am greeted warmly at the desk by Michelle who checks me in swiftly. She gives me four wristbands - one each for my wife and I plus two for the kids. These bright coloured wristbands not only serve as your water park passes but also, thanks to a microchip right in the band, open your room door and enable you to charge purchases from the gift shop and restaurants right to your room. You can even put money on the kids' wristband so if they want to go shopping or play in the arcade without you (for the older kids!), they are armed and ready to go! There is no need for a room key, your wallet or any ID when you are enjoying all that the lodge and water parks have to offer - the wristband is all you need.
Once checked in we made our way to our room, which was the KidCabin suite and one of ten different themed rooms that they offer here at Great Wolf Lodge with rack rates ranging from $ 319 a night for a Queen Sofa suite to $ 569 for the loft fireplace suite that sleeps up to 6. Now, don't forget that the price of admission includes all your water park passes (which includes use till 10 PM on the day you check out!) and many other free activities including use of the Cub Camp creative area, story time & an animatronics' show each night at 8 in the main living room.
Our KidCabin was rack rate at $ 449 a night but it was pretty spectacular. My wife and I had our own queen bed, t-v and fireplace with a balcony off the main suite. The kids had their own little wooden cabin built right into our room! It included three bunks with sleeping bags and pillows, their own separate t-v and remote and fun characters painted on the walls. The only drawbacks we found were that the sleeping bags were made of fairly thin material and the mattresses were vinyl. Having vinyl mattresses makes sense from a housekeeping point of view, for any 'accidents' that may occur, and the kids did say they were comfortable while a provided blanket did help keep them warm but the sleeping bags themselves could have had a little more to them (next time we will bring sleeping bags to make the experience that much more of an adventure for the kids). All other amenities were offered as well - a small fridge, a microwave, coffee maker, safe for any valuables plus a very clean bathroom loaded with more than enough towels to keep us dry between trips to the water park.
Once the bathing suit gear was donned, we were headed for the water park and my-oh-my - what a thrill it was. Over 100,000 square feet of space plays host to 2.5 million litres of water and it is all inside! Not a detail has been missed in the place. To start with, there are lifeguards everywhere you turn so safety is obviously the first concern.
First thing you see on your left is a great play area for the "Under 48 inches tall" set. Slides, a climbing play area and tons water shooting in every direction along with a soft spongy flooring makes this a safe and fun area for the young family.
On our right is Fort McKenzie - a 4-storey treehouse waterfort with water sprayers, buckets and two slides just to mention a few. PLUS a giant 4000 litre bucket that fills and dumps it load every 15 minutes or so.
Rainbow lake is straight ahead and it is a 450,000 litre massive indoor wave pool that kicks in every 2 minutes to soak everyone with giant waves. The giggles and laughter draw you to this area like a magnet!
For the action enthusiasts - they have the Mammoth Raft - the world's largest tunnel water ride, the Rocket Water Coaster which is, trust me on this one, quite an exhilarating experience plus numerous other slides for all ages to enjoy.
There is also a lazy river that you can float on and two other pools for various family fun including water basketball and balancing pontoons - I fell on the first attempt while my wiry son Sam conquered them at least 7 times! As far as the lazy river goes, I think my family laughed for 10 minutes after watching me flop my rather large frame rather awkwardly out of the inner tube I was stuck in!
We spent 4 hours in the water our first day at the park and another 3 hours the next day and it was awesome. The best part was that it was all inside which meant - NO SUNSCREEN!
The Cub's Club area is where families can do crafts together as a group (not a babysitting area for your kids). There are certain things you can pay a little extra to create but the basics (colouring and minor craft work) are free plus the GWL 'Ambassadors of Fun' are always there to help. Jason Jung was our guide to the good times here and he also doubled as an incredible story-time reader in the Big Living Room later that evening - another great family experience we all gathered in our PJ's to enjoy!
Combine this area with an arcade and coupon-collecting spot that rivals Chuck E.Cheese, a unique mini-golf track and two restaurants with varied menus and Great Wolf Lodge is truly a one-stop-shop area for family fun. Throw in a gift shop with some truly reasonably priced souvenirs (I got a GWL hat & t-shirt for $20!) and your trip is complete.
Some critics are questioning the prices of staying at Great Wolf Lodge but when you consider all they have to offer, it really is a great deal. We have not laughed that much for that long as a family, we truly did walk away from Great Wolf Lodge having a created a wonderful family memory and a tradition that will continue for years to come. And that, as they say in the commercials, is priceless!
Visit www.greatwolflodge.ca to find out more about this great new family fun spot!
