Great Wolf Lodge - Indoor Water Park in the Pocono Mountains
Written: Aug 29 '06 (Updated Sep 11 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fun for all ages, indoor water fun, clean.
Cons: Possibly the price.
The Bottom Line: For a fantastic vacation at an indoor water park, visit the Great Wolf Lodge - Pocono Mountains, PA.
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| Staceys1's Full Review: Great Wolf Lodge - Pocono Mountains, PA |
Last summer, while visiting relatives in Erie, Pennsylvania, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Express which is attached to the Splash Lagoon indoor water park. We enjoyed all that Splash Lagoon had to offer, but as it is an eight hour drive from our home, it is not a place we can go for a weekend trip. A few months ago, we began seeing television commercials for a new indoor water park that was closer to home so we decided to look into the Great Wolf Lodge in the Pocono Mountains for a vacation.
Since the Great Wolf Lodge we visited is approximately 100 miles from our home, a two or three day trip there was certainly feasible. After deciding on which dates we wanted to visit, I went to www.greatwolflodge.com to determine which of the nine suites offered would best fit our needs. I chose the KidCabin Suite, which sleeps up to seven people, even though we are only a family of four. I entered my credit card, was billed for half of the intended charges and printed out my confirmation. The cost of the KidCabin Suite was just over $800, including taxes, for two nights and use of the waterpark for three days.
Check in time is officially 4:00 pm, but guests may pre-register beginning at 1:00 pm, and use the water park facilities at that time. We arrived at about 2:00 and received our room assignment and wristbands (needed for entrance into the water park), and were told to check back in about an hour because our room would probably be ready. We then rented a locker for $15 ($10 of which was a deposit and was refunded when we returned the key) and enjoyed the facilities, until we realized that it was after 5:00 and that we should probably go officially check in.
Something to note is that you must check into this hotel with the same credit card that was used to make the initial reservation. I generally use one specific credit card for my internet expenditures, and I do not carry that card with me, so at first I was told that there might be a problem. I have had similar situations at other hotels, but they simply "canceled" the reservation and credited the first credit card and charged the entire amount to the one I had with me, but the employee who was helping me was not sure if she could do that. It turned out that we did have the credit card with us that our reservation was made with, so our check in process was smooth.
Upon check in, my husband and I were issued blue wristbands called "Wrist Wallets" which encased a computer chip and acted as our room key and charge card as well as acted as our pass to the water park, while my children had red wristbands which allowed them access to the water park. We had the choice as to whether or not we wanted to be able to charge to our account via this method, and, if I had older children, I could have gotten them wristbands with just the room key aspect activated. We were in awe that no matter how wet this Wrist Wallet got, we were able to get into our room and charge items in the gifts shop and restaurants, which was great since we did not have to carry money or credit cards with us while in the water park.
Our Kid Cabin Suite contained a queen size bed, a sofa bed, a coffee table, a dresser, a television, two night stands, a table and two chairs, a fireplace, a wet bar (with a sink, coffee maker and refrigerator), and a partitioned area for the children to sleep in. This separate area was made to look like a log cabin and contained one twin bed, bunk beds, one night stand and a flat screen television on the wall. There is no door or to this cabin area, but my children still felt that they had their separate space.
The decor of our suite fit right in with the lodge theme, with a rustic look to all of the furniture. The tables, chairs and nightstands looked as if they were put together from logs and details such as the molding and trim around the mirrors were wood as well. The wallpaper and border had animals such as wolves, bears and moose on them, and the upholstery on the couch had a woodland theme of forest animals and evergreen trees. The fireplace added to the cabin feel to the room and did not require any logs, since it was gas and could be turned on by the use of a dial on the wall. The fire remained behind a sealed glass window so there was no chance of getting burned.
The bathroom was a nice size, though there could have been a little more counter space. Even the wallpaper in the bathroom had evergreens and forest animals on it, and this was one of the few hotels that I have stayed at where the towels were not bleachable white, but were a warm beige color. I was surprised there was no "sauna" setting on the bathroom light switch, as most of the time we returned to the room with we bathing suits from the water park and a warmer room would have helped dry them. We had beautiful sunny weather while at this hotel, and our room had a deck with two chairs on it, so that we could leave wet clothing outside to dry (or by the fireplace, which I only did if I was in the room - just in case).
Our suite was everything we wanted it to be, but the water park was the real reason we stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge. Our favorite attraction was Slaptail Pond™, which is an 111,000 gallon wave pool. Every ten minutes, you can hear a wolf howling, and that is the indication that the waves will begin. The wave pool begins at zero inches of water and gradually goes to five feet, but when the waves come, I found that even though I am 5'6" that it was best for me to stand closer to the four feet mark, or I would be swept under. To make it more "ocean-like", this water had a salty taste, whereas the water in the other attractions did not. My children enjoyed floating in the large circular tubes provided until the waves came and then holding onto the handles while the waves sometimes pushed them all the way back to the "beach."
When mom and dad had enough of the wave pool, we went over to Fort Mackenzie, which is a four story fort, with cargo nets, bridges, spray guns and buckets to dump on unsuspecting people below. At the very top are two Totem Towers™, which are water slides that do not require tubes. My husband and I could sit on the patio area of Fort Mackenzie and watch our children as they played with all of the activities, as well as watching them come down these slides. A 1,000 gallon bucket of water sits on the roof of Fort Mackenzie, and every few minutes, a warning sound is heard and the bucket dumps its contents on those standing below.
All of the other attractions are considered part of Bear Track Landing, which includes a variety of attractions. The most daring of visitors (not anyone in my family!) might want to try the Hydro Plunge, in which multiple passengers sit in a raft and go down a water roller coaster which includes a 52 foot vertical drop. Another ride which we did not try out was Coyote Cannon, in which you sit in a tube and go through a tunnel, ending up first spinning around in a cannon bowl and then ending up with a 40 foot plunge. My daughter and I chose a less scary ride, called Alberta Falls™, in which you sit in a tube (either a single or a double for two passengers) and slide through an enclosed tunnel, both within and outside the building, until you end up in a pool of water.
While my daughter enjoyed the waterslides my son preferred to float around Crooked Creek™ in a tube. When he had enough of that, he and my husband spent quite a bit of time Chinook Cove™ which features four basketball hoops and large floating beavers, acorns and a snake on which to climb (these were tethered to the bottom of the pool). One of my daughter's favorite activities was Big Foot Pass, where you could choose to cross the pool by stepping across five lily pads or five pieces of logs, which were also large floating pieces tethered to the bottom of the pool.
For those with young children, Whooping Hollow™ features four open, short slides, that are easy for children to access. In this Cub Paw area, the water begins at zero inches and was up to my knee at its deepest point. There are water sprays and a few interactive water toys for the youngsters to play with as well.
The two whirlpools, North and South Hot Springs™, are a good place to relax (one is for families and one is adult only), but we found the water to be extremely hot and uncomfortable so we did not stay long.
Each attraction/pool/slide had at least one lifeguard on duty, and he or she really did seem to watch what was going on and whistles were blown when horseplay began. I did notice that these lifeguards rotated on a regular basis, and the replacement came and did a visual check of the area before taking over from the previous lifeguard. The original lifeguard would then step over to the next attraction and do the same thing. Rotating them seemed to keep them more alert and though they were pleasant and not overly strict, they did ensure the safety of the visitors.
Near the entrance to the waterpark were bins of towels (they ask that you do not bring towels from your suite), and there were plenty towels at all times during the day. The waterpark area was kept very clean, and as lifeguards walked through I observed them picking up trash and abandoned towels.
There are two sets of restrooms within the waterpark, and while they were clean enough, I would not say that they were pristine. Some of the soap dispensers were empty and the one bathing suit drying machine was broken.
If you visit during the summer and want to get out in the sunshine, you can visit Raccoon Lagoon Outdoor Pool, which begins at zero inches of water and gradually goes to four feet. There are small water slides (my seven year old just about still fit through it), water basketball hoops, and sprays, and plenty of tables, umbrellas and lounge chairs on the patio.
For food or drinks while in the waterpark, you can visit the Spirit Island Snack Shop, located by the entrance, for drinks, pizza, nachos, hot dogs or chips, or Grizzly Rob's Bar, on the opposite side of the waterpark for alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. Being able to charge items to your Wrist Wallet is especially nice if you are planning on making purchases within the waterpark itself.
Located on the first floor, right outside of the water park is the Bear Claw Cafe which shares its space with a Pizza Hut Express. Cold drinks, daily newspapers, ice cream, fudge, refrigerated salads, Krispy Cremes and other snack items are available in the Bear Claw Cafe, which is open from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. We ordered lunch at the Pizza Hut Express one day, and received the same slow service here as we do when we visit any other Pizza Hut establishment. Outside of this area, there are only three small tables at which to eat, so we opted to bring lunch back to our suite. A Starbucks is located next to the main lobby desk, right across from the gift shop.
The on site restaurants, The Loose Moose Grille and the Camp Critter Bar and Grille, are open from 7 a.m. until 11 p.m. daily and while we were there, there was some construction going on so that the only option was a shared buffet for each meal, with a variety of hot and cold foods for each meal. Since there is no meal plan available at the Great Wolf Lodge we originally had planned to leave the premises for at least some of our meals, just for a change of scenery, but soon decided that the food at the on site restaurant was very good, so we ate the majority of our meals there.
My son rarely wanted to leave the water attractions at all, but my daughter was intrigued by the Cub Club, which is a room (away from the water park)where children can do arts and crafts and play a few games. The woodland theme came through here as well, with a toy fire in front of the television area and plastic tree stumps acting as stools to sit on. Different activities are done at specified times, and cost anywhere from $2 to $15. For $2 each, my children participated in Candy Bar Bingo, which was regular bingo, but the prize was a candy bar (and they each won one!).
While in the Cub Club a few children came in with wooden wands to decorate, so we had to find out what those were all about. On the third floor (a floor we had never been to since the Cub Club and Water Park are on the first floor and the lobby, restaurants and our room were on the second floor), was a store called MagiQuest where you could purchase a wooden wand for about $12 and for another $15, gain access to a live-action adventure game. Once your wand is activated, you are a Magi and can scour the hallways of the resort for "Q" icons on pictures, statues, and even special ceiling tiles in an attempt to complete a quest or adventure and accumulate special powers. Computer terminals and screens in fake trees greet you by name and guides you in finding those items you specifically need to complete your task. Since we learned about this game late in our stay, we only were able to play for a little while, but there were quite a few others roaming the hallways looking for the special items prescribed in their quests. The game shuts off at 10:00 om, which we found out when we were using our wand, along with others nearby, and all of a sudden, nothing lit up or registered. There is no mention of this MagiQuest on the website, in the brochure or at the front desk of the hotel.
The Great Wolfe Lodge - Pocono Mountains, PA cannot be seen from the main road, and it is a minute or two drive up a mountain before you see the first signs of the resort. We first saw the colored waterslide tubes sticking out of the side of the building, then the large outdoor pool, and finally, we approached the front of the building, were we saw totem poles and wolves adorning various portions of the front. The decor of the Great Wolf Lodge makes you feel as if you are in a woodland cabin. From the logs that make up the furniture in the lobby and restaurants, to the plastic raccoons and acorns on the tops of the garbage pails, to the woodland scene in the lobby that comes to life each day, we definitely felt as if we were far away from home, even though it was only about an hour and a half drive.
The hours of operation of the waterpark are from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and my children's only "complaint" is that they wished it could be open twenty-four hours a day. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Great Wolfe Lodge - Pocono Mountains, PA and plan to return. I have heard from friends that many people have had good experiences, but it is becoming very popular and some have not been able to make reservations due to no vacancies.
Recommended:
Yes
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