Great Wolf Lodge Review and Giveaway!

*This giveaway is now closed.*
A couple of weeks ago I posted a Wordless Wednesday and ask if you could guess where we went for the weekend. And a couple of you got it right, it was the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC!


Arrival:
As soon as we spotted the Great Wolf Lodge from the interstate I knew we were in for a special treat. It was MASSIVE! We pulled up and were instantly greeted by the staff who politely told us where we need to go to check-in. When we walked in we could feel the warm hospitality and we could tell the that fun was being had by all. We arrived on a Saturday and the line at the desk was a little long but we moved quickly through it. We got our room keys, which happen to be our bracelets, and headed to the top floor to find our room!




Our Room:
I think this was the part I was most anxious about. I wanted to know if it was as spectacular as the fireplace in the lobby. We stayed in one of the Family Suite's on the lower left end of the Great Wolf Lodge, which worked out really well because we lucked out on parking and had a separate elevator that was not as busy as the main one. When we got up to our room we opened the door to vaulted ceilings, turned down beds, beautiful counter tops and a spacious "living" area. We also had special treats waiting on us, the biggest cookies I have ever seen and a little towel "friend" complete with goggles that greeted us on the bed. We also had a semi-private deck that had a wonderful view of the outdoor water park.





Fort Mackenzie:
After a look around the room we changed into our swimsuits and headed down to the indoor water park. Like I said we arrived on a Saturday and it was packed! We walked into the indoor water park and instantly noticed how nice and warm it was. There was an abundance of chairs and tables to put your towels and cover-ups at but they were all full! After taking a tour around the water park we found two chairs in front of the Slap Tail Pond (the wave pool) and decided where we wanted to go first. Well, Princess P made that decision for us by immediately heading toward the Slap Tail Pond laughing all the way. But we quickly intercepted her and put a life jacket on her which the Great Wolf Lodge provides! That's right, don't worry about bringing life jackets or floats because they already have them there for you to use. We then headed back toward the Slap Tail Pond but didn't stay long because it was just too crowded. So we went and checked out the Cub Paw Pool. The Cub Paw Pool has many things little ones can play with like the spray features and the mini-slides (P's favorite). We spent the rest of our water time at the Cub Paw Pool because Princess P was having a blast in there! I just wish C and I could have tried out some of the water slides like the Totem Towers or the Howlin' Tornado.

The Loose Moose Cottage:
After dragging P out of the Cub Paw Pool we headed up to get ready for dinner. We also wanted to see the rest of the sights since we were just there for one night. We decided on dinner at The Loose Moose Cottage buffet. We walked right in and got a table and headed to the buffet. I love that they have a separate buffet for children. P chowed down on chicken nuggets, french fries and peas and carrots while C and I ate prime rib, chicken, rice and macaroni. The food was okay but I wish we had ate at the Camp Critter Bar & Grille for the atmosphere.

MagiQuest:
After spending all day watching children run around the lodge with wands C and I had to find out what was so great about MagiQuest. We purchased a standard wand which was $14.99 (they had more fancy wands that were more expensive) and then we also had to purchase the game which was $9.99. So if you have more than one child that want's their own wand it gets a bit expensive. After paying, they activated our wand and handed us a quest book and we were on our way to battle dragons. The interactive game sends you on a hunt for things that allows you to advance in levels. Once you find them you wave your wand and it tells you what you have acquired and then you are on your way to find the next thing. The game was fun at first, we really got into it, but with P in a stroller it got old waiting on the elevator and battling through all those other kids got to be a little stressful. After getting all we needed to advance to the next level "the lady in the trees" would not let us proceed and after several times of trying we just gave up. MagiQuest was highly addictive and I am sure we were just doing something wrong not to advance. But we watched all the other kids have so much fun and I even at one point asked for help from a 11 year old! He told me what we needed to do and then proceeded to tell me that he was a pro because his family visits the Great Wolf Lodge often!

Clock Tower Show:
At 8 p.m. children of all ages gathered in their pajamas around the giant clock tower centered in the middle of the lobby, Princess P included. We watched it come to life and the characters sing songs about nature. Princess P was entranced the entire time. However, it was on a weekend and was right after a Magic Show (that we missed!) so the lobby was packed full of little ones!

Project Green Wolf:
Great Wolf Lodge is dedicated to saving our planet. You will find recycling containers in the rooms and hallways. They also have energy-efficiency plans to recirculate water and environmentally sensitive purchasing. The Great Wolf Lodge is also the first and only national hotel chain to be completely Green Seal Certified. One of the things I really liked was that if you wanted to use your towels again simply put them across the shower curtain rod if not put them on the floor. Could you imagine how much water would be saved if just half of the guests chose to do that?


A look back:
I do have to comment on how nice the shower was! The tile was really pretty and the bubble gum scented body wash (courtesy of Scoops Kid Spa) smelled so nice that I had to use it! I just wish we had more time at the Great Wolf Lodge because there was so much I wanted to do like visit Elements Spa Salon or play Howl in One Mini-Golf. We really did have a great time and I hope we can make it back sometime soon, only maybe on a weekday this time. :)

Giveaway Giveaway

One lucky person will win a gift certificate for a Free One-Night Stay in a Family Suite (accommodates up to six people) at the Great Wolf Lodge! Valid only at the Williamsburg, Virginia and Concord, North Carolina locations.

To Enter: You must visit the Great Wolf Lodge and tell me something that your family would enjoy while staying there.
Please leave an email address. I have to have a way to contact the winner.

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4. Enter any of my other current giveaways. Leave a comment on which one(s).
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Giveaway will end on October 2nd at 11:59pm ET. Certificate is non-transferable. Certificate valid Sunday - Thursday only and not valid during holidays or special events. Certificate expires 8/24/2010. The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced here as well as emailed. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me or a new winner will be chosen. Giveaway open to US residents.

A big thank you to the Great Wolf Lodge and Jennifer for this review and giveaway opportunity.

This review is based strictly my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience with the product listed above.