If you haven’t heard about Great Wolf Lodge, you’re missing out. It is a hotel that has a heated water park that is available only to guests. They are located throughout the US, but the newest location is opening up just a few miles from Disneyland in February 2016! And, if you book now, you’ll save up to 20% off your room.
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How much fun is Great Wolf Lodge?
My family and I had the pleasure of visiting the Great Wolf Lodge near Charlotte, North Carolina in September 2013. We booked two “Family Suite” rooms, one for us and one for my in-laws. Even the smallest rooms at Great Wolf Lodge are comparable to junior suites at most hotels… with beds in one part of the room and a pull out couch.
Upon checking in, we were all given bracelets to signify that we were allowed to roam the resort and participate in all the fun activities. Even though (technically) you’re not supposed to have access to the resort until 1pm, we arrived about 9am and were able to enjoy the pools all day on our first day and stayed into the evening on our day of departure. Hopefully, you’ll have the same luck when you visit!
The water park had several pools (including a “Cub Paw” kiddie pool for the young ones), several water slides, and a fort with water spraying and dumping on you from every direction at “Fort Mackenzie”. When the weather is good, there’s an outdoor pool to enjoy as well.
Boys and girls alike were able to participate in MagiQuest, with wands and interactive stations throughout the resort. There was also story time, bowling, an arcade, mini golf, and so much more. For the girls, there is the “Scoops Kid Spa” where they can get pampered.
There are several food options on location, including a Dunkin Donuts, a steak house, a buffet, pizza, and a place that sold tasty treats.
Southern California Great Wolf Lodge opens February 19
Since this location hasn’t opened yet, I haven’t had the opportunity to stay there yet. We live in Orange County, so driving to the Disneyland area isn’t a far drive. We think this will be a fun “staycation” type of place for locals to visit.
And, when people travel to visit Disneyland, California Adventure, Knott’s Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Hollywood, and all the other great places that Southern California has to offer, spending a couple of days at Great Wolf Lodge will be a great addition to your vacation.
This location is technically in Garden Grove at 12681 Harbor Blvd., Garden Grove, CA 92840, but that is only about 2 ½ miles South of Disneyland.
As with all of the other Great Wolf Lodge resorts, so many great activities and attractions are included in the price of your room. Essentially, you are paying for a hotel room and getting free admission to a theme park for everyone in your room!
Types of rooms
Aside from basic rooms, there are themed rooms which the kids will love, like the “Wolf Den”, “KidCabin”, and “Grizzly Bear”.
There are several pools and water activities like:
- Fort Mackenzie
- Howlin’ Tornado
- River Canyon Run
- Alberta Falls
- Totem Towers
- Crooked Creek
- Cub Paw Pool
- And so much more
And, when you dry off, check out these other included activities:
- Wolf Walk
- The Forest Friends Show
- Story Time
- Iron Horse Fitness Center
Or, consider adding some of the optional activities that cost a little extra:
- Cabana Rentals
- MagiQuest
- Northern Lights Arcade
- Howly Wood XD Theater
- Howl at the Moon mini golf
- Ten Paw bowling alley
- Lazer Frenzy
- Scoops Kid Spa
There are so many fun things to do at Great Wolf, you almost don’t want to leave the resort to experience the rest of what Southern California has to offer.
Get up to 20% off your reservation
If you book by February 7, 2016, you will receive up to 20% off on stays through November 30, 2016. That means that this discount is good for almost the entire year! It’s way too good to pass up. Our family is already pretty booked the first half of 2016 with vacations to St Thomas, Hawaii, a train trip to National Parks (Glacier, Grand Tetons, and Yellowstone) and my birthday in Cabo, but we will definitely pick a couple days to do a little staycation close to home so we can experience this new Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California.
Use this link to book your reservation directly with Great Wolf and use the promo code “GRAND” to receive your discount up to 20% off. I picked a random Saturday night stay in May 2016 to verify the savings, and using the discount code “GRAND”, I was able to save 20% or $72 per night.
To really maximize your savings, make sure you’re using the right credit card to pay for your reservation. If you need help figuring out which card would be a good addition to your wallet, or how to plan a vacation for pennies, while everyone is paying full price, send me a message for a free 30 minute travel advice session.
