"Arrooooo" - Our trip to the Great Wolf Lodge

Jamie, Jayson, Papa and Grandma Crow plus cousins Khia and Dane came over from Idaho to celebrate Jeremy's big 4-0 and my 3-5 at the Great Wolf Lodge.

It turned out to be a kid paradise and we had a fantastic trip.

The rides were all to big for toddlers but there were still lots of accessible water features for Lucy. And the zero-entry wave pool, various fountains, and baby areas gave Henry plenty of room to play too.

The features outside the pool were more impressive than I expected. They have a magical adventure game built into the resort so once kids buy a wand ($30 or so), they can search through the hotel for clues and complete quests. Or if you are just a toddler, you can point your want to the various treasure chests, fairies, and crystals and watch them light up. It seemed like a gimmick at first but after watching loads of kids running stairs (hello parents - we are tiring them out for you) and waving their wands at everything, the $30 seemed worth it.

The Cub Club had a bunch of books, games and drawing materials too - along with some reasonably priced crafts and activities so you had some quiet activity options.

The restaurants are limited and not for the foodie. But I have to say, they were very kid-friendly.

Would I go again?

Definitely. We had a really great time and the environment was perfect for cousin adventures.

What I would do differently?

• With multiple days of swimming, you want exactly the right gear so kids will be comfortable. I wished we would have put pants on Henry the whole time. His little legs got scraped up crawling on the non-skid surfaces. Great for preventing falls! Terrible for sensitive baby skin!
• I would think twice before booking over a holiday weekend. It was really CROWDed. The pools were absolutely packed and we had to wait for slides and other features. The staff was consistently courteous but I had the feeling that they were as overwhelmed as we were at times. I think we would have had better service and a more relaxed feel (plus probably a better room rate) if we had gone mid-week.
• The bunk-beds were fun but since Lucy wasn't really safe on the top, it wasn't a great idea. Who wants to police a toddler? Not me.
• It seems like parents of kids who are 42" and independent swimmers got the most out of the resort. That way, everyone could ride the rides and parents could have some of their own adventures or relaxation time.
• A waterproof camera would have been a good thing to bring. Although - with 2-toddlers around water, an extra hand to snap photos is not usually available. Maybe next time.

A few photos online here.