Updated January 16, 2012 This is one of those posts that isn’t frugal Or local, but I always have readers who ask about it……
Great Wolf Lodge is having another 48hr sale beginning Friday (Please note this is based on an ad I saw during The Bachelor-I have no special insider scoop). Now, in the past, I’ve signed up for their email list and gotten the code a day earlier, when it has worked just fine. Sooo…I’m anticipating this sale will really start Thursday. I’ll keep you posted! My best advice at the moment is to sign up for their emails.
They usually do these a couple times a year, and unless you get in on a group rate, it’s typically your best deal. Here’s where the, “Gulp,” factor starts-the best price is 159.99-and yes, that’s the sale price. I Do think it’s the best rate you’re generally going to get. They typically offer similar rates for two night stays at other times of the year, and as I mentioned, you may be able to get a better deal if you round up a group (call and ask for information about group/team/corporate sales). A few months ago, they also ran a Groupon, that was a Great deal, but it was for the suites, so while it was probably a better value, it was still more money.
One Note: Last time, Reader J.C. let me know over at the Facebook page, that she still got a better rate using the military discount. If you’re eligible for that, be sure to try code HEROES to compare!
You do get access to the water park with your room rate, and I will say that my kids Love this place. We went for the first time last year as part of a blogger get together, and then we went again in the spring for Henry’s birthday. I was super glad my oldest got brave enough for the slides-because, honestly, if your kids are only going to do the kiddie pool, it’s really not worth it imho. You can read more about my take on Great Wolf Lodge. I’ve got some more money saving tips and some good links in that post, too. If you’re headed there, it’s worth a read. Howls!
Not in your budget? You can always check out the super cool pool at the Federal Way Community Center.
Okay, let me stArt with a disclaimer: iam not affiliated with, nor do I work for GWL. :). That being said, I don’t always understand the numerous complaints over how expensive it is. We have gone one time (so far) on arguably one of the most expensive times of the year – New Year’s Eve. We stayed two nights with our two children, plus a child friend. We brought in a cooler packed with breakfast and snack food, plus micro popcorn and sandwich fixings, which eliminated quite a lot of restaurant spending. We did the NYE buffet, which was 24.99 for adults, and one of the kids was free. If you go to an amusement park, sans hotel stay, you are paying At LEAST $25 a person per pass…at least! So, this has a hotel room plus a few goodies in a coupon book thrown in. I will say the wand game was a total waste of moolah for us- it is expensive and the two eight year olds thought it was boring. We ate in the sit-down restaurant most of the time – bigger menu, plus 3.99 kids meals with free fuzzy wolf ear headbands! Also, for NYE the drop a big bag of horns, confetti, party hats, etc off at each room. And the party for New Years? Awesome! Geared to kids but also parents w bar, DJ…and a HUGE five-nets balloon drop! The kids were absolutely starry-eyed at the party! Anyway, i just wanted to share our experience because it was a fun one. We plan to go again this year. 🙂
Thanks so much for leaving that. I’m not affiliated with GWL either-lol. I think how you feel about the price depends on whether you’re looking at it as
a waterpark/day trip, or really treating it like a mini vacation. Does that make sense?
I definitely think it’s a better value for school age children than tots or preschoolers, and I agree 100% about bringing snacks.
Thanks for sharing about the New Years event. I’ve never even thought about that-of course, we’re usually all conked out by 10! 🙂
Keep those comments coming, everyone. I love to hear from you all!