If you need to catch up on Part One of the review you can find that here. Being an indoor park I was worried about crowds, but the entire resort is so large we never felt crowded or waited in any line more than five minutes. The water park is actually divided into two parts across a hall from each other. The feature I loved most about this was the anti-slip surface between the two and the towel aide in the middle handing out towels. Over the course of our stay my children never slipped once, even though they were soaked and scurrying at one point. Both sides had activities for everyone in our family from little kid areas to big water slides. The whole facility was pristine clean; you could tell it is maintained throughout the day although I never once saw someone. Being a family place similar to amusement parks I was impressed with the cleanliness.
After getting all pruney we headed to the main lobby to enjoy the lunchtime lineup activities that are included with your stay. Every afternoon they have different craft activities for the kids to enjoy while taking a break from all the water fun. During our stay the crafts were snow themed and our son made a snowflake ornament to hang on our tree when we returned home. In addition to the crafts there was also a staff member making balloon animals.
Who doesn’t want a balloon to match your pants?
After crafting we grabbed lunch and a nap for the littlest ones. Lunch was delicious and cooked to perfection. My husband is extremely particular about his pizza - amount of grease, cheese to crust ratio, pepperoni coverage percentage; we decided on the Signature 5 Cheese and even he was pleased. The slices were great size and all three of us were full after two each leaving two for a snack later. While the littles napped, our eldest got to enjoy some of the fun included in a Paw Pass. A Paw Pass at the time of our stay included; one MagiQuest game, choice of wand(classic or color)/standard topper/belt, one Creation Station animal (outfit not included), one Clubhouse Crew Adventure, one 12 oz. Mike and Ike candy cup, one pair of Great Wolf Lodge swim goggles, one Glitz Glitter Tattoo, one Leather Treaty wristband, and one Oliver's Mining Co. Experience.
If you are trying to stick to a minimal impact budget, a Paw Pass is great for the entire family to enjoy. We decided that our eldest would get the wand to play the MagiQuest game, our middle would get the creation station animal to play the Clubhouse Crew Adventure, and since our littlest had absolutely no idea what was going on but we still wanted him to have something from our first family trip he would get the leather wristband. Even my husband and I got to enjoy the pass with the tattoo for myself and the goggles for him. The Mike and Ike’s served as a perfect dessert for the whole family to share our second evening.
Both our boys really enjoyed the games that came along with their new toys. The Clubhouse Crew Adventure was easy enough for our toddler to understand and follow. The character interacts with various screens throughout a small area in the resort through a chip in his hand. All the activities have different learning games and physical activity challenges. The nice part about how all the screens are close together is that we were able to complete an adventure without exhausting his little legs.
Our Middle MacKid stuffing his creation station animal and the wand that went EVERYWHERE
Our eldest loves video games and MagiQuest was fantastic for him and his dad to go around doing. MagiQuest is fantasy game where individuals follow screen prompts on a scavenger hunt around the resort in search of various items that will help them defeat challenges and become a Master Magi. When we got home our son asked when we could set our house up like MagiQuest he enjoyed it so much. Both games involve walking around the resort (sometimes from one side to the other with MagiQuest) so while having fun they were also stretching their legs and getting exercise. The best part about the stuffed animal and wand is you can bring them back every time to play again and again; it is a great way to invest in your future family fun. I highly recommend purchasing a Paw Pass when making your reservations because as a family it is worth its value.
For more on our fun family adventure, you can find Part Three here.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are completely that of the authors and do not reflect that of Great Wolf Lodge or Great Wolf Lodge New England. Complimentary Paw Passes were received for this review.
