For Christmas this past year, my husband and I decided to give our boys an experience present. They have so many toys and we knew that Santa was bringing more so we decided on a fun family mini vacation and I think it was the best decision we could have ever made. Being a family of five we are always conscious of expense and trying to get the most for our money. Throughout our trip we were able to stick to our budget and still have a fabulous experience.
We decided on the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Massachusetts because it was under 3 hours from Albany and driving with a 6 year old, almost 2 year old, and almost 6 month old we knew anything over 3 hours would be too much car time. We packed up on Sunday morning and headed on our adventure. The drive went by pretty quickly because we planned our departure around nap time so only the last 20 minutes or so were met with choirs of crying and asking “How much longer?”.
Upon arrival, there is a great big sign and a paw print on the lawn. Since we arrived and it was already dark we were greeted by a wonderful spectacle of lights on the outside of one of the waterpark rides. The kids got giddy with excitement and we weren’t even in the door yet.
We went on our trip the weekend after Thanksgiving so the lobby was adorned with Christmas and winter decorations for their Snowland theme. The decorations were magical, vibrant, and truly transformed the lobby into another world. There was a large gingerbread house right in the middle of the lobby with a mailbox for letters to Santa. There was a large cutout board with the woodland mascots for sticking heads through for pictures. There were so many decorated Christmas trees, snowmen, and overall winter decorations that the description winter wonderland only encapsulates a small picture of such a grand space.
We didn’t take advantage of it because of wanting to leave during nap time but on the day of your arrival you can arrive as early as 1:00 pm and have full use of the waterpark, even though check-in isn’t until 4:00 pm. I recommend you pack your swimsuits in a separate easily accessible bag so you can leave the suitcases in the car while you start your family fun. Upon check-in we were given Snowland wolf ears for the kids and a schedule of all the activities during our stay.
It was dinner when we arrived and being hungry as wolves we decided that would be the perfect place to grab dinner. Hungry as a Wolf has affordable family menu items for any budget. We had looked at the menu ahead of time and decided we would try the family spaghetti and meatballs dinner. Pasta is a staple in our house and theirs did not disappoint. The meatballs were scrumptious and tasted just like homemade. We also purchased the Souvenir cup which allows for free refills during the length of your stay. Since everyone in our family drinks the same of the non-carbonated drinks offered, we bought one cup and refilled as many times as necessary. At one point we did discover there is an eight minute waiting period between refills but that was because the lid didn’t get secured after my son refilled it and it spilled.
We took dinner back to our room and since we finished before the water park closed for the evening, we suited up and headed down. Being the middle of winter, it was so refreshing to be able to walk from our room to the waterpark completely inside. In addition, it was so warm in there you never would have known it was in the 30s outside. My son said it was like going south without having to drive that long.
On Monday, we had bought the breakfast package add-on and headed down to the Lodge Wood Fired Grill for an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet. There was so much food to choose from and all of it looked delicious. I had a difficult time deciding what I wanted. In the end I was very happy with my decision to do pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream on top because it melted in my mouth like strawberry shortcake.
I am not ashamed to say I went back for seconds.
After breakfast we headed back to the room to change into our swim attire because there was an entire day of fun ahead at the water park.
Part Two of this review can be found 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.
