Washington’s Great Wolf Lodge

The end of summer is upon us, and my Husband and I felt the need to take one final mini family vacation.  You guessed it, we went to the highly publicized Great Wolf Lodge.  This will be my first attempt as a travel reviewer, there could be more, we have three more family trips planned before year end.  My Husband and I decided prior to having our kids that once we had some, we would take them with us on most vacations. (Minus only those that aren’t the list bit kid friendly.  For example weddings that don’t include kids, Vegas…) As a result we have two well traveled, well travel versed little ones. 

It was with great excitement that we loaded up Sunday morning for the two hour drive to Centralia, the girls were over the moon to be going to a water park.  The above mentioned travel hasn’t always been to “kid” places.  We heard the phrase, ” Are we almost there?” roughly 500 times,  even though I packed a travel clock and told them clearly that we would be there when the clock said 11:30. 

According to the web sight you can start using the park at 1 p.m. and officially check in at 4 p.m..  My husband decided we should arrive early, get lunch and check out the lay of the land.  I decided we should beg as soon as we arrived to check in early.  When we arrived we were helped by a very kind front desk staff.  They allowed us to get our bands into the water park right then.  And had us checked in to our room by 12:30.  Which was absolutely amazing; the 12:30 part; not the room.  The rooms are pretty cheap in appearance and quality.  But all we really needed them for was sleeping and showering.  So I won’t complain any more.  I should add that all rooms have a mini fridge and microwave, but they really don’t want you to bring in outside food. 

The water park isn’t huge, but it was a nice and manageable size.  We have a six and four year old.  There are height restrictions on some of the slides.  And the deepest pool is five feet, and that’s at the end of the wave pool.  It is totally family friendly.  Don’t go if you don’t intend to get wet.  There is water everywhere, and many, many ways for complete strangers to soak you as you walk by them.  The temperature is around 85 degrees, the water is probably close to the same.  There is a little kid section, little ones have to be under 48 inches and the water there is closer to 90 degrees.   They have plenty of life jackets for use, for free, and they provide towels. 

There is also an arcade and an interactive game.  Both cost extra.  I avoided the arcade, but my Hubby took the girls to play games.  I took the girls to do the interactive game.  The game is expensive…You have to buy a wand for $15.00 and pay to activate the game which is another $10.00.  Then you can get costumes, attachments and ribbons for your wand.  It all adds up.  We bought one wand and one game and shared.  It worked fine.  It is a well organized game, which involves solving riddles that spanned five floors in the hotel.  Older kids can do it by themselves.  It was actually pretty fun and challenging. I think it was worth the investment.

There is also a kids club; no babysitting though; that has organized crafts throughout the day.  Of course these crafts varied in price from free to $10.00.  There is a teen club for kids over 12, it includes video game competitions and even a dance every evening.  I’m not sure if there was a price for the teen club, there weren’t any listed on their signs.

The dining choices are limited, but you can always venture into Centralia if you dare to loose your spot in the very crowded parking lot.  The hotel has a buffet for breakfast and dinner.  Skip dinner.  We had been warned that it was over priced and the food not good.  We didn’t heed that warning and should have.  At $19.00 for adults, there wasn’t much variety and the food quality poor, not worth it at all.  However the breakfast buffet was much better, and a better value at $14.00 for adults.  There are a few snack bars which sell hamburgers, hotdogs, nachos…all the prices you would expect at an attraction.  They have one sit down restaurant which serves lunch and dinner, think Red Robin choices and prices, the food was okay and a nice change from pizza and hotdogs.  There is a PizzaHut Express, they also serve breakfast sandwiches.  You can order any size pizza, but they are more expensive then a tradition Pizza Hut.  And of course there is a Starbucks.  Much to my 6 year olds dismay, there is no room service.

The staff is comprised mostly of 19 year olds, as a result service varies from great to really awful.  The lifeguards all seemed very competent and engaged in their surroundings.  The food service is where we experienced the most dissatisfying service, the staff was either super helpful or just dismal.  The front desk staff and housekeeping were very professional and courteous.   Overall, if you can grin and bear the bad service you will rewarded with some stellar help. 

All this being said, this is not my dream vacation.  But my two girls are exhausted and even shed a tear when we said it was time to leave.  They literally begged us to let them stay another night.  They had so much fun, and they both were absolutely obsessed with solving the Quest of The Magi.  I’d recommend going.  Just know this is not an adults dream trip to somewhere warm and tropical.  It is warm, you will be wet, and your kids will adore you for taking them there. 

We only stayed one night, we should have planned for two.  It would have allowed us to relax a bit and take more breaks.  And the kids may have been able to complete the interactive game.  When you check in they give the adults bracelets that open your room and allow you to charge everything the hotel has to offer, including vending machines.  I think this is genius.  You lock all your valuables in your rooms safe and don’t need to access them your whole stay.  It was lovely to just decide to get some ice cream, scan your bracelet, and your done.  LOVED IT! 

One last bit, they have two spas.  One for kids and one for adults.  I didn’t check it out, I wanted to, but couldn’t fit it in this trip.  I’d love to know how it is, because I do think there’s another trip to the lodge in our future. 

So if you venture to The Great Wolf Lodge, pack light, have fun and arrive early.

Family Reunion

Food, games and family.  And if your part of my family add in a healthy prayer prior to digging into said food.  Also a few old people shaking their heads at the bikinis young girls wear these days.  (The only bikini wearers were under 7)  Don’t forget the sunburns, lots of sand, a family dog, some water slides and bounce houses, plus five hours or so sitting around catching up on the events of the last year.

Most of my family lives in my immediate area, within an hours driving distance.  So we see each other often, usually every Sunday at our family church.  But we have others whom have adventurous spirits.  Three couples to be exact who teach with Teachers International, so every two years they get a new assignment.  This year they’ll be heading to UAE, Germany and Bali.  I’m jealous.  Of all of them.  Don’t get me wrong, I love where we live.  I love that my parents are five miles away, and my mother in law a little farther.  I love that we see our family so often, that we are so connected.  But that sense of exploration, wonder lust, just takes over every year at the family reunion.

I’ve done my share of world traveling, I’ve been lots of places, visiting many different cultures.  But to fully immerse yourself into another community must be awesome.  To really find the things that make these far away places so magical, mystical, special, that’s what I am missing.  I revel in their stories of food adventures and mishaps.  As they recount the bathroom situation in the Amazon, I imagine the large spiders they watched for and the bats they latter learned lived under the toilet seats.  I squeal with delight and horror.  I’m afraid of both of these creatures. 

My daughter says she is going to go there to catch bugs.  I hope she does.  We talk of a family trip to Egypt to visit second cousins, after all we’d have a place to stay.  And since they are teaching, they get pretty nice housing, and it would be so educational.  But I fear it is just a conversation.  That we won’t really go there in the next two years, possibly never.  They all have little condos here in Northwest and the Pearl for when their home.  Going downtown would be a vacation for me.  Maybe I could borrow the condo and have a Mom’s weekend of shopping.  Also wishful thinking. 

I’m also thankful that my two girls and the other little ones running around in bathing suits, smelling of summer get to hear these stories.  Will know that they can literally travel the world, meet new and exciting people.  Even just know that there is a lot of world out there.  That what used to be Russia seems steeped in drama, the kind of mystique that one finds in old movies from the Forties.  But it’s beautiful and the scenery vast; changing often; much like Oregon’s.  And that a family can stay in a beautiful house with a pool for $100 a night.  I am planning that trip as we speak. 

I can’t wait for next summers reunion and we’ve only just cleaned up from this years.  Some Aunts and Uncles linger, not wanting it to end, knowing it has.  One jokes that you should never be that last to leave a party, I tease him that it’s not a party if you haven’t served wine.  (We haven’t, about half of our family doesn’t drink.)  And it’s nowhere near midnight, it’s not even 5, so I’m in no hurry for people to leave either.

I realize that here with family, all of them.  Cousins, second cousins, cousins once removed…this is the only place in the world I want to be.