Great Wolf Lodge

[Disneyhead'71]

A quick glance at the GWL Garden Grove thread over on LP will give a condensed version of the Disney fans hate for these places.

I have surmised that the closer to or better than Disney quality a competitor gets, the more Disney fans hate it. (See: Universal Parks).

 

[Next Big Thing]

Side Note: Downtown Orlando will be getting a Wahlburgers soon!

Grand Opening February 17th! Mark, Donnie and all the Wahlburg's are scheduled to be there with the Spazmatics set to play at the opening.

 

[indyumd]

A quick glance at the GWL Garden Grove thread over on LP will give a condensed version of the Disney fans hate for these places.

I have surmised that the closer to or better than Disney quality a competitor gets, the more Disney fans hate it. (See: Universal Parks).

Well the reason I didn't enjoy my time was that it was not particularly clean, my room felt cheaply themed and the service was awful. I wish they were better, I'd love nothing more than to have a great weekend escape destination with my kids.

 

[MickeyMomV]

Would Great Wolf Lodge be cheaper than a Disney Deluxe Hotel? Maybe that is the motivation for the company.

I just checked 2 random date ranges for the Michigan GWL,

2/1-2/8 (peak season) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $2268.70 for the week. That comes out to $324.10/night.
5/1-5/8 (slightly off Peak) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $1795.84 for the week. That comes out to $256.55/night.

For the price I think I would save some money and stay on site in a moderate.[/QUOTE]

 

[DManRightHere]

I just checked 2 random date ranges for the Michigan GWL,

2/1-2/8 (peak season) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $2268.70 for the week. That comes out to $324.10/night.
5/1-5/8 (slightly off Peak) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $1795.84 for the week. That comes out to $256.55/night.

For the price I think I would save some money and stay on site in a moderate.

[/QUOTE]

True more expensive than a moderate, but much cheaper than Disney Villas and multi bedrooms.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

Well the reason I didn't enjoy my time was that it was not particularly clean, my room felt cheaply themed and the service was awful. I wish they were better, I'd love nothing more than to have a great weekend escape destination with my kids.

Oddly enough, that's exactly what Disney fans say about everything that isn't Disney. It's dirty, the theming sucks and the cast members suck too! And I am sure they feel that way. That has not been my experience at either of the GWLs I have stayed at. Well except the room theming thing. Not Disney, but not awful. We have had a great time every time we have stayed at a GWL.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

I just checked 2 random date ranges for the Michigan GWL,

2/1-2/8 (peak season) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $2268.70 for the week. That comes out to $324.10/night.
5/1-5/8 (slightly off Peak) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $1795.84 for the week. That comes out to $256.55/night.

For the price I think I would save some money and stay on site in a moderate.

I love the GWL, and I would never plan a week there. 2 nights towards the end of a WDW vacation would be my choice. Never leave the hotel. Drink, play, get a massage, drink some more, hot tub (in the Air Conditioned Indoor Water Park), just one more drink, and some water slides, mini-golf, Arcade, ok, one more drink for story time by the fireplace and off to bed.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I love the GWL, and I would never plan a week there. 2 nights towards the end of a WDW vacation would be my choice. Never leave the hotel. Drink, play, get a massage, drink some more, hot tub (in the Air Conditioned Indoor Water Park), just one more drink, and some water slides, mini-golf, Arcade, ok, one more drink for story time by the fireplace and off to bed.

I like your thinking. Maybe if they served the Grey Goose Slushy from France I could be persuaded.

 

[maxairmike]

You know who will love this? Locals on staycations and FL/GA residents who drive down for a weekend/2-3 day trip.

 

[flynnibus]

I have never seriously considered staying there. When I see their rates I cannot help but laugh. I can wait for Spring/Summer and go to WCUSA... or head south.

It's really expensive unless you are a larger group. The place is really aimed at the 10 and under crowd. Their pricing is also VERY seasonal.. rates can be almost triple depending on timing. They do have cool room designs for the kids.

It's a really neat place for families if you were in some landlocked place... but I don't understand the business of putting it along side other major competition.

We used to take the kids there for birthday getaways, etc.. and it works well for that overnight trip for small kids.

 

[Disneyhead'71]

What I have figured out is that WDW fans don't think three $6,000 vacations a year to WDW is odd. So the money isn't really the issue. Getting them to pull their heads out of Mickey's ____ will be the issue.

 

[JoeCamel]

I
It's a really neat place for families if you were in some landlocked place... but I don't understand the business of putting it along side other major competition.

I think the placement is the same as when Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks - "Its where the money is".

In this case it is the 62 million people that came to Orlando last year - "Its where the people are"

I don't think they will have a problem filling rooms but then again there was "Splendid China"

 

[Jimmy Thick]

We have a Great Wolf here in WI. Nice, clean part but its not Disney. Best thing about it is the water parks are only open for guests, no one can buy a wristband and go to them.

Pros:

Three indoor parks, one outdoor park weather permitting.

Never have to deal with bad weather.

Decent dining for the price.

Waits are minimal.

Magicband type system.

Always discounts. If you pay full price you're not trying.

Cons:

Its not Disney. If all you know is Disney, you will be "settling" for Great Wolf.

Price can get up there even with discounts. Certain days can cost as much as a Disney deluxe based on my personal experience.

No high end dining. Its a lot of burger and fries kinda options.

Avoid if you are a paint chip, lightbulb perfection person.

All in all, not a bad addition to Florida, but there are better options.


Jimmy Thick- Would have preferred Kalahari myself...

 

[Garfield]

Three indoor parks, one outdoor park weather permitting.

Jimmy Thick- Would have preferred Kalahari myself...

Are you talking about the one in the Dells? The three indoor parks sounds like The Wilderness Lodge, not Great Wolf. I agree, a Kalahari would be much better.

 

[mm121]

I was completely unimpressed with Great Wolf Lodge. Not sure why you would want to go to Florida to go to an indoor water park.

yea seems dumb especially in the middle of the summer, particularly if the place has that nasty chlorine smell..and i use to be a swimmer so i can handle it, but some places its just so strong you can barely breath

Maybe in the cooler months but even those can be hot enough for water parks lol

yea theres really only one maybe two months out of the year when indoors could be a nice option,

the advantage of going to the outdoor waterparks in the cooler months is NO LINES, meaning you can do as many attractions in 2-3 hours as takes all day in the summer. So even though its cooler out, you just dont stay at the waterpark all day long. you go for a couple hours in the heat of the day then visit the other parks in the morning or evening

does the indoor park close when its rainy/lightning outside? selling a day pass on rainy days could be a popular revenue generation option though it doesnt fit the business model they use elsewhere

 

[Rteetz]

Are you talking about the one in the Dells? The three indoor parks sounds like The Wilderness Lodge, not Great Wolf. I agree, a Kalahari would be much better.

I'm a wilderness lodge fan. Either way the dells are too expensive for what they are.

 

[zero creativity]

We go for a night or two in the summer. Usually costs more than a moderate resort does. But besides the magic quest game, we thought all the other activities were too expensive. But the kids loved the themed rooms and the staff and everything else has been fine. It just gets boring after awhile

 

[Maerj]

I just checked 2 random date ranges for the Michigan GWL,

2/1-2/8 (peak season) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $2268.70 for the week. That comes out to $324.10/night.
5/1-5/8 (slightly off Peak) for a family of 4 it runs, with taxes and fees $1795.84 for the week. That comes out to $256.55/night.

For the price I think I would save some money and stay on site in a moderate.

[/QUOTE]
I always wanted to take my daughter to our local GWL but I can't justify the cost.

 

[TP2000]

Great Wolf looks to be opening a resort near WDW. Not sure if there would be a demand for it or not.

In three weeks the newest Great Wolf Lodge will open just down the street from Disneyland. It will be the largest property in the Great Wolf chain, with their largest water park (115,000 square feet) and the most hotel rooms (605). In the Southern California climate that most would consider perfect 9 or 10 months out of the year.

If Great Wolf Lodge can make it down the street from Disneyland, they could certainly make it in the larger tourist market of Orlando.

Quite frankly, I'm surprised they didn't try to get into the Orlando market first before they went way out of their comfort zone in Southern California.

 

[prberk]

I have been to the GWL in Williamsburg, Virginia, and I have to say that I always thought it seemed to me to be a knock-off of Disney's Wilderness Lodge, but with a waterpark. I think it was mostly well-done and maybe a little more intentional about kids' activities than Disney's resorts (for which I give them a better grade); but overall more "cheesy" and less authentic than our Wilderness Lodge.

It is quite pricey, but it is an indoor-entrance resort; and therefore it would compete more directly with the Disney deluxes. It seems like people here are comparing the room price maybe only to Disney's cheapest hotels, because compared to the deluxes it is right in line or a little below. Have you seen Disney's hotel prices lately for fully-themed interior-entrance full-service hotels?