I wanted to share my Great Wolf Lodge, Mason, OH - Review with you. Last week, my sister visited and we decided to make a trip up to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio. The kids were so excited! We joked when we walked in they were acting like they were at Disney.
Check in went very smooth and the front desk staff were extremely attentive and very friendly. They informed us of all the specials that were going on that week. We were told by the front desk staff about the bedtime story, food deals, and all the information we needed to get around the resort.
Great Wolf Lodge Mason, OH - Review
Recommendation: Ask about discounts on multiple activities. They had a package that was 40% off and if we would have stayed another night it would have given the kids more to do and would have been cheaper.
Since our stay was so short we were only able to check out a few things. First of all the kids LOVED the kids suite! We had to drag them out of the room just to get them to the pool. They were so excited about the bunk beds in the kid cabin and having their own TV. The room was extremely clean and nicely decorated.
Recommendation: If you are visiting during Kings Island park season ask for a balcony facing their closing fireworks.
The pool area was very clean and well designed. I didn't feel like I had to run all over the place with the kids and felt safe letting my 9 year old niece and 6.5 year old son climb the stairs and go down the slides without me. (We waited at the bottom of course) The wave pool was a lot of fun and we had a hard time getting them out. The kids were excited they could use inner tubes in the pool. The lifeguards were very attentive, friendly, and helpful.
Recommendation: Goggles for the wave pool are a good idea if you have issues with chlorine. Both of my boys got blisters for walking in the lazy river. They could not seem to keep themselves on the inner tube. I would recommend water shoes since there is so much concrete.
Overall, we were not impressed with the food. We ate five meals at the resort. Four of the meals were quick service and the other was the Breakfast Buffet. We really LOVED the pizza. We ended up having pizza for three meals because it was the only meal we really liked. The quick service meals we were not crazy about were the Hamburger, Hot dog, and Chicken finger baskets. We also enjoyed the ice cream parlor but it was very pricy! I paid over $15 for 2 cookies, a sugar cone with one dip of ice cream, and a fountain drink. We did not like the breakfast buffet at all, even at the check in discount, it was not worth the money. My kids barely ate anything at the buffet and I was not impressed with the food. My kids favorite thing was the ICEE machine at the pool! Yeah for ICEE's!!!
Recommendation: They have refrigerators and microwaves in most suites. Take your own food. It was not much of a walk to the room at all. Next time I will take Capri Sun Waters, peanut butter and jelly, fruit cups, popcorn, bottled water, and snacks for the kids.
The game room was a hit for the kids but it was also a hit to the pocket. The games took anywhere from 2-4 tokens each.
Recommendation: Set a game limit. My kids had $10.00 each to use in the game room. When it is gone it is gone!
At the end of the evening the kids really did enjoy the bedtime story located in the lobby. They have tons of activities for the kids but we did not have enough time for them all.
I hope this helps when you are making decisions about visiting the resort.
Disclaimer: This review was not in anyway funded by Great Wolf Lodge or Stockpiling Moms. These views are 100% my own opinion. The trip was paid for by me.
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Shelley is a boy mom, marine wife, and is blessed with an amazing family. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Thanks Shel - you know what this means --- I see a trip in my near future 😉
Lenyse Koontz
We LOVE the Great Wolf Lodge in KC! We have only visited at Christmastime, so only utilized the indoor facilities. Our kids are teens and we had a great time. Agree that the food is not so great, but the KC Lodge is very near The Legends shopping center, with lots of fabulous restaurants nearby. We also brought food in and ate in our room several times.
Lisa Forrest
There are special promotions and discounts that are sent via mail and email to past guests. Be sure to go online and sign up for the email specials. Also, if you or someone in your immediate family is a police officer or fire fighter many GWL locations offer a regular discount. Just ask! You will need to show ID upon check-in. We visit GWL 2-3 times a year and if you can go on a weeknight after Thanksgiving and before Christmas, there are a lot of special things offered like snow in the lobby during story time!
Stacy
We just visited last week...My girls 4 and 5 loved!!! We are already planning a trip in the fall/winter!!!!!!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
If you are a Fidelity Investments employee they offer a 15% off discount through 2012 too! - Cincinnati Location
Trevon Cullinan
Thanks again for the post.Much thanks again. Really Cool.
Carmela
How can I order gift cards for Great Wolf for my nephews & not have to pay for shipping on them. The shipping for small gift cards is $9.99 ! They should come standard shipping free. Can anyone help with this?
Elizabeth
I would call the hotel. They would be your best bet.
Felicia
Thanks so much for the review. I am planning a trip to the Mason location and I was curious about the breakfast bar and some of the food locations. Love the pics.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Check out this follow up post - https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2015/02/how-to-save-money-at-great-wolf-lodge/
Elizabeth
I was very unimpressed with their food, and I was shocked at the Disney-like prices. It was a lot more expensive than just the hotel cost. You had to pay a lot for lockers at the pool. There are tons of things focused to separate kids from their money, so I would set a budget in advance. They have a spa for the kids. I don't recommend doing the nail salon because it will get damaged and come off in the water of the pool. It becomes a waste of money.
With that said, we had fun. I think it is a great place to stay for a short period of time, but not that long. The stairs to the slides kill you feet and knees after the first day. And your feet really do suffer from the concrete. You can play from the time you get there until six p.m. the day you check out. When we went it was really cold outside. The facilities in the pool area leave a lot to be desired to get ready once you have checked out. No hair dryers, tiny towels, no shampoo - it is basically just a bathroom.
We would go back, but we would do it differently.
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Thanks for sharing that Elizabeth! I have never been but we are planning a trip soon.
Update - check out our update post - https://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2015/02/how-to-save-money-at-great-wolf-lodge/
Kathy H.
Thank you everyone for the information.....always looking at it hoping we will have the money to go some time when our nephew is here in the summer. Looks fun!
Melissa@StockpilingMoms
Enjoy Kathy!