Simple Ways to Save Money at Great Wolf Lodge

f you are looking for a fun vacation for children and teens that is fun year-round, check out Great Wolf Lodge locations all around the United States.  Taking your family on a vacation can be expensive and stressful.  Finding the best deals so your whole family can have a great time and you do not have to worry about cost is important for everyone to have a fun family vacation.   Take the stress out of planning a family vacation and save yourself so much time and read these 10 ways to save extra money at your next Great Wolf Lodge trip.  


Great Wolf Lodge is one of our favorite family friendly destinations and we love that the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg location is less than 2 hours away.  We always have so much fun during our time at Great Wolf Lodge, but we understand that planning and taking a family trip there can get pricey, so I want to share my experience and tips for saving money-saving tips when planning and arriving at Great Wolf Lodge.  The giant water park is one of the best places to visit year-round and it is such a great place to let loose for a family getaway.  

Simple Ways to Save Money at Great Wolf Lodge

From arcade games to story time, miniature golf and the interactive game Magiquest, your Great Wolf Lodge stay will be packed with extra activities outside of the water park fun. 

10 Ways to Save Money on a Trip to Great Wolf Lodge

💰Sign Up for Great Wolf Lodge Emails

If you are subscribed to Great Wolf Lodge email you will get regular emails with codes and savings.  Sign up if you are not and keep an eye on codes for additional savings and Great Wolf Lodge promo code emails.  Great Wolf Lodge will offer time limited deals as well for booking and a quick turnaround on visit which can save a lot of your timing on trips is flexible.  Many families use Great Wolf Lodge Groupon Deals to find a discount code and special offers if you can be flexible on the date of visit.  

💰Plan to Visit Great Wolf Lodge During the Week

Weekday visits to Great Wolf Lodge save a lot of money for families.  The room cost is typically half of what you will pay on the weekend.  What I enjoy most about the weekday trips to Great Wolf Lodge are the lack of lines for water slides and the hallways at Great Wolf Lodge are not as crowded.  If your schedule allows, plan to go during the week and save on a stay at Great Wolf Lodge for your family.

💰Arrive Early on Check in Day and Stay Late on Check Out Date

You can save a lot of money at Great Wolf Lodge by staying one night instead of two.  Great Wolf Lodge allows you to check in to the Great Wolf Lodge resort at 4:00pm.  However you can arrive as early as 1:00pm and go to the water park while you are waiting for your room to be ready.  This is a great way to maximize time at Great Wolf Lodge without having to pay for a second night at the resort.  

Have your pool bag ready with swimsuits and flip flops get there at 1pm!  Save additional money by eating lunch when you are driving to Great Wolf Lodge so you can head right to the Great Wolf Lodge water park.

💰Do the Free Lobby Activities vs Paid Activities

Great Wolf Lodge does an amazing job of planning free activities in the lobby all day through the evening available to join. Each stay at a Great Wolf Lodge includes access to the water park and free activities in the lobby. These free activity schedule can be found on a sign at the lobby desk or on the Great Wolf Lodge app.  Free Great Wolf Lodge activities in the lobby include things like arts and crafts, charades, yoga, character appearances, story time and dance parties, depending on when your visit occurs.  My children LOVE the free activities in the lobby, and they are so easy because you do not need to sign up for them just show up for the ones your children are interested in!

💰Pack Own Food from Home

If your kids are anything like mine, then they NEVER stop eating!  They can be really picky and with food allergies its nice to have our own things we know the boys will eat with us to save money and for ease.  We pack our own snacks to have on hand with us like chips, granola bars, fruit, crackers, etc. We bring Gatorade and  bottled water from home as well.  Great Wolf Lodge has Dunkin Donuts in the lobby however we bring doughnuts and coffee from home to save a bit more.  

Your Great Wolf Lodge room will have a mini fridge and microwave so bringing things that are easy to heat up will help save money on snacks and food as well. There are many dining package options and a breakfast buffet available but do not feel like you have to do that.   If you do not want to have to worry about meals, then look out for great wolf lodge promotional codes that include dining credit at time of booking.  Saving money on meals is helpful because then we can indulge in some fun treats like ice cream while on our Great Wolf Lodge vacation. 

💰Get takeout vs Great Wolf Lodge Resort Restaurant

The restaurant option in Great Wolf Lodge can get pricey depending on the number of family members coming with you.  We spent 175$ for a buffet at the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg location during our first visit.  I would recommend ordering food to be delivered (you will see lots of families ordering pizza delivery) or even getting Door Dash or picking up take out from a local restaurant will save you a lot of money.  If you do eat at restaurant / food and dining options at Great Wolf Lodge options opt for the larger meals and share them. It is a ton of food and a great way to save money during your trip to Great Wolf Lodge. Plus at the water park your younger children won't sit down and eat an entire meal, so grabbing one large meal to share is something that has helped us a ton.  

Definitely purchase the Great Wolf Lodge souvenir cup to refill your cup for free during your first visit and for return trips.  This is more than worth it price wise and you can use the cup when you return to Great Wolf Lodge.

I also recommend getting the refillable popcorn container during your visit to Great Wolf Lodge to refill for no extra cost.

💰Avoid Gift Shop

The Great Wolf Lodge gift shop has tons of fun souvenirs.  But, if you want to save money at Great Wolf Lodge its probably best to avoid the gift shop during your visit.  Your family will get free pairs of Great Wolf Lodge ears, and we stick to those during our visits to Great Wolf Lodge to save money!

💰Avoid Peak Season Travel

If you are comfortable taking your children out of school for a day or two, you will save a ton of money avoiding peak travel times like breaks from school or school holidays.  You can book a hotel room / themed room for a great deal and save so much money on room options if traveling outside of peak travel time.  Look on the great wolf lodge website for great wolf lodge deals and compare prices for the time of year. 

💰Borrow a MagiQuest wand

If you are planning to do MagiQuest but do not want to buy a wand or pay for the game, then borrow one from a friend.  You can also buy Magiquest wands second hand as well to save a few dollars.  If you are unsure of whether you want to buy wands / Magiquest games for each one of your children, you could allow your children to share the wand and work together. You can read this Great Wolf Lodge Family MagiQuest Review  to learn more.\

MagiQuest helps you fully immerse yourself in Vellara, the realm of imagination, as you help the Guardians to protect the Realm Portals. Along the way, befriend the Treetop Pixies, battle the evil dragon, Charlock, recover stolen jewels from the Goblin King, and earn the title of Master Magi. MagiQuest turns the hallways and walkways of the hotel into an interactive experience that will keep your older children running, exploring and interacting with every hallway and piece of artwork and fixture on the wall and ceiling.

💰Say No to Doing Everything Great Wolf Lodge Has to Offer

Great Wolf Lodge has TONS of fun activities to offer families while there.  It can be really tempting to say yes to everything your children want to do.  Remember that just because the activities are there you can save them for another visit or enjoy the free activities in the Great Wolf Lodge resort to have tons of fun and save some money! When you check in at Great Wolf Lodge you will see the schedule of activities and can look at what you would like to participate in.   These activities do not require registration either which is awesome.  Your older kids and younger children will enjoy activities at Great wolf Lodge like arts and crafts, games, bedtime story options, yoga, and the absolute must do favorite activity at Great Wolf Lodge: pajama dance party!! 

Is the Great Wolf Lodge Paw Pass Worth Buying? 

Are you planning a trip to Great Wolf Lodge and wondering whether you should purchase a Wolf Pass, Paw Pass or Pup Pass for your child? Let me break down why buying a wolf pass at Great Wolf Lodge for your child is a great idea! We have visited Great Wolf Lodge twice as a family and we have purchased the Wolf Pass on our first time and during our second visit to Great Wolf Lodge we purchased the Paw Pass and highly recommend purchasing these during your visit.  This gives your child a clear understanding of which activities they can do, and it is all free with the paw pass!  

What kind of room should I book for my family during my Great Wolf Lodge trip?

Your family will not be spending a lot of time in the room outside of sleeping, so keep that in mind when you are booking a trip to Great Wolf Lodge and your next stay.  The standard room is the most basic room and typically a better deal than the family suite options.  The Great Wolf Lodge themed rooms are so much fun, and kids will love the bunk beds in the room.  Your family will be moving from wake up to bedtime so having comfortable spacious areas to sleep is high on my priority list.  I really enjoyed staying in the wolf den suite.  If you watch your emails, you can save great money and stay in a suite or bunk room for a great rate with a great wolf lodge coupon! Pack your bathing suits and be ready to ride the waves in the wave pool, create family memories at Magiquest, bowl the night away, and more.  

If you are feeling overwhelmed by what to pack for a Great Wolf Lodge trip, do not worry - these 15 Items You Must Pack for Great Wolf Lodge Great Wolf Lodge trip will have you ready in no time!

Whether your family is visiting to a one-night stay or multi-night stays your family is going to have a howling good time at Great Wolf Lodge and save a ton of money with these tips!  Keep in mind that your family can arrive as early as 11am on check in day and utilize the late checkout and stay long after you have to get out of your room.  This is the best way to save money and maximize fun for the best prices!

Ultimate Family Review Great Wolf Lodge

If your family is considering a trip to Great Wolf Lodge, specifically Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, be sure to read this ultimate family review of Great Wolf Lodge first to get details on lodging, food, amenities, cost and everything you have ever wanted to know plus more!

Water Park Review: Great Wolf Lodge VA

Seriously, there is something for every age group at the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg water park. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg is a 67,000-square-foot indoor water park that is an amazing attraction for families and kids of all ages.

15 Items You Must Pack for Great Wolf Lodge

Are you planning a trip to Great Wolf Lodge or thinking about visiting a Great Wolf Lodge location but do not know where to start? Take a deep breath and know that your family is going to have an AMAZING time at Great Wolf Lodge and will be begging you to return as soon as you get home. If you are feeling overwhelmed by what to pack for a Great Wolf Lodge trip, do not worry - these 15 items you must pack for a Great Wolf Lodge trip will have you ready in no time!

Your family is going to love your time at Great Wolf Lodge and your children will be asking to go back before you get home!

Erin Smith

Mom of 3 sharing tips for parenting, DIY and crafts, recipes for kids, and lifestyle tips for families on the go.  

http://www.xoxoerinsmith.com
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