The Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio

We just got back from a weekend trip to the Great Wolf Lodge in Mason, Ohio, and I must say it was an unbelievable experience for our entire family.

We booked our suite online, and took advantage of one of the many promotional packages that the resort offers. Our package was $179 for a one night stay that included four passes to the water park, as well as coupons for a free breakfast buffet at the Loose Moose Cottage for children under the age of ten. The package was designed for a family of four, but since we have four kids, we were able to pay the additional per person fees to get extra water park passes.

The water park is reserved only for registered guests of the hotel, and they know that is the reason you are coming, so they work with you to give you as much time in the water park as possible. Even though check-in is not until 4 PM they allow guests to arrive at the hotel as early as 1 PM to begin using the water park. They note that rooms may not be available at 1 PM, but ours was. Check-out on the day you are leaving is 11 AM but departing guests may stay until the water park closes on the night they are leaving, which is 8 PM Sunday through Thursday and 10 PM on Friday and Saturday nights.

The check in process at Great Wolf Lodge has been streamlined, and takes only a few minutes. Because I booked my suite online with a credit card my room was already paid for, when I checked in I was asked for my drivers license, and a packet was already made up for me. It contained my wristbands that allowed for water park access, breakfast buffet certificates, coupons for the gift shop, and a map of where to find my room. I was also given a schedule of daily activities for the resort, and there are plenty.

One of the neat things about the wristbands is each suite comes with two special wristbands that act as your room key, you simply place the wristband in front of a special sensor on the door and it unlocks your room. Guests can also place a credit card on file with the resort and use the wristband to charge items such as food, beverages, and merchandise to the room, allowing you to wander the resort with no need to carry cash.