I think the key to this place is timing which will affect your rate and wait times for the lines in the park.

Last year we went on a weekday on a non holiday and got their best rate due to their system. The less rooms means more price and you can verify that if you are patient on your own. You can check the rates early on rooms and then check back later to see them increase (more noticeable on weekends or holidays). The reservation person also told me that. From a consumer viewpoint it seems a bit silly though when you consider you are paying more for more crowded...

Anyway on to the review: The rooms are pretty average in a hotel standard. I travel extensively as an aircrew member and I would say I was a tad disappointed with the rooms. They are spacious and they do offer a clean setting, but for the price I was expecting a bit nicer decor and bed quality. I have stayed in hotels that were much cheaper with much better appointments and comfort. I suppose it adds up though when you factor in the cost of maintaining a indoor water park in Texas.

Overall I think the value is decent and they hire staff that is friendly. The lifeguard staff is also very attentive, but average age is young (which is typical).

The water park is in a large building that reminds me of a very large pole building. Not the most attractive type of building, but yet again for it's size cost effective and achieves the purpose. I would recommend to Great Wolf to spend a bit more attention to detail when cleaning some areas that attract dust and gum on walls. Their rest rooms were good though which was nice.

Expect larger crowds which translate into longer wait times/lines like I mentioned early on in review for weekends and holidays.

The morning brunch was pretty good and exceeded my expectations. The offerings for lunch were your typical fast food and seemed overpriced compared to what you could order in or even drive close by in Grapevine for.

I'm pretty picky on bang for the buck and this place one night seems right for us since we live locally for a way to break up the winter. I wouldn't pay too much though.

Have fun, but keep your expectations in line.

We didn't do the dragon quest wand thing, because it looked a tad worn and caused some kid noise in the main hallways, which was a tad annoying.

What happens when you double the number of rooms, but don't make any changes to the guest public space and facilities? You get lines for check-in, for any slide in the waterpark, lines for any sort of food venue, no place to sit in the pool area, lines at the restaurant, lines at the various buffet stations IN the restaurant. It was so crowded in every area of the hotel. The pool area was so overcrowded that you couldn't do anything in any of the water stations without bumping into someone.
It is also so ridiculously expensive that you can't help feeling constantly ripped off. They have this game called MAGICQUEST. My kids had their wands from a previous stay - they wanted to use them during this stay - and they CHARGED US!

Our family of four (kids ages 3 & 6) stayed for one night last week, and are looking forward to returning in the future. We booked during a 48 hour sale, so we had the Kid Kamp suite for $199. Although still pricey, I feel it was a good value to get away during winter and spend 2 days at a water park. The kids LOVED the bunkbeds. Parent's bed wasn't too comfy, but for one night we survived. We arrived on a Thursday and checked out Friday so it wasn't crowded at all. No problems finding seats anywhere in the water park and no lines either. The airtemp in the water park was warm, but the water was a little cool. Kids didn't mind at all and had a blast!

We arrived at 4pm and were pleased to discover Happy Hour runs from 4-6pm with $3.00 beer, wine, and well drinks. It is in the upstairs bar, but you can carry those drinks down to the water park. For dinner, we ordered the pizza family deal which wasn't bad. There is a fridge and microwave in the room so we packed drinks and snacks.

After check out, we stayed to play Magiquest. If you live in the area, and cannot finish the quests during your stay, you could come back since the wand stays active for 4 days. Our kids got bored quickly and we didn't go back, but at least we already own a wand for next time and just have to pay the activation fee for a future visit.

You certainly could spend a fortune on the other activities like stuffing your own animal like Build A Bear, tatoos, hair braiding, kid spa, and arcade games, but there is simple word that other parents could use to keep their costs down= "NO".

We will definitely be back. Great quick getaway!

The Great Wolf Lodge is undoubtably a very neat place. It would be much more attractive if you could purchase a day pass instead of having to stay at the hotel.

The room was less than adequate. The bed for the adults was horrible. Any corner motel has a more comfortable bed. The kids area in the room was neat, however it does not shine bright enough to compensate for the incredibly high room price.

The main restaurant was ok. It was a little overpriced and they struggled keeping the buffet stocked. The smaller restaurants were very overpriced.

The staff was ok. There were some very nice people and some terrible. My experience with one staff member is the most prominent memory and is terrible.

My advice, spend a little more money and go to a real resort or theme park. Great Wold Lodge needs to fine tune the operation.