3 Reasons Why Great Wolf Lodge is Perfect for Large Families

We recently took a last-minute trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia. Staying at this indoor waterpark resort was a blast! During this trip, we discovered that the resort is perfect for large families.

Sometimes it’s pretty obvious that the world is designed for families that are smaller than ours. Most hotel rooms sleep four, most family passes come in fours, and most family meals include four entrees and four drinks. With three kids, our family is still on the smaller side, but since our youngest has long outgrown sharing bed space and meals, we just don’t fit with most “family” things.

Family Suites

Large families literally fit in the family suites at Great Wolf Lodge. Suites are available at all Great Wolf Lodge resorts. In Williamsburg, the smallest slept 6 and the largest slept 12!

The room included a queen bed, pull-out sofa bed, and three twin beds. There was no need to purchase a second room, split the parents, and figure out which kids were going where. Everyone shared the same space!

All overnight accommodations include waterpark passes that begin on 1:00PM the day of check-in, even though check-in isn’t until 4:00PM. We arrived at 2:00PM on the day of our stay and checked in early, without waiting in line! We promptly got changed and headed to the waterpark.

The waterpark is built for all ages! Our youngest enjoyed the climbing structure, the lazy river, and the shallow end of the wave pool, although he sometimes dared to go a bit deeper if we were nearby. Our older kids enjoyed the more exhilarating multi-story slides, lily pad climb, in-pool basketball, and wave pool.

Dining

Our suite had a mini fridge and a microwave! We liked being able to bring our own snacks and drinks and save our leftovers. If we’d have planned better, we probably would have brought microwaveable meals, too!

There are several dining options at Great Wolf Lodge. For large families, pizzas are probably the most cost-efficient. The large pizzas are so big that one was enough to feed our whole family!

We also splurged one night and ate at the all-you-can-eat buffet. While it was more expensive than pizza, everyone in our family was able to choose exactly what they wanted.

large families at Great Wolf Lodge can share pizzas for an inexpensive meal

Ice and water are always free around the resort. We also purchased a refillable souvenir mug. It was around $15 and included unlimited access to any Coca Cola Freestyle machine If you’re going to get one, be sure to get it on your first day and, if you’re eating there, consider pairing it with a meal for an additional discount.

Freebies

When you have a large family, even inexpensive items can add up. Luckily many things at Great Wolf Lodge are included!

Throughout our stay we took advantage of the free activities. They’re offered at regular intervals throughout the day.

We made multiple crafts (free souvenirs!), danced to our favorite music, stretched our worries away, and listened to stories at bedtime. Even with a six year age gap between our youngest and oldest, all of the activities were engaging enough for all of our children to enjoy!