It smelled good everywhere we went! We visited the Build-a-Bear which was amazing! The Waterpark was very well put together and had great service. The rooms were nice and clean with no trash left behind. They let kids walk around pretty late which was surprising. There was many places to get food, all of it was delicious and I would recommend. Overall I would say come here if you need at mini vacation! read more

I just want to start off I say not all Great Wolf Lodges are bad; this specific experience, though, was. I brought my teenage daughter here, and let me tell you, it was great as soon as we walked in, there were activities for kids. The water park was very small, not a lot to do; maybe four big slides. Two were singles, and the other two were two-person slides. The outside water park was just a pool with a few basketball hoops, so overall, after like 2 hours, it got very boring; there was nothing to do. I do say Great Wolf Lodge is very much for kids, not teenagers, because there wasn't a lot to do. It became time to eat; so we ate at Hungry as a Wolf. My daughter got a slushy and chicken fries for $21, which is insane, especially for the quality of the food. It tasted like McDonald's nuggets and some stale fries. The slushy was the only good thing about the meal. So you know, after we've eaten and swum, there's not a lot to do then the arcade. After the arcade, it was time for us to go to sleep and wind down. I'm inspecting my bed, and I see two blood stains, so I call up to the janitor, and I ask for clean sheets. They only give me a sheet and another thin sheet to put over the mattress (they made us put the sheets on the mattress ourselves). The beds were comfortable, and I had a good sleep. The next morning, my daughter wakes up, and she realizes she has two bloodstains on her bed as well after she slept in it, and she knows it's not from her. This was an extremely disgusting experience and completely unacceptable, and I expect better from someone who's charging $200 a night. The bathrooms were outdated, and the first level near the arcade smelled of mold. Next time I need a weekend getaway, I will go to Kalahari. read more

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The website says 4 PM check-in. When we arrived, we were told that they will try to have us in by 4 PM. There was no mention of a late check out for us and we are still waiting for a row past 4 PM. Pretty poor customer service! Go to Frankenmouth. They know how to handle customers there. Just adding to my review: the manager did give me a free late check out, but I had to fight for it. They tried to charge me for a late checkout after checking me in late. Also, when we went to eat breakfast this morning, the restaurant was supposed to open at 7 AM. At almost 730. They told me they could not seat us because they didn't have enough workers and the food was not cooked yet. When they did deliver the food it was a single plate of food for two people and you could ask for more but it was kind of ridiculous for $30. Save yourself the heartache and just go to a restaurant outside the resort. Finally, the arcade had machines that would take your money and not allow you to do anything, and you go ask for an individual refund each time. All in all, I would say this place is poorly maintained, has poor customer service, and not worth coming. read more

Okay so where to begin. We booked for 2 nights. We booked through Groupon, be sure to check for coupon codes and fb pages for better deals. I found out after the fact and ended up realizing I over paid. It was almost $900 bucks. This was for JUST the room. I didn't add any extras. It was a weekend which does make the price higher. We got the family suite (2 queens, one full pull out couch) we had 6 people. Groupon let's you have the exact room capacity but booking through the resort is more "per person". Pros: the rooms were clean and the facility smelled nice. The water park was fun, but extremely crowded. It is definitely better for smaller kids. The actual swimming area is small and the slides are mediocre at best. My kids are 12, 10, and 7 and my 12 year old was meh about it all. She's also at that age of being too cool to do any thing lol BRING ROBES. best choice we made as it's FREEZING when walking back to the rooms. Also bring a water proof phone case. Was great to get photos of the kids while in the water park. Lots of food and stores near by. Tesla charging station right next door at the meijer. The women who checked us in was wonderful and informative and sweet. She needs a raise. Bring board games to play in the room. We didn't spend extra on any of the perks as my kids weren't interested but we seen plenty running around. The arcade was awesome. We spent $50 and the kids got over 800 tickets and were basically only able to get candy. Which is normal for arcades. Lots of fun games to play in there so definitely check that out. Kid friendly for sure. The dessert place in the resort was amazing with great snacks for the kids! Cons: Everything is soooo expensive. Dunkin' was mostly unavailable and we ended up needing to order on doordash from another location. The restaurant had a 45 min wait for a table. Then our server didn't even speak to us for another 10 mins. Once we ordered food it took an hour to come out. And we paid almost $150 for subpar food. Upon your stay they hold between $100-$200 immediately so be prepared for that to come out of your acct. There are signs of this at the desk which was good. We called the front desk for toilet paper and at about 45 mins with no toilet paper my husband asked someone right outside our door who handed him a roll immediately. I called the desk after waiting 30 mins for the women at the front to sass me saying "I already put an order in for this and they're working on it" when I asked how long, she said "they're working on it". Just be ready to wait forever for ANYTHING. We checked out only 15 mins before our check out time because of this wait and having 3 kids needing to use the bathroom before heading home 2.5 hrs away. Every time we tried to order food from Dunkin, the pizza place, or the restaurant in the resort we were told "option unavailable" only after we had spent time adding everything to the cart. So frustrating and ended up spending so much more money having crap food doordashed from outside places. Some of the staff was friendly but most were grumpy and not very interested in being there. The wifi barely worked and any shows I tried to watch were soooo glitchy and buffered every few moments. Final thoughts: would we come back?? Maybe. If we could pay less than half of what we did to book. I do want to try the other location in Ohio as I hear it bigger. Would I pay what I did again? Absolutely not. It's not worth spending a small fortune on. I booked a week vacation at the ocean for $750. This was a 2 night stay. Just do your research and bring tons and tons of extra money because you're going to spend it. read more

Great Wolf Lodge - Photo from windows above the water park - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

Good for kids 10 and under. Kids preferred magiquest over water. Only 2 slides are good for older kids and parents. Bowling was fun for the family. The largest issue I had was when we used towels at the water and ended up with a $150 towel charge added to our credit card after we left. We left towels in room and when in the water area they never checked in towels when we were done so did not see it as a problem. Staff never said we had to return them anywhere. Fighting the towel charge as they never left the facility. The charge was not conveyed during checkout or on the initial recept emailed to me that morning. I would have given them 3.5 stars until they hit me with that unfounded charge. It seems inappropriate. Hopefully, I will get a refund. read more

BED BUG ALERT! We had a family visit to this Great Wolf Lodge in February. While the visit was nice, and the family loved the room, the overall experience was a disaster. The visit infected us with bed bugs. We notified the hotel and they have so many ongoing problems with bed bugs, they have an entire process in place. If you let them know during your stay they have a heat lamp for your luggage to kill the bugs. If you notify them after you leave (as we did, since that's when we noticed the infection), they will check the room. If there are bed bugs they return your room/park fees. While I apprecite getting my money back, I would never stay there again because bed bugs are terrible and they are hard to get rid of. Other hotels do better than this. Why can't Great Wolf Lodge? read more

Love it when they decide to power wash the outside sidewalks after 6pm on a weekday. Thanks, love not hearing yourself think! read more

This place nickels and dimes you for everything. $15/day for parking? (Every retail lot on the street has free parking). read more

So the typical business model for children's activities applies here. Prepare to be "nickle and dimed." When it comes to paying for the room/access to the waterpark, as others have stated, you'll get the best savings by going in on rooms with friends or family. It doesn't matter how many people are in your party, you're going to pay the same amount. We got the absolute cheapest room available, and it was still almost $370 for a Sunday night...2 queen beds and a pull out couch. The microwave was janky and wobbled all over the place. The fridge was not cold enough to store things like milk products safely, and there was no way to adjust the temperature. While the beds were comfortable, the bedding was shockingly low quality and basically just layers of flat sheets and a thin flimsy "comforter" sandwiched between the top 2 layers of flat sheets. The bedding given for the pullout was a horrid, scratchy wool like blanket, 2 flat sheets and 2 pillows. While they provide towels in the waterpark, you have to use your bracelet to get them and then return them before leaving the waterpark to go back to your room, or you will be charged for each towel. Minor annoyance we wished we had realized ahead of time. Personally, I would not have booked this trip during Covid, but my very pregnant daughter wanted to take my granddaughter and asked for my help. I wasn't impressed with how they handled social distancing or how extremely packed it was. They are definitely operating at normal capacity. I also noted that in the entire time we were there, I never once saw an employee sanitizing high touch areas. When we went down to meet the pizza delivery person, we realized they were having a story hour. We had never been told about the extra events or given any kind of schedule. That was a huge disappointment. Breakfast in the restaurant was a huge disappointment for us all. While the prices were a little high, we all wanted a nice breakfast and we didn't want to have to leave the hotel for it. I was really excited when I received my order. It looked extremely delicious. But the first thing I noticed was the foul smell from the potatoes. And then, as I began eating my Fritata, I discovered it was not cooked properly in the middle. I don't know what the deal with the potatoes were, but they even made my granddaughter gag, they smelled so funky. She didn't like her pancake nor her usual favorite of scrambled eggs. They seemed to have been precooked and reheated. The fruit was all bitter, the orange juice tastes like a reconstituted mix, the sausage links were strange and funky as well, and the coffee was trash. My daughter was extremely disappointed in her "all you can eat breakfast." Total flop. We were happy to find the Dunkin Donuts line cleared out after we'd finished breakfast so we could get some decent coffee and breakfast foods. The line beforehand was completely insane and no social distancing at all. The Build A Bear was a decent experience. They really don't have many options available, but the woman who was running it when we stopped in was patient and kind. My granddaughter enjoyed it. There are interactive features throughout the hotel, if you want to spend more money in the magic shop for tools. $5 lockers in the waterpark. $25 bottles of $5 wine, $5 2-liters of soda... They tell you that you can continue to swim and such after check out. But be forewarned that your bracelets deactivate the minute of your checkout time, and will no longer give you access to anything. It was a fun experience for my toddler grandbaby. But it's way overpriced. read more

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DO NOT GO TO THIS LOCATION... ****BEDBUGS**** My family and I stayed here for the weekend and just got back home this Sunday. I noticed I had a sort of rash. Which I just thought maybe from all the chlorine I had just indulged in. Turns out they are bedbug bites! I'm mortified and afraid I've brought them home with us. Although very thankful that none of the children have bites. I would have never thought this place would have them. The amount of money families pay to have fun with thier loved ones you would think they'd use some of that revenue to properly care for the rooms in thier lodge. Our first time was wonderful. The children had a fabulous time and wore my husband and I out. Room was clean, and service was great. Incidentals return hit our account in a reasonable time frame. As for this time my account was over charged and the incidentals deposit has yet to been credited back into my account. When talking to thier 1-800 representative he said it can take up to 7-10 days to hit. The gentleman didn't seem too bothered or surprised about the bug bites I contracted from the lodge. I was told someone would call in 72 hours and if they didn't call that number back. Something tells me I will be calling and doing the same conversation over again with nothing solved. Take your family's elsewhere not here. read more

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The place was not cleaned and the room wall was so thin we can hear the upstairs and the upstairs won't quite down and the front desk people didn't help us. So then we did not have a good night rest. Last thing is the front desk people say they will help but never did and we had to sleep two nights with the upstairs people not be quiet read more

Not sure how many stars to give. This GWL is much smaller than the others and caters to the smaller/younger crowd. There are exactly 2 activities for tweens. The giant water slides (that got old fast ..there are only 2) and the lazy river, which was over run by smaller kids looking to burn off some steam. The hot tub was also ok but, again, lots of younger kids trying to "swim" in it. We ended up taking our very mature tween into the adult only hot tub. No one seemed to mind. There is NO REGULAR POOL on the property. This place is absolutely awesome for the young crowd (under 10). I wouldn't waste the money on the dining package. It says that you have to buy one for each member of your party, but that isn't true. It's only true of the all you can eat breakfast. Not a chance we could eat the amount included in the dining package for 2 days (not with the limited options for dining). The entire place is cashless. You can charge stuff to your room via your room key wristband (that also gets you into the waterpark). Too many people running around barefoot outside of the waterpark (in the actual hotel area and dining establishments). Found that a bit gross considering all of the stuff dropped on floors and people wandering around WITH shoes on. Never tell what you can step on or in (that's just a personal opinion and has zero to do with the actual hotel). Rooms we're clean and spacious (except the toilet/shower/tub combo). Couldn't turn around. Would find it hard to bathe kids in that space. We found no issues using our wristband key thing. Everything, and I mean everything, is closed up tight by 10. Late night munchies? Best head over to the Meijer next door. We found that we didn't hear any hallway noise from our room, so that was nice. We were on the 4th floor. Pizza was really good. Thin crust greasy style but not too greasy, just like the good old days. Every employee we came across was pleasant and helpful. The lifeguards on duty were vigilant and on the ball (no one needed rescuing but they were ready). So, like I said...if you have younger kids this would be fantastic. The nightly free activities looked pretty cool for the wee ones. The free wolf ears on check in were also a bonus. If you have OLDER kids only, bypass this one...our tween got bored fast. read more

Definitely aimed for little kids! We have 5 kids between the ages 7-14yrs and they all seemed to enjoy the water park. A lot of the activities are more appropriate for little kids. Waterpark was fun! The pools do get overcrowded.. some kids were way too wild. The outdoor pool was nice not deep but good for the littles. I definitely thought the place would be bigger. We got the breakfast package I was not impressed at all.. McDonald's is better.. definitely skip that package and go get breakfast somewhere else. Coffee was trash. Lots of good food options near by! We had the loft room. It wasn't bad. Just not a lot of privacy for anyone but it was fine for a one night. Overall the room was pretty clean! read more

This is our second year staying at Great Wolf Lodge. Last year was great but this year is just okay. The food at their only in lodge sit down restaurant is not good. The Alfredo noodles weren't cooked and there were like 3 pieces of chicken in the whole thing, the chicken tenders were fried in 3 month old oil and tasted like fried fish. The kids wouldn't touch them. Fries were decent and so was the burger. The only gluten free AND dairy free option was the wilderness bowl, which was gross. Half of it was cold and the other half was barely warm. Strange mixtures of vegetables and coleslaw over quinoa. The only gluten free and dairy free lunch option is a side salad in the to go fridge that is just lettuce and a couple of cucumbers and tomatoes, fries, or hot dogs or burgers with no buns or cheese... that's not a filling meal. You're better off bringing your own food or going out to eat elsewhere... which isn't convenient when you have kids to pack everyone up and leave just to come back. The themed rooms and kids cabins are worth the money because they are fun for the kids! It gives them their own little area. The park of fun for about a day and a half and then it gets kind of boring. Especially for kids 5 and under. There are only 3 small slides side by side for younger kids, the lazy river, and a tiny kiddy area. The outdoor pull is shallow enough in the walk in side but still... pretty boring. They have a schedule of kids events throughout the day but they last 10-20 minutes each. Build a bear, which is usually a decent experience, lasted less than 15 minutes and was over $60. There were two of us in the store. Why are they rushing through all of these activities? Also, they don't change their activities day to day or year to year. They have the exact same things happening daily. After doing each activity once, the kids are bored. Dunkin Donuts only has oatmilk as a dairy free option, so if you need an almond based creamer, bring your own. They couldn't tell me if the oatmilk was gluten free or not. The donuts tasted stale and like they were days old, even though we got them in the morning. The orange juice from the vending machine was rancid. The scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes were okay but the sausage links were straight grease. The pizza is pretty decent, albeit greasy. This stay has been very disappointing to say the least. We will probably end up changing where we go next year. read more

Great place. Ayden is the best employee. Every thing is nice. The water park is a w the arcade is a w.

Perfect and affordable place to stay for a quick Cedar Point trip! Great place to celebrate birthdays. Kids get wolf ears upon check in, but let them know if you have a birthday, because they have a special pair of ears for celebrations. We got a deal for a family suite for $129 a night. It comes with two queen beds and a pull out couch. It has two tables, chairs, a mini fridge and microwave. It's a nice large space. The wolf theming is adorable. Even the soaps are shaped like wolf paws. The rooms are nice and clean. It is located five minutes away from Cedar Point and the best priced resort in the area. They have a small restaurant. The family breakfast was descent and filling. There is a Dunkin' Donuts, pizza stand, and snack bar in the water park. If you want to bring your own food, Meijer is walkable. They have a good assortment of craft beers and adult beverages. The prices are reasonable for a resort. They offer several kiddie activities throughout the day, and have opportunities for character interaction and photos. The arcade is a nice size. The water park is relatively small, but ideal if you separate you won't get lost or loose sight of your family members. This is a bonus because it's not overwhelming here. It's calm and relaxing. The hotel was sold out and filled to capacity but there was very little wait time for the larger slides. They have a nice outdoor pool with games and music. The water park changing area restroom looks updated. They were clean and the sinks had cool soap, water, and heat dispensers. Lockers are available, and are easy to use and conveniently located in the park. You can now digitally check in and out on your phone, and get a text when your room is ready. You do get what you pay for. The other water park resorts are bigger, but more expensive and crowded. This one is cheaper, but clean and nice. It's perfect to spend one day at the amusement park then one day at the water park. This was our third time here, and enjoy it. We keep coming back. read more

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This was our first GWL visit. Overall it was a great experience. There was plenty for a preschooler and toddler to do and see. Shows and games in the lobby at various intervals during the day, spaced out for social distancing reasons. An arcade with small-children-friendly "rides" (small merry-go-round, and a small bus that goes back and forth, were the big hits for ours). The kiddie version Magiquest game was fun for our little ones. They got to point their wand at various objects / paintings throughout the resort, and see them light up / open / make sounds, etc. The pool area seemed... overcrowded considering COVID. Would have preferred to see a bit more reduced capacity. Taking that into consideration, it definitely was lighter on Sunday / Monday, so if we ever go back we'll probably target non-weekend stays. We did not purchase any food as it all seemed fairly overpriced. Plenty of local restaurants nearby. Staff was helpful and friendly and the ability to contact the front desk via the Mobile App - messaging, was much appreciated and useful. read more

We love all the great wolf lodges we've been to. Rooms are spacious (albeit a tiny bathroom in return). The staff are the friendliest you'll find at any resort. The room was older but clean. The water park water was cold in the majority of the park. The common areas of the lodge could use better cleaning as stuff was still on the floor when we checked out from our 3 night stay that was there when we checked in. Bowling was great fun as was the arcade.. yes bowling and arcade is expensive but you don't have to do those things if you don't want to pay for them. Chairs were hard to come by by 10:30am in the water park. We love that Sandusky still has microwaves in the room and wish all did . read more

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Would not return . Go to Castaway Bay instead if you want a clean, more luxurious experience. We tried the Great Wolf Lodge for the first and last time. We overpaid by a lot. The service was slow, food stale, waterpark overcrowded, bathrooms and rooms out of date, pools not clean. You have to pay for a locker and change in what feels like a worn down dirty locker room if you get to the resort before your room is ready at 4. Finding a chair is hard almost impossible and the waterpark is small and unkept. We paid a ton for a suite to look at the back of the shopping plaza and directly into cars in the parking lot. The heat doesn't stay in the room, beds and pillows are extremely worn and uncomfortable and Internet ..well good luck! The bathrooms are very outdated as well and you can barely close the bathroom door if you're inside the bathroom. The bedding is sparse with thin blankets and with the heat leaving the room we had to turn the heat up to 76 to stay warm. The corners of the pools especially the lily pad one are full of junk it's disgusting, you can tell they don't clean or vacuum the pools regularly ... and a child pooped in the baby pool and they scooped it out and had people back in within 10 minutues! Both of our kids had skin rashes on their thighs after the first day. We would not reccomend! We went to Castaway Bay the year prior and it so much cleaner, updated, organized, spacious and had actual lounge chairs . read more

I feel like this place is rundown and dirty. The water park is super small and there's not much to do. The lazy river was closed all during our stay. The bathrooms in the water park smelled. The elevators are super slow. I would save your money and save it up and go to Kalahari instead. My kids and I wont ever be going back to this great wolf lodge read more

Great Wolf Lodge - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

Very nice for small children Cabanas well worth it for privacy if you have littles ones read more

I'm struggling with this review, because we've had such great times here during repeated visits, & the staff seem to really try very hard & were all so sweet. I'll mention the things they are doing right first. Check-in was quick, friendly & efficient. The lobby, hallways & all the entertainment/activity areas were clean & very well maintained - everything in these areas was in excellent working order. Nothing in any of the public areas was dirty or even showing wear. The parents we encountered were all very courteous. People held the elevator doors for others, etc. and tried to make sure their kids were polite too. We had no problems with people making noise after 11pm, which was very appreciated. GWL is conveniently located to many things, & less than a 10 minute drive from Cedar Point. There are several food options on property and many, many others within a 2-5 minute drive or even walking distance. We appreciated that our room came equipped with a fridge, coffee maker, iron & hair dryer, and that the A/C worked great. We saw security regularly in the hallways, & appreciated that added layer of protection. But unfortunately the room was not comfortable. The beds were too hard, pillows were flat, and although the bedding seemed clean, the mattress cover was ripped in several areas and the decor looked ratty. The bathroom was so small there was hardly room for the door to open. The flooring & sofa were in good shape, but the coffee table was rickety, the lamps & headboards were very dusty, & the sofa wasn't comfortable. There wasn't a lot of table space on which to set our things. The noise insulation is inadequate, as we could very clearly hear the people in the room next to us (they fought a lot, which scared my kids), people in the hallway, and the people upstairs whose kids ran & jumped all across the room for hours & hours before bedtime. Thankfully they stopped by the designated "quiet hours" at 11pm. We were there with a special room deal (through GWL, not through a 3rd party), so maybe they just give their worst rooms to people who are paying less. I dunno. But even with the special rate it was still terribly overpriced for what we got. The place was absolutely packed, too. Lines to everything were long. We ate breakfast at nearby Chick Fil A rather than waiting among the throngs of people at the hotel, and checked out early because we couldn't take the idea of another terrible night's sleep. read more

My family and I planned this trip as a quick getaway. I knew the price was a bit high for a Saturday night, but thought it would be well worth it. I was completely wrong. We had the kid cabin and when we walked in i could smell garbage. I didn't really make a big deal about and just went on with our stay. Within an hour or so we noticed fruit flies by the sink area. I contacted the front desk and asked if they could please move us do to the fruit flies and the smell of what I believed to be garbage. The girl was very kind but said they were completely booked and had no available rooms. So they sent someone up with spic and span and cleaned the sink out. Within an hour or so they were back. The smell never went away. I believe there was something in the sink causing the smell and flies. The queen bed was sinking in and it was a horrible nights sleep. My 3 year old ended up sleeping with me and the whole night we were on top of one another because of the mattress. I didn't even bother to call and complain because I knew nothing would come of it since there were no other rooms available. read more

I'm ambivalent about my first visit to GWL. From what I hear this location is one of the smaller ones, but the pricing isn't. If I bottom line my thoughts, it would be save by coming with a larger group or take advantage of the Groupons (which seem to only be impactful at off-peak days. Overall a fun experience for the kids. The water park has many features for them to explore and play themselves ragged in. One drawback is that it is very crowded at capacity, so small kids will need a good amount of supervision and monitoring. The locker rooms and towels do add to convenience. There is a menu of activities that one can also enjoy throughout the day and evening. The meal choices are limited on-site, and overpriced as you would expect. There are meal credits available with certain room packages that make eating there more palatable - pun intended. They do provide a personal assistant for your stay and the convenience of a highly functional wristband for accessing everything. Still, I'm a bit middle of the road on the overall value of the experience. read more

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All that money for a scam. The arcade is more expensive than a NASA space station, there are only 3 big water slides, and I almost broke my neck because one of the careless lifeguards sent a GROWN WOMAN down the slide without checking if I made it to the bottom. They also forgot to change the bed sheets and there were literal doodie stains and bed bugs in the sheets. I wish i was exaggerating, but it's true. THIS PLACE MAKES ME WANT TO SAY A WORD THAT STARTS WITH F AND ENDS WITH K read more

Great Wolf Lodge - This is how I felt leaving - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

Worst hotel ever. Asked for non-smoking and got smoking. The mattress felt like sleeping on straw. Stay away from this place. I ended up buying an air mattress to sleep on. Will I ever get the nasty smell out of my clothes? read more

The resort is cashless you either use your wrist band or credit card to pay for everything. Staff was super friendly. Our room was very clean although the beds could have used more blankets. I noticed them cleaning/sanitizing high touch surfaces frequently. They provided face masks all over the resort which was nice. Was super bummed the fitness center was closed due to social distancing. They charge for everything at the resort but my kids loved the magic quest game ( game/ wand and topper all extra). But the kids got 20,000 steps in a day playing it. read more

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Great place. However, not much to do for adults. Mostly kids activities which is understandable. No microwave in room. I can't link on the Internet to watch Netflix. I will not come back here. Just a one time visit is enough for me. Food and drink prices are exorbitant. read more

The only reason I'm giving a 2 star is because of the staff were nice. Rhian and Michael at the front desk were both very pleasant. Now going back to why I would like to give this place negative stars.... how about I spent over an hour cleaning the room we were given because it was beyond filthy. The fridge was gross and had food stuck inside of it, the microwave stunk, the bathtub had hairs in it and looked like the bathroom floor was never cleaned. The towels were not fresh at all, the bathroom door had some kind of crap stuck on it like someone threw up and it dried. There was dirty stains on the wall by the couch. The air condition was FILTHY. The sheets on one of the beds had a yellow stain on it so we ended up going to target and buying our own sheets and sleeping on them without washing them better than what was on the bed. Underneath the sofabed was huge crumbs of some kind of food that was consumed God knows when. Should I go on? I took some pictures but unfortunately I was too busy trying to hurry up and clean so that my toddler doesn't touch anything before I get to it. read more

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kaylyn from build a bear was so sweet! she held conversation amazingly! she got us through with a big smile on everyone's face:)! give her a raise ! read more

I have been to three Great Wolf Lodge's and I am sad to say that this one was my least favorite. The set up is virtually identical to the others I have visited. The issue was with the staff, as much of them looks like they did not want to be there and several looked like they really did not like kids. I get how working at a place would be tough, but the experience is a big part of places like this. We went during Halloween and I saw some pretty amazing costumes, but much of the staff was aloof at best. Cute kids, cute costumes, it was like they were trying not to enjoy themselves. Also, I have to say that whoever organized the trick or treat trail needed to be more specific as I heard multiple families complaining about no knowing where various locations were, i.e. "4th Floor Stairwell" is tough when there are several stairwells. Finally, it took until nearly 4pm for them to get to cleaning or room and all I don't think much cleaning really happened. It was pretty crowded, but it just makes you think how often these rooms really do get cleaned. In sum, I like the chain, but probably won't be gong back to the Sandusky branch, read more

All of the staff was extremely kind, even the lifeguards who had to try and direct countless kids who didn't listen to them. The resort is very clean and I didn't think it was terribly overpriced. Only complaint is that I wished the pool opened sooner in the day, 10am is a bit late for excited kids. Also, dining options are a bit limited. All in all, definitely want to return. read more

Certainly not for everyone. Upon arrival, we were greeted by staff who was very nice. They were tired, but pleasant nonetheless. Our room was spacious, but it certainly wasn't cleaned. There was hair in tub, hair on the towels, hair on the bathroom floor. I hope management reads this review and make some major changes with housekeeping. They are spot cleaning. These rooms need to be thoroughly cleaned!! You have mostly children who catch things very easily so it is incumbent upon housekeeping to ensure that all rooms are thoroughly cleaned. They also need to use commercial products. I was stunned to see the housekeeper use Spic and Span. I actually thought it was a joke. She said they use Spic and Span and Bleach to clean. There was a gas odor in this area which made it difficult to enjoy the patio. The hallway of the hotel smelled like wet dog and there were bugs pasting against our window. The pool area is nice and the kids love it. There's lots of activities even though things shut down at 9pm. They have a bar, eating area and Dunkin Donuts so they're trying to make it conducive for everyone. For me, I couldn't get past the odor and lack of cleanliness so I suggest doing this at least ONCE. In my opinion, a real cabin on a real campground is much better. read more

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Huge shout out to Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky, OH! Shay was absolutely AMAZING at the check in!!!! We had booked over the phone for a reservation since this was our first time and unsure how this all works and what additions may benefit our family. They did a great job over the phone and smooth...so we thought. When we arrived to check in, the packages we purchased is not what we were advised when we booked over the phone. Shay took care of us and made everything right. The staff could not have been more helpful with resolving the mishap and we will FOR SURE be back. LOL every day the kids keep asking to go back. Hotel and waterpark were very clean!!! This was a huge plus as we have visited other local waterparks and their cleanliness has declined severely. I am hoping this gets recognition for Shay as she was TRULY amazing!!! read more

Not worth the expense. over-priced, and they closed the lazy river due to not enough staff, which I don't understand since the lazy river is accessible but all the slides- which they didn't close- are not accessible. Just not worth it. read more

We've been to the NC Great Wolf Lodge countless times, but recently moved to NE Ohio, and decided to check out the Sandusky location. It's definitely on the smaller side, and doesn't offer the same awesome packages that we were so used to, but it's a great park for kids under 10. I think if you've got 10+ year olds, Kalahari is a better fit. This location has a designated area for toddlers, then a great area with little slides for preschoolers. There's a separate set of slides for kids that's smaller than Fort Mackenzie, but both of these slides are enclosed (my boys were too scared to go down them). Fort Mackenzie has two slides AND a rope climbing area AND splash area. For the older kids there are two bigger slides that go outside the building! Lastly, for all ages there's a swimming pool, a lazy river, and hot tubs. This location gets a bonus star for having an adults-only designated hot tub area!! The rooms are nice. Totally standard and what we expected. The food inside GWL can be pricey. We got lunch yesterday and it was $40. Here's what we ordered: - Turkey Avocado sandwich - Side of fries - Hotdog - chicken tenders - Chicken Caesar Salad We had the refillable drink cups and didn't have to pay for drinks. But $40 for just those items. It's ridiculous and you're not allowed to bring in your own food (yet we saw tons of people around us with their snuck-in food). Best tip: bring your own breakfast foods and eat in the room. For lunch, eat here and just prepare for an expensive lunch. For dinner-- head out and find something near by. We had Texas Roadhouse one night and Danny Boys Pizza another. read more

Great Wolf Lodge - A ton of great areas for kids under 10! - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

All of the staff were friendly & helpful. The water park is perfect for younger kids!! My 2yo really enjoyed it!! The Dunkin Donuts in the lobby is a great touch & the pizza was yummy. The rooms/hotel are in need of some serious TLC. They were working on the balconies while we were there & I couldn't understand why they wouldn't update the inside first. I was glad we were only staying 1 night. read more

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The kids were excited to get out of the chilly Michigan weather and get their suits on fir some fun indoor water park fun. Checking in was smooth sailing. I'm very OCD about cleanliness and noticed, overall, everything was very clean. Our room, the lobby and water park area. Great place fir a quick getaway and the kids love it. One thing that was not great was the restaurant in the lodge (there's only one) our server was very odd and it was one of the most unusual menu I've ever seen. Waffle grilled cheese on the kids menu?? For 3 adults and 2 kids the bill was $100(no alcohol). It was a rip off in my opinion. Everything costs extra and prices are higher than normal. $2.50 for a bottled water, for example lol. read more

Great Wolf Lodge - Resorts Near Me - Sandusky, Ohio

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Pros: -Often on deal websites, like Groupon, for discounted rates. -Very family friendly, even for babies and toddler. -Waterpark is included with stay. Life jackets and towels provided. -Water park perfect for all ages, including babies and toddler. -Fun themed, larger rooms. -Very friendly staff! Cons- -Restaurants, stores, coffee overpriced. Very. -Our nonsmoking room smelled faintly of cigarette smoke. We also found used Q-tips and kleenex when we entered. - Issues with transferring reservation from my sister's name to her husband's, even though they share a credit card. - Lots to do, but anything other than the waterpark will cost you. My kids LOVED Great Wolf Lodge. The waterpark was a highlight. We try and do a waterpark every winter as a Christmas or birthday gift to mix things up, but only when we can find a good deal. Thankfully, we did, and drove a couple hours there. The waterpark is warm, the water is cool, and they provide life jackets and towels. You get a wristband for your room key and can add a credit card to it to pay via band. We opted not to do that. There is a games room, bowling, "quest" around the hotel, Build a Bear, and scheduled free kids events. We didn't eat at the restaurants and instead opted for one of the many places outside the Lodge within a few minutes drive. Our room was clean except for some overlooked used tissues and qtips, but the bed and sheets were clean. I bring a black light and didn't see anything. The staff was all extremely friendly, especially the cleaning staff we saw in the hallway constantly. My sister fell ill before she left so my brother in law brought their kids. The reservation was under her name but they share a credit card and she spent two hours on the phone arguing to have it switched to her husbands name. Again, same provided card. It was such a hassle and I felt awful for them. There has to be an easier way to handle this. read more

I was expecting way more since GWL is such a tailored, specific experience for kids. Many things just didn't rub me the right way. From overall property down to nitty gritty details - we came a Tuesday to Thursday and used Groupon. Even with the discount, everything added up was like $400 just for the room. Completely not worth it. The rooms are outdated and very basic. Even the kids bunk beds, one was very shaky. For a themed room it was meh. - bathroom and toilet combos are very small - bathroom only comes with soap bar and a conditioning shampoo. While I understand toiletries are not required, if you do provide them especially at a themed water park, can we get some body wash? Or conditioner? Again I wasn't impressed especially considering the price as I have stayed at way cheaper/basic places and been provided better. - our room had very few outlets and it was hard to find places to plug in phones and other electrical items. -everything else seems to be catered to children 2-7. Just the space given for things is tiny. The arcade is tiny, the bowling alley only has like 4 lanes and is packed! - everything costs so much. The $400 we paid only included room and water park. The food places are also small and look very cafeteria quality. But everything else, absolutely everything else costs money. They have "packages" but that even gets super expensive with multiple kids. The arcade also seems to be more of a money pit than games that will actually give you tickets. - quiet hour starts at 11pm. I was honestly shocked. That is kinda of late? Especially with a place designed to suit little kids? Most places I have been to quiet time starts around 10pm. - the kids. You'll get every kind of person and family but the amount of unsupervised, breaking all the rules, running around, not paying attention to anyone kids was insane. I know you'll get that with children, but it was almost every kid we came into contact with. That is just too much. - the noise! Holy cow. Again I have kids, I get it, there WILL be noise no doubt. But we were on the 1st floor and it sounded like every 5 minutes a storm of elephants were above us. I don't know if it's just kids running around for the magi quest, or a noisy neighbor, but it was excessive. More than I've ever experienced anywhere else with kids (like Disney and universal) - build a bear isn't an actual build a bear. It's only great wolf lodge animals and outfits. I wish they would have named it something different because everything makes it looks and seem like a full, fledged, build a bear shop with all the stuff animals choices and outfits. They don't even have scents, bags or voice recordings. Something like GWL pals powered by build a bear is more like it. Overall, it just wasn't impressive for what I've always seen and heard. read more