Stayed at the Great Wolf on a whim with our 2 kids ages 7 and 11, as we had to be in Niagara Falls for other reasons and decided to make it a mini-getaway.

The check in was speedy. Even if it weren't there is tonnes of stuff to divert the kids while you wait in the lobby. The staff were friendly. Each guest is immediately given an electronic bracelet which serves as waterpark admission, room key and key to the lockers at the pool area. It can even be "charged" with a credit card, if you want to give your older kids some allowance to spend at will in the restaurants or arcade.

Our Kids Camp theme room was cute, clean and spacious, and yes, when that heater kicked in at 3 am it did sound like a snowplow was passing the foot of our bed. So, warm up your room before bed if needs be, then turn the heat way down or you are in for a shock in the middle of the night! But seriously, that and the cold food at the buffet the next morning (Hey we had an early appt and were there when the place opened, so how was it the food was already cold and chewy?) we have nothing but rave reviews for the place.

Finally, the waterpark. At 41, I am glad that I have not yet reached adulthood and was totally able to enjoy the place. These are the best waterslides I have ever had the pleasure to ride, and as we were there in the "off season", the waits weren't bad at all. Maximum wait for us was about 10 minutes, and most waits were short or non-existant this Friday night. I could see the place being less fun if it were really crowded. There is a treehouse, squirt gun fortress, a lazy river, a wave pool, a baby pool and baby slides, a tepid family hot tub and a hotter adults only hot tub (they think of everything here)

So in summary, I think we had a great room and lucked out in the timing. I would recommend this place to anyone who has a child between the ages of 6 and 19. There is lots to amuse the preschool set too, but some of the big slides are too intense for them. This would also be a fun getaway for a young couple. It would make an awesome sleepover birthday party for a 'tween or young teen.

Two Thumb Up - get your dinner somewhere else!!

We just finished a stay at the Great Wolf Lodge with our 2 children (2 and 4). We were really thrilled. We got a Kid's camp suite which my children loved because they had their own "room" with bunk beds. Room was very clean and well decorated to please the kids.

A few food options on site, which we thought were a bit pricey until we went to eat near Niagara Falls and then realized we were getting a bargain. I also loved the ability to charge things to the room so you didn't have to carry a lot of cash around the water park.

Water park had tons to do for all age levels. They had a zero depth entry pool that was perfect for little ones. They even had their own waterslides. My 4 year old was able to go on one of the grown up waterslides and loved it. We were there mid week during US spring break and it wasn't overly crowded. Plenty of seats and very small lines if any.

In the evening there was story time for the kids with animated animals and songs. There was something similar in the morning as well as kid's crafts throughout the day. This place is definitely family oriented. There is also an Aveda spa onsite to keep mama happy too :)

We found the staff to all be very pleasant and helpful. You are also able to use the water park on the day you check in (even if your room isn't ready yet) and all day after you check out (even though you check out at 11 am) so I think you really get your money's worth. I would not hesitate to recommend this place to other families.

We just returned from our 4th stay at GWL. 2 adults and 4 children ages 4 -12. The kids love it but we definitely had some attitude from the reservation desk when checking in. My daughter asked if we were on floors 3 or 4 because she WANTED to ride the elevator and the girl that checked us in very rudely said that yes we were on the 3rd floor and if we didn't like that we could wait another 3 hours till other rooms were cleaned and maybe get a different room. I was not impressed. The staff in the pool area except for one young man were not helpful at all and looked like they could care less about their jobs.

The first evening we were there my husbands t-shirt was stolen from the waterpark. That was unbelievable. What kind of person steals a t-shirt.

There were crumbs on the sheets when I pulled the blanket down to get ready for bed. That was just gross. I thought the bedding was supposed to be changed every time someone checks out ??

I don't think we will be returning anytime soon. Since our first visit in Feb/06 things have definitely taken a turn for the worse. I think they need to reevaluate their staff and facilities and bring them back to the standards they used to be. It's a shame because there is so much to do and the kids really do enjoy it.

I'm shocked to read reviews by people who have toddlers who don't enjoy this place. We've been twice - last year, when our daughter was 18 months old, and this year, when she was 2 1/2 years old. The whole reason we splurge for this annual three day family vacation is the look on her face when we enter the main living room or the waterpark! She is absolutely in heaven for the entire time. There are lots of things in the water park for the little ones - a huge shallow water play area with small water slides (which she went down with assistance last year, and proudly on her own this year), the shallow end of the wave pool (she loved watching everyone, and having small waves wash over her legs), the lazy river with Mom and Dad, or the deep pool with floating creatures (with our help, of course). This year, she even joined us on one of the biggest waterslides (small children can go on as long as they're with adults).

We traveled with a teenage niece and nephew both years, and they also had a great time. They experience freedom within safe boundaries! They disappeared for hours - we would just see them running by on occasion with smiles on their faces.

At night, our daughter loved the story time. All the children are invited to come in their pyjamas, so that helps parents to convince their children to gear down for bedtime!

We booked the Kid Kabin room, and it was huge, clean and beautiful. We did not experience a noisy heater, as others did. Love the special touches, like little tear-free shampoos.

This place is expensive - we address that by checking in on Sunday and checking out on Tuesday. Doing so can slash your price by 50%. Also keeps the lineups reasonable. I'm not sure I would pay holiday or weekend prices. We also saved money by utilizing the in-room microwave and fridge to prepare breakfast and lunch, and just bought the dinner buffet each night.

This place is about family FUN - just relax, be silly, and enjoy watching your children have a great time. And yes, you will get wet. It's a waterpark.