Photograph Credit: Great Wolf Lodge
When Paul and I told our children we were going to the Great Wolf Lodge in Charlotte/Concord, NC, we showed them through the virtual tour.
I love that the Great Wolf Lodge has included the tour on their website as Miss 6 loves to choose the slides “to ride” and relive the experience.
Having already explained in a nutshell our first experience at the Great Wolf Lodge in the overview post, I will delve deeper into our visit with this second of seven posts.
Today’s focus is on our reservation from placing it online up to checking-in at the lodge.
Part One: Reservation
Scheduling our Reservation
Date
With purchasing our package through Amazon Local, I received instructions via e-mail for reserving our stay through a dedicated link for this deal. I clicked through the link, and chose the dates of our stay.
To minimize the number of vacation days Paul needed to take, we chose to check-in on Sunday, March 9, and checkout on Monday, March 10.
Room
The next choice was the type of room. Our package came with a theme room of either a Wolf Den Suite or a Kid Kamp Suite.
Both options include bunk beds and sleep a maximum of 6. The Wolf Den Suite has a cave theme around the bunk beds while the Kid Kamp Suite has a separate room with a window and bunk beds. I chose the Kid Kamp Suite as it was larger for the same price.
Nice Touch: Each room includes a small refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and hair dryer.
Extras
The reservation process then took me through extra activities that could be added at a discount. With this being our first visit, we did not choose any extra options though we looked at the MagiQuest. We ended up not purchasing any extra activities as the waterpark met all our needs.
Communicating our Reservation
Immediate Confirmation
Using our voucher number at checkout, our total included the deal along with $41.51 in taxes. (The amount was later adjusted at check-in when I presented the voucher.)
After completing checkout, I received an immediate confirmation e-mail with additional information regarding waterpark hours (9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.), check-in (4:00 p.m.), and checkout time (11:00 a.m.).
Though check-in is at 4:00 p.m., guests are welcome to use the waterpark beginning at 1:00 p.m. with changing rooms, towels, and lockers available on arrival.
Prior Week Follow-up
One week prior to our visit, we received an e-mail with all our confirmation details, the cancellation policy, and information on additional amenities. I appreciated the communication knowing that the Great Wolf Lodge had our reservation and had reserved a room for us.
Online Check-in
About 4 days prior to our visit, I received a welcome e-mail letting me know we could avoid the lines when we arrive by using online check-in. A link was provided, but I kept getting a message that my reservation was not yet ready.
I even called customer service, who suggested waiting until Sunday morning to check-in. I tried each day, including Sunday morning, without success. So, we ended up waiting in line which I will cover in the next post on Arrival Procedures.
The registration process was seamless, and we felt welcome from the start of the process. Though we did have issues with the online check-in, which was frustrating, we still had reservations and enjoyed our visit.
I would love to see the online system improved, but the Great Wolf Lodge nailed the reservation process as it was easy and accurate. Happy Howling time!
Question: Do you prefer online check-in or in-person check-in when lodging away from home?