**I get nothing for this post, I paid full price for our room.
You know me, I am all about giving advice when traveling... I hope this is helpful:
July 5-7 we were at the 2nd Happiest Place in Anaheim, Great Wolf Lodge (GWL). Holiday weekend, you would think to steer clear...NOPE! Do it!!!!!! .. this is a GREAT vacation!
Imagine a large hotel room (we upgraded to the bunk bed cabin style for the kids). They get own section of the room in a themed bunk bed with own TV (it's a BUNK bed, just do it). Imagine a HUGE water park with lots to do, and not long lines... because only those staying at the hotel can go to the water park.. the longest line we waited in for a tube slide was 10 minutes. They have a lagoon area for the tiny tots, a HUGE play slide area for the pre-schoolers, and the rest for big kids (48inches) and bigger. Money saving tip- get the cheaper room, and book 60+ days in advance. I found rates for $175 a night! That is half what I paid!
Here are my mommy tidbits
Do:
1) Bring snacks/food. There is a larger fridge in the room (large dorm style). The food at GWL is pricey and not all that great. I brought some mini frozen pancakes and milk/cereal for breakfast. There is a McDonalds across the street for lunch, then we went down the street (drive thru) for dinner- El Pollo Loco and other places are a 2 minute drive up the street. Your car is in a close parking garage and getting in and out is NOT difficult. So go get food and bring it in. You CANNOT bring food into the water park that is not GWL.
2) Pack numerous swim suits.
3) If you can swing it: Upgrade to the bunk bed themed room. My kids enjoyed relaxing in the afternoon/night in their bunk with the ipads. Note: no Disney JR or Nick JR- this only leaves the regular Disney/Nick channels. You know this means stupid TWEEN shows and Spongebob. Bring the tablets...
Although maybe your kids want to do all the extras (SEE #6) ...then get the cheaper room!
4) Bring WATER shoes and goggles. They help.
5) Get to the water park early, spend 1-2 hours. Then leave during the busy lunch hours. Come back later and the last hour you can go on a ton of rides - no lines.
6) Prepare for the marketing "You need to buy this and that" CRAP! Seriously, if you do not have a budget conversation with your kids, this can get expensive. Do you want to double your budget on crap and activities? NO! Here are all the extras that can add up to hundreds of dollars: bowling, mini golf, the MagiQuest WAND and game (more on this later), 3D movie experience, build-a-animal shop (fake BuildABear), glitter/bling for girls, ARCADE, and more! We told our kids- "We paid for the water park and hotel. EVERYTHING else we are NOT doing. We do not have the budget for it". We did end up buying the wands and 1 game... that bill was $100. The wand game is cool- and will keep your kid busy for hours and hours. You can bring the wand back and just buy a new "game" for $15. If you have TWEEN's and teens this can be an activity where you send them off to have fun alone. There are wand interactive stands ALL OVER the hotel. My 6yo and 3 yo loved it.. Oh and I forgot to mention... this is cruise ship style-- the wristband is your credit card/payment system. So charge away with a flick of the wrist... and get blown away by your exit bill. Have the conversation, set your budget... decide on the extras now.
7) Enjoy the cleanliness! This water park is super clean... no trash, no dirty dirt gross water on the floor. The towels are picked up if left on chairs, etc. I was impressed with the overall appearance, I even looked to the high vaulted ceiling above the water slides for dust, dirt, spiderwebs, etc... NOTHING-- it was clean!
8) Get downstairs for coffee/breakfast BEFORE 7am. I would go down and NO ONE was in the Dunkin Donuts line and the breakfast buffet place. I got donuts for our kids as a treat. Plus that the Dunkin Donuts is RIGHT outside the elevator!
9) Bring coffee and coffee filters. I am a coffee snob and want my Sbucks. There is a tiny 4cup coffee pot with the bagged coffee already in the filter. I simply opened the bag and dumped out the grounds and added my own- rolled it back up- done. #Ninja Hack.
10) Bring Beer- the fridge has handy perfect molds for beer-- can/bottle holders. Bring a opener! (Target 1 mile down the street). They allowed my husband into the water park with a plastic cup filled with beer (I cannot guarantee this will work every time though).
11) LYFT and UBER's are everywhere :) I went to the AVID conference and my family stayed at GWL, so I Lyft'ed over to the convention center every morning for $6.
12) Enjoy the comfort of lifeguards everywhere. Every single ride, experience, and pool has multiple lifeguards. I am sitting at the wave pool now typing this and I can see 4 lifeguards in front of me. 2 monitoring the wave pool (about the size of an olympic pool) and 2 in the front at the entrance who serve as mainly hospitality. They switch often because the lifeguards are in constant scanning motion... very tiring! They will not engage in conversation and I can tell they take their jobs seriously! The Flow Rider is the boogie board experience and they were great with my 6yo who was scared, they started him from the bottom to get him used to it and allowed him 4 times to go.
Don't:
1) Don't talk while waiting for the elevators.. they are SUPER quiet when they arrive and you can easily miss an elevator. There are 8 total, so stand and listen intently.
2) Don't worry about long lines at the water park, Many of the lines have 3-4 slides at the top.. the Mats have 4 go at a time.. so everything moves pretty fast. As you get to the top you can ask people in front of you which tube they are going down, if they all are in line for the orange/purple--you can cut in front to get on the blue or yellow tubes. Everyone is waiting for the orange/purple awesome one.. we skipped ahead to blue and were happy.
3) Don't worry about needing a towel. The atmosphere is very warm and humid. You get off a ride soaking wet, you can easily move around comfortably. You stay warm, no shivering! You don't need a towel until you exit the water park into the freezing AC rooms.
4) Don't pack shampoo, conditioner, soap-- it's amazing quality! I even got a deep conditioner trial pack (total marketing a brand).
5) Don't WAIT to put stuff in car during check out. Get up early, pack up.. go get a luggage cart (they are amazing airport ones that you usually have to pay for, small and easy to push. Take a large load to the car before 8am. The elevator can be VERY busy 9am-2pm.
6) expect your under 48 inch child to NOT wear a life vest. It is mandatory on some rides/pools. They will get a colored band indicating height and they monitor for vests. Our friends kid is short and a very strong swimmer, but she HAD to wear a vest. You can bring your own from home.
Overall this was a "win" for the Sanchez family. No driving, no needing a room key (your wristband is your room key), no sunscreen needed, no towel... get into your suit and head down to waterpark. That is it... We love vacations where you don't have to think... and there is beer.
As always I explain our my family spends 25K a year on vacations while still have a $630 a month daycare bill.
1) Working REWARDS!
a) Disney Chase Credit card. 2% back. Use if for EVERYTHING except 3 things. We have one of us cruise for free on Disney every other year. AND Disney Vacations are 6 months 0 % interest.
b) Costco Citi card! We make over $1500 a year back from 2 cards and the Executive Membership. That cash (sent as checks you cash at Costco registers) is used to pay for our entire Carnival Cruise this spring break!
c) Alaskan Airlines Credit Card- companion fares, free baggage, miles.
d) EBATES! In 8 days I have made $63 in cash and $30 is pending travel. You start at the EBATES website and simply shop like normal online. The referral link within Ebates makes you money.
ex: Amazon says "hey EBATES send me people to shop" Ebates loads up the % back and posts it. You start on Ebates and click the Amazon link, it sends you to Amazon KNOWING you will earn cash back. You shop on Amazon like normal (be sure to stay in that referral link) and BAM % back in your EBATE account the next day. It is THAT easy!
Cash is sent to your Paypal account (or paper check) every quarter. This alone pays for our spending money for our Thanksgiving Cancun Trip. Here is my snip-it proving what I have earned and (promise, legit)! And the link to sign up.
Below in the photo #1) All money made on Ebates to date (8 days people)! #2) My last PayPal deposit. #3) how I earned cash back on shopping.
LINK to sign up: https://www.ebates.com/r/OOGIEN3?eeid=28187
2) We do not have car payments. Hubby drives a 2003 Accord, me a 2010 Swag Van we paid off in 2 years (hence, didn't travel much those years).
3) Our mortgage is lower. We are both full time educators and could have afforded over 2K a month on a mortgage, instead we opted for a cheaper home for a cheaper mortgage.
4) Shop travel deals online during good sales. Our entire April spring break Carnival cruise is $1400 for all of us. Our Alaskan Cruise we got the alcohol package for FREE when we upgraded to a Balcony (which I had always wanted). In Mexico always Kids Stay FREE deals.
5) YNAB! You Need a Budget is an online cloud budget tool. It is budgeting on steroids! You have to account for EVERY penny! I have been using YNAB for 5 years and I am able to FULLY fund my vacations thru budgeting each month. I set aside 2k a month for travel, this tool allows me to budget monthly and set goals. It tells me what we spend the most money on (ahem, food and shopping) and allows us to have discussions about habits we NEED to change to reach our goals. They have amazing training videos, and a FREE 30 day trial. Try it, no obligation (it is better than MINT which I used for 2 years and EveryDollar). Try it here: https://ynab.com/referral/?ref=G6Kp8nTV4XKAQNSX&utm_source=customer_referral
Travel on Everyone!
-Auggie
You know me, I am all about giving advice when traveling... I hope this is helpful:
July 5-7 we were at the 2nd Happiest Place in Anaheim, Great Wolf Lodge (GWL). Holiday weekend, you would think to steer clear...NOPE! Do it!!!!!! .. this is a GREAT vacation!
Imagine a large hotel room (we upgraded to the bunk bed cabin style for the kids). They get own section of the room in a themed bunk bed with own TV (it's a BUNK bed, just do it). Imagine a HUGE water park with lots to do, and not long lines... because only those staying at the hotel can go to the water park.. the longest line we waited in for a tube slide was 10 minutes. They have a lagoon area for the tiny tots, a HUGE play slide area for the pre-schoolers, and the rest for big kids (48inches) and bigger. Money saving tip- get the cheaper room, and book 60+ days in advance. I found rates for $175 a night! That is half what I paid!
Here are my mommy tidbits
Do:
1) Bring snacks/food. There is a larger fridge in the room (large dorm style). The food at GWL is pricey and not all that great. I brought some mini frozen pancakes and milk/cereal for breakfast. There is a McDonalds across the street for lunch, then we went down the street (drive thru) for dinner- El Pollo Loco and other places are a 2 minute drive up the street. Your car is in a close parking garage and getting in and out is NOT difficult. So go get food and bring it in. You CANNOT bring food into the water park that is not GWL.
2) Pack numerous swim suits.
3) If you can swing it: Upgrade to the bunk bed themed room. My kids enjoyed relaxing in the afternoon/night in their bunk with the ipads. Note: no Disney JR or Nick JR- this only leaves the regular Disney/Nick channels. You know this means stupid TWEEN shows and Spongebob. Bring the tablets...
Although maybe your kids want to do all the extras (SEE #6) ...then get the cheaper room!
4) Bring WATER shoes and goggles. They help.
5) Get to the water park early, spend 1-2 hours. Then leave during the busy lunch hours. Come back later and the last hour you can go on a ton of rides - no lines.
6) Prepare for the marketing "You need to buy this and that" CRAP! Seriously, if you do not have a budget conversation with your kids, this can get expensive. Do you want to double your budget on crap and activities? NO! Here are all the extras that can add up to hundreds of dollars: bowling, mini golf, the MagiQuest WAND and game (more on this later), 3D movie experience, build-a-animal shop (fake BuildABear), glitter/bling for girls, ARCADE, and more! We told our kids- "We paid for the water park and hotel. EVERYTHING else we are NOT doing. We do not have the budget for it". We did end up buying the wands and 1 game... that bill was $100. The wand game is cool- and will keep your kid busy for hours and hours. You can bring the wand back and just buy a new "game" for $15. If you have TWEEN's and teens this can be an activity where you send them off to have fun alone. There are wand interactive stands ALL OVER the hotel. My 6yo and 3 yo loved it.. Oh and I forgot to mention... this is cruise ship style-- the wristband is your credit card/payment system. So charge away with a flick of the wrist... and get blown away by your exit bill. Have the conversation, set your budget... decide on the extras now.
7) Enjoy the cleanliness! This water park is super clean... no trash, no dirty dirt gross water on the floor. The towels are picked up if left on chairs, etc. I was impressed with the overall appearance, I even looked to the high vaulted ceiling above the water slides for dust, dirt, spiderwebs, etc... NOTHING-- it was clean!
8) Get downstairs for coffee/breakfast BEFORE 7am. I would go down and NO ONE was in the Dunkin Donuts line and the breakfast buffet place. I got donuts for our kids as a treat. Plus that the Dunkin Donuts is RIGHT outside the elevator!
9) Bring coffee and coffee filters. I am a coffee snob and want my Sbucks. There is a tiny 4cup coffee pot with the bagged coffee already in the filter. I simply opened the bag and dumped out the grounds and added my own- rolled it back up- done. #Ninja Hack.
10) Bring Beer- the fridge has handy perfect molds for beer-- can/bottle holders. Bring a opener! (Target 1 mile down the street). They allowed my husband into the water park with a plastic cup filled with beer (I cannot guarantee this will work every time though).
11) LYFT and UBER's are everywhere :) I went to the AVID conference and my family stayed at GWL, so I Lyft'ed over to the convention center every morning for $6.
12) Enjoy the comfort of lifeguards everywhere. Every single ride, experience, and pool has multiple lifeguards. I am sitting at the wave pool now typing this and I can see 4 lifeguards in front of me. 2 monitoring the wave pool (about the size of an olympic pool) and 2 in the front at the entrance who serve as mainly hospitality. They switch often because the lifeguards are in constant scanning motion... very tiring! They will not engage in conversation and I can tell they take their jobs seriously! The Flow Rider is the boogie board experience and they were great with my 6yo who was scared, they started him from the bottom to get him used to it and allowed him 4 times to go.
Don't:
1) Don't talk while waiting for the elevators.. they are SUPER quiet when they arrive and you can easily miss an elevator. There are 8 total, so stand and listen intently.
2) Don't worry about long lines at the water park, Many of the lines have 3-4 slides at the top.. the Mats have 4 go at a time.. so everything moves pretty fast. As you get to the top you can ask people in front of you which tube they are going down, if they all are in line for the orange/purple--you can cut in front to get on the blue or yellow tubes. Everyone is waiting for the orange/purple awesome one.. we skipped ahead to blue and were happy.
3) Don't worry about needing a towel. The atmosphere is very warm and humid. You get off a ride soaking wet, you can easily move around comfortably. You stay warm, no shivering! You don't need a towel until you exit the water park into the freezing AC rooms.
4) Don't pack shampoo, conditioner, soap-- it's amazing quality! I even got a deep conditioner trial pack (total marketing a brand).
5) Don't WAIT to put stuff in car during check out. Get up early, pack up.. go get a luggage cart (they are amazing airport ones that you usually have to pay for, small and easy to push. Take a large load to the car before 8am. The elevator can be VERY busy 9am-2pm.
6) expect your under 48 inch child to NOT wear a life vest. It is mandatory on some rides/pools. They will get a colored band indicating height and they monitor for vests. Our friends kid is short and a very strong swimmer, but she HAD to wear a vest. You can bring your own from home.
Overall this was a "win" for the Sanchez family. No driving, no needing a room key (your wristband is your room key), no sunscreen needed, no towel... get into your suit and head down to waterpark. That is it... We love vacations where you don't have to think... and there is beer.
1) Working REWARDS!
a) Disney Chase Credit card. 2% back. Use if for EVERYTHING except 3 things. We have one of us cruise for free on Disney every other year. AND Disney Vacations are 6 months 0 % interest.
b) Costco Citi card! We make over $1500 a year back from 2 cards and the Executive Membership. That cash (sent as checks you cash at Costco registers) is used to pay for our entire Carnival Cruise this spring break!
c) Alaskan Airlines Credit Card- companion fares, free baggage, miles.
d) EBATES! In 8 days I have made $63 in cash and $30 is pending travel. You start at the EBATES website and simply shop like normal online. The referral link within Ebates makes you money.
ex: Amazon says "hey EBATES send me people to shop" Ebates loads up the % back and posts it. You start on Ebates and click the Amazon link, it sends you to Amazon KNOWING you will earn cash back. You shop on Amazon like normal (be sure to stay in that referral link) and BAM % back in your EBATE account the next day. It is THAT easy!
Cash is sent to your Paypal account (or paper check) every quarter. This alone pays for our spending money for our Thanksgiving Cancun Trip. Here is my snip-it proving what I have earned and (promise, legit)! And the link to sign up.
Below in the photo #1) All money made on Ebates to date (8 days people)! #2) My last PayPal deposit. #3) how I earned cash back on shopping.
LINK to sign up: https://www.ebates.com/r/OOGIEN3?eeid=28187
2) We do not have car payments. Hubby drives a 2003 Accord, me a 2010 Swag Van we paid off in 2 years (hence, didn't travel much those years).
3) Our mortgage is lower. We are both full time educators and could have afforded over 2K a month on a mortgage, instead we opted for a cheaper home for a cheaper mortgage.
4) Shop travel deals online during good sales. Our entire April spring break Carnival cruise is $1400 for all of us. Our Alaskan Cruise we got the alcohol package for FREE when we upgraded to a Balcony (which I had always wanted). In Mexico always Kids Stay FREE deals.
5) YNAB! You Need a Budget is an online cloud budget tool. It is budgeting on steroids! You have to account for EVERY penny! I have been using YNAB for 5 years and I am able to FULLY fund my vacations thru budgeting each month. I set aside 2k a month for travel, this tool allows me to budget monthly and set goals. It tells me what we spend the most money on (ahem, food and shopping) and allows us to have discussions about habits we NEED to change to reach our goals. They have amazing training videos, and a FREE 30 day trial. Try it, no obligation (it is better than MINT which I used for 2 years and EveryDollar). Try it here: https://ynab.com/referral/?ref=G6Kp8nTV4XKAQNSX&utm_source=customer_referral
Travel on Everyone!
-Auggie
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