There are a lot of what-ifs going on during the pandemic of 2020 – I am sure you don’t need to be reminded. But one thing I have noticed as a trend is that – everyone is trying their best to navigate the unknown. From school to work to “getting outside,” there’s been a lot of decision making to be had.
Especially for birthdays. Honestly, I am glad we didn’t have to throw one this year. But my son’s is still during the peak of the summer when it’s hot – cooping up alone to eat ice cream and cake was depressing. He was growing tired of hiking and biking (while I would have LOVED to eat cake on top of Bear Mountain, this was his birthday). So I tried to find something we could during #Covid19 that would still be special.
The Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos opened early July and I thought this could be a really great couple of days to make Max feel a bit normal. They have a ton of safety procedures in place, and we didn’t once feel unsafe.
Not sure about it yet? They have implemented the Paw Pledge for all guests (read here), and done a lot to keep the facilities clean and safe for everyone. Here’s what we experienced:
1. Check-in (and check-out).
Wear your masks when you enter. They have roped off spacing area so you can easily distance and you sign up and pay online – so there is really no transaction at the desk, they just hand you your wristbands (which you can sanitize). Wristbands do it all – get you into the waterpark, open your room door AND act as your credit card – all contactless! All staff wears proper PPE and you’ll be required to fill out a health questionnaire upon arrival.
**You can also check-in via the app and not have to do onsite at all!
Plus, they have installed hand sanitizer stations all over the place, it’s hard not to find one.
There are also signs that say only one family per elevator, so we were able to easily distance.
Note – there is no valet service at this time. You must self-park and carry your items to your room.
Check out is completely contactless via the app now.
2. The Rooms
Everything is cleaned and sanitized before you enter, but to be extra cautious, we brought our own Lysol to quickly spray down the beds and couches/chairs, doorknobs, and microwave. It’s become the new normal, and while I have traveled minimally this year, I have found that this is a quick extra precaution to stay safe.
Note – room service is only available by request in advance now, and they only come to clean once you have left – you cannot be in the room while they clean.
3. The Waterpark
You must wear masks everywhere except inside the waterpark. They are only at 50% capacity so it is still easy to distance from people inside here. They have removed a lot of the chairs and seating, they have plexiglass up to order drinks at the bar and markers to distance here as well as on the slides.
Since it was summer, we actually opted to only use the outdoor pool. They had removed many of the outdoor seating as well, so it was easy to stay separated from people. Again, lots of hand sanitizer stations outside (for door handles) and since half capacity, the pool outside was not very busy and Max was able to keep a good distance from everyone.
Note – the hot tubs are closed because they do not allow for social distancing.
4. Dining
Yes, it is still open! This was our first experience actually eating inside, and they still have their buffet however, some things have changed. Plan to wait for a little – they have very limited seating now (and most of it is mountain/camping style so we actually were eating in a tent basically which was cool and super private. All silverware is individually wrapped and you must request condiments for your table.
**a maximum of 6 people allowed per table.
The buffet is limited to a smaller amount of food options, and you wait in line and tell them what you would like to be served instead of serving yourself. But – I will admit – the food here is REALLY GOOD! It’s not just a basic buffet they had delicious salmon that was juicy, roasted veggies, and even broccoli cheddar soup. Plus, all the stuff for kids, too! The staff was super nice and helpful, you stay behind a glass shield until they place your tray of food for pickup at the end on the counter. The buffet is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Dunkin Donuts is still open as well with the same sort of distancing measures and glass, so you can get your caffeine fix in the am!
Pizza shop and waterpark grill – also still open but with distancing measures in place. You are also now given a buzzer to come and pick up your food when it’s ready instead of crowding around to wait for it.
**for these, they also have contactless food ordering via the app where you can just get pinged to go and pick it up when it’s ready!
5. The Birthday
Sadly, there was no birthday party, but that didn’t stop Great Wolf – they came and decorated our room (Max still kept the poster on the door!) with balloons and small treats. We received a voucher for the birthday cake instead of hosting in the party room, and it was HUGE! Plus it came with everything- tons of plates and wrapped disposable silverware. Perfect for hosting outside as a picnic cake birthday.
6. Other amenities around the grounds.
Most everything was open! They even now offer pre-packaged craft kits you can request to do in your room. See a full breakdown here.
Arcade – is open! But we sadly skipped this to be extra cautious and Max was very upset – it’s one of his favorites!
Storytime – they rope off the area in the front so you can’t walk through, and all activities you must sign up for in advance now through the app. This way they can keep it to limited capacity and spaced out.
Character Appearances – only happen on stage now to allow distancing
Mini Golf and bowling – limited to spacing already so these were open. Since golf is one per family at a time, they keep this flow so you are distanced (they make your skip a hole between families). Bowling is limited to every other lane now to allow distancing.
MagiQuest – is still open as well. We found this to be safe because you wear masks the entire time as you’re running around being active, don’t actually touch anything and there is hand sanitizer stations everywhere just in case. This is Max’s’ favorite and he would go here just to do this for hours on end!
Fitness center and business center – these are closed for the time being. So are the self-serve ice machines.
