Practically on the heels of returning from Riverhead, we prepared for our next stop: Great Wolf Lodge.
Alas we were traveling sans Rivka this time, since she began school the day that we were beginning this leg of our vacation, but we had the bonus of having my eldest daughter with us this time around (usually her vacation time does not coincide with the yeshiva break dates). Another ingredient missing from our return trip to Great Wolf Lodge was my eldest son Naftali. Not only was he helpful two years ago in entertaining both Yussie and Lea at the hotel, but he was the designated driver while I tried to relax in the back seat.
As my readers know, I am not too fond of long-distance driving, but I have found myself in the driver’s seat quite often over the past few years during times when my husband cannot take vacation due to work obligations. Thankfully, the last time we made our trek to Great Wolf Lodge, Naftali was off from college, and more than happily volunteered his driving expertise. This time around he is happily married, and working full time, which put me back in the driver’s seat!
The trip to the Poconos was uneventful this time (last trip it was pouring, and I was quite thankful that Naftali was navigating the roads then), aside from the fact that I have become increasingly frightened of bridges. I don’t know why I have such a fear of bridges. I don’t think I am afraid of heights or that they will break or anything, I just seem to feel my heart race and the palms of my hands sweat as I ascend the bridge, and I do not gasp a sigh of relief until I am off the bridge! My fears seem to increase as I get older. You would think I would get used to the experience, but somehow that has not been the case.
Fortunately the trip after the bridges was smooth sailing (aside from the cars and trucks who seemed to take offense that I chose to drive a tad slower than the speed limit), and in two and a half hours we made it to our destination! It felt like coming home, despite that we had only been here once before. The lines to check in were long, but my older kids were patiently entertaining the younger ones, while I made it to the head of the line. This was certainly a popular vacation spot! We saw familiar faces at every turn!
Our room was very interesting. It was a bit of hike to get there, but when we did it was so worth the walk (someone told me that each hallway in the resort is half a mile long. I must have lost a ton of weight over our two nights there)! We had a microwave and refrigerator (which is standard in every room), and even a terrace! We were staying in what is called a “loft suite” on the main level: two queen beds, a television, a full bathroom, a half wall separating a “living room area” with a pull-out couch with another television, and a staircase leading up to the loft which housed a half bath, queen bed, and yet another television. After we made ourselves at home, we ventured to the main attraction: the water park!
There seem to have been a number of additions to the resort since we were last here, which adds to the myriad of activities available. Of course, Yussie’s favorite arcade, which houses his favorite game “Deal or No Deal” is still there, and we promised Yussie a trip to the arcade soon.
After weighing all my options, I decided to purchase a Paw Pass. The last time we visited, I didn’t see the value in it. After our visit, I realized that it was certainly a value! Last time we borrowed a friend’s wand to try out MagiQuest—a game that is sort of like a scavenger hunt, but with a wizard’s wand and various special effects. This time our goal was to own our own wand! Some families have wands for each child. I am not at that stage yet . . . we were going to share this wand, and the experience as well. The Paw Pass entitled us to a wand, a MagiQuest game (yes, you have to charge your wand to give it power), a bowling game (a new attraction at the hotel), 80 tokens to the arcade (a necessity when traveling with Yussie), and a bunch of other fun stuff which when packaged together saved me a bundle! After purchasing the pass, and receiving the wand (which Lea and I named Princess Lea, since she was with me when I decided to make the purchase), I already felt I had more magical powers!
When deciding whether Yussie should miss more school this past week to join us on this adventure, we had to consider what benefits he would receive versus the negatives of missing school. Obviously the aquarium trip to Riverhead the previous week was educational as well as fun, but what value did this trip offer our child with special needs? I think Great Wolf Lodge was a perfect alternative to school! Not only did Yussie learn how to navigate the hallways (great exercise) and increase his attention at the bingo game at the Cub Club (his eldest sister won two games straight), he enjoyed the water park and (almost) all it had to offer. He was in awe of the energy in the water park (as we all were). There was something for everybody! Yussie especially enjoyed “getting soaking wet” when the huge Great Wolf barrel of water tipped down on him, and even enjoyed waiting for it to drop again (he usually does not enjoy waiting). The bowling enhanced his eye/hand coordination, and of course his playing of Deal or No Deal increased his knowledge of numbers and was especially rewarding when he managed to win a deal of 125 tickets!
My particular favorite was the wave pool—all the excitement of the ocean waves, while knowing what to predict (ocean waves are never predictable). Rochel couldn’t convince me to try a slide again. I had risen over my fears two years ago, when Rivka convinced me, but honestly, once was more than enough! I didn’t feel that I was at a loss, because I greatly enjoyed the rest of the water park, while satisfied that Rochel was enjoying the slides herself. Thanks to our friend Lizzy, for keeping Rochel company on most of her slide expeditions.
I think Lea really found her niche in the MagiQuest game. For someone who at times has difficulty paying attention, this surely captured her attention. I think she mastered all of the quests she attempted. I think our eldest daughter just enjoyed being included in this family trip.
Our trip lasted from Tuesday until Thursday, but the memories made will last a lifetime!

Phyllis Joy Lubin is an attorney with Rosenfeld & Maidenbaum, LLP, who resides in Cedarhurst with her husband, Leonard. They have six children: Naftali, Shoshana, Rivka, Rochel, Yosef, and Lea and now a new daughter-in-law, Nina. The author welcomes your questions and comments at MothersMusings@gmail.com.