KeyLime Cove Water Resort Review

Stayed here with a lacrosse team and my wife and kids. Water park was great, arcades were great, service was great. Was expecting the food to be expensive and crappy but it was actually pretty good. These is an indoor bar that's great. Also a poolside bar which is convenient.

Only downside is that the cleaning service of the rooms is poor. There were 2 days/nights that we did not have anyone service the rooms.

Overall, great place and we would definitely cone back

Overall it was a good experience. Great for families with smaller kids. Not sure I'd go again given how far of a drive it was.

I wish I could give 2 1/2 stars. The resort is beautiful and looks well kept. The main lobby, halls and the waterpark are all very well maintained. The hotel is gigantic, which isn't necessarily a good thing. Some of the rooms are so far from both the lobby area and parking, it's a bit ridiculous. I've been to the resort 4 times now, all in the off season. I can't even imagine, what that place is like during the summer when the hotel fills up and all those people cram into the waterpark.
Watch what you're paying for a nightly rate. Make sure you do some research before you book. Their standard rates are typically between $250-300 a night. However, if you spend a little time surfing the net, you'll find you can get it much cheaper. The last time I was there, I paid 89/night.

Great place for a cheaper vacation. A 2-3 night stay is perfect. Plenty to do for kids up to age 12. The restaurant needs a bit of work as they don't seem to have all their ducks in a row. While it had good food, they have a small menu and were out of one thing. The waitress was a bit short and pushy on drinks, but overall was fine. I would recommend it.

I love Key Lime Cove! I love when you get to make your own plush animal! All you families that are look for a good (great) water park, this is the place. Parents, if you are searchIng for a excellent place to relax, you gone to the right place! If you got the little ones that love fun and water, they will enjoy it! I remember the water splashing on my head! Key Lime Cove is the bomb diggy!

Worst costumer service I ve ever received. The manager grant does not care about the clients and consumers of the business.

Upon arriving they told us we would be texted when our room was ready. 15 minutes after our room was supposed to be ready I waited in the long line of people for the second time to check our room. Turned out the room was ready and we just were never texted. Was frustrating since their check in is at 4pm which is ridiculous. Next that gave me my room number but directed me to a different tower to look for said room. I hauled my family and luggage up 3 floors to find out I'm in the wrong place. The cherry on top was when the vacant room above me was blasting the hotel channel all night long and I had to go down to the lobby to have them turn it off. I complained to the manager and he didn't care one bit. I'll be avoiding this place in the future.

Fun for kids, awful for adults. Ran out of towels for 1/2 hour. Stayed 2 nights, and always long lines for the food and drink. Kids had fun though.

My son got sick on the first night of stay and manager was not helpful at all. According to another mgr he wrote lies on his report just to cover his butt.

Lots of fun stuff for the kids and the indoor water park is fun.

That said, the in house food options are over priced. Tons of great food options nearby.

Compared to Wisconsin Dells. This park is substandard. It was pretty boring. Very disappointed with the waterpark. Given the price, I was expecting a wonderful experience.

We always travel to Wisconsin Dells for for annual vacation. When I saw that this opened closer to home, I immediately booked, 7 months early.

At check-in, we were told that the room we wanted was not available. WHAT?! When we pushed for answers we were told that we should have called the hotel directly and NOT the 800 number. There was nothing they could do. We obviously escalated the issues. After several hours, we got the room we wanted. However, there was a lot of aggravation and time wasted.

Needless to say, no one wants to return to this location. Which is a shame because it is only an hour from home and is close to Great America. However, everyone - even the kids - want to drive 3 hours away to try a new resort in Wisconsin Dells.

Good for a weekend or short stay if you want a relatively affordable option. The lodge is clean, staff is nice, but the whole operation could be better organized. One example is their app that they reccomend guests to download to get the activities informations but the data in the app was not updated and there is no option to reserve spots for activities like the story time for kids. The hotel doesn't offer a map or pamphlet with general information and for anything you have to call guest services. My room had the bathtub drain clogged, what made my experience a bad one. I called guest service to have the drain unclogged, they said they would send someone to take care of it and it never happened. The water park is okay, not more than that. It is not a bad place, but I am not planning to go back anytime soon, I will probably try a different place.

Beware! Room was infested with Bed Bugs. Saw live Bed Bug crawling on my daughters blanket. Notified management and they sent us to another room. At this point it was to late, we couldn't sleep all night it was a knightmare. Management said they would contat us and give us a refund, instead we get a call stating their shady Pest Control Company ( Whom I doubt are state certified) found no live activity. My mind was blown couldn't believe they would lie. They offered us free passes to come back which we will not be accepting, we will never go back. On top of all this they said theroom we stayed at had previously been. Infested. You Have Been Warned.infeccontent://media/external/file/349

Make sure you check your credit card bill, because they will double charge you. Our one night stay has cost $630. Obviously I am fighting the charges. They pool area is nice, but their food sucks. I suggest you just have food delivered.

Very good water park experience. Kids had loads of fun. A little pricy for one night stay but worth it now and then.

I wanted my daughter's 13th birthday party to be special! You only become a teenager once. I invited some very close friends of hers and surprised them with a 2 night stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Gurnee, IL. It wasn't at all cheap but the rooms we were put in, were. They were infested with ants. Everywhere we looked, ants! We had to ask for clean sheets for the beds and blankets. The paint was chipping, there was mold in the bathrooms, and housekeeping was not at all good. The kids had a great time at the Waterpark! The slides were very fun! Unfortunately, they used so much chlorine that the kids had to leave the Waterpark to catch their breath. The on staff medical team were great with treating the kids. Their oxygen levels were low. They advised that that they stay out of the Waterpark for a while. They also asked where the kids were at mainly, so they could check the chlorine levels. With as much as I paid, our time there wasn't worth the money. Even when told about the ants, they din't even try to make it better. They did, however, wait until we were leaving to go into the rooms to spray for ants.

Rooms were clean. Kids loved the water park. Lots to spend money on. Food was better than I thought for quick eats.

I wish I can give them 0 stars. It's not worth the money. Bathrooms and blankets stink so bad, bathrooms was clogged up so bad we couldn't take showers. There's flies and bugs inside the hotel and restaurants. Few of their elevators didn't work.
We complain to manager and all manager said was that there's nothing we can do about that. We spend over $1200 for 1 day
THIS WAS A BIG WASTE OF MONEY.... DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY

The hotel is great. The water park was great but the wavepool is underwhelming. But it's overall good! I like how there was a lot of fun things to do. As I suggest this hotel for families!

Such a fun vacation! Bring snacks and a drying rack

The rooms are not so clean looking. The carpets are not new, and the comforters are old. The waterpark itself is good but needs some improvement in cleaning the water. The water is greenish.

It was an amazing place to spend my Birthday and fave some great family fun too!!!!

*Updated to 4 Stars from 3*
Great Wolf Lodge cares about their customer s experience and feedback. I will definitely give them another shot, when I m looking to visit an indoor waterpark locally with my family. Overall it was a great first time experience, besides the minor kinks that I hope will be corrected by the time we visit the resort again. My children had a wonderful time and they would have given GWL 5 stars.

Original Review:
This is our first time visiting Great Wolf Lodge and we were super excited. We booked the Grizzly Bear Suite from 6/22-6/25. First impression arriving in the lodge appearances met our expectations and we couldn t wait to check into our suite. We arrive at the front desk and I give the young lady my information. After 20 minutes of waiting she comes back with our wristbands, splashing fun package, room number, and wolf ears. Once in our suite I start to unpack and settle in and realize that I didn t receive my 2 Pup Passes and 3 days of breakfast buffet vouchers. I go back to the front desk and ask about my Pup passes and breakfast vouchers. The staff look flustered and puzzled. About 20 minutes later, two front desk staff and a manager come back with the breakfast vouchers and stating I only have been charged for 1 Pup pass even though I added 2 Pup passes when I made my reservation over the phone. So now I have to add the cost of another Pup pass when I was already was under the impression I had purchased it and it was included in our final cost I just paid at check-in.
On our way down to the water park there was an out of order sign on one of the elevators, but every time you press the button the out of order elevator keeps opening. After trying for 5-10 minutes, we end up walking down four floors of stairs with a 2 & 5 year old. The elevators weren t working again until the next morning, so we were stuck using the stairs for the rest of the day.
I understand I didn t have a themed room, but for a premium suite I would expect to see way more Great Wolf decor throughout each room. There way an overhanging Great Wolf lamp hanging near the table area that was more of a falling hazard than decor. It almost fell on my 2 year old! Thank God, my husband was standing over her at the right moment. I immediately informed the desk and they told me someone would fix it. It sat on our table for 3 nights until we left. My husband actually ended up putting it back up as best as he could (hopefully it doesn t end up falling in anyone else). The suite was also missing a microwave that was listed online and mention at booking the reservation.
It s unfortunate we ran into so many issues initially. Overall the staff was knowledgeable, polite, and helpful besides the front desk staff on the first day. The water park was clean, big, and staffed well. My children had an awesome time, but for the premium prices you re paying it may be best to look elsewhere for our next family getaway.

Very nice place and relaxing for the family with small children, high prices.

The place is cool. However, I feel the need to point out to things. First of all, don't eat the tacos. They may be good, but they are expensive. Go to Momcorn instead, where the have tacos that taste just as good for a third the price. Second of all, the climbing gym is not for the faint of heart. They cannot and will not let you chicken out. It's fun, but not if you are scared of hights/falling. The other activities (the magicquest, arcade, minigolf, etc) are cool.

The bathroom in the hotel room initially was not up to par cleanliness wise. there was crushed pretzels on the floor. They quickly came and cleaned it. All of the parts the room appear to be very clean. The water park was a blast! The only problem was some inconsistencies with the staff enforcing rules. The amenities at the hotel were quite lovely.

Everything was good except for room service. I am here tonight and have been waiting for almost an hour for a extra blanket and pillow. Called like 5 x and we still haven t gotten a pillow and blanket to sleep as I write.

We have not stayed overnight at this location but visited for Magiquest on a day off school. The quests are spread throughout the hotel lobby & attraction areas, so there was a LOT of running back & forth, up & down stairs. The hotel theming & Magiquest portals/stations are all sparkling new & look great. There were loads of other kids questing and all the staff were patient & happy to help. My kid had a blast (so did I) and we got some exercise too! Looking forward to coming back to stay overnight, can't wait to try the high ropes course!

Everyone's was so nice they have so many things to do!!! There's like 7 adult/kid slides 2 tornados ones a double tornado also a whole toddler section with toddler slides and wave pool... big rope course... they have golf.. bowling... magic quest game... candy shop and much more deff recommend

We came into town to attend our son's Navy boot camp graduation. Traveling with two younger kids we figured we'd make it into a fun trip and stay at Great Wolf. It turned out that the price of our 5 night stay was similar to other hotels in the area that don't have a water park. The rooms themselves are average. We travelled with 4. The room had 2 queen sized beds and one sofa/ hide-a-bed. I wasn't "wowed" but thought they were ok. Overall, we were happy with the stay.

Pros

The water park is so much fun! The air temp is nice and warm and the water is too! It's well thought out, well staffed, and any waiting in line at the waterslides was pretty minimal.

The common areas such as the lobby, arcade, waterpark, etc were all kept clean.

The staff were all friendly and upbeat.

The Queen mattresses were comfortable and of decent quality, in my opinion.

There is a small refrigerator in the rooms

This particular Great Wolf location is in walking distance of a few places (like Starbucks and Culvers) and 5-10 minute drive of just about anything you'd need.

Cons

The rooms are not fully serviced every day. You have to be proactive about making sure linens are changed, beds are made, towels restocked and trash being taken out. They'll do those things, but you have to initiate it. Just something to know.

No irons in the room.

A little more storage (maybe one more dresser, etc) would have been useful.

The hide-a-bed mattress was poor quality and squeeked whenever someone moved on it.

No microwave in the room.

Misc info: it's not a bad thing but know that Great Wolf does not do continental breakfast.

Overall we were happy with our stay and would return to Great Wolf Lodge.

We are paying in the upwards of 2000 to stay here and have found many many problems. Our room phone wasn't connected and our room had no where to connect it. Half of the attractions and activities on their map are no longer in use or they no longer open. Their restaurants are pretty much all the same. Some of the staff don't seem to even be around when you enter a place. There seems to be little to no order around here .my son has been knocked over at least 4 times by children running at full speed with no adults around. The stairs to the up and down floors are not child friendly at all. For the pros there are a couple. The rooms are clean my kids had fun that's about it. For the price we are paying I expected better quality. Their app also does not do anything worth while and is no help. They have yet to up date their own map to show the closed down stores and attractions Wich is highly annoying when you kids are excited to go to a place and are told it's no longer there.

Let s start with the positive of the place, the pool area is fantastic, activities for kids of all ages.
But the staff here left me baffled with the way they treat guest.
When my father got here on Wednesday 8/1 he was told his room would be ready at 3:00, the staff gave us our bracelets and said we d get a call/text, so he and my family went to eat and waited for a text. When we didn t get a text at 3, we decided to wait a little longer, we went up to the front desk at 3:40, to let them know we ve been waiting for a text to let us know the room was ready. The young lady stated it wasn t ready to give them 10-15 more minutes. But my dad needed to be changed ( he s a quadriplegic), and We were upset about the delay. I asked to speak to the manager, who would take around 4/6 minutes to come out. When I explained to him, Grant the manager, the situation he said Check in isn t until 4, so you have to wait. I again repeated my family was told our room would be ready at 3, it was now 3:54 and we had been waiting for more than two hours, he kept repeating that check in was at 4, my father and brother must have misheard or had some type of miscommunication. I let him know my family heard correct, and asked him to please make sure his employees knew what time check in was at. People around us were checking in before four, so why wouldn t we check in? So, I asked Grant is he was sure the shower was a roll in handicap shower, because that s the room we paid for, and his response was I sure hope it is, sarcastically. So I asked again Is there anything else we should know before we go into our room? He rolled his eyes and said No. While he went check the status on the room, he said it was finally ready. At 4:15. We went to our room and low and behold the shower is not a roll in shower , it s a step in.

The next morning while getting my father out of the shower, that s not a roll in handicap accessible, my brother and father fell.
Our didn t room didn t get cleaned until 1 pm, and we left our room at 1020.
When we asked for a cup of just ice, the young lady wanted to charge me 3 and some change, when I let her know they filled the cup in the back for me the day prior , she said Well it will be 3. .
The blue tape from when they painted was still placed on the light fixtures.

The kids had great time. We had no real expectations, so all the activities were fun. Food was good. Water park was fun, the 9pm dance party and 8 PM storytime was fun. The arcade was fun too. We'll definitely come back and check out the climbing wall, golf course, mining activity, bowling alley, and buy a wand next time.

Our room wasn't cleaned well and the toilet wouldn't flush

Lots of activities for everyone. Video games were available for people of all ages. They even had mini bowling available. The water park was great and the children loved the waterslides. The only negative about the water park was that my 18 month old daughter was told she was too small for the tiny child slides. There really was nothing available for her to do after she was removed from the slide area. The older children had a fantastic time, but it was difficult to keep the small child amused for such long periods of time. Would have been perfect if they had an area with only a few inches of water for toddlers and walking infants.

It was updated so almost everything was new . I have 1 and 3 years old . They enjoyed it . I would recommend this place to everyone.

Front desk service friendly and polite. Devin was very helpful and found the best deals for us! Support service also very polite.

Over priced.. nothing really new since key lime cove

I booked a party here and paid 715 dollars only to be rushed when my party arrived we was told we would have 1 hour 30 minutes in the party room but after being there 30 minutes I was constantly asked did we just want to go to the water park it made me feel like I was being rushed the server she did not serve us but they automatically include the service charge in your total price all she did was brought 3 pizzas up to the counter the service charge is a rip off I was tgen told I would have a reserved area in the Waterpark only to have to find my own seating save your money its a waste buy day passes or go to Wisconsin dells I will never book or go to this place again

I scrimped and saved to make my sons 7th special this year! GWL did NOT disappoint. Just about every crew member I met while navigating the resort was friendly, helpful and happy. They went above and beyond, constantly cleaning, sanitizing and making sure we had what we needed. Several crew members asked if my son needed a mask. He started out with one but by the end of day 1 was having meltdowns (he s autistic and adhd) so we decided to use his exemption and let him have fun. When I told them he was autistic they said they understood and even went a step further to help him get the toy he wanted at the arcade but was a few tickets short, gave us bowling tokens for a miscommunication, they gave him so much understanding and it made us all so happy!

The water park was smaller than I d imagined, but warm, clean and safe!

The negatives: Front desk crew wasn t very helpful, friendly or accommodating at check in, with our missing wristband or the check out process. Also the larger blonde walking around, I assume manager, telling me repeatedly to put my mask over my nose finally cornered me as I was leaving the resort. I m exempt from it due to anxiety and asthma but chose to wear it over my mouth at all times bc it was a crowded resort. I was eating ice cream as I was walking out, mask on my chin. I stopped so my friend could put my babies coat on and she was condescending as all get out. Ruined the entire trip with her attitude and demeaning, so I left on a sour note. She needs better people skills or a behind the scenes job. The food there is also way overpriced, what you pay for your room and the waterpark alone is pricey but you add on the luxury of ordering room in service after a long day I couldn t stomach the thought of paying 25-30 a meal so we cut our time short and left the resort to eat. I also feel like they should not give out day passes and make the experience more inclusive of those who rent rooms there. Though I don t run a business and maybe that helps get people to bookin the future, I don t know but it was pretty crowded. I also wished they offered big deals for customers once they book! I got a 99$ a night offer at check out and had I had the money I would ve jumped at that. Birthday deals or discounts the more you book the more you save I don t know but it would get me coming back more for sure

Not many negatives, was a fun experience and may return when the snow starts falling. The whole cabin experience would be fun! Great, clean building everything was clean, smelled clean and never worried about a thing

Very cute place for the little ones. Nice get away during the winter.

From Check-in to Check-out, our experience here was a pleasant one. We arrived earlier to hang out at the water park and while we expected to not be able to enter our room until 4PM, they gave us early access. Crowd was mild for a Sunday to Monday although we attribute that to kids having school the next day. The little extras that you pay for are expectedly pricey, but we bought food outside the park which helped mitigate some of that. Overall, the kids loved it and I enjoyed myself as well. We will definitely return.

Great experience loved it for my little ones second birthday experience cant wait to come back

The staff was very accommodating and very helpful. Our three boys ages 16,14 & 10 enjoyed the water park very much!!

Room was awesome, staff was extremely helpful and attentive, waterpark was kind of small but fun, and it was an excellent experience.

Check in at 4 water area closes at 8 . Everything is over priced. Got told there were refills on pop cups come with a tag so they can be filled only once. Complete rip off..

The bathroom door only opened half way. I called maintenance but they never showed. There is no hot tub in the whole water park. We ate at the barnwood restaurant. The food was good, but over priced for the portion size.

My girls loved the water park. The beds were super comfortable. All around great family experience although a little pricey.

Very nice place and is family friendly. Lots of activities that children are able to do. Perfect location for families and tourist as it is between Chicago and Milwaukee, WI. Can be a bit pricey if you are tying to have fun on a budget.

Our first time at this resot, had a great time, easiest check in and out from any resort or hotel I've ever been too! Clean, and staff very friendly. Pool and water area was great because they had just enough to do whether you have little kids or bigger kids. We had an awesome time and the kid loved it!

Great family fun. Food is wonderful. The staff is phenomenal.

Cleanliness and customer service have been terrible! Website says you can t book a cabana until the day you wish to use it. Checked in on a Wednesday and all cabanas were already reserved for the Friday.

Asked for a pack n play when we arrived, had to call and ask again 8 hours later, and when we finally received it, the pack n play was filthy. Had visible stains on our bedding. Our toilet was broke. We relayed concerns and they fixed the toilet, and to replace the bedding concerns, they put a single sheet over the mattress pad instead of putting new bedding on.

Also attempted to shower with plugged plumbing and luke warm water.

I am happy to pay any price for excellent facilities and service. This entire experience has been less than sub-par. Very disappointed.

Excellent for family outings, staff was really engaged... The only downside was trying to get housekeeping or front desk on the phone, which did put a damper on things. Any questions had to physically go to the front desk.

The kids had a fun time which is about the only positive. We stayed in the big suite (500/night). When we arrived in the room there was an entire cup of cigarette buds on the balcony really disgusting. We got the bed ready and noticed a bunch of chest hair and long dark hair... Obviously the sheets were just made and had not been changed. The prices of the activities were quite ridiculous. Next time we'll drive to the Dell's and stay at Kalahari. The place is a but more run down but the pool is way better and you get more for what you pay. Really disappointed.

Devin is the best customer service Manager at the front desk couldn't ask for better great all the way around
Samuel is the best service of all great at The crazy Toucan

GWL was very nice. The only two things I would have liked more, was a hot tub and for the water park to stay open later.

So clean and so accommodate... Very helpful and friendly

Great environment, clean rooms and waterpark, arcade is small but is more of an afterthought than a prime entertaining zone. Great for young and older children. More than adequate lifeguard staff and rules were enforced appropriately. A great family destination.

Nicely operated property. Good sized waterpark for younger kids. Beds and sheets were comfortable.

after a rough start, it ended up being a great stay. Kudos GWL!

Very nice indoor fun place. Must visit with kids ...

Its a really good family experience. Big indoor water park, great, bright beautiful rooms and interiors that make it seem like outdoors. This place is great overall, but I've been to Wisconsin Dells waterpark resorts a lot and well it just doesn't compare to them.

The arcade is a big place and offers a lot of tickets and fun games for all ages and a few that teens will get into. The water park currently offers a baby area, a hottub, a big and well designed kids area with 4 body slides if I recall correctly. There is a lazy river that inlets and outlets into the nice wave pool. There is one major slide area that goes up to 2 body slides and 2 tube slides that go to the exterior of the building and finally one down the drain waterslide where it seems like people that go down in double tubes will get stuck and need to paddle in. And finally there is a pool just for swimming or basketball playing.

There are lifeguards everywhere and I've seen them do safety drills including having a doll float around the lazy river to see how quickly the lifeguards notice and save it. Also if you or someone in your family has a disability, there are dunk chairs for lack of a better phrase. Where they can sit in a mechanical arm with a chair and be dunked into the water and let out. This is awesome for anyone with those specific disabilities. They make sure everyone has fun.

Another great thing about this place is that everything is wristband controlled, no key cards. Your hotel room door locks, the exterior doors, your locker at the water park. You can even setup your wristband to make payments if you want to buy something suddenly. But you need to set it up.... preventing kids from just spending everything. Lockers at the water park are an extra $6, but that's nothing compared to anywhere else. Towels at the waterpark are provided. Its very nice.

You never have to leave this place, they have an arcade, a bar, pizza stand, sandwich stand, candy shop and various other stores. Its a really nice place, even if my time waiting for 2 sandwiches to be made topped 20 minutes.

The only real downside is... this hotel is across the street from a giant waterpark at Six Flags Great America, so if you're staying here for a water park... there's a bigger one within 10 minutes. In the summer, I can't see having a room here just for the water park. In the winter for $160 a night its good (that $160 includes the hidden hotel fees). Its more expensive than a trip to the Wisconsin Dells if you live in the Chicago area, but when you calculate the gas fee to drive there, Key Lime Cove is a great place.

Great park for children. My soon enjoyed the water park and arcade areas immensely. It is great for school age and younger kids. I would think older kids and and childless adults would get bored. Would recommend to anyone with children.

Not very impressed at all based on my one night stay here in July. The basic room was over $300 and it did not include anything special. For that kind of price, I expected to at least get balcony or at least patio. Another problem was that there is no food available after 11pm. This includes room service. The biggest disappointment was the kids character show. Don t expect a bunch of furry characters to take pics for the children. We had only one character (wolf) during our stay. I will say the pool is clean and safe. For the money we spent it just was not a good value.

A great place for a pre teen family water park is a tad small an will get boring good of you have ever older children. But for 12 an under it fits perfectly an the arcade is a must for our family!!

Great place to take the kids, good adult drinks, and the pizza is the best buy

The water inside was dirty they didn't clean it over night but the room was lit af and then the buffet in the arcade room was the most horrible service ever they didn't even ask if we was good like really? And the rest was ight ig

Great place for families!! This and the wilderness are my favorite!

No Wi-Fi for three of our four days...not good. Water park was nice and clean. Redesigned rooms are great.

The room was nice and the kids had a blast in the pool and arcade

Overall fun at the end of the day, but with struggles and crowd fight