Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari: Which Is Best For Families Im guessing the youngest of your children voted for GWL? Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. However, if our kids were younger, Great Wolf Lodge would be more manageable due to its smaller size and its mascots that appeal to younger kids. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? [2] In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. Wonderful service.Lazy River - Longer than the one at Great Wolfbut lots of people and tubes jamming it up!Towels were only available outside, we heard there may have been a shortage but we didn't really experience that. The resort's mammoth 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark has nine waterslides, six pools, and a four-story treehouse waterfort and utilizes nearly 380,000 gallons of water.Beyond the massive indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge offers families daily activities and amenities on the dry side. Yes, there were some healthy options just not a very good variety. Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. Old Windmill Farm is located at 262 Paradise Lane in Ronks, Pennsylvania. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! My sister, who was also staying at this resort had the African Queen suite and there was PLENTY of room for all of us if they would have moved us. I' m not concerned about price, can get a deal. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Definitely two thumbs up for the adults area at Kalahari! I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. I noticed that Kalahari may have a larger toddler area. You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. The place is ENORMOUS and although it's extremely busy and pretty crowded most of the time, there is plenty of seating in the waterpark. Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was. Poconos Waterparks: How to Get the Best Deals at Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia! The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. Ask erikas213 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask PinkHibiscus32 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask lljPa about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Royal hospitality suite not royal not hospitable, Ask kelismom14 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask mcapellan78 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask Pamela C about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! So the water park is what we usually focus on. Thats theming! Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge! Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. As I mentioned above when we go to Kalahari (or Great Wolf Lodge, for that matter)- we are going for some water and swimming fun. (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) Kids under the age of 6 were coming in and out with no parental supervision. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. We were told that the elevator was on the convention center side, which was not really convenient for her. Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. All three resorts are located very close to each other in the Poconos. The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. As I indicated above I should not have been charged a fee for parking since we did not leave a vehicle at the resort and were dropped off. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that you can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. Kalahari has a lot of complaints on Google about 2+ hour check in times and no housekeeping. The lobby at Aquatopia is more spacious than the lobby at Great Wolf Lodge but far smaller than the lobby at Kalahari. There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. In the center right past the check-in area there is a large animatronic display where the nightly bedtime story (The Forest Friends Show) takes place. This is probably a reflection of the fact that Kalahari is really a convention center first & foremost and the water park is just one of the many amenities they offer albeit a big one! Kalaharis water park does the same, except with a jungle theme. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. Both resorts have huge water parks and other indoor activities. The Kalahari wave pool is much bigger than the Great Wolf Lodge wave pool. My wife went there one morning to order some breakfast and it took nearly an hour to get our food after ordering it (she was also in line for nearly an hour before even getting to place her order). You might prefer the chart we put together along with our conclusions. Take care! However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. We have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. We had no real negatives about Great Wolf but in all honesty, Kalahari Resort surpasses them on almost all levels, but to no fault of Great Wolf. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. It is especially better for younger kids ones who dont want or need a life jacket! Come splash around! Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. There were not lights on both sides of the queen beds which made night-time reading hard for the person on the side with no light. Great Wolf Lodge boasts tons of activities sure to put a smile on your children's faces. All three resorts are really good choices for water park fun with a family. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. Admission: Rates start at $277 a night for a standard four-person room. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! We have not yet patronized any of these establishments. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. The size of the indoor water park is roughly 125,000 square-foot, which makes it slightly larger than the Great Wolf Lodge water park @ roughly 79,000 square-foot, but decidedly smaller than Kalaharis indoor water park which is roughly 220,000 square-foot. If you would like to read a little more about our trip down to the Poconos you can do so here: Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! When I checked out on the 25th I asked for a receipt, and the amount I was charged was correct ($390.10) When I received my credit card statement on December 9th I noticed that what I was charged from Aquatopia/Camelback was $25 higher than it should have been. In particular, it felt narrow. One of Kalahari's Kiddie Areas We liked the artwork in the room. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine is a great way to go for a weekend getaway. It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. There were a total of 3 TVs one in the Family Room where the pull out bed / couch was, one in the master suite and one in the second bedroom with the two queen sized beds. Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. Im pleased to hear that you enjoyed the various sections of the waterpark. There are some characters for the kids but they are not really developed and seem to have just been bolted on as an after thought. The photos were nature themed and glossy. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. However, there seemed to be a noticeable amount of debris at the bottom of the pool which seemed to a combination of plastic and dirt. People who got there after her were served well before her. Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. My son went to the prime rib carving station several times but the chef continued to serve him meat with chunks of fat on it - so he gave up. Note: There is no Flowrider / surfing simulator attraction at the Poconos location for Great Wolf Lodge. Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback. The splash park or toddler area of the water park was rather small. Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! Let me start by saying that we have visited the Great Wolf Lodge location in Fitchburg, MA on 2 separate occasions and had enjoyable visits each time. Best Water Parks in the Northeast For Families (By Age!) However, it was not a perfect experience in that the air conditioner vented right out onto the one end of the balcony. Many of the activities are located right on the main level off to the left of the main lobby so they are very visible. For our Wednesday June 26th, 2019 stay @ Kalahari the cost of our room was $249.99 with taxes & fees amounting to $66.09, bringing the total to $316.08. Hey, thanks for the great reviews! The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. Park access for all family members is included in . It may come down to a simple question: How old are the children in your party? Kalahari Resort Market Cost The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. I hope you have a wonderful time with your family! DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. @Kelly We ate dinner off-site so I cant really compare the food fairly. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. It has a transparent Texlon roof that lets in natural sunlight while providing protection against the suns harmful UV rays. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! See All Waterpark Features Waterpark (and more!) The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. Great Wolf Lodge. There are 2 lazy river type rides, the wave pool is immense, there are 2 hot tubs that are partly inside the building AND partly outside of the building with a narrow channel to traverse back and forth. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Finding fun places to take your kids in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! I would request a higher floor again because the 2nd floor gets all of the foot traffic as that is the lobby floor and the waterpark and arcade are on the lower 1st floor.Take a minute to just look around and notice the dcor, architecture, and design. There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). Thanks for your review! Kalahari vs. Great Wolf - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - Tripadvisor Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. The hot tub situation was disappointing. Your encounters with the lack of cleanliness in the room and waterpark was certainly not up to our standards, so I am interested in hearing more about it. That makes it easy for families traveling with toddlers (and their little legs!). In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Water Park Toddler Play. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. There is a huge fireplace towards the back of the lobby that is adjacent to a huge window that overlooks the water park. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. The Great Wolf Lodge Resort is a family-friendly resort located a few miles from the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Grapevine and offers deluxe accommodations, upscale amenities, and an indoor water park with several swimming areas and wave pools, water slides and rides, waterfalls, hot springs, and entertainment for children. My family has enjoyed a handful of stays at the water park hotel Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas (and one visit to the GWL in Southern California). It needs to be checked more often. Ronks is southeast of Lancaster. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Lately we have been hitting the snack bar (Pizza Pub) down in the arcade for the burritos and then the store (Marrakesh Market) right at the edge of the lobby for some of the soups. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. The place is ENORMOUS and although it's extremely busy and pretty crowded most of the time, there is plenty of seating in the waterpark. With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. Kalahari was the cheapest on Friday evening - but the most expensive during the week & the second most expensive on Saturday evening. LOCATION: Within the 1st floor level of Tom Foolerys Adventure Park inside B-Lux Grill & Bar. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. My daughter walks with a medical device. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! Located in America's Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, it was Great Wolf Resorts' first East Coast location. However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. The resort recently completed a huge expansion that added 130,000 sq feet of conference facilities to the 100,000 sq feet of existing facilities. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. Although our room was not yet ready (official check-in is at 4:00), we received our bracelets to use the waterpark downstairs and we were advised that we could store our luggage in an adjacent locked storage area. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. Sincerely, The water park @ Aquatopia was nice. This was our 3rd visit to Kalahari, the 2 previous times we stayed was before March 2017 when the resort was only half way completed. Better selection of local foods near Great Wolf. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. With Kalahari Careers, you become part of our dedicated team at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Indoor Water Park & Resort | Grapevine Resort | Great Wolf Lodge We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. What are you waiting for? Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge - Miles For Family Camelback Lodge vs. Great Wolf Lodge: Which Poconos Indoor Water Park A 14-inch pie was 8 slices, 2 toppings $21. The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. For size reference, Great Wolf Lodges water park is the smallest at about 79,000 square feet. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine, Grapevine - Updated 2023 Prices - Booking.com It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. Kids hearing is much more sensitive! Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. Were going in January. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Thank you! Kalahari is amaizing! Its a tough call. The 12 Best Indoor Water Park Resorts in the U.S. for 2021 Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Kalahari and Chula Vista - now that the "Flyin Mayan" ride is back - are also. Within 45 minutes of our arrival, I received a text message that our room was ready, but no one was ready to take a break.Warning: You cannot bring outside food into the waterpark so if you want something to eat, you have to purchase food inside. We also liked the master light switch in the room that made it very easy to turn off every light in the suite with one switch. Annapolis Area Doulas | Kalahari Resorts vs. Great Wolf Lodge It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. Which Indoor Water Park in the Poconos Is Best for Your Family? Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Life-size animal statues adorn the outside. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. It seems that there are parts of the water park that are only staffed at peak attendance. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. This is another thing that I think Kalahari does well and it makes it a little easier to satisfy everyone and their differing tastes with so many food choices. Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia, Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. We did not rent any of the cabanas that were located throughout. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Both resorts have normal hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Hello! It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). For our Tuesday June 25th, 2019 stay @ Great Wolf Lodge the cost of our room was $209.99 with taxes & fees amounting to $51.59, bringing the total to $261.58. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Keep reading our Poconos water park guide & comparison to find out! Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. Great Wolf Lodge has an especially fun indoor water park and the "under one roof" makes the stay warm and easy. Just bundle up and head for the hillsdon't forget your gloves and boots! But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! Texas is getting another huge indoor water park, reports say - KSAT Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains packs in all the family fun under one roof. Kalahari seems to have a bit more of a selection when it comes to very large rooms. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. See you soon! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. The best Wisconsin Dells waterpark for you and your crew - OnMilwaukee Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. Great Wolf Lodge is known for their MagiQuest game. Family Fun at its best. Great wolf is closer to shopping. Learn how your comment data is processed. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge -- Sandusky - DISboards.com Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? There are other places with better miniature golf courses and a regular bowling alley does a better job for bowling so we tend not to spend our dollars on those activities when we are at Great Wolf Lodge. The room was nice and clean but nothing particularly memorable. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! Webster city officials released a statement on Facebook about the new Great Wolf Lodge development in December, stating that the water park and resort will bring more than 500 jobs to the area. Kids are going to want to explore all areas of this place and we find it frustrating reading reviews about those complaining about how expensive everything is. And the staff was friendly. So these mini-vacations are a perfect and necessary thing for our family. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube We were really looking forward into the expansion since we really loved how great Kalahari was the first two times we visited. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. There is one primary restaurant on the main level on the left side of the lobby / front entrance. It is really the other aspects of the resorts and accommodations that will determine which resort is the better choice for your family! We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! Kassi was terrific! We say this because Aquatopia has the most activities (rock wall, laser tag, escape room, etc) at its resort that will likely appeal to pre-teens and early teens. Looking up to the roofline Aquatopia does feel more open and expansive since it is more of a sweeping semi-circle in shape. (especially Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge) If you were to drive from Kalahari, to Great Wolf Lodge, and then to Aquatopia the total distance would be approximately 11.3 miles and take just 26 minutes. CHECK IN/ROOM - We checked in with Kassi at We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. I can't honestly say that anything bit me in the room, we may have been bitten while we were sleeping, or in all the time we were forced to spend on the patio because of the smell.The resort was fine, but I'd avoid this "upgraded suite". There was also a buffet which was closed but other little caf options for grab and go type food, a coffee bar, ice cream stand, bakery.they forgot nothing!We felt like we needed more than one night so we asked to extend our stay another night and we were given a great rate to stay in our upgraded room so we jumped on the deal. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. Here's our overall review.. Hello and thank you for the review! Staff always pleasant and friendly!FOOD - There is food available in the waterpark in addition to a steakhouse and Italian restaurant. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. Thank you for your feedback. Unfortunately, the kids loaded up on an assortment of dessert and we went back to the room to change back into our swimwear for a last hurrah in the water.Off the lobby there are also a sweets shop, bakery, and ice cream shop, with what appears to be a nice selection of goodies.The next morning, the kids wanted to get in a few hours at the waterpark before our 11:00 checkout. We figured that we'd have a good dinner to make up for it.After another 90 minutes or so, we decided to check out the room. Texas Location | Kalahari Resorts - Welcome to Kalahari | Kalahari Resorts Kalahari Resort has an entire grotto (both indoor and outdoor) for adults with a swim-up bar. Lock in the lowest price from these sites. Get those lifeguards a little more focused and offer more options at the bars! Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. Seriously, this place is awesome! You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. I asked everyone in the family if we are going back down to the Poconos and staying at one of the resorts tomorrow night where would you want to stay?
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