Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback. We also only stayed one night, so Im not sure how often housekeeping visits. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. Mother to 4 wonderful children, wife to one witty, but extremely nerdy husband. Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. 7000 Kalahari Dr. Sandusky, OH 44870 (419) 433-7200. . Great review, were leaning towards Kalahari but wanted to know about outdoor activities in the winter, could our kids go snow tubing or something related at any of these three resorts? 16 years ago Save I'm pricing a stay for a Christmas gift and Wilderness is about $100 less per night ($165). Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. Thank you, again. Kassie R, Social Media Coordinator at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, responded to this review. 4600 Milan Road Sandusky, OH 44870 (800) 641-9653. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. Likewise, there is a cost associated with the convenience of those activities being offered right there and that is cost. 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. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. Wet bar, fridge, microwaveIMPRESSED with the upkeep.WATERPARK - The place is absolutely huge. (Activities vary by location). Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. ==> Kalahari: Kalahari is the BEST indoor water park & resort for families looking for a balance between kid activities and adult luxuries on vacation. Multiple-Room Suites Great Wolf Lodge is better for younger kids, IMHO (ages 2-12, maybe); there are more self-contained areas for easier supervision, whereas Kalahari is better for slightly older kids (maybe 5-15,). At the towel dispensary you simply swipe your wrist band and the attendant will hand you the number of towels you request. It has a transparent Texlon roof that lets in natural sunlight while providing protection against the suns harmful UV rays. The hot tub situation was disappointing. My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. The splash park area of the water park devoted to smaller children (toddlers Penguin Play Bay) is very weak compared to Kalahari and somewhat awkwardly placed on a second tier of the waterpark close to some steps going down. TheParenthoodAdventures.comis owned & operated byChip Williamsonwho is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that enables websites like this to earn advertising fees from Amazon.com. But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! Sincerely, Chip. To read more aboutHOW TO GET THE BEST DEAL& aPRICE COMPARISONof ALL THREE POCONOS WATERPARK RESORTS check out my NEW post:Poconos Waterparks: How to Get the Best Deals at Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia! Best Indoor Water Park Winners (2021) | USA TODAY 10Best Salaries are taken from job posts or reported by employees and are not adjusted for level or location. After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) Thank you for pointing out my mistake! Thank you very much for your comment. We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge - Review of Kalahari Resorts Generally $50 if canceled 8 or more days before arrival. I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! Adventure Update # 64: Summer Vacation 2022! We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July.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. Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. However, it was not a perfect experience in that the air conditioner vented right out onto the one end of the balcony. Especially liked the Learn to Surf place. CHECK IN/ROOM - We checked in with Kassi atWe visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. For the volume of people passing through it ( to check-in, check out, shop at the shops and access the activities) it feels a little small and congested. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. Weve stayed at GWL Williamsburg and Kalahari in the Poconos. This comparison guide will focus mainly on the Pocono resorts in Pennsylvania, but some of the information can be used to compare other locations of Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! So we decided to check it out and see how things had changed. Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. Click here to go to the Kalahari Poconos Water Park website. Kalahari is awesome, but it is very large and also a bit noisier compared to the others. On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. We do love both! There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. Enjoy this list of fun and amazing Hoffer Park has the address of 235 Mill Street in Middletown, Pennsylvania. We also enjoyed the balcony. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney. Great Wolf Lodges water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalaharis is over 220,000 square feet. Well manicured and landscaped lawns.We arrived in the main lobby on Sunday 7/2 a little after 1:00 p.m. There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). ===> Aquatopia: Aquatopia / Camelback Resort is the BEST indoor water park & resort for families who are ready for a slightly larger water park than Great Wolf Lodge has to offer, want more kids activities and are be interested in more outdoor activities. Thats theming! Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Water Park website, Aquatopia Poconos Indoor Water Park website. 2.) 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. This was one of the few exceptions! Camelbacks Aquatopia also had the highest resort fee and the prices quoted on the website do not include the $25/night parking fee. Kalahari is a better choice for families with adolescents and teens, while Great Wolf Lodge is perfect for elementary-age children. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud! Great Wolf Lodge is the best water park for younger kids & toddlers because it has the most charm and does a better job of theme ing with its characters throughout the entire experience (lodging, dining & waterpark) compared to either Aquatopia or Kalahari. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. Still it was a frustrating experience that cast a pallor over our time and experience there. It felt like you were rubbing shoulders with other people all the time. 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. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Thanks to Amanda at the front desk for helping facilitate this! If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos please let us know which one YOU liked best! This is an interactive game that has players moving throughout the Lodge on quests. Magic wands are needed for this game, and there is a fee to activate them for a certain period of time. The indoor waterpark is open all year with various slides, play areas, a wave pool, and even a four-story interactive treehouse. Great Wolf Lodge Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. 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. Nothing? We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. (But It Wasnt Horrible), Using United Miles to Increase my Relatives Chances of Getting Hungarian Visas. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) Miles for Family All Rights Reserved. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. TripAdvisor review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, TripAdvisor review of Kalahari Resort Poconos, Booking.com review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, MommyNearest Great Wolf Lodge vs Kalahari vs Camelback. However, please be aware that Camelback / Aquatopia charges for general parking I think it is $12 if you are just coming to engage in one of the activities. We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). 4.) GWL has excellent sales. Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. Wilderness,Kalahari or Great Wolf? It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! It seems, for obvious safety reasons, that a toddler area would be better located on the lowest level of the water park. 2501 Great Wolf Dr> Mason, OH 45040 (800) 913-9653. I found the photos pleasing to look at and relaxing! However, each locations water parks and amenities vary. The only other complaint I have is that we came home with a number of bites. * > Please call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) and request booking code O1107. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! Hi Lexi! We ordered a pizza and had it delivered to the room from the in-house Pizza Pubit was quite good and we felt reasonably priced! Great Wolf Lodgeis the best for younger kids because it has the most charm and does a better job of theme ing with its characters throughout the entire experience (lodging, dining & water park) compared to either Aquatopia or Kalahari. Huge rate difference! The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. Enjoy your family vacation at one of the great indoor water park resort choices in your area! Hi, Pamela! Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. 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. Great Wolf Lodge has 19 locations across the U.S. and Canada (Photo: Great Wolf Lodge Resorts) Great Wolf Lodge is easily accessible for many families, with 19 Great Wolf Lodge locations across the U.S. and one in Niagara Falls, Canada.All Great Wolf properties feature indoor water parks with slides, spraygrounds, lazy rivers, and wave pools. Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. Embarrassing that I never realized it was the same picture! The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. 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. The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its night-time illumination make it unique. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park 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. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. When you leave make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again or you will be charged for the towels. 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. We inquired about an potential upgrade and they granted us a special price to upgrade to an African Queen Suite which had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms - perfect to provide privacy with 2 girls! I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. I know that camelback has a swim up bar at its resort but I have never been to the other two. Kalahari vs great wolf lodge for little kids? - Sandusky Forum We are happy to report that there were two night stands with our queen bed! I will be sure to pass your kind words along to Kassi, David, Robin, and Amanda! The Poconos Waterpark Showdown 2019. It is so fun for my children (12 & 4 years old) and for adults too!! We usually just order a pizza and eat it in our room with maybe a salad. I wouldn't pay a dollar to go to camelback. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. Also, Outdoor pool and some small outdoor water slides (all seasonal). Since we are fans of Indiana Jones we like most archaeology theme including this one but I would not say the theme-ing is immersive other than the lazy river. Great Wolf Lodge vs Kalahari Resort | What's the Best Choice in It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. At times Kalahari actually felt a little too big for us (both the resort & the water park). 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. Wireless Internet access is complimentary. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. Per night, plus tax. Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! 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. Hello, thank you so much for writing this I found it very helpful! The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. Swim Up BARS - An absolutely genius idea! A side-by-side comparison of Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelback's Aquatopia by size, # of slides, room pricing, activities, hours of operation and many more metrics to help you select the BEST water park for your family vacation! If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Seriously, this place is awesome! African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. The room was spotless. The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. Our 2-year-old who would have nothing to do with a life jacket was able to play in the toddler splash park and wave pool as long as Melani or I was right with her. Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. One is about 13 minutes long and is about Brinley Bears fun day and the other is about 8 minutes long and is about the origin of Great Wolf Lodge. Both are great options for kids. For our 6 and 8 year olds who have never been to an indoor waterpark, were doing GWL first and will get to the others later. But, my kids are little fish who love swimming, and they cant get enough of this type of resort. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. Great wolf is closer to shopping. Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! When I called, the charge was removed & the service rep was polite enough but, apparently Aquatopia/Camelback fully expects there to be a parking fee added to every invoice! The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. If you are looking for more of a balance between kid activities and adult luxuries Kalahari has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults and children. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. 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! For exact amenities lists, its best to view the Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari website of the locations you are comparing. Great Wolf also has a neat Glockenspiel in the lobby that does a little show in the evening, and than a character comes out afterwards for a meet and greet. We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. Middletown is located outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Ringing Rocks County Park Upper Black Eddy, PA. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. Across from that there is a small decent sized souvenir shop / store and a small dessert kiosk. 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. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! Kalahari is amaizing! The front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. It was voted the #1 indoor water park in 2015 by USA Today. (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. We were really looking forward into the expansion since we really loved how great Kalahari was the first two times we visited. Our complaints fell on deaf ears, as we needed a certain amount of space for.our family, and the hotel informed us that there was nothing they could do. 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. Read on to find out which one is the BEST water park for your family vacation! The food was not good at all. Photo credit: Great Wolf Lodge Great Wolf Lodge. Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. Standard rooms in both hotels come with two queen beds, a pull-out sofa bed, and a small table with chairs. I prefer Great Wolf by a long shot. Kalahari Resort has an entire grotto (both indoor and outdoor) for adults with a swim-up bar. Speaking of the wave pool we did find the buzzer alert to notify guests of the beginning of a wave cycle to be very harsh and not conducive to the relaxing atmosphere that should be associated with a wave pool. Both resorts also have onsite dining that continues the decor. Camelbacks Aquatopia seems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group and is the best water park for pre-teens and early teens. > We look forward to seeing you again! The lobby was somewhat hectic with the number of people filing in and out, restaurants, shops, carts filled with souvenirs for sale, and a long line at the guest registration desk. Why do the adults with hearing damage always make the decisions with regards to volume level! Hey, thanks for the great reviews! The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of eighteen indoor water park resorts located in the United States and Canada. So please be aware of this fact when considering the total cost of the resort. There are a lot of food choices @ Kalahari of which we have only sampled a few. It seems that there are parts of the water park that are only staffed at peak attendance. Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. The wolf mascots host a nightly dance party and pj story time. This post was incredibly helpful!!! My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. Royal hospitality suite not royal not hospitable. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Telephones have voice mail; TVs come with cable and pay movies. Great Wolf Lodge has more charm and we enjoyed the lodge theme & the characters. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf : r/Poconos - Reddit Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! Many of the activities are located right on the main level off to the left of the main lobby so they are very visible. At that point, it was unmistakably the smell of cat urine. Staff always pleasant and friendly!FOOD - There is food available in the waterpark in addition to a steakhouse and Italian restaurant. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. Find not only one but TWO Great Wolf Lodge water parks in Ohio. We LOVED IT!More. Which do you prefer? 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. 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. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. Camelbacks Aquatopiaseems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - Kalahari Resort Poconos Top Flight Family 113K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K 310K views 3 years ago Are you trying to decide between. Camelbacks Aquatopia had the greatest variation in price for a room being slightly cheaper during the week AND the most expensive on the weekend. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! When you check in the lodge they should offer you and / or the kids wolf ears at no extra charge since, after all it is the Great WOLF Lodge!. Our suite @ Kalahari was HUGE! One of Melani and my pet peeves with regards to hotel accommodations is when there is only one night stand for a queen bed. Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - Tripadvisor We ordered a burrito, nachos grande, chicken fingers, fries and onion rings from a predictable and acceptable selection of menu items. Were going in January. Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Great Wolf is good for the small children, Castaway is good for everyone, and Kalahari is beautiful but I find it leans more toward the older children and adults. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost.