We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. The front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. Finding fun places to take your kids in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. The photos were nature themed and glossy. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. 11 Best Small Towns to Visit in Central Upstate New York, https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/. Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was. 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. really? Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. Thank you! I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! Another Wisconsin Dells question - Great Wolf vs. Kalahari vs We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! This is an exciting place for kids to be with lots of fun things to do from arcade games galore to a huge indoor water park. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. Management thanks you for your suggestions and for noting how well-trained our associates are! Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. Kassie R, Social Media Coordinator at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, responded to this review. 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. In my mind, Kalahari works best if you have a family with kids of different ages so each can be active. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge - Miles For Family I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. 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. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? 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. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Likewise, there is a cost associated with the convenience of those activities being offered right there and that is cost. The top 10 winners in the category Best Indoor Water Park are as follows: Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark - Tannersville, Pennsylvania. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Rooms are bigger and have fun themes. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. 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. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. Generally we are there for some water park fun and that is what Great Wolf Lodge does best so that is where we spend the majority of our time. The lobby at Aquatopia is more spacious than the lobby at Great Wolf Lodge but far smaller than the lobby at Kalahari. bellyrubbah1 2 yr. ago Cool. The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! I'm displeased to hear of the strange odor in your room and that we were not able to correct this situation while you were staying with us. Choosing which resort to bring your family to can be daunting as both resorts offer very similar attractions and amenities. Life jackets are not required but are available as well as puddle jumpers. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. We did still struggle with the menu & felt that it was very limited in that we found it difficult to find healthier options for our family. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. It was voted the #1 indoor water park in 2015 by USA Today. This was because: 1) We are a family of 6 and eating out is not usually relaxing or enjoyable! Waterpark admission included with your stay! Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. I look forward to hearing back from you. The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. 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. The shop is along Interstate 81, making it a Busy Bodies Play Cafe is an indoor play space for children who are 1 year old through 6 years old. Great Wolf Lodge also has a small bowling ally, gem mining, outdoor ropes course, arcade, and glow golf. Two of my kids are begging to go back to Kalahari. This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. To the right of the entrance is check-in / hotel services. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. There is a very small / non-standard sized bowling alley, a miniature golf course, an arcade, MagiQuest, etc We have done some of the other activities in the past but only if they were included with our stay or one of the bundled package passes (Paw Pass, Pup Pass and Wolf Pass). This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Seriously, this place is awesome! Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. Hours: Depending on the day, the indoor water park is open from 9am to 9pm or 10am to 8pm. Robert, It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. People who got there after her were served well before her. Embarrassing that I never realized it was the same picture! Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. Answer 1 of 6: We want to take my son ( just turned 4) to either Kalahari or Great wolf lodge. My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. The wave pool alternates between wave / no wave cycles. The outdoor small kids area with slides was a nice addition to the park however my daughter who is 53" tall was not allowed to go on them. Camelback Lodge vs. Great Wolf Lodge: Which Poconos Indoor Water Park Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. The farm is back a lane, and Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet is located at 40 Logistics Drive in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The Lobby is one of the things I, and everyone in my family, really liked about Kalahari! We appreciate it! We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. See you soon! Admission: Rates start at $277 a night for a standard four-person room. The NACHOS did not disappoint. So these mini-vacations are a perfect and necessary thing for our family. There would have been another $25 for parking but we were able to avoid this since we had relatives staying just a few miles away. However, each locations water parks and amenities vary. We did the empirical research so you dont have to! Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). My daughter walks with a medical device. Best Water Parks in the Northeast For Families (By Age!) It's located in the Rockvale Outlets Fox Meadows Creamery has two locations, one in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and one in Leola, Pennsylvania. We did not rent any of the cabanas that were located throughout. It felt like you were rubbing shoulders with other people all the time. We ended loading up the car, checking out (automatically at 11:00), and then using our onsite privileges for a few more hours before going offsite at a nearby restaurant to each lunch and hitting the highway to return home.My biggest concern about the facility itself is that the elevator from the lobby to the lower level waterpark is not easily discoverable or accessible. 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. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. You enter Kalahari through a massive glass revolving carousel door and there is plenty of room for people to get where they are going whether it is to check-in, get food, get to the water park or any other number of destinations. It needs to be checked more often. 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. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge - CohaiTungChi Tech 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! The closet was pretty small, and the bathroom was almost as small (with the sink located next to the fridge); however, those were relatively minor inconveniences.We went to Great Karoo Buffet around 5-5:30 and was relieved to see that it wasn't that crowded. (Activities vary by location). 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. For the price I would expect better service. We're in the business of making memories. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. The room was very clean and up-to-date. We have patronized several of these places, if not all and the kids highly recommend them! 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. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. The room was clean and a good size and the 4 of us had enough room to spread out, with one person taking the full-size, pullout sofa bed. For size reference, Great Wolf Lodges water park is the smallest at about 79,000 square feet. They were methodical and intense, and I just didn't get that feeling with many of the lifeguard staff here. Kalahari has the largest indoorwater park of the 3, and is the largestresortlocated in the Poconos. Keep reading our Poconos water park guide & comparison to find out! Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. Two of the biggest and best (and among the industry's early pioneers) are in the water park capital of the world, Wisconsin Dells: Kalahari at 125,000 square feet and Chula Vista at 110,000 square feet . This 80,000-square-foot facility is perfect for families, although the water park portion is only open to hotel guests. Hello, Erika! Once again, the food was mediocre at best. Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. B-Lux Bowling | Texas | Kalahari Resorts Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum Just about everything seemed to be swimming in butter or oil, including the overcooked/overheated vegetables. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. 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). Water park access was included. Address: 100 Great Wolf Drive Grapevine, TX 76051 Phone: 817-488-6510 Website: greatwolf.com EXPERT TIPS BY: Ilene Jacobs Dallas Local Expert Water Parks: "Day passes can be purchased online or. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. Take care! Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. Great Wolf Lodge Poconos is a staple in the region. It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. The splash park or toddler area of the water park was rather small. Sitemap, Revealed: The US Airports & Airlines With The Most Frequent Flight Delays, The Ultimate Guide to Kalahari Resort Locations in the US, The Ultimate Guide to Six Flags Locations in the US, Palm Springs Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting With Kids, Seattle Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids, Las Vegas Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids, Florida Keys Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids, Myrtle Beach Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids, The Bahamas Family Travel Guide: Everything You Need to Know Before Visiting with Kids. We recently made a trip to the Poconos in Pennsylvania to visit a water park resort but didnt know which resort we should go to so we went to all 3 of them! We simply love everything about it! It had a pretty good selection of desserts and chocolates. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. Each play area includes slides and swings. If there are any older children in your party, around 10 years and older, then they may not appreciate the kiddie theming that runs through Great Wolf Lodge. The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. We liked the artwork in the room. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? Round Rock Source: Round the Rock With so much fun and excitement in one place, Kalahari remains a top destination for families throughout Texas. We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. Hi, Pamela! Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. Camelback charged my card the correct amount when I made the deposit on November 24th and then on November 27th (2 days after we had left the resort) I was charged $25 for a parking fee. LOVED the concept - didn't like the fact that they were not full bars - they only made a few specialty drinks and offered beer and wine. 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. Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. Finally, we did have a rather poor experience one morning ordering from the Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. 4 Reasons Your Family Needs to Visit The Kartrite - NJ Family 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. You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. This is an interactive game that has players moving throughout the Lodge on quests. Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. Great Wolf is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. (Healthy, I know.) 6 Best Texas Indoor Water Parks - VacationIdea Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Please see our partners for more details. Chip. Also, Outdoor pool and some small outdoor water slides (all seasonal). more. Seriously, I'm not being dramatic. How does it compare to Great Wolf Lodge? Post was not sent - check your email addresses! After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? Report inappropriate content msmejkal chicago Why Kids Love It Clean, safe & staff so friendly! I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. A night at either place costs a small fortune, and the food is over-priced and mediocre. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. The hot tub situation was disappointing. No outside food or drink allowed. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. 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). Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia, Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). The toddler splash park area is very big at Kalahari with a lot of water-table type attractions and activities for the little ones. The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. Lifejackets available, large amount of seating and tables!ARCADE - Another huge area! After the meal there are plenty of places like the pastry shop, coffee shop or ice cream shop that have many enticing desserts for the children. 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. Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. During our long walk to the room (the opposite end of the facility), he was VERY professional, engaging and helpful. We also only stayed one night, so Im not sure how often housekeeping visits. You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. 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. We usually just order a pizza and eat it in our room with maybe a salad. 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. Crystal, You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. I noticed that Kalahari may have a larger toddler area. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. We have never patronized the restaurant as it does seem expensive. The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time.

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