This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. The building must be completed within three years. My six year olds love the slides, and they are allowed to ride on everything at Great Wolf, but my teens get bored very quickly. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! Report inappropriate content msmejkal chicago 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. And with new locations in Arizona and Illinois, Great Wolf Lodges are becoming easier to reach wherever . So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. One of Kalahari's Kiddie Areas Water park access was included. Yes it is HUGE but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES, New Private Luxury Facility Coming to DFW, Virgin Atlantic Makes it Official and More, March Transfer Bonuses: Marriott, Avianca, Virgin Red, Royal Caribbean Quietly Reduces Housekeeping to Once per Day, Hyatt Announces 2023 Hotel Category Changes, Easy: Changing AAdvantage Award flight via Twitter DM. 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. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! Once again, the food was mediocre at best. We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). An unpleasant smell hit us as soon as we opened the door, although I couldn't quite place it, at least not until we stepped further into the suite. Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. 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. Each play area includes slides and swings. Since our last visit to Great Wolf Lodge they have established a relationship with Dunkin Donuts and there is one located on the main floor just off the right of the lobby. The top 10 winners in the category Best Indoor Water Park are as follows: Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark - Tannersville, Pennsylvania. Admission: Rates start at $277 a night for a standard four-person room. According to the contract, the family resort and water park will feature at least 400,000 square feet of lodging and entertainment space and the indoor water park will be at least 75,000 square feet. You all have multi room suites as well as an African Queen Suite.Let's talk about the African Queen Suite for a moment. Socks are required in order to bowl. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. Although I am admittedly not a big fan of buffets, we figured it would be easy for everyone to find something they liked. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. 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. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud! To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. (Activities vary by location). We do love both! Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. 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. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. As the kids went ahead, employee Jeremy helped to take bags upstairs. For the size of the main lobby, it is the same order with Great Wolf Lodges lobby being the smallest, Kalaharis main lobby being the largest and Aquatopias lobby size somewhere in the middle. Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? It was a nice touch to have the lodge theme and a couple of characters at the front of the wave pool which is one of our favorite attractions. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. "The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the City's history," Webster city officials said. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. The Kalahari wave pool is much bigger than the Great Wolf Lodge wave pool. It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. Round Rock Source: Round the Rock With so much fun and excitement in one place, Kalahari remains a top destination for families throughout Texas. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. Answer 1 of 6: We want to take my son ( just turned 4) to either Kalahari or Great wolf lodge. I was wondering what your experiences have been with that. Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. To the right of the entrance is check-in / hotel services. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! CEO approval 75 % approve of John Murphy (Murph)'s performance 74 % approve of Todd Nelson's performance Salary satisfaction 49 % think they are paid fairly at Great Wolf Lodge 40 % So I guess you just dont need it that much. Thanks for your review! The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. Camelbacks Aquatopiaseems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group. Great Wolf Lodge has an especially fun indoor water park and the "under one roof" makes the stay warm and easy. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. The wave pool alternates between wave / no wave cycles. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. The balcony/patio was laughable. Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. Kids under the age of 6 were coming in and out with no parental supervision. Sincerely, Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge is often a topic debated by indoor water park visitors. Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains packs in all the family fun under one roof. From the accommodation standpoint it was a much more memorable stay! (Healthy, I know.) Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. 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. From our experience after visiting Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor water parks in the Poconos we felt that: Check out our comprehensive comparison chart of these three indoor water park resorts here: Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. (It was almost like an obstacle course with the running kids, machines, flashing lights, and noise.) but also read water is cold. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Kalahari Resort has an entire grotto (both indoor and outdoor) for adults with a swim-up bar. We simply love everything about it! 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. Offer a family slide option which is super fun to go on as a whole family. We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. 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. My daughter walks with a medical device. 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. It's the easiest way to hit the slopes! 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. Also, the post was never updated to include information about Aquatopia. Sincerely, Chip. 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? The room was very clean and up-to-date. There is a huge fireplace towards the back of the lobby that is adjacent to a huge window that overlooks the water park. The KSAT 12 News Team provides a look at local, regional, statewide and national news events and the latest information on local traffic and weather issues. Water park access was included. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. Great wolf is closer to shopping. 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. But the resort's smaller size makes it easier to keep an eye on the kids. Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. Both resorts have huge water parks that include a wave pool, lazy river, splash areas and of course water slides. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. 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. 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. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. When we go to one of the three water parks in the Poconos we are usually going for water park & swimming fun so other activities are not our primary focus. (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia) Which is the right waterpark resort experience for your family? People who got there after her were served well before her. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. Well manicured and landscaped lawns.We arrived in the main lobby on Sunday 7/2 a little after 1:00 p.m. Kalahari . I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. Many of these water parks are resorts, meaning they also comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet Carlisle, PA. There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. Management thanks you for your suggestions and for noting how well-trained our associates are! Old Windmill Farm is located at 262 Paradise Lane in Ronks, Pennsylvania. Kalahari even has a five bedroom suite that can have a maximum of 22 guests. Magic wands are needed for this game, and there is a fee to activate them for a certain period of time. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. 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. Age and height requirements vary by location. The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! 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. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. 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. 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. Your goal is our goal. The cabin was towards the front of the room and was semi-private for the kids. Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! Clean, safe & staff so friendly! I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Thank you very much for your comment. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. (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. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. 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. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. The larger of the two play areas also includes a splash table for babies. 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). That was almost inedible. It is also something that Kalahari does well . It's located in the Rockvale Outlets Fox Meadows Creamery has two locations, one in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and one in Leola, Pennsylvania. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. The Poconos Great Wolf Lodge location has more kiddie water slides than the Williamsburg location. 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. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. To the credit of one observant & kind employee he noticed the exceedingly poor service my wife had received and apologized to her later in the day when he saw her. Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. They were definitely present - but not blowing their whistle when it was needed and didn't seem as focused. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. 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. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. It was unpleasant to see and to step on. Wisconsin Dells, WI https://www.greatwolf.com/wisconsin-dells The food was overpriced but tasty. Aquatopia made an effort to do some theme-ing with the Kartrite Quest /Adventures but this really only covers the water park and the activities for kids to the left of the lobby. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. 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. Most times I find that the pictures or decorations in a motel/hotel really dont add anything to the experience. I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. Nothing? You used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. For exact amenities lists, its best to view the Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari website of the locations you are comparing. The short of it about the same as Great Wolf Lodge and FAR less than Kalahari! 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. Weve stayed at GWL Williamsburg and Kalahari in the Poconos. 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. Thank you for reading & for your comment / question! Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. Church work is not for the faint of heart, and by the end of the summer church has just flat taken its toll on all of us. It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. I' m not concerned about price, can get a deal. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. The lobby at Aquatopia is more spacious than the lobby at Great Wolf Lodge but far smaller than the lobby at Kalahari. lindakmonty He's like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" Joined Jun 24, 2005 Jun 30, 2006 #7 It needs to be checked more often. Robert, For size reference, Great Wolf Lodges water park is the smallest at about 79,000 square feet. We also enjoyed the Lazy River and the wave pool. We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. But, if or when we do return, I look forward to spending more time in that adults-only grotto. It is the best themed lazy river out of the three water parks in the Poconos! But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. After reading this post - which Poconos waterpark do you THINK you are most likely to go to? The room was spotless. One of Melani and my pet peeves with regards to hotel accommodations is when there is only one night stand for a queen bed. We went to all three water parks in the Poconos (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia) to find out which one is the BEST water park. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. 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.