Aquatopiais somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! 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. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. Many of the activities are located right on the main level off to the left of the main lobby so they are very visible. As I mentioned above, we can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. . 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. We did the empirical research so you dont have to! We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 5 12 years old. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. Kalahari Resort also has an adult spa and fitness center plus live music entertainment at the steak house and piano bar. The photos were nature themed and glossy. The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. 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! That said, I wouldnt pay triple the price for Kalahari. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. The toddler splash park area is very big at Kalahari with a lot of water-table type attractions and activities for the little ones. Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. 6 Best Texas . We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. There are a lot of food choices @ Kalahari of which we have only sampled a few. How does the resort compare to Great Wolf Lodge? This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That was almost inedible. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. I noticed that Kalahari may have a larger toddler area. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. In my mind, Kalahari works best if you have a family with kids of different ages so each can be active. 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. Get those lifeguards a little more focused and offer more options at the bars! Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. Looking up to the roofline Aquatopia does feel more open and expansive since it is more of a sweeping semi-circle in shape. Thank you for pointing out my mistake! I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. 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. However, there were at least 6 employees assisting at the registration desk and the line moved relatively quickly. If youre looking for other vacation ideas check out our Family Travel Tips for Niagara Falls! It is a wonderful family vacation spot that offers a lot of adventure & nature! Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. A night at either place costs a small fortune, and the food is over-priced and mediocre. 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!. I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. 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. It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. My husband and I especially like the adults-only area at Kalahari, and we dont miss the late-night stomping of kids in the hallways playing MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge (if you know, you know). 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. We also enjoyed the balcony. 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. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. This was because: 1) We are a family of 6 and eating out is not usually relaxing or enjoyable! See you soon! It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. Seriously, this place is awesome! It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. This post was incredibly helpful!!! Post was not sent - check your email addresses! Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge! We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. Hello, Erika! The NACHOS did not disappoint. Kalahari is amaizing! Kalahari has a better reputation locally. Hi there! 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. After reading this post - which Poconos waterpark do you THINK you are most likely to go to? For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Hello! 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. But, my kids are little fish who love swimming, and they cant get enough of this type of resort. "The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the City's history," Webster city officials said. Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. We LOVED IT!More. Kalahari did a remodel on their indoor kid area about a year ago. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. Come splash around! The balcony/patio was laughable. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. 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! 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. The splash park or toddler area of the water park was rather small. She has reported on several high-profile stories during her career at KSAT and specializes in trending news and things to do around Texas and San Antonio. It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. Kalahariis the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. 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. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. So we decided to check it out and see how things had changed. But the resort's smaller size makes it easier to keep an eye on the kids. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. Seriously, I'm not being dramatic. 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! This was one of the few exceptions! Heres a comparison guide for all three of these resorts. Thankfully, we didnt have a 2+ hour line to check-in. Each lane allows for up to six bowlers at a time. Each play area includes slides and swings. Great Wolf Resorts told KPRC in a statement, Were always looking for opportunities to introduce the Great Wolf Lodge resort experience to new audiences, and we are excited about the prospect of bringing one of our family-friendly indoor water park resorts to southeastern Texas.. Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. Lock in the lowest price from these sites. With Kalahari Careers, you become part of our dedicated team at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. 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! I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. Great Wolf Lodge has 18 locations, all of which offer indoor water parks with multi-story forts, 1,000-gallon soaker buckets, wave pools, lazy rivers, waterslides of varying heights and speeds, raft rides, whirlpools, kiddie pools and more. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. There is a huge fireplace towards the back of the lobby that is adjacent to a huge window that overlooks the water park. Kalahari is absolutely immense! Enjoy your family vacation at one of the great indoor water park resort choices in your area! Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. 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. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. Has a fun magic quest as an additional . Yes, there were some healthy options just not a very good variety. 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. Note: There is no Flowrider / surfing simulator attraction at the Poconos location for Great Wolf Lodge. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. 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! 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. There were 2 bathrooms one off the walk-in area and the second one in the master suite. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! (It was almost like an obstacle course with the running kids, machines, flashing lights, and noise.) Finally, we did have a rather poor experience one morning ordering from the Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. @Kelly We ate dinner off-site so I cant really compare the food fairly. Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). Great Wolf Lodge. Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. 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. 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. We simply love everything about it! WEBSTER, Texas Texas is set to add another Great Wolf Lodge location to its ranks. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 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 time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Thank you very much for your comment. The Lobby is one of the things I, and everyone in my family, really liked about Kalahari! They did a fabulous job with the design of this place. THERE ISNOADDITIONAL COST TO YOU if you buy something from Amazon! Each wing of the resort is 8 floors high and it has 977 rooms in total. Kalahari Resort has a huge upcharge for the one type of themed room. What we usually do @ Kalahari is claim a couple of tables next to the fountain in the lobby and while one of us stays with the family the other runs around to the different food venues to obtain the items we desire to assemble a meal. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. They looped continuously so they are readily accessible at any time. Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. 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. Crystal, We have not yet patronized any of these establishments. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. 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. 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. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. We were told that the elevator was on the convention center side, which was not really convenient for her. Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. The room @ Aquatopia that we had was a double queen suite, a pull-out sofa and a balcony. And the staff was friendly. 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. There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Just bundle up and head for the hillsdon't forget your gloves and boots! The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. It seems that there are parts of the water park that are only staffed at peak attendance. Blessed father of 4 wonderful children & trophy husband to 1 lovely wife. Poconos Waterparks: How to Get the Best Deals at Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia! Great Wolf Lodge boasts tons of activities sure to put a smile on your children's faces. Most times I find that the pictures or decorations in a motel/hotel really dont add anything to the experience. 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. The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. Across from that there is a small decent sized souvenir shop / store and a small dessert kiosk. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points:CHECK IN/ROOM - We checked in with Kassi at 12 noon and were happy to hear our room was ready. Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. Life-size animal statues adorn the outside. Also, the post was never updated to include information about Aquatopia. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) Thank you for your support! Kalahari . Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. We did not have a car on the premises so driving was not an option, and walking was not very appealing since we tend to patronize the indoor water parks during the colder months and it was late November when we were at Aquatopia. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. Kassi was terrific! In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. 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. All three resorts are located very close to each other in the Poconos. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. Staff always pleasant and friendly!FOOD - There is food available in the waterpark in addition to a steakhouse and Italian restaurant. We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. 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. The kids do enjoy the characters and overall lodge experience. I' m not concerned about price, can get a deal. If you're not up and about a 4:30 a.m., though, you can still get a. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. 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. 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. 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. Old Windmill Farm is located at 262 Paradise Lane in Ronks, Pennsylvania. It was voted the #1 indoor water park in 2015 by USA Today. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. 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. It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. 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.