Which Indoor Water Park in the Poconos Is Best for Your Family? Great Wolf Lodge Poconos is a staple in the region. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. 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). Snow Tubing in the Poconos | PA Resorts, Info & Conditions Been at least six years ago. Overall we felt like Kalahari was much better before the expansion. Heres a comparison guide for all three of these resorts. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. There are other places with better miniature golf courses and a regular bowling alley does a better job for bowling so we tend not to spend our dollars on those activities when we are at Great Wolf Lodge. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. lindakmonty He's like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" Joined Jun 24, 2005 Jun 30, 2006 #7 We are still having a debate on what it actually was. [3] Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. 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. We didn't expect gourmet food at a waterpark, but the nachos were so tasteless that my 12-year old pushed them aside and asked for a chicken finger. If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos please let us know which one YOU liked best! Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge - CohaiTungChi Tech The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. 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. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. The Poconos Great Wolf Lodge location has more kiddie water slides than the Williamsburg location. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge is often a topic debated by indoor water park visitors. Aquatopiais somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! 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. 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. 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. Enjoy your family vacation at one of the great indoor water park resort choices in your area! Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of indoor water parks. This was because: 1) We are a family of 6 and eating out is not usually relaxing or enjoyable! Which do you prefer? The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. For our Wednesday November 24th, 2021 stay @ Aquatopia the cost of our room was $319.00 plus taxes & fees amounting in the amount of $71.10, bringing the total to $390.10. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? 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. Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia resort are all located in the Poconos and are VERY close to each other! Fortunately we only live about 2 hours away. The room @ Aquatopia that we had was a double queen suite, a pull-out sofa and a balcony. Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari vs. CamelBack's Aquatopia! THE POCONOS There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. 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. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! Camelbacks Aquatopiaseems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group. Hours: Depending on the day, the indoor water park is open from 9am to 9pm or 10am to 8pm. [2] In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. They were definitely present - but not blowing their whistle when it was needed and didn't seem as focused. GWL has excellent sales. My household has loved a handful of stays on the water park lodge Nice Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas (and one go to to the GWL in Southern California). Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. We stored our bags with the assistance of bell staff and we went downstairs to check out the facilities.We had to go through a large (and very noisy) arcade to get to the turnstiles to the waterpark. It needs to be checked more often. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. This is an interactive game that has players moving throughout the Lodge on quests. It is the best themed lazy river out of the three water parks in the Poconos! Location: 3001 Kalahari Blvd. I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. 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 would have been another $25 for parking but we were able to avoid this since we had relatives staying just a few miles away. 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. kalahari waterpark passes - tidningen.svenskkirurgi.se Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. Welcome to Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Round Rock 223,000 square feet, filled with wet, wild, fun. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the Citys history, Webster city officials said. 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. It is a wonderful family vacation spot that offers a lot of adventure & nature! As I indicated above I should not have been charged a fee for parking since we did not leave a vehicle at the resort and were dropped off. Kalahari and Chula Vista - now that the "Flyin Mayan" ride is back - are also. And with new locations in Arizona and Illinois, Great Wolf Lodges are becoming easier to reach wherever . In my mind, Kalahari works best if you have a family with kids of different ages so each can be active. Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. 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. The smell permeated EVERYTHING to the point of needing to open the door to air it out. 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). 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. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. 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. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! The NACHOS did not disappoint. Reservations are strongly recommended. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. 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. Embarrassing that I never realized it was the same picture! Hi there! My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. It seems, for obvious safety reasons, that a toddler area would be better located on the lowest level of the water park. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. Age and height requirements vary by location. Kalahari has one indoor and one outdoor area - both are huge (Kalahari's is one of the largest indoors in the US). Kalahari Resort Market Cost The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). There were not lights on both sides of the queen beds which made night-time reading hard for the person on the side with no light. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge: Discover the Differences Crystal, 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. 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. 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. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. Including a story time, dance time, crafts and more. On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. As a native New Yorker, a bit of grit and grime doesn't scare me. The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! 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 . 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. Water park access was included. Kalahari has the most toddler slides by far when comparing the three resorts. At that point, it was unmistakably the smell of cat urine. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. Shooting Range (tourist favorite) is closer to Great Wolf. Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. Seriously, this place is awesome! That said, I wouldnt pay triple the price for Kalahari. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. That sounds good. We LOVED IT!More. 10 Best Family Resorts in Texas for 2023 - Great Wolf Lodge Family Fun Great wolf is closer to shopping. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Much more concise! 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. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. But the resort's smaller size makes it easier to keep an eye on the kids. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - Tripadvisor In particular, it felt narrow. At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. Each wing of the resort is 8 floors high and it has 977 rooms in total. Saturday, August 10, 2013 Great Wolf Lodge vs. Gaylord Texan By the time August rolls around our family is in desperate need of a get-away. After reading this post - which Poconos waterpark do you THINK you are most likely to go to? 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. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. People who got there after her were served well before her. It was HORRIBLE! Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. 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! The kids do enjoy the characters and overall lodge experience. Kalaharis water park does the same, except with a jungle theme. 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! Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. We did really like the lazy river at Aquatopia. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. 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. Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. How does the resort compare to 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. Great Wolf Lodge vs Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Indeed 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). Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. As part of the U.S.' largest group of family-friendly water parks, this indoor water park has perfected how to maximize family fun for all ages. 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. Would have been nice to have them inside as well.The waterpark overall was phenomenal - huge and definitely accommodates young and old. Location: 1 Great Wolf Drive, Scotrun, PA. The larger of the two play areas also includes a splash table for babies. The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! We usually just order a pizza and eat it in our room with maybe a salad. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. They were methodical and intense, and I just didn't get that feeling with many of the lifeguard staff here. bellyrubbah1 2 yr. ago Cool. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. Camelback is unique in that it has both an INDOOR water park (Aquatopia, which is open year-round) and a separate OUTDOOR water park (Camelbeach) that is only open for the summer season. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side. See All Waterpark Features Waterpark (and more!) That makes it easy for families traveling with toddlers (and their little legs!). 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). Come splash around! As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! Within 45 minutes of our arrival, I received a text message that our room was ready, but no one was ready to take a break.Warning: You cannot bring outside food into the waterpark so if you want something to eat, you have to purchase food inside. Both resorts have normal hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. Across from that there is a small decent sized souvenir shop / store and a small dessert kiosk. We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! The Lobby is one of the things I, and everyone in my family, really liked about Kalahari! We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. (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. Thankfully, we didnt have a 2+ hour line to check-in. The food was not good at all. We did the empirical research so you dont have to! I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! 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. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. We also enjoyed the Lazy River and the wave pool. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. You all have multi room suites as well as an African Queen Suite.Let's talk about the African Queen Suite for a moment. It's located in the Rockvale Outlets Fox Meadows Creamery has two locations, one in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and one in Leola, Pennsylvania. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. The wolf mascots host a nightly dance party and pj story time. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. LOCATION: Within the 1st floor level of Tom Foolerys Adventure Park inside B-Lux Grill & Bar. However, it was not a perfect experience in that the air conditioner vented right out onto the one end of the balcony. However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. The room was spotless. GWL isnt fast either, but 2+ hours to pay triple the price wouldnt work either. Learn how your comment data is processed. If youre looking for other vacation ideas check out our Family Travel Tips for Niagara Falls! Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. My son went to the prime rib carving station several times but the chef continued to serve him meat with chunks of fat on it - so he gave up. Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. The photos were nature themed and glossy. 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? Thank you for reading & for your comment / question! The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. Here's Where You Should Eat Hot Dogs in Philadelphia 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. It features the Howlin' Tornado raft ride, Coyote Cannon water tubes (with a 40-foot drop), and a tree house fort that has a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket! 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. Career Site - Self Service - ADP 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. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. Thank you very much for your comment. I love Great Wolf Lodge, but the water park is a little more for younger kids, while Kalahari is more for the older kids. Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. This was our 3rd visit to Kalahari, the 2 previous times we stayed was before March 2017 when the resort was only half way completed. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Sincerely, (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. Texas is getting another huge indoor water park, reports say - KSAT Great Wolf seems to have more of a variety of theming for these bunk bed suites. 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. For the price I would expect better service. Take care! One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. If I was ever to get a weekend alone with my wife we would go to Kalahari since there are more amenities and it is not so kid-centric. Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. 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! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that you can find on one of the dedicated TV channels.