6 Best Poconos Resorts for Families | Family Vacation Critic For exact amenities lists, its best to view the Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari website of the locations you are comparing. 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. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. 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. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park 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. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari: Which Is Best For Families We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! That was almost inedible. The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. Great Wolf Lodge's water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalahari's is over 220,000 square feet. Naturally, the hotel offers an indoor water park, plus character meet-and-greet experiences, live entertainment, an arcade, ropes course, bowling alley, mini-golf course and spas (one for kids and one for adults). There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. Why Kids Love It Each lane allows for up to six bowlers at a time. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. 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 front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud! Great Wolf Lodge has an especially fun indoor water park and the "under one roof" makes the stay warm and easy. 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. In my mind, Kalahari works best if you have a family with kids of different ages so each can be active. Kalahari Resort has a huge upcharge for the one type of themed room. My family recently visited Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. Kalahari has the largest indoorwater park of the 3, and is the largestresortlocated in the Poconos. This old-school hot dog shack across from Penn Treaty Park mostly caters to truckers, hence its early-morning hours. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! Both are great options for kids. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. But the resort's smaller size makes it easier to keep an eye on the kids. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. The smell permeated EVERYTHING to the point of needing to open the door to air it out. If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos please let us know which one YOU liked best! Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. 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. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. How does it compare to Great Wolf Lodge? We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. 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. 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). Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) I look forward to connecting with you. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. Camelbacks Aquatopiaseems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. 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 % 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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. Your goal is our goal. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. The room was spotless. 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. Thank you! 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. So these mini-vacations are a perfect and necessary thing for our family. Admission: Rates start at $277 a night for a standard four-person room. Each wing of the resort is 8 floors high and it has 977 rooms in total. Chip. Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia) Which is the right waterpark resort experience for your family? The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Texas Location | Kalahari Resorts - Welcome to Kalahari | Kalahari Resorts Sincerely, Life jackets are not required but are available as well as puddle jumpers. 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 stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. 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. 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. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. 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. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. 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. Kalaharis water park does the same, except with a jungle theme. It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. Camelbacks Aquatopia resort opened their indoor water park in May of 2015. The kids do enjoy the characters and overall lodge experience. Camelback Lodge vs. Great Wolf Lodge: Which Poconos Indoor Water Park Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/ African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. 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. 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. Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! 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. Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! We ended up eating most of the fries and onions rings, while discarding the rest. Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. 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. 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. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? 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. Great Wolf Lodge is known for their MagiQuest game. Thank you for pointing out my mistake! We inquired about an potential upgrade and they granted us a special price to upgrade to an African Queen Suite which had 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms - perfect to provide privacy with 2 girls! We are still having a debate on what it actually was. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. This post was incredibly helpful!!! Snow Tubing in the Poconos | PA Resorts, Info & Conditions We also only stayed one night, so Im not sure how often housekeeping visits. However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. Located below the main lobby is both the entrance to the water park and the arcade. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. 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. It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! Age and height requirements vary by location. We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. Texas is getting another huge indoor water park, reports say - KSAT Hello, Erika! Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. Kalahari activities and attractions differ with each location. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. We liked the artwork in the room. The Undomestic Goddess: Great Wolf Lodge vs. Gaylord Texan - Blogger 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. 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. If you are looking for more of a balance between kid activities and adult luxuries Kalahari has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults and children. I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. 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. Poconos Water Park Comparison Guide - Been There Done That with Kids (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) GWL has excellent sales. We figured that we'd have a good dinner to make up for it.After another 90 minutes or so, we decided to check out the room. See you soon! DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Better selection of local foods near Great Wolf. A general view of the Great Wolf Lodge in Fort Mackenzie. It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! Read on to find out which one is the BEST water park for your family vacation! Kalahari has a lot of complaints on Google about 2+ hour check in times and no housekeeping. Our Dallas, TX resort offers an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park and exciting land attractions for the entire family. Hi there, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review of your most recent stay. The Biggest Indoor Waterparks in the World - TripSavvy The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. 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. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. Offer a family slide option which is super fun to go on as a whole family. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. Your encounters with the lack of cleanliness in the room and waterpark was certainly not up to our standards, so I am interested in hearing more about it. Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. Staff always pleasant and friendly!FOOD - There is food available in the waterpark in addition to a steakhouse and Italian restaurant. The best Wisconsin Dells waterpark for you and your crew - OnMilwaukee It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. 5 Indoor Water Parks for the Most Fun in Texas - Texas Hill Country (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. kalahari waterpark passes - tidningen.svenskkirurgi.se With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. The room was nice and clean but nothing particularly memorable. 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 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. Definitely two thumbs up for the adults area at Kalahari! 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 have never patronized the restaurant as it does seem expensive. We did not rent any of the cabanas that were located throughout. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. The view felt somewhat private and we really enjoyed it! It smelled like an overcrowded SPCA. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. This 80,000-square-foot facility is perfect for families, although the water park portion is only open to hotel guests. 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. It may come down to a simple question: How old are the children in your party? The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its night-time illumination make it unique. 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!. Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback.