This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. This is an interactive game that has players moving throughout the Lodge on quests. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. 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. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. Hi there, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review of your most recent stay. A report from KSAT sister station KPRC states that the indoor water park will break ground in 2022 in the city of Webster, just south of Houston. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. bellyrubbah1 2 yr. ago Cool. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. 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. It's the easiest way to hit the slopes! It is a wonderful family vacation spot that offers a lot of adventure & nature! Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? 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 for your support! Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! CamelBack (Aquatopia) has 453 rooms and there are 6 floors (above ground) to the lodge. We liked the artwork in the room. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. 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 used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. Here is a quick breakdown of the outdoor activities offered at each resort: Kalahari: Monkey climb ropes course, zip lines and mini golf. However, if our kids were younger, Great Wolf Lodge would be more manageable due to its smaller size and its mascots that appeal to younger kids. We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. The resort has a spa center, a hot tub and an on-site restaurant. Both resorts are well-themed throughout the resort rooms and the water parks. I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor ropes course and indoor arcade. As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. 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. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. The other kids and I voted for Great Wolf Lodge. There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. Yes, there were some healthy options just not a very good variety. The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. 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. The food was not good at all. We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 5 12 years old. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. We LOVED IT!More. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. It felt like you were rubbing shoulders with other people all the time. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). Likewise, there is a cost associated with the convenience of those activities being offered right there and that is cost. It is also something that Kalahari does well . EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. The lobby is big but not massive like it is at Kalahari! People who got there after her were served well before her. It was HORRIBLE! Sincerely, Chip. 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. Thank you for taking the time to comment! There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. 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. Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. 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. Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was. This was terrific we will likely do all three spaced out over a few years, but this absolutely helped us figure out what order to go in. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. This is an exciting place for kids to be with lots of fun things to do from arcade games galore to a huge indoor water park. Each wing of the resort is 8 floors high and it has 977 rooms in total. The kids do enjoy the characters and overall lodge experience. It smelled like an overcrowded SPCA. Ronks is southeast of Lancaster. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! [2] In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. The front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. You all have multi room suites as well as an African Queen Suite.Let's talk about the African Queen Suite for a moment. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. 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. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of indoor water parks. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. We did the empirical research so you dont have to! Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! The room was nice and clean but nothing particularly memorable. When you leave make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again or you will be charged for the towels. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. On the lower level by the entrance for the water park, there is a pizza place with some tables in the lower lobby area. 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. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. Hello! Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! Sincerely, Why Kids Love It We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. We ordered a pizza and had it delivered to the room from the in-house Pizza Pubit was quite good and we felt reasonably priced! The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Fortunately we only live about 2 hours away. This was because: 1) We are a family of 6 and eating out is not usually relaxing or enjoyable! Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). 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. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. 6 Best Texas . I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. (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. Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. I can't honestly say that anything bit me in the room, we may have been bitten while we were sleeping, or in all the time we were forced to spend on the patio because of the smell.The resort was fine, but I'd avoid this "upgraded suite". The development is expected to break ground during. For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Thanks for your review! You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. 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 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. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. Seriously, this place is awesome! It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? Camelbacks Aquatopiaseems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. Were going in January. @Kelly We ate dinner off-site so I cant really compare the food fairly. included with your stay Waterpark Admission Waterpark admission is always free when you stay with us. 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! Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. It seems, for obvious safety reasons, that a toddler area would be better located on the lowest level of the water park. Staff always pleasant and friendly!FOOD - There is food available in the waterpark in addition to a steakhouse and Italian restaurant. 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). Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that you can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. Kids under the age of 6 were coming in and out with no parental supervision. There were 2 bathrooms one off the walk-in area and the second one in the master suite. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at 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. With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. I have read other reviews where people did not enjoy the balcony but we did. You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. Shooting Range (tourist favorite) is closer to Great Wolf. Park access for all family members is included in . Likewise the lobby is magnificent! We were really looking forward into the expansion since we really loved how great Kalahari was the first two times we visited. Kalahari . However, each locations water parks and amenities vary. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. We recently visited Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia (November 24th, 2021). So I guess you just dont need it that much. Definitely two thumbs up for the adults area at Kalahari! Our suite @ Kalahari was HUGE! 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. How does the resort compare to Great Wolf Lodge? It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. Kalaharis water park does the same, except with a jungle theme. Check with the resort to confirm which activities are offered during the winter. 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! The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. 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. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. The resort's mammoth 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark has nine waterslides, six pools, and a four-story treehouse waterfort and utilizes nearly 380,000 gallons of water.Beyond the massive indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge offers families daily activities and amenities on the dry side. 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 . We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. Great Wolf Lodge is smaller than Kalahari. As I mentioned above, we can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home. Great Wolf Lodge has more charm and we enjoyed the lodge theme & the characters. Great Wolf Lodge also has activities that vary with the timing of your stay. 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. Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Finding fun places to take your kids in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. They did a fabulous job with the design of this place. We did really like the lazy river at Aquatopia. Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. Your goal is our goal. Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. Overall we felt like Kalahari was much better before the expansion. We ended loading up the car, checking out (automatically at 11:00), and then using our onsite privileges for a few more hours before going offsite at a nearby restaurant to each lunch and hitting the highway to return home.My biggest concern about the facility itself is that the elevator from the lobby to the lower level waterpark is not easily discoverable or accessible. I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. but also read water is cold. African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. Life jackets are not required but are available as well as puddle jumpers. (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. At the towel dispensary you simply swipe your wrist band and the attendant will hand you the number of towels you request. 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. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. A general view of the Great Wolf Lodge in Fort Mackenzie. 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. We have not yet patronized any of these establishments. Wisconsin Dells, WI https://www.greatwolf.com/wisconsin-dells 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. 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. The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. How does it compare to Great Wolf Lodge? We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. 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. 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. (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). WEBSTER, Texas Texas is set to add another Great Wolf Lodge location to its ranks. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. 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! Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. 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. The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. Life-size animal statues adorn the outside. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! A 14-inch pie was 8 slices, 2 toppings $21. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. Much more concise! It is a smaller resort, with plenty of employees who are prepared to work with young children. Camelbacks Aquatopia resort opened their indoor water park in May of 2015. The room was spotless. Nothing? 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. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! Rooms are bigger and have fun themes. It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney. 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. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. Offer a family slide option which is super fun to go on as a whole family. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. Kalahari did a remodel on their indoor kid area about a year ago. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) We simply love everything about it! Including a story time, dance time, crafts and more. That sounds good. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. Kassi was terrific! Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. Both resorts also have onsite dining that continues the decor. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. 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. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Thats theming! We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! Throughout the day those areas were also closed several times for about 15 min at a time for cleaning since the kids were pooping and vomiting in the water. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. However, there were at least 6 employees assisting at the registration desk and the line moved relatively quickly. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge! It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! 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. 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). Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. The room was very clean and up-to-date. The development is expected to break ground during the first quarter of 2022 and construction of the facility will begin no later than April 2025, according to KPRC. Crystal, 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. I will be sure to pass your kind words along to Kassi, David, Robin, and Amanda! The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. We have patronized several of these places, if not all and the kids highly recommend them! 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. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. That said, I wouldnt pay triple the price for Kalahari. With Kalahari Careers, you become part of our dedicated team at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Great Wolf is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia, Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). We did not rent any of the cabanas that were located throughout. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. 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. The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. Kalahari is a better choice for families with adolescents and teens, while Great Wolf Lodge is perfect for elementary-age children. The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - Kalahari Resort Poconos Top Flight Family 113K subscribers Subscribe 2.9K 310K views 3 years ago Are you trying to decide between.