Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Much more concise! This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. Kalahari seems to have a bit more of a selection when it comes to very large rooms. B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. It was nicely decorated and efficiently arranged. 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. 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. We are happy to report that there were two night stands with our queen bed! Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. Kalahari was the cheapest on Friday evening - but the most expensive during the week & the second most expensive on Saturday evening. 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". Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. 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 hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. Thank you! Hey, thanks for the great reviews! (assuming same accommodations we had for this past trip) and this is how they all answered. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. 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. As I mentioned above when we go to Kalahari (or Great Wolf Lodge, for that matter)- we are going for some water and swimming fun. If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos please let us know which one YOU liked best! For our Wednesday June 26th, 2019 stay @ Kalahari the cost of our room was $249.99 with taxes & fees amounting to $66.09, bringing the total to $316.08. 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). Yes it is HUGE but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. The balcony/patio was laughable. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Swim Up BARS - An absolutely genius idea! Were going in January. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. Nothing? DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. Its Manageable Size Is Perfect for Younger Kids The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark It's true: Kalahari is the biggest indoor water park in the country and Camelback has almost 50,000 square feet on Kartrite. 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. Life jackets are not required but are available as well as puddle jumpers. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. Kalahari has one indoor and one outdoor area - both are huge (Kalahari's is one of the largest indoors in the US). (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). The water park @ Aquatopia was nice. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. 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. (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. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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! Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Thank you for taking the time to comment! Kalahariis the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. However, having fewer food venue choices and adult amenities limits your stay to a very kid-centric experience. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. Thank you for your support! The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. The lobby is big but not massive like it is at Kalahari! Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. How does it compare to Great Wolf Lodge? 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. 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. The resort recently completed a huge expansion that added 130,000 sq feet of conference facilities to the 100,000 sq feet of existing facilities. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. 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. 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. I asked everyone in the family if we are going back down to the Poconos and staying at one of the resorts tomorrow night where would you want to stay? And the staff was friendly. Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. 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. There is one primary restaurant on the main level on the left side of the lobby / front entrance. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Just about everything seemed to be swimming in butter or oil, including the overcooked/overheated vegetables. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! This post will focus on the Leola New York City and upstate New York are close to many amazing indoor water parks. 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. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. Another note worth mentioning the bathtubs @ Kalahari are huge! Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! During our long walk to the room (the opposite end of the facility), he was VERY professional, engaging and helpful. 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. We also liked the master light switch in the room that made it very easy to turn off every light in the suite with one switch. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Both resorts are well-themed throughout the resort rooms and the water parks. 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). We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 5 12 years old. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. This post was incredibly helpful!!! There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). 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. Chip. We review each of the Poconos water parks on several criteria including: If you want to cut right to the chase you can jump to the conclusion by clicking here: Conclusion, Great Wolf Lodge does a good job of branding and theming (theme ing) the lodge. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. We LOVED IT!More. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. 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. It may come down to a simple question: How old are the children in your party? Still it was a frustrating experience that cast a pallor over our time and experience there. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. 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. Berrellis Italian Chophouse wasnt really an option for us as this restaurant is physically located in a different building from where we were staying & where the indoor water park is located. Embarrassing that I never realized it was the same picture! The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Here's our overall review.. We were told that the elevator was on the convention center side, which was not really convenient for her. They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. "The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the City's history," Webster city officials said. But be prepared to spend.it comes with the territory! The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. 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. (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia) Which is the right waterpark resort experience for your family? Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. 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! [2] In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. LOCATION: Within the 1st floor level of Tom Foolerys Adventure Park inside B-Lux Grill & Bar. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Both resorts have normal hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. GWL isnt fast either, but 2+ hours to pay triple the price wouldnt work either. more. I love Great Wolf Lodge, but the water park is a little more for younger kids, while Kalahari is more for the older kids. . It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. Rooms are bigger and have fun themes. Kalahari even has a five bedroom suite that can have a maximum of 22 guests. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney. Report inappropriate content msmejkal chicago The toddler splash park area is very big at Kalahari with a lot of water-table type attractions and activities for the little ones. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. Kassie R, Social Media Coordinator at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, responded to this review. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. They did a fabulous job with the design of this place. The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. 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. 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. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. We ended up eating most of the fries and onions rings, while discarding the rest. (Activities vary by location). 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. Kalahari Resort also has an adult spa and fitness center plus live music entertainment at the steak house and piano bar. We also enjoyed the Lazy River and the wave pool. 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. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud! Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). 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! Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that you can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. Great Wolf Lodgeis the best for younger kids because it has the most charm and does a better job of theme ing with its characters throughout the entire experience (lodging, dining & water park) compared to either Aquatopia or Kalahari. Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Water Park Toddler Play. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Compare management, culture and compensation ratings for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Located in America's Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, it was Great Wolf Resorts' first East Coast location. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. 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 is a better choice for families with adolescents and teens, while Great Wolf Lodge is perfect for elementary-age children. THERE ISNOADDITIONAL COST TO YOU if you buy something from Amazon! I have read other reviews where people did not enjoy the balcony but we did. Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. It needs to be checked more often. Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! Definitely two thumbs up for the adults area at Kalahari! Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of indoor water parks. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! Great Wolf Lodge Poconos is a staple in the region. This old-school hot dog shack across from Penn Treaty Park mostly caters to truckers, hence its early-morning hours. 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. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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! Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? 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.. It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open.

Craigslist Cash Jobs Today, Articles K