I look forward to connecting with you. I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. It is especially better for younger kids ones who dont want or need a life jacket! 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. We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. Robert, There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. There are currently 4 locations for the chain with the Poconos location being its largest facility. I would appreciate your input as we would like to plan a resort getaway for just the two of us for our anniversary. Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge is often a topic debated by indoor water park visitors. From the accommodation standpoint it was a much more memorable stay! We are still having a debate on what it actually was. When looking at Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari as destinations for families, they both offer plenty of fun activities. My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. The balcony/patio was laughable. The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. Across from that there is a small decent sized souvenir shop / store and a small dessert kiosk. Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari: Which Is Best For Families Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) Mother to 4 wonderful children, wife to one witty, but extremely nerdy husband. Camelbacks Aquatopia also had the highest resort fee and the prices quoted on the website do not include the $25/night parking fee. Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. The Best Waterpark Tips: Kalahari, Great Wolf Lodge, and More Thank you for your feedback. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Guestrooms at Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky Oh offer furnished balconies and separate sitting and sleeping areas. Many of the activities are located right on the main level off to the left of the main lobby so they are very visible. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! The cabin was towards the front of the room and was semi-private for the kids. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud! At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. Kassie R, Social Media Coordinator at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, responded to this review. In particular, it felt narrow. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) I will be sure to pass your kind words along to Kassi, David, Robin, and Amanda! Great Wolf Lodge is better for younger kids, IMHO (ages 2-12, maybe); there are more self-contained areas for easier supervision, whereas Kalahari is better for slightly older kids (maybe 5-15,). Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. If I had to ask in your personal opinion which resort do you think would be the best for an adult couple (26 year old newly weds) without children to go to? Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Thank you for pointing out my mistake! We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. 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. My daughter walks with a medical device. Middletown is located outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Ringing Rocks County Park Upper Black Eddy, PA. 10 Best Family Resorts in Texas for 2023 - Great Wolf Lodge Family Fun Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? 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. There are also many more food choices. 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. We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. Click here to go to the Kalahari Poconos Water Park website. Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side. The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its night-time illumination make it unique. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. 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! There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. Sincerely, Tom Foolerys also has a mirror maze, escape rooms, indoor ropes course, laser tag, rock climbing wall, XD dark ride and bowling. Definitely two thumbs up for the adults area at Kalahari! CLICK HERE TO VIEW VARIOUS CREDIT CARDS AND AVAILABLE SIGN-UP BONUSES, Review: Hotel El Convento in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, Hits and Misses from my Southern Caribbean Cruise on Voyager of the Seas, Quarantined on a Cruise Ship! 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. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! It was voted the #1 indoor water park in 2015 by USA Today. It is also something that Kalahari does well . Generally $50 if canceled 8 or more days before arrival. Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. Wilderness,Kalahari or Great Wolf? Huge rate difference! 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. To the right of the entrance is check-in / hotel services. We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: > Reserve the Desert or Hut Room, Sunday - Friday through June 30, 2006 at Kalahari Resort - Sandusky, Ohio for $99 for up to 4 guests! All three resorts are located very close to each other in the Poconos. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. Great Wolf and Kalahari were about $289--same dates, same room type. 7000 Kalahari Dr. Sandusky, OH 44870 (419) 433-7200. . This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Ranked: Pennsylvania's three best water parks - York Daily Record I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube 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. We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! @Kelly We ate dinner off-site so I cant really compare the food fairly. Compare salary information for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. There was also a buffet which was closed but other little caf options for grab and go type food, a coffee bar, ice cream stand, bakery.they forgot nothing!We felt like we needed more than one night so we asked to extend our stay another night and we were given a great rate to stay in our upgraded room so we jumped on the deal. Burger and fries for $12, other sandwiches $12-$15.not excessive. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. 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. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. After reading this post - which Poconos waterpark do you THINK you are most likely to go to? This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night.