Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge -- Sandusky - DISboards.com Your goal is our goal. The room was very clean and up-to-date. On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. Several hot tubs, twice the amount of slides as Great Wolf Lodge, and something for all ages. 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. Been at least six years ago. The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. 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. Wet bar, fridge, microwaveIMPRESSED with the upkeep.WATERPARK - The place is absolutely huge. The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. LOCATION: Within the 1st floor level of Tom Foolerys Adventure Park inside B-Lux Grill & Bar. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. A 14-inch pie was 8 slices, 2 toppings $21. 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. All three resorts are located very close to each other in the Poconos. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. 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. (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) 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. 11 Best Small Towns to Visit in Central Upstate New York, https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/. So we decided to check it out and see how things had changed. Great Wolf Lodge has more charm and we enjoyed the lodge theme & the characters. However, there seemed to be a noticeable amount of debris at the bottom of the pool which seemed to a combination of plastic and dirt. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. This old-school hot dog shack across from Penn Treaty Park mostly caters to truckers, hence its early-morning hours. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. One time a lifeguard came out and caught one but without constant observation, it is impossible to parole this area. Great Wolf Resorts - Wikipedia 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 been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. Thankfully, we didnt have a 2+ hour line to check-in. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. Looking up to the roofline Aquatopia does feel more open and expansive since it is more of a sweeping semi-circle in shape. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. What we usually do @ Kalahari is claim a couple of tables next to the fountain in the lobby and while one of us stays with the family the other runs around to the different food venues to obtain the items we desire to assemble a meal. We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. I will say we were on the 7th floor..and it was perfectly quiet. Chip. Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! 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 . This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. 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. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. It seems, for obvious safety reasons, that a toddler area would be better located on the lowest level of the water park. 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. 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. Both resorts also have onsite dining that continues the decor. Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! Compare management, culture and compensation ratings for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its night-time illumination make it unique. Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. The Undomestic Goddess: Great Wolf Lodge vs. Gaylord Texan - Blogger This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. 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. My family recently visited Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. Hi there, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review of your most recent stay. Snow Tubing in the Poconos | PA Resorts, Info & Conditions Here's our overall review.. 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. Which do you prefer? 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! Kalahari has a lot of complaints on Google about 2+ hour check in times and no housekeeping. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. The mountainous / hilly location complimented the overall lodge theme and it was nice to sit out there with the kids as the weather cooled in the evening. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Aquatopia at Camelback Lodge in Pennsylvania is 125,000 square feet. I was wondering what your experiences have been with that. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. 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. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. The only other complaint I have is that we came home with a number of bites. 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. Great Wolf is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. You might prefer the chart we put together along with our conclusions. Get those lifeguards a little more focused and offer more options at the bars! but also read water is cold. The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. Winner: Kalahari Resort Rooms Both resorts have "normal" hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. GWL isnt fast either, but 2+ hours to pay triple the price wouldnt work either. Likewise the lobby is magnificent! Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent visit. Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. (Activities vary by location). On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! It smelled like an overcrowded SPCA. The farm is back a lane, and Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet is located at 40 Logistics Drive in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There are currently 4 locations for the chain with the Poconos location being its largest facility. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. BoardingArea - Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge | Facebook 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. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. The view felt somewhat private and we really enjoyed it! It was, however, small. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. It is also something that Kalahari does well . The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. Offers more free activities in the main lobby. (Healthy, I know.) In particular, it felt narrow. 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? The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. There are some characters for the kids but they are not really developed and seem to have just been bolted on as an after thought. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. Lately we have been hitting the snack bar (Pizza Pub) down in the arcade for the burritos and then the store (Marrakesh Market) right at the edge of the lobby for some of the soups. The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. Is the higher food price of Kalahari worth it? The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. Camelbacks Aquatopia resort opened their indoor water park in May of 2015. Yes it is HUGE but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. 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. 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 % You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. Great Wolf Lodge is known for their MagiQuest game. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. Poconos Water Park Comparison Guide - Been There Done That with Kids 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. After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? It had a pretty good selection of desserts and chocolates. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. 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. Aquatopiais somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! 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. I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! 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. Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. But, if or when we do return, I look forward to spending more time in that adults-only grotto. With Kalahari Careers, you become part of our dedicated team at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. Still it was a frustrating experience that cast a pallor over our time and experience there. There are a lot of food choices @ Kalahari of which we have only sampled a few. 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). The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. 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. The Ultimate Guide to Great Wolf Lodge Locations in the US 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). 6 Best Texas . At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. We LOVED IT!More. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. See you soon! 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. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. The smell permeated EVERYTHING to the point of needing to open the door to air it out. We're in the business of making memories. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! Post was not sent - check your email addresses! (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Would have been nice to have them inside as well.The waterpark overall was phenomenal - huge and definitely accommodates young and old. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. The balcony/patio was laughable. Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. The best Wisconsin Dells waterpark for you and your crew - OnMilwaukee Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. Hours: Depending on the day, the indoor water park is open from 9am to 9pm or 10am to 8pm. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. Texas is getting another huge indoor water park, reports say - KSAT Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. Our suite @ Kalahari was HUGE! Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - Tripadvisor Likewise, there is a cost associated with the convenience of those activities being offered right there and that is cost. Thanks for your review! 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. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. 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 . We say this because Aquatopia has the most activities (rock wall, laser tag, escape room, etc) at its resort that will likely appeal to pre-teens and early teens. Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was. My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney. We also enjoyed the Lazy River and the wave pool. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. Whereas, the roofline @ Great Wolf Lodge is blocky. 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. Both resorts are well-themed throughout the resort rooms and the water parks. Annapolis Area Doulas | Kalahari Resorts vs. Great Wolf Lodge We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. Great Wolf Lodge: Outdoor ropes courses seasonal. There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. Kalahari has the most toddler slides by far when comparing the three resorts. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. 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. Poconos Waterpark Comparison Guide: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! Thank you for your support! Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. We also liked some of the efficiency features of the room. The building must be completed within three years. A general view of the Great Wolf Lodge in Fort Mackenzie. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures!