This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. Kalahari activities and attractions differ with each location. The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! One of Melani and my pet peeves with regards to hotel accommodations is when there is only one night stand for a queen bed. Kalahari Resort Market Cost The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. 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. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. The Kalahari wave pool is much bigger than the Great Wolf Lodge wave pool. THE POCONOS Water Park SHOWDOWN, Great Wolf Lodge VS. Kalahari VS. Camelbacks Aquatopia! Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. 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. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. Aquatopia Snowtubing, mountain coaster (4,500 feet steel track coaster), Euro Bungee tethered bungee jump. Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari vs. CamelBack's Aquatopia! THE POCONOS My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Thats theming! See you soon! 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. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. There are 2 lazy river type rides, the wave pool is immense, there are 2 hot tubs that are partly inside the building AND partly outside of the building with a narrow channel to traverse back and forth. We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. Great Wolf Lodge recently renovated their suites to a more updated style and clean look. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. We put together this side-by-side comparison of Kalahari, Camelbacks Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge to help you choose the right resort or water park for your family vacation! Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. Ranked: Pennsylvania's three best water parks - York Daily Record Hi, Pamela! Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. 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. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. Water park access was included. Both resorts have huge water parks and other indoor activities. Kalahari has the most amenities that you would expect from a high-end resort. There would have been another $25 for parking but we were able to avoid this since we had relatives staying just a few miles away. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge - Review of Kalahari Resorts The food was overpriced but tasty. 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. Kalahari vs great wolf lodge for little kids? - Sandusky Forum Aquatopiais somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! Best Indoor Water Park Winners (2021) | USA TODAY 10Best Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. Two of my kids are begging to go back to Kalahari. 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. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. 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. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. We also enjoyed the balcony. 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. 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. 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. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. The water is warm, but not too hot. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! You'll be able to keep a better eye on the kids at the other water parks. Which do you prefer? Both seemed to make a small room work a little better and not feel as small as it actually was. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. 7000 Kalahari Dr. Sandusky, OH 44870 (419) 433-7200. . Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Sincerely, Chip. Kalahari seems to have a bit more of a selection when it comes to very large rooms. We stored our bags with the assistance of bell staff and we went downstairs to check out the facilities.We had to go through a large (and very noisy) arcade to get to the turnstiles to the waterpark. We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! 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. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. If you would like to read a little more about our trip down to the Poconos you can do so here: Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). 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. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 5 12 years old. Level Contributor 1,490 posts 39 reviews It needs to be checked more often. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Whereas, the roofline @ Great Wolf Lodge is blocky. Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Note: There is no Flowrider / surfing simulator attraction at the Poconos location for Great Wolf Lodge. Crystal, I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: We didn't expect gourmet food at a waterpark, but the nachos were so tasteless that my 12-year old pushed them aside and asked for a chicken finger. 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. Both are great options for kids. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Check with the resort to confirm which activities are offered during the winter. Swim Up BARS - An absolutely genius idea! The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. We have never patronized the restaurant as it does seem expensive. Great Wolf Lodge vs. Kalahari: Which Is Best For Families I would appreciate your input as we would like to plan a resort getaway for just the two of us for our anniversary. Great Wolf Resorts (formerly known as Great Wolf Lodge) is a chain of eighteen indoor water park resorts located in the United States and Canada. The Poconos Great Wolf Lodge location has more kiddie water slides than the Williamsburg location. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia resort are all located in the Poconos and are VERY close to each other! 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. Click here to go to the Kalahari Poconos Water Park website. 2501 Great Wolf Dr> Mason, OH 45040 (800) 913-9653. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. For exact amenities lists, its best to view the Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari website of the locations you are comparing. Camelbacks Aquatopia had the greatest variation in price for a room being slightly cheaper during the week AND the most expensive on the weekend. 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. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. The Poconos Waterpark Showdown 2019. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. Lifejackets available, large amount of seating and tables!ARCADE - Another huge area! If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. My daughter walks with a medical device. ==> Kalahari: Kalahari is the BEST indoor water park & resort for families looking for a balance between kid activities and adult luxuries on vacation. The room @ Aquatopia that we had was a double queen suite, a pull-out sofa and a balcony. Experience a world of play, all under one roof.