The Poconos Great Wolf Lodge location has more kiddie water slides than the Williamsburg location. really? We did not rent any of the cabanas that were located throughout. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. People who got there after her were served well before her. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Each lane allows for up to six bowlers at a time. If you are looking for more of a balance between kid activities and adult luxuries Kalahari has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults and children. Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor ropes course and indoor arcade. 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. You used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. We have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. 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. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. The shop is along Interstate 81, making it a Busy Bodies Play Cafe is an indoor play space for children who are 1 year old through 6 years old. Thank you for taking the time to comment! In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. Compare management, culture and compensation ratings for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. Our Dallas, TX resort offers an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park and exciting land attractions for the entire family. 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. It seems, for obvious safety reasons, that a toddler area would be better located on the lowest level of the water park. I look forward to hearing back from you. Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. 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. Been at least six years ago. 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. The water is warm, but not too hot. 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.. 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. The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. Likewise the lobby is magnificent! 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. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). It's the easiest way to hit the slopes! It doesnt extend to the guest rooms and amenities. Including a story time, dance time, crafts and more. Sincerely, We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. Kids hearing is much more sensitive! The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Burger and fries for $12, other sandwiches $12-$15.not excessive. They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. Especially around the holidays, it has a warm and fuzzy fireplace vibe. I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. Much more concise! We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! 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. Great Wolf Lodges water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalaharis is over 220,000 square feet. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. @Kelly We ate dinner off-site so I cant really compare the food fairly. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. 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. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. We also enjoyed the balcony. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. (Activities vary by location). 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. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. Kalahari . Magic wands are needed for this game, and there is a fee to activate them for a certain period of time. Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. Waterpark admission included with your stay! The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its night-time illumination make it unique. Book now and prepare your pack for adventure. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. (Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia) Which is the right waterpark resort experience for your family? What are you waiting for? We also only stayed one night, so Im not sure how often housekeeping visits. [3] Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. Located in America's Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown, it was Great Wolf Resorts' first East Coast location. It was, however, small. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. Both resorts have normal hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. 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. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! There is also a fountain near the middle of the lobby with chairs and tables to sit and eat. To the right of the entrance is check-in / hotel services. (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. 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. Which do you prefer? Located below the main lobby is both the entrance to the water park and the arcade. It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. 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. There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. Two of my kids are begging to go back to Kalahari. You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. They were methodical and intense, and I just didn't get that feeling with many of the lifeguard staff here. 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. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. Location: 3001 Kalahari Blvd. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. Seriously, this place is awesome! At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. 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. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. Yes it is HUGE but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. Robert, Just bundle up and head for the hillsdon't forget your gloves and boots! We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. Great Wolf Lodge: Outdoor ropes courses seasonal. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. 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 company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. There are currently 4 locations for the chain with the Poconos location being its largest facility. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. During our long walk to the room (the opposite end of the facility), he was VERY professional, engaging and helpful. The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. This is probably a reflection of the fact that Kalahari is really a convention center first & foremost and the water park is just one of the many amenities they offer albeit a big one! Would have been nice to have them inside as well.The waterpark overall was phenomenal - huge and definitely accommodates young and old. Blessed father of 4 wonderful children & trophy husband to 1 lovely wife. Kalahariis the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. This was one of the few exceptions! When I checked out on the 25th I asked for a receipt, and the amount I was charged was correct ($390.10) When I received my credit card statement on December 9th I noticed that what I was charged from Aquatopia/Camelback was $25 higher than it should have been. 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. 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. Wet bar, fridge, microwaveIMPRESSED with the upkeep.WATERPARK - The place is absolutely huge. Your goal is our goal. TripAdvisor review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, TripAdvisor review of Kalahari Resort Poconos, Booking.com review of Great Wolf Lodge Poconos, MommyNearest Great Wolf Lodge vs Kalahari vs Camelback. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. 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 % Coming Soon: Great Wolf Lodge in Webster! 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. It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. Sincerely, Chip. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. It is also something that Kalahari does well . But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! The room @ Aquatopia that we had was a double queen suite, a pull-out sofa and a balcony. Answer 1 of 6: We want to take my son ( just turned 4) to either Kalahari or Great wolf lodge. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. 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. Both are great options for kids. 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. The building must be completed within three years. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. A general view of the Great Wolf Lodge in Fort Mackenzie. As I indicated above I should not have been charged a fee for parking since we did not leave a vehicle at the resort and were dropped off. That sounds good. Copyright 2023 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. I look forward to connecting with you. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. 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. In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. How does it compare to Great Wolf Lodge? 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. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. 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. 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. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. 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. Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! It is a smaller resort, with plenty of employees who are prepared to work with young children. 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). Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Water Park Toddler Play. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. Yes, there were some healthy options just not a very good variety. 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 did the empirical research so you dont have to! You might prefer the chart we put together along with our conclusions. (GWL = Great Wolf Lodge & K = Kalahari). Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Camelbacks Aquatopia resort are all located in the Poconos and are VERY close to each other! The balcony/patio was laughable. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. Chip. There are a lot of food choices @ Kalahari of which we have only sampled a few. Which is better for his age? The resort has a spa center, a hot tub and an on-site restaurant. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. 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. Park access for all family members is included in . 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. Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) 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. This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Swim Up BARS - An absolutely genius idea! One of Kalahari's Kiddie Areas You all have multi room suites as well as an African Queen Suite.Let's talk about the African Queen Suite for a moment. He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. I found the photos pleasing to look at and relaxing! Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). We LOVED IT!More. It is a wonderful family vacation spot that offers a lot of adventure & nature! Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. 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. 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!