Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. 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. To the right of the entrance is check-in / hotel services. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. Were going in January. Kalahari Resort, including Pocono Mountains location. Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge: Discover the Differences 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. Kalahari Resort also has an adult spa and fitness center plus live music entertainment at the steak house and piano bar. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. Great Wolf Lodge has 19 locations across the U.S. and Canada (Photo: Great Wolf Lodge Resorts) Great Wolf Lodge is easily accessible for many families, with 19 Great Wolf Lodge locations across the U.S. and one in Niagara Falls, Canada.All Great Wolf properties feature indoor water parks with slides, spraygrounds, lazy rivers, and wave pools. There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. 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. I look forward to hearing back from you. When you check in the lodge they should offer you and / or the kids wolf ears at no extra charge since, after all it is the Great WOLF Lodge!. You used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. We LOVED IT!More. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. (Seems like I placed that order a looOong time ago)_. TheParenthoodAdventures.comis owned & operated byChip Williamsonwho is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that enables websites like this to earn advertising fees from Amazon.com. Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. The wolf mascots host a nightly dance party and pj story time. Which Poconos waterpark do you like best? 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,). really? The IVORY COAST restaurant had a great selection of food and we thoroughly enjoyed doing takeout from there. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. Kalahari also has crafts, escape room, mini golf, mini bowling, and arcade. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. Camelback is far From dc metro; close to ny metro. 10 Best Family Resorts in Texas for 2023 - Great Wolf Lodge Family Fun Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Camelbacks Aquatopia had the greatest variation in price for a room being slightly cheaper during the week AND the most expensive on the weekend. When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. That said, I wouldnt pay triple the price for Kalahari. Management thanks you for your suggestions and for noting how well-trained our associates are! Jamison is a small town in Warwick Township, Bucks Ringing Rocks County Park is located on the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, along Ringing Rocks Road, in Upper Black Eddy, QuiNBy's Playground recently opened in 2022. We recently visited Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia (November 24th, 2021). The fact that Camelback ALSO has the Mountain Resort (skiing, tubing, etc), the outdoor water park (Camelbeach) and its nightime illumination make it unique. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge - Review of Kalahari Resorts The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. Pros: . Blessed father of 4 wonderful children & trophy husband to 1 lovely wife. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. The balcony/patio was laughable. 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. So we decided to check it out and see how things had changed. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! We have been to both resorts in the past but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ 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 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. 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. From the pricing you see above you can understand why we usually opt for the kids to miss a day of school when we head over to one of Poconos water parks! 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! There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. The king of indoor waterparks, . https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/. Kalahari has a lot of complaints on Google about 2+ hour check in times and no housekeeping. 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. Great Wolf Lodge offers resort lodges with indoor water parks near both large theme parks. Great Wolf also has a neat Glockenspiel in the lobby that does a little show in the evening, and than a character comes out afterwards for a meet and greet. 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. 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 may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! (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. Kalahari still boasts plenty of kiddie water slides, but it also has more thrilling slides for older children. Great Wolf Lodge Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. First, Great Wolf Lodge is a decent size. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. Aspiring super-mom - who is still anxiously awaiting the arrival of her homemaker skills & superpowers of organization to arrive from Amazon Prime. 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. Kids hearing is much more sensitive! One of Melani and my pet peeves with regards to hotel accommodations is when there is only one night stand for a queen bed. > Reserve the Desert or Hut Room, Sunday - Friday through June 30, 2006 at Kalahari Resort - Sandusky, Ohio for $99 for up to 4 guests! Middletown is located outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Ringing Rocks County Park Upper Black Eddy, PA. We also enjoyed the balcony. I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. 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. In particular, it felt narrow. The wave pool alternates between wave / no wave cycles. The food was overpriced but tasty. Thank you very much for your comment. Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. Aquatopia at Camelback Lodge in Pennsylvania is 125,000 square feet. 16 years ago Save I'm pricing a stay for a Christmas gift and Wilderness is about $100 less per night ($165). Great Wolf Lodge, including Pocono Mountains location. Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum Take care! Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? Sincerely, 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. The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. So the water park is what we usually focus on. 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. Camelback Lodge vs. Great Wolf Lodge: Which Poconos Indoor Water Park Virtual reality, tons of games, golf, bowling - this place though of everything. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. The toddler splash park area is very big at Kalahari with a lot of water-table type attractions and activities for the little ones. 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. Kalahari Resort has a huge upcharge for the one type of themed room. Camelback Resort & Aquatopia are somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. 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. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Camelbacks Aquatopia also had the highest resort fee and the prices quoted on the website do not include the $25/night parking fee. 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 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. I have read other reviews where people did not enjoy the balcony but we did. Get those lifeguards a little more focused and offer more options at the bars! They also enjoyed the interaction with the characters and the Wiley & Friends video stories that can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. Kalahari vs great wolf lodge for little kids? - Sandusky Forum 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. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Telephones have voice mail; TVs come with cable and pay movies. Best Indoor Waterparks in Ohio | SheBuysTravel - Traveling Mom 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. Im pleased to hear that you enjoyed the various sections of the waterpark. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. 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).