Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. 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. 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. lindakmonty He's like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" Joined Jun 24, 2005 Jun 30, 2006 #7 The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. You used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. Great Wolf seems to have more of a variety of theming for these bunk bed suites. Poconos Water Park Comparison Guide - Been There Done That with Kids 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. The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. This was our 3rd visit to Kalahari, the 2 previous times we stayed was before March 2017 when the resort was only half way completed. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. 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? Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. At the towel dispensary you simply swipe your wrist band and the attendant will hand you the number of towels you request. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Kalahariis the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. 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. Both resorts also have bunk bed suites with small alcoves just for the kids. It's located in the Rockvale Outlets Fox Meadows Creamery has two locations, one in Ephrata, Pennsylvania and one in Leola, Pennsylvania. Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. After reading this post - which Poconos waterpark do you THINK you are most likely to go to? What are you waiting for? The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. It is a smaller resort, with plenty of employees who are prepared to work with young children. . For the price I would expect better service. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge: Discover the Differences Kalahari is amaizing! Post was not sent - check your email addresses! B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. LOVED the concept - didn't like the fact that they were not full bars - they only made a few specialty drinks and offered beer and wine. 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. It's the easiest way to hit the slopes! 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). Im guessing the youngest of your children voted for GWL? Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. The Undomestic Goddess: Great Wolf Lodge vs. Gaylord Texan - Blogger This comparison guide will focus mainly on the Pocono resorts in Pennsylvania, but some of the information can be used to compare other locations of Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. 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. Thats theming! We do love both! For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. Most times I find that the pictures or decorations in a motel/hotel really dont add anything to the experience. 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. 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 balcony/patio was laughable. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. Well manicured and landscaped lawns.We arrived in the main lobby on Sunday 7/2 a little after 1:00 p.m. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf : r/Poconos - reddit This post was incredibly helpful!!! We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. Clean, safe & staff so friendly! The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. My husband and I especially like the adults-only area at Kalahari, and we dont miss the late-night stomping of kids in the hallways playing MagiQuest at Great Wolf Lodge (if you know, you know). Another Wisconsin Dells question - Great Wolf vs. Kalahari vs (Healthy, I know.) 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. Best Water Parks in the Northeast For Families (By Age!) Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney. This 80,000-square-foot facility is perfect for families, although the water park portion is only open to hotel guests. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) The Biggest Indoor Waterparks in the World - TripSavvy Nothing? It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. Age and height requirements vary by location. It is hard to believe that Aquatopia/Camelback would actually be charging extra for the balcony /patios at this level! The best Wisconsin Dells waterpark for you and your crew - OnMilwaukee Choosing which resort to bring your family to can be daunting as both resorts offer very similar attractions and amenities. So I guess you just dont need it that much. I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! The resort's mammoth 80,000-square-foot indoor waterpark has nine waterslides, six pools, and a four-story treehouse waterfort and utilizes nearly 380,000 gallons of water.Beyond the massive indoor waterpark, Great Wolf Lodge offers families daily activities and amenities on the dry side. Many of these water parks are resorts, meaning they also comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet Carlisle, PA. That was almost inedible. Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains packs in all the family fun under one roof. 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. Each play area includes slides and swings. Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. GWL has excellent sales. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Book now and prepare your pack for adventure. Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. Although the room was designated for up to 6 people it felt like we were on top of each other at times. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. 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. Management thanks you for your suggestions and for noting how well-trained our associates are! Both resorts in the Poconos have a water coaster. If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos please let us know which one YOU liked best! It needs to be checked more often. The water park @ Aquatopia was nice. It is also something that Kalahari does well . 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. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. 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. The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. Why Kids Love It Friendly, accommodating, informative.we were very happy with the initial interaction. With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! For the volume of people passing through it ( to check-in, check out, shop at the shops and access the activities) it feels a little small and congested. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. Annapolis Area Doulas | Kalahari Resorts vs. Great Wolf Lodge If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. 4 Reasons Your Family Needs to Visit The Kartrite - NJ Family Water park access was included. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. Their massive indoor water parks vary by location. We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. [3] Great Wolf Resorts is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. Great Wolf Lodge has an especially fun indoor water park and the "under one roof" makes the stay warm and easy. The only other complaint I have is that we came home with a number of bites. Two of my kids are begging to go back to Kalahari. When you leave make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again or you will be charged for the towels. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. We have patronized several of these places, if not all and the kids highly recommend them! One of Kalahari's Kiddie Areas (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. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. Aquatopia made an effort to do some theme-ing with the Kartrite Quest /Adventures but this really only covers the water park and the activities for kids to the left of the lobby. (Activities vary by location). Church work is not for the faint of heart, and by the end of the summer church has just flat taken its toll on all of us. 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. Kalahari is absolutely immense! The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! Snow Tubing in the Poconos | PA Resorts, Info & Conditions 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.