It is especially better for younger kids ones who dont want or need a life jacket! It reminds me of Disneys Wilderness Lodge. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. My family has enjoyed a handful of stays at the water park hotel Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, Texas (and one visit to the GWL in Southern California). Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. Hours: Depending on the day, the indoor water park is open from 9am to 9pm or 10am to 8pm. Its Manageable Size Is Perfect for Younger Kids The Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark It's true: Kalahari is the biggest indoor water park in the country and Camelback has almost 50,000 square feet on Kartrite. Life jackets are not required but are available as well as puddle jumpers. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. The kids had a blast, and I think with some minor changes, this place will exceed 5 stars. Here's our overall review.Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Kalahari Resort has an entire grotto (both indoor and outdoor) for adults with a swim-up bar. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. In particular, it felt narrow. 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. We LOVED IT!More. The Lobby is one of the things I, and everyone in my family, really liked about Kalahari! Yes, there were some healthy options just not a very good variety. Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. 11 Best Small Towns to Visit in Central Upstate New York, https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/. Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. 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. The overnight costs for both of these resorts can vary widely throughout the year. Great Wolf Lodge has more traditional tube, body slides, and a bowl slide. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The IVORY COAST restaurant had a great selection of food and we thoroughly enjoyed doing takeout from there. kalahari waterpark passesmr patel neurosurgeon cardiff 27 februari, 2023 . 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. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. 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. The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. Especially around the holidays, it has a warm and fuzzy fireplace vibe. I would like to further discuss the details of your stay. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Has a fun magic quest as an additional . This post was incredibly helpful!!! I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. more. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open and there were other times when only one was open. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as Great Wolf. Socks are required in order to bowl. Check there and compare prices with their website to find the lowest prices for your stay. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! Wisconsin Dells, WI https://www.greatwolf.com/wisconsin-dells Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Blessed father of 4 wonderful children & trophy husband to 1 lovely wife. When I called, the charge was removed & the service rep was polite enough but, apparently Aquatopia/Camelback fully expects there to be a parking fee added to every invoice! Answer 1 of 6: We want to take my son ( just turned 4) to either Kalahari or Great wolf lodge. 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. The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. It had a pretty good selection of desserts and chocolates. 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. Chip, I am planning to go to waterpark with three kids, so I really enjoyed all details! Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! You can also see the water park from the windows on this side and from the Cafe & Bar. On the lower level by the entrance for the water park, there is a pizza place with some tables in the lower lobby area. Report inappropriate content msmejkal chicago This seems to be an archaeology /exploration theme that they incorporate to water park. The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. DreamWorks Water Park - East Rutherford, New Jersey. The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. So these mini-vacations are a perfect and necessary thing for our family. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. It is a smaller resort, with plenty of employees who are prepared to work with young children. Nothing? 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). But, if or when we do return, I look forward to spending more time in that adults-only grotto. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. We joke that we lost Sophie our 2 year old for 5 minutes in the immense suite! A night at either place costs a small fortune, and the food is over-priced and mediocre. It had a large walk-in area that had a sink and kitchenette. If you are a resident of another country or region, please select the appropriate version of Tripadvisor for your country or region in the drop-down menu. Thank you! The size of the indoor water park is roughly 125,000 square-foot, which makes it slightly larger than the Great Wolf Lodge water park @ roughly 79,000 square-foot, but decidedly smaller than Kalaharis indoor water park which is roughly 220,000 square-foot. I would request a higher floor again because the 2nd floor gets all of the foot traffic as that is the lobby floor and the waterpark and arcade are on the lower 1st floor.Take a minute to just look around and notice the dcor, architecture, and design. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. Great Wolf Lodge. Just about everything seemed to be swimming in butter or oil, including the overcooked/overheated vegetables. We ordered a burrito, nachos grande, chicken fingers, fries and onion rings from a predictable and acceptable selection of menu items. As I mentioned above, we can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. I have read other reviews where people did not enjoy the balcony but we did. They were definitely present - but not blowing their whistle when it was needed and didn't seem as focused. lindakmonty He's like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" Joined Jun 24, 2005 Jun 30, 2006 #7 bellyrubbah1 2 yr. ago Cool. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. Although I am admittedly not a big fan of buffets, we figured it would be easy for everyone to find something they liked. It was a nice touch to have the lodge theme and a couple of characters at the front of the wave pool which is one of our favorite attractions. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) Great Wolf Lodge also has a small bowling ally, gem mining, outdoor ropes course, arcade, and glow golf. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! Another note worth mentioning the bathtubs @ Kalahari are huge! (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. This was one of the few exceptions! Round Rock Source: Round the Rock With so much fun and excitement in one place, Kalahari remains a top destination for families throughout Texas. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 - and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. 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. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. Camelback Mountain Resorts waterpark Aquatopia, Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). CHECK IN/ROOM - We checked in with Kassi at We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. https://www.theparenthoodadventures.com/waterpark-comparison-chart-kalahari-aquatopia-great-wolf-lodge/ Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, TX is like Great Wolf Lodge on steroids. Hello and thank you for the review! We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. 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. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! The food was not good at all. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. And the staff was friendly. We also enjoyed the balcony. 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. Unfortunately, the kids loaded up on an assortment of dessert and we went back to the room to change back into our swimwear for a last hurrah in the water.Off the lobby there are also a sweets shop, bakery, and ice cream shop, with what appears to be a nice selection of goodies.The next morning, the kids wanted to get in a few hours at the waterpark before our 11:00 checkout. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! 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. Kalahari Resorts opened in 2015 in the Poconos. (assuming same accommodations we had for this past trip) and this is how they all answered. Management thanks you for your suggestions and for noting how well-trained our associates are! Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! We did really like the lazy river at Aquatopia. All three resorts are really good choices for water park fun with a family. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. 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. Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. No outside food or drink allowed. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. For the price I would expect better service. It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. Kalahari . Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback. The Great Wolf Lodge Resort is a family-friendly resort located a few miles from the LEGOLAND Discovery Center in Grapevine and offers deluxe accommodations, upscale amenities, and an indoor water park with several swimming areas and wave pools, water slides and rides, waterfalls, hot springs, and entertainment for children. It felt like you were rubbing shoulders with other people all the time. Kalaharis waterpark is the largest at 220,000 square feet & Camelbacks Aquatopia indoor waterpark is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. For size reference, Great Wolf Lodges water park is the smallest at about 79,000 square feet. 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. Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. Great Wolf Lodges water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalaharis is over 220,000 square feet. On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. Would have been nice to have them inside as well.The waterpark overall was phenomenal - huge and definitely accommodates young and old. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. 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. Great Wolf Lodge is smaller than Kalahari. They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. Reservations are strongly recommended. Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! At that point, it was unmistakably the smell of cat urine. Age and height requirements vary by location. 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. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Why do the adults with hearing damage always make the decisions with regards to volume level! 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. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. The room was clean and a good size and the 4 of us had enough room to spread out, with one person taking the full-size, pullout sofa bed. Kalahari Resort has a huge upcharge for the one type of themed room. Kalahari even has a five bedroom suite that can have a maximum of 22 guests. The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. The place is ENORMOUS and although it's extremely busy and pretty crowded most of the time, there is plenty of seating in the waterpark. 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 am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. Magic wands are needed for this game, and there is a fee to activate them for a certain period of time. Both are great options for kids. Park access for all family members is included in . Seriously, this place is awesome! Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Our Dallas, TX resort offers an 80,000-square-foot indoor water park and exciting land attractions for the entire family. Kalahari is a better choice for families with adolescents and teens, while Great Wolf Lodge is perfect for elementary-age children. We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. We changed in the bathroom/changing areas, located a storage locker (for a fee), and found a table. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. 6 Best Texas . It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. We ended up eating most of the fries and onions rings, while discarding the rest. We are happy to report that there were two night stands with our queen bed! Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it intoourpocket instead of Jeff Bezos'! Finding fun places to take your kids in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia. Since we are fans of Indiana Jones we like most archaeology theme including this one but I would not say the theme-ing is immersive other than the lazy river. When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. 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. 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 is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. The water is warm, but not too hot. We have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. Kalahari has the largest indoorwater park of the 3, and is the largestresortlocated in the Poconos. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. Weve stayed at GWL Williamsburg and Kalahari in the Poconos. 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. Enjoy your family vacation at one of the great indoor water park resort choices in your area! One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. Great Wolf seems to have more of a variety of theming for these bunk bed suites. Poconos Waterparks: How to Get the Best Deals at Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia! As a native New Yorker, a bit of grit and grime doesn't scare me. Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? We appreciate it! 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. I hope you have a wonderful time with your family! Thank you for your feedback. 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. Clean, safe & staff so friendly! Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor ropes course and indoor arcade. 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. 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. 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. included with your stay Waterpark Admission Waterpark admission is always free when you stay with us. The Kalahari wave pool is much bigger than the Great Wolf Lodge wave pool. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. 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 Lodge: Outdoor ropes courses seasonal. Kalahari is amaizing! In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge! 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. Im guessing the youngest of your children voted for GWL? Once again, the food was mediocre at best. We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. Location: 1 Great Wolf Drive, Scotrun, PA. Most times I find that the pictures or decorations in a motel/hotel really dont add anything to the experience. The larger of the two play areas also includes a splash table for babies. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. 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. Have you been to both Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resort? Kalahari and Chula Vista - now that the "Flyin Mayan" ride is back - are also. Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. Located below the main lobby is both the entrance to the water park and the arcade. Chip. 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. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: I will be sure to pass your kind words along to Kassi, David, Robin, and Amanda! However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. It's the easiest way to hit the slopes! Ronks is southeast of Lancaster. If I was ever to get a weekend alone with my wife we would go to Kalahari since there are more amenities and it is not so kid-centric. Activities could include yoga, character appearances, crafts, a nightly Forest Friends show, story time, and a dance party. The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. Each play area includes slides and swings. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. Better selection of local foods near Great Wolf. 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. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. Keep in mind theres a third indoor water park resort in the Poconos: Camelback Mountain Resort. Many of these water parks are resorts, meaning they also comparison guide for all three of these resorts, Lindt Chocolate Factory Outlet Carlisle, PA. 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. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. From the accommodation standpoint it was a much more memorable stay! Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. The closet was pretty small, and the bathroom was almost as small (with the sink located next to the fridge); however, those were relatively minor inconveniences.We went to Great Karoo Buffet around 5-5:30 and was relieved to see that it wasn't that crowded. Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) 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! What are you waiting for? Life-size animal statues adorn the outside. Speaking of loud There is usually a dance party in the evening which we found to be extremely loud!
Our Position Hasn't Changed At All Political Cartoon,
Virgo Woman In Bed With Scorpio Man,
Articles K