kalahari vs great wolf lodge texas

The wave pool was on par with that at Great Wolf Lodge. Family Fun at its best. 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. Great review, were leaning towards Kalahari but wanted to know about outdoor activities in the winter, could our kids go snow tubing or something related at any of these three resorts? We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). On the lower level by the entrance for the water park, there is a pizza place with some tables in the lower lobby area. After learning about the aspects of both of these resort, which one will your family choose? Camelback is unique in that it has both an INDOOR water park (Aquatopia, which is open year-round) and a separate OUTDOOR water park (Camelbeach) that is only open for the summer season. Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. I can't honestly say that anything bit me in the room, we may have been bitten while we were sleeping, or in all the time we were forced to spend on the patio because of the smell.The resort was fine, but I'd avoid this "upgraded suite". My sister, who was also staying at this resort had the African Queen suite and there was PLENTY of room for all of us if they would have moved us. We really liked the 2 water falls that were present on the lazy river. One is about 13 minutes long and is about Brinley Bears fun day and the other is about 8 minutes long and is about the origin of Great Wolf Lodge. bellyrubbah1 2 yr. ago Cool. The Poconos and Williamsburg Virginia location both have a small indoor wave pool. Great Wolf is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. Offer a family slide option which is super fun to go on as a whole family. The total cost for the night would have been $415.10. 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. At the towel dispensary you simply swipe your wrist band and the attendant will hand you the number of towels you request. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. We have never patronized the restaurant as it does seem expensive. (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. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. 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. Adventure Update # 018: My Tricycle is Very Very Fast! The building must be completed within three years. For the price I would expect better service. The view felt somewhat private and we really enjoyed it! This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. Hi there, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review of your most recent stay. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! Is the higher food price of Kalahari worth it? The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! Camelbacks Aquatopia resort opened their indoor water park in May of 2015. So I guess you just dont need it that much. We have patronized several of these places, if not all and the kids highly recommend them! Great Wolf Lodge Poconos is a staple in the region. included with your stay Waterpark Admission Waterpark admission is always free when you stay with us. We liked the artwork in the room. The room was spotless. Thank you for your feedback. 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! This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. 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. My family has stayed in themed rooms at both resorts. We did not have a car on the premises so driving was not an option, and walking was not very appealing since we tend to patronize the indoor water parks during the colder months and it was late November when we were at Aquatopia. Mary Claire Patton has been a journalist with KSAT 12 since 2015. 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. Aquatopia at Camelback Lodge in Pennsylvania is 125,000 square feet. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Across from that there is a small decent sized souvenir shop / store and a small dessert kiosk. We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. This 80,000-square-foot facility is perfect for families, although the water park portion is only open to hotel guests. 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! When we were last at Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos we did not stay in a themed suite. My daughter walks with a medical device. As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. Our suite @ Kalahari was HUGE! The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. Come splash around! 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. This was one of the few exceptions! Thank you, again. Report inappropriate content msmejkal chicago The photos were nature themed and glossy. It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. The water park @ Aquatopia was nice. The wave pool alternates between wave / no wave cycles. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. A 14-inch pie was 8 slices, 2 toppings $21. So these mini-vacations are a perfect and necessary thing for our family. Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. As I mentioned above, we can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home. 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). The short of it about the same as Great Wolf Lodge and FAR less than Kalahari! Compare management, culture and compensation ratings for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Another note worth mentioning the bathtubs @ Kalahari are huge! We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Just about everything seemed to be swimming in butter or oil, including the overcooked/overheated vegetables. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. The wolf mascots host a nightly dance party and pj story time. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. There is one primary restaurant on the main level on the left side of the lobby / front entrance. Welcome to Great Wolf Lodge! [2] In addition to a water park, each resort features restaurants, arcades, spas, and children's activities. I love Great Wolf Lodge, but the water park is a little more for younger kids, while Kalahari is more for the older kids. The resort has a spa center, a hot tub and an on-site restaurant. Kalahari did a remodel on their indoor kid area about a year ago. Park access for all family members is included in . It may come down to a simple question: How old are the children in your party? I hope you have a wonderful time with your family! The smell permeated EVERYTHING to the point of needing to open the door to air it out. Great Wolf seems to have more of a variety of theming for these bunk bed suites. Finally, we did have a rather poor experience one morning ordering from the Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). Located below the main lobby is both the entrance to the water park and the arcade. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. 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. Thank you for pointing out my mistake! Other than the water park & arcade our family hasnt really tried out any other ones. We did really like the lazy river at Aquatopia. We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. What are you waiting for? Both resorts have normal hotel rooms as well as themed rooms. But we generally dont patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids with ages ranging from 2-10. The larger of the two play areas also includes a splash table for babies. Kassie R, Social Media Coordinator at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, responded to this review. This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. I hope you and your family have a wonderful stay! African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. And the staff was friendly. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. 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. Let's talk about the Royal Hospitality Suite at Kalahari Pocono. He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. Kalahari Resort, located in Round Rock, Texas, is similar in many ways to Great Wolf Lodge. In my mind, Kalahari works best if you have a family with kids of different ages so each can be active. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. 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. 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. We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. Various restaurants, childrens amenities and retail establishments will also be included in the new development. Not quite as good as the one @ Kalahari but better than you will find at Great Wolf Lodge. more. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! Both resorts have themed rooms that accommodate a wide-range of family sizes from two queen rooms to much, much bigger. Hi, Pamela! The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). The company owns and operates its family resorts under the Great Wolf Lodge brand. They did a fabulous job with the design of this place. 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. When you leave make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again or you will be charged for the towels. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. Kalahari Resort vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. It seems that there are parts of the water park that are only staffed at peak attendance. It had a pretty good selection of desserts and chocolates. Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! They were methodical and intense, and I just didn't get that feeling with many of the lifeguard staff here. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. Poconos Waterparks: How to Get the Best Deals at Great Wolf Lodge, Kalahari & Aquatopia! Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Yes there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. At times Kalahari actually felt a littletoo bigfor us. Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor water parks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. For example when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite which we did. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. Check with the resort to confirm which activities are offered during the winter. Our 2-year-old who would have nothing to do with a life jacket was able to play in the toddler splash park and wave pool as long as Melani or I was right with her. My family recently visited Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at and skip the rest! Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. 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. My wife went there one morning to order some breakfast and it took nearly an hour to get our food after ordering it (she was also in line for nearly an hour before even getting to place her order). If youre looking for other vacation ideas check out our Family Travel Tips for Niagara Falls! 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. We are happy to report that there were two night stands with our queen bed! Each lane allows for up to six bowlers at a time. This post will focus on the Leola New York City and upstate New York are close to many amazing indoor water parks. 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. Kalahari and Wilderness are kind of overwhelming. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. It is in the middle in terms of the size of its indoor water park and in number of rooms at the resort. Both Great Wolf and Kalahari have very luxurious condos that can accommodate a whole family easily. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! "The advent of Great Wolf Lodge represents one of the most monumental accomplishments in the City's history," Webster city officials said. As part of the U.S.' largest group of family-friendly water parks, this indoor water park has perfected how to maximize family fun for all ages. In November 2020, a competitor to GWL opened in Texas. The room was nice and clean but nothing particularly memorable. 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. Saturday, August 10, 2013 Great Wolf Lodge vs. Gaylord Texan By the time August rolls around our family is in desperate need of a get-away. This is an interactive game that has players moving throughout the Lodge on quests. 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! The theming is carried throughout multiple aspects of the total experience. There were 2 bathrooms one off the walk-in area and the second one in the master suite. Great Wolf Lodge is known for their MagiQuest game. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Age and height requirements vary by location. We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. With that being said it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. We do love both! There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! Contemporary and tasteful.we give that an A+!Overall, we can't wait to return to Kalahari! I look forward to connecting with you. Lifejackets available, large amount of seating and tables!ARCADE - Another huge area! 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. Hello, Erika! Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park It features the Howlin' Tornado raft ride, Coyote Cannon water tubes (with a 40-foot drop), and a tree house fort that has a 1,000-gallon tipping bucket! Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Better selection of local foods near Great Wolf. Kalahari also has a wide variety of types of water slides drop slides, mat racer, raft slides, etc. 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. Sincerely, Recently, my family visited Kalahari Resort for the first time. At Kalahari, there are two separate, toddler play areas. Sincerely, 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. Robert, (If we wanted to watch tv, we could go to our room.) Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! Here's our overall review.. 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. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. It is also something that Kalahari does well . (Healthy, I know.) We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that you can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. Thank you for reading & for your comment / question! One of Kalahari's Kiddie Areas We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. Hopefully you can come again soon but until then, take care! Kalahari has the most toddler slides by far when comparing the three resorts. We were told that the elevator was on the convention center side, which was not really convenient for her. Otherwise, it far exceeded our expectations and we will definitely be choosing Kalahari over Great Wolf for many years to come. Great Wolf Lodge has more traditional tube, body slides, and a bowl slide. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. It has a transparent Texlon roof that lets in natural sunlight while providing protection against the suns harmful UV rays. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg, built in 2005, is listed as one of the five top things to do in Williamsburg by visitwilliamsburg.com. 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. If you need help with the Public File, call 210-351-1241. 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! 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! Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. Kalahari activities and attractions differ with each location. Most of the time we were at Aquatopia we ate FROM Trails End Pub & Grille. Since our last visit to Great Wolf Lodge they have established a relationship with Dunkin Donuts and there is one located on the main floor just off the right of the lobby. Book now and prepare your pack for adventure. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. The lobby is big but not massive like it is at Kalahari! 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. 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. Chip Williamson All Rights Reserved. Camelback charged my card the correct amount when I made the deposit on November 24th and then on November 27th (2 days after we had left the resort) I was charged $25 for a parking fee. 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. We simply love everything about it! (Basically a jumpy seat for adults.) Wet bar, fridge, microwaveIMPRESSED with the upkeep.WATERPARK - The place is absolutely huge. I was wondering what your experiences have been with that. 111 Things to Do in the Adirondacks & Upstate New York! The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. Our obstinate 2-year-old was NOT able to enjoy ANY of these activities / attractions, or even the wave pool due to the fact that she refused to wear a life jacket which Kalahari required children under 4 feet in height to wear at all times when in any water. The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor ropes course and indoor arcade. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. 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. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Ask erikas213 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask PinkHibiscus32 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask lljPa about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Royal hospitality suite not royal not hospitable, Ask kelismom14 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask mcapellan78 about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos, Ask Pamela C about Kalahari Resorts & Conventions - Poconos. Still it was a frustrating experience that cast a pallor over our time and experience there. 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 have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. Im not sure if it something that they created or if it has its origins someplace else. The IVORY COAST restaurant had a great selection of food and we thoroughly enjoyed doing takeout from there. One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. It is a smaller resort, with plenty of employees who are prepared to work with young children. 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. There is an indoor rock wall, laser tag, and indoor ropes course, etc. Here is a quick breakdown of the outdoor activities offered at each resort: Kalahari: Monkey climb ropes course, zip lines and mini golf. Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side.