Best Indoor Water Park Winners (2022) | USA TODAY 10Best We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine has one adults-only hot tub. Hi there, I appreciate you taking the time to write a review of your most recent stay. 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. My family recently visited Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas. One time a lifeguard came out and caught one but without constant observation, it is impossible to parole this area. This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. Thats an AMAZING 425,000 square feet of indoor water parks in a very small geographical area!! Im guessing the youngest of your children voted for GWL? As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! Great Wolf is more for kids, but I feel like Great Wolf service is better than Kalahari. 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. Old Windmill Farm is located at 262 Paradise Lane in Ronks, Pennsylvania. GWL isnt fast either, but 2+ hours to pay triple the price wouldnt work either. Which is better for his age? Kassi was terrific! Heres a comparison guide for all three of these resorts. Two of the biggest and best (and among the industry's early pioneers) are in the water park capital of the world, Wisconsin Dells: Kalahari at 125,000 square feet and Chula Vista at 110,000 square feet . 2 of themone outside by the immense outdoor pool and one heated one inside. B-Lux also features 12 lanes of state-of-the-art Brunswick bowling. Kalahari has a better reputation locally. 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. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. (assuming same accommodations we had for this past trip) and this is how they all answered. Kalahari vs Great wolf lodge - Wisconsin Dells Forum Which is better, Kalahari or Great Wolf Lodge? - Quora Robert, Shooting Range (tourist favorite) is closer to Great Wolf. Kalahari vs. Great Wolf - WE HAVE A WINNER!! - Tripadvisor Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge Poconos Comparison - YouTube EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. That sounds good. The room was very clean and up-to-date. Our Locations - Great Wolf Resorts Come splash around! We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. Both resorts have huge water parks and other indoor activities. 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. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. Yes My oldest daughter and wife voted for Kalahari. Copyright 2022 by KSAT - All rights reserved. Water park access was included. The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. From the accommodation standpoint it was a much more memorable stay! 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. It is so fun for my children (12 & 4 years old) and for adults too!! We ordered a burrito, nachos grande, chicken fingers, fries and onion rings from a predictable and acceptable selection of menu items. I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. 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. Thanks to Amanda at the front desk for helping facilitate this! The distance between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge in the Poconos is a mere 7 miles. We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. The short of it about the same as Great Wolf Lodge and FAR less than Kalahari! There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). 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. Sincerely, Chip. Overall, my family prefers Kalahari Resort. Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback. Been at least six years ago. 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. A microwave and refrigerator are also included. For just one four-year-old, I think Great Wolf is probably a better choice. The first thing that struck me the most was how dirty and unsanitary the waterpark was compared to before. There were not lights on both sides of the queen beds which made night-time reading hard for the person on the side with no light. In our opinion, the splash park at Aquatopia was the weakest of the three. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our dcor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. Right away we were looking for and expecting a wonderful customer service experience, and Kalahari did not disappoint. A general view of the Great Wolf Lodge in Fort Mackenzie. For our 6 and 8 year olds who have never been to an indoor waterpark, were doing GWL first and will get to the others later. We usually ordered and brought the food to our room. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? 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. 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. Every room at this resort is air conditioned and has a TV with cable channels. 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. 6 Best Texas . I look forward to hearing back from you. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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? Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? Comparison between Kalahari and Great Wolf Lodge water park I found the photos pleasing to look at and relaxing! Texas Location | Kalahari Resorts - Welcome to Kalahari | Kalahari Resorts 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. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. 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. 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! lindakmonty He's like "OH NO YOU DIDN'T" Joined Jun 24, 2005 Jun 30, 2006 #7 Aquatopia offers a great selection of activities for tweens & younger teens, both inside & outside! There is also a fountain near the middle of the lobby with chairs and tables to sit and eat. 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. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. Including a story time, dance time, crafts and more. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. 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. 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. The main dry activity, however, is the MagiQuest interactive wand game. It is disappointing to hear that you did not have as great of an experience this time around compared to your first two. included with your stay Waterpark Admission Waterpark admission is always free when you stay with us. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. We have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one but there is not one @ the Poconos location. Magic wands are needed for this game, and there is a fee to activate them for a certain period of time. Kalahari vs Great Wolf Lodge is often a topic debated by indoor water park visitors. Great Wolf Lodge's water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalahari's is over 220,000 square feet. GWL has excellent sales. We were on the bottom level and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. The setting for them seems nicer, and they seem more elaborate than the ropes course offered @ Great Wolf Lodge. Career Site - Self Service - ADP We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. Finally, we did have a rather poor experience one morning ordering from the Cafe & Bar (AKA, Mountain Market, World Bazaar Coffee Shop). Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. 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. Kalahari has one indoor and one outdoor area - both are huge (Kalahari's is one of the largest indoors in the US). Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Each wing of the resort is 8 floors high and it has 977 rooms in total. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! Kalahari Resort has an African safari theme. See you soon! Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine, Grapevine - Updated 2023 Prices - Booking.com 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. We also enjoyed the balcony. Featuring free WiFi and a seasonal outdoor pool, Great Wolf Lodge Grapevine offers accommodations in Grapevine. We did the empirical research so you dont have to! We feature kid-friendly activities, a range of dining options, interactive games, an adult-friendly wine down service, and more all under one roof. 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. It is also something that Kalahari does well . Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. Book now and prepare your pack for adventure. 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). You used the same bathroom photo for both resorts. I will be sure to pass your kind words along to Kassi, David, Robin, and Amanda! 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. All six Pocono ski resorts have snowtubing hills. Hopefully you can keep returning and finding even more ways to have fun with us as the kids grow. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. You can reach me at PAConnect@KalahariResorts.com. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) Kalahari Resort's water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. Kalahari was definitely newer and nicer but also more expensive. 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. 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. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. There was one dedicated dessert/pastry kiosk located off the main lobby nestled in there with the souvenir shop. The other kids and I voted for Great Wolf Lodge. The entire Kalahari Resort is enormous. I went back into our pictures and corrected the post with the actual picture of the Great Wolf Lodge bathroom. 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. Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. Thank you for taking the time to comment! The hostesses and the servers were professional and pleasant. Rooms are bigger and have fun themes. There isnt any story that goes along with any of the characters as far as we were able to discern. We stored our bags with the assistance of bell staff and we went downstairs to check out the facilities.We had to go through a large (and very noisy) arcade to get to the turnstiles to the waterpark. My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear.