The room @ Aquatopia that we had was a double queen suite, a pull-out sofa and a balcony. 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. Royal hospitality suite not royal not hospitable. Thats theming! The 3 "kids" (ages 12-20) and I were impressed with the front of the resort. Another note worth mentioning the bathtubs @ Kalahari are huge! There was also only one sink in the room (as well as only one bathroom which had only a standard sized tub). Kalahari Resort has Tom Foolerys, a gigantic indoor adventure park. We do love both! They were methodical and intense, and I just didn't get that feeling with many of the lifeguard staff here. Hey, thanks for the great reviews! 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? Kalahari is absolutely immense! This is probably the one area that Aquatopia beats both Great Wolf Lodge & Kalahari. He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. It is the smallest of the 3 indoor waterparks in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. Its a tough call. Winner: Tie Water Park Both resorts have huge water parks that include a wave pool, lazy river, splash areas and of course water slides. Second, certain areas of the waterpark, especially the hot tubs, the wave pool and small kids areas were overcrowded. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. A night at either place costs a small fortune, and the food is over-priced and mediocre. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. Hence our balcony seemed to be under ground and we were looking at a high retaining wall for a view. The Poconos Waterpark Showdown 2019. 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. Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. It had a pretty good selection of desserts and chocolates. We like archaeology and the lost river archaeology theme was interesting and well done. (It was almost like an obstacle course with the running kids, machines, flashing lights, and noise.) Adventure Update # 020: 10 Years and 1/2 an Inch! However, each locations water parks and amenities vary. At times Kalahari actually felt a little too big for us (both the resort & the water park). 7000 Kalahari Dr. Sandusky, OH 44870 (419) 433-7200. . On a subsequent trip (after COVID) we also visited Camelbacks Aquatopia. 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. Fortunately we only live about 2 hours away. I actually have a hard time believing that the square footage of the park is larger than the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge. It is the best themed lazy river out of the three water parks in the Poconos! Top Educational & Inspirational YouTube Channels for Families 2022, Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. Kassi was terrific! (But It Wasnt Horrible), Using United Miles to Increase my Relatives Chances of Getting Hungarian Visas. Great Wolf Lodge is the perfect family vacation destination resort all year round. Billing Issue: I did have a billing issue with Aquatopia / Camelback. Kalahari Resort also has an adult spa and fitness center plus live music entertainment at the steak house and piano bar. The toddler splash park area is very big at Kalahari with a lot of water-table type attractions and activities for the little ones. The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. You might prefer the chart we put together along with our conclusions. 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. We LOVED IT!More. 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. Sincerely, Chip. Water park access was included. 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. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. Many months later (due to COVID) we stayed at Camelbacks Aquatopia. Guestrooms at Great Wolf Lodge Sandusky Oh offer furnished balconies and separate sitting and sleeping areas. There is a huge fireplace towards the back of the lobby that is adjacent to a huge window that overlooks the water park. The best indoor water park will depend on your family, age of your kids and what you are looking for in a resort experience. Kalahari Resorts water park has more of everything and also includes a Flowrider, which is popular with older kids and teens. Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. Both resorts have huge water parks and other indoor activities. 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. (Activities vary by location). bellyrubbah1 3 yr. ago. Hi Lexi! We just stayed at Camelback the night before Thanksgiving and are actively working on updated the post. While the hallways of rooms may still be a bit long, its not as vast as Kalahari. I was wondering what your experiences have been with that. 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! I prefer Great Wolf by a long shot. Two of my kids are begging to go back to Kalahari. We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! 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. 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. The clothing line in the bathroom was broken and the bed covers had an unpleasant smell. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! If you are going to Cedar Point, Castaway is located right at the beginning of the causeway to CP. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. However, please be aware that Camelback / Aquatopia charges for general parking I think it is $12 if you are just coming to engage in one of the activities. I love the theming of GWL and my kids are obsessed with Magi Quest, but the adults only things at Kalahari cant be beat! We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. * > Please call 1-877-KALAHARI (525-2427) and request booking code O1107. To the left of the lobby is almost exclusively devoted to games and activities for kids really tweens & teens. The splash park or toddler area of the water park was rather small. Here is the full list of recognized Pennsylvania locations: 1.) If you want averykid-centricexperience from top to bottom we would recommendGreat Wolf Lodge. Seriously, this place is awesome! When he pulled down the Murphy's bed, dirty nastiness came down with it. I will say we were on the 7th floor..and it was perfectly quiet. 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 particular, it felt narrow. Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. 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. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting it has a wolf howl. Pros: . Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? 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. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. The outdoor small kids area with slides was a nice addition to the park however my daughter who is 53" tall was not allowed to go on them. Note that it may be quite a walk from your room to the water park, or any other destination on the Kalahari Resort campus. On the lower level by the entrance for the water park, there is a pizza place with some tables in the lower lobby area. Multiple-Room Suites Can I ask how the service levels compared at the two as well as the food? This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. We had no problem finding a table and chairs to rest our towels and use for eating later. 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. Heres a comparison guide for all three of these resorts. Weve stayed at GWL Williamsburg and Kalahari in the Poconos. We recently made a trip to the Poconos in Pennsylvania to visit a water park resort but didnt know which resort we should go to so we went to all 3 of them! Hello, thank you so much for writing this I found it very helpful! 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. (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. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! 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. Thanks! Been at least six years ago. This activity requires participants to roam all over the lodge to find clues and solve a quest. We compare the size of the waterparks, number of restaurants, room pricing, hours of operation, activities offered & many other aspects. Most of the activities (at all of the resorts) are priced a la carte. There are also many more food choices. The room was very clean and up-to-date. It is also carried through with the water park experience itself with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. Both resorts have huge water parks that include a wave pool, lazy river, splash areas and of course water slides. My son went to the prime rib carving station several times but the chef continued to serve him meat with chunks of fat on it - so he gave up. We like all three. $12.02 per hour. Copyright 2023 The Parenthood Adventures! But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. We simply love everything about it! Speaking of the wave pool we did find the buzzer alert to notify guests of the beginning of a wave cycle to be very harsh and not conducive to the relaxing atmosphere that should be associated with a wave pool. Especially liked the Learn to Surf place. Each play area includes slides and swings. We show middle class folks (like us) how they can leverage their good credit score to finally take that long-awaited trip. To read more about our experiences at these water parks and our evaluation of each please check out these other posts: Great Wolf Lodge VS. Kalahari VS. Camelbacks Aquatopia! 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. See our Advertiser Disclosure and Editorial Notehere. Seriously, I'm not being dramatic. 2.) It had its own TV and was adorned with a lot of cute character images. The side-lite mirror was a nice feature that we enjoyed. Try getting on the email lists of both of these resorts to learn about the discounts they offer throughout the year. Please see our partners for more details. But, my kids are little fish who love swimming, and they cant get enough of this type of resort. We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). But, if or when we do return, I look forward to spending more time in that adults-only grotto. Standard rooms in both hotels come with two queen beds, a pull-out sofa bed, and a small table with chairs. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. Ax throwing, ropes course, zip line, off-road Segway tours through the forest & switchback UTV tour. Kalahari was the cheapest on Friday evening but the most expensive during the week & the second most expensive on Saturday evening. Not only are the room prices significantly cheaper during the week for all 3 waterparks but the resorts are a lot less crowded as well! Sopleaseclick on a link or two if you wish tosupport us& and our endeavors here. Click here to go to the Kalahari Poconos Water Park website. Compare salary information for Great Wolf Lodge and Kalahari Resorts & Conventions. Tiffany, Im so glad you found the post helpful. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? (We missed the burritos & soups from Kalahari!). We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. All three resorts are really good choices for water park fun with a family. Take care! I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. CamelBack (Aquatopia) has 453 rooms and there are 6 floors (above ground) to the lodge. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! They also enjoyed the interaction with the characters and the Wiley & Friends video stories that can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. Water park access was included. The Poconos Great Wolf Lodge location has more kiddie water slides than the Williamsburg location. Im not sure when we will make it back there since we have a lot of other travel plans. In addition to hair dryers and clock radios, guestrooms provide microwaves, refrigerators, coffeemakers, and minibars. Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. Great Wolf Lodges water park continues their wildlife theme. Everything is close together in the resort, so not much walking between areas. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodsy/lodge theme and decor. Thank you for taking the time to comment! Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. People who got there after her were served well before her. There are quite a few activities to engage in @ Kalahari. Huge rate difference! 2501 Great Wolf Dr> Mason, OH 45040 (800) 913-9653. Great Wolf Lodge has an outdoor ropes course and indoor arcade. Our suite was located on the same level as the entrance to the water park which was below the main level. 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. However, Great Wolf Lodge has a higher percentage of themed rooms available at a more reasonable price. Within 45 minutes of our arrival, I received a text message that our room was ready, but no one was ready to take a break.Warning: You cannot bring outside food into the waterpark so if you want something to eat, you have to purchase food inside. The distance from the lobby to our room was an extremely long haul for her. Adventure Update # 040: Toilet Seat Police! We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one-night stay @ Kalahari. That is with just 2 adults and 4 kids. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. From what we saw of the pricing most of the activities were on the more expensive side. Although our room was not yet ready (official check-in is at 4:00), we received our bracelets to use the waterpark downstairs and we were advised that we could store our luggage in an adjacent locked storage area. Kids jumping in and out, the areas are not guarded by staffsame problem as 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. really? The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. Here we constructed tables comparing the 3 indoor water park resorts located in the Poconos, Pennsylvania. We figured that we'd have a good dinner to make up for it.After another 90 minutes or so, we decided to check out the room. There are a lot of food choices @ Kalahari of which we have only sampled a few. The TV in the room seemed to be new and was the largest of any we saw at the three resorts. Mother to 4 wonderful children, wife to one witty, but extremely nerdy husband. Part-time blogger, full-time nerd & aspiring Renaissance man! Mind you definitely not Disney level theming or branding but a good job. GWL isnt fast either, but 2+ hours to pay triple the price wouldnt work either. The wolf mascots host a nightly dance party and pj story time.