See All Waterpark Features Waterpark (and more!) We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! 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! Water park temperatures at all three Poconos water parks is the same @ 84 degrees, year-round. The Great Wolf Lodge resort in the Poconos was constructed in 2005 and is one of roughly 19 locations for the chain. It smelled like an overcrowded SPCA. (assuming same accommodations we had for this past trip) and this is how they all answered. It can be more expensive but it's a better place to relax and see your kids enjoying without having to worry too much. 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. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. We simply love everything about it! Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. The bartenders were great, DAVID and ROBIN especially. If there are any older children in your party, around 10 years and older, then they may not appreciate the kiddie theming that runs through Great Wolf Lodge. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse). Great Wolf Lodge: Outdoor ropes courses seasonal. The drive was almost exactly 100 miles for us and we arrived a few minutes after 1:00 pm. 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. Snow tubing in PA requires no special skills or equipment and is appropriate for almost everyone. 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. There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. We LOVED IT!More. Robert, 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 floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Advice: you can't come to a place like this and complain about how much things cost. (Activities vary by location). Great Wolf Lodges water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalaharis is over 220,000 square feet. Virtual reality, tons of games, golf, bowling - this place though of everything. Although the room was designated for up to 6 people it felt like we were on top of each other at times. Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. 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. Sincerely, Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews. We also enjoyed the balcony. Im pleased to hear that you enjoyed the various sections of the waterpark. Which is better for his age? All three resorts are really good choices for water park fun with a family. Great Wolf Lodge was nearly as inexpensive during the week as Aquatopia ($249 vs $238), and the cheapest on Saturday night. Although I am admittedly not a big fan of buffets, we figured it would be easy for everyone to find something they liked. Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? Round Rock Source: Round the Rock With so much fun and excitement in one place, Kalahari remains a top destination for families throughout Texas. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this review. When you check in the lodge they should offer you and / or the kids wolf ears at no extra charge since, after all it is the Great WOLF Lodge!. 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. As I mentioned earlier with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. Kalahari did a remodel on their indoor kid area about a year ago. The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. Kalahari is absolutely immense! You can use the water park at 1pm on the day of check in until close on the day you leave. We liked the luggage rack near the door and the shelf over the microwave. It is so fun for my children (12 & 4 years old) and for adults too!! Its really a question of what the individual family prefers, as far as water park size, features and resort amenities. One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. 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. Socks are required in order to bowl. 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. Thank you for taking the time to comment! 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. 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. Tom Foolery's Adventure Park provides hours of playtime, with 80,000 square feet of interactive rides and attractions. We may also participate in other affiliate programs from time-to-time and be compensated for referring traffic & business to these companies. The development is expected to break ground during. We are still having a debate on what it actually was. Great Wolf Lodge has more charm and we enjoyed the lodge theme & the characters. Great Wolf Lodge has a woodland creature and forest theme, while Kalahari has an African theme. The day we went, prices were similar to GWL. Both resorts are well-themed throughout the resort rooms and the water parks. Kids under the age of 6 were coming in and out with no parental supervision. 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. Heres a comparison guide for all three of these resorts. Your goal is our goal. Kalahari even has a five bedroom suite that can have a maximum of 22 guests. Shooting Range (tourist favorite) is closer to Great Wolf. There is also a cafe (Cafe & Bar) and a restaurant (Horizons) located right off the main lobby. They did a fabulous job with the design of this place. Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular family resorts in the Poconos with indoor water parks. Kalahari has the most toddler slides by far when comparing the three resorts. That makes it easy for families traveling with toddlers (and their little legs!). The front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. And the staff was friendly. 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. EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. We liked the water park @ Great Wolf Lodge! Since we are usually there for just one night we resign ourselves to it being a pizza for dinner night. Fortunately we only live about 2 hours away. Why Kids Love It Kalahari I feel would be better for the adults to have fun as well. Kassi was terrific! This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Otherwise, she and the others had a very good time.Kalahari was worth the trip. Part of the joy of Great Wolf Lodge is its size. Take care! 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. Kalahari has a better reputation locally. CEO approval 75 % approve of John Murphy (Murph)'s performance 74 % approve of Todd Nelson's performance Salary satisfaction 49 % think they are paid fairly at Great Wolf Lodge 40 % They contain a variety of aquatic activities such as water slides, swimming pools, wave pools, lazy rivers, and splash pads. CamelBack (Aquatopia) has 453 rooms and there are 6 floors (above ground) to the lodge. The suite had an interesting layout, but who could enjoy it when you were struggling not to vomit. 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. The lobby is ringed by various shops and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (Im sure these are probably decals??). 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. 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. However, it was not a perfect experience in that the air conditioner vented right out onto the one end of the balcony. In addition to the arcade, there are six amusement park rides, including the Screamn Centipede roller coaster with 360-degree rotating cart. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. I am pleased to hear that our staff was friendly and that our facilities were well maintained throughout your stay. The new Italian restaurant had a nice design and the food was good. However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) And with new locations in Arizona and Illinois, Great Wolf Lodges are becoming easier to reach wherever . Winner: Kalahari Resort (especially for older kids and teens). Great Wolf Lodge boasts tons of activities sure to put a smile on your children's faces. For the size of the main lobby, it is the same order with Great Wolf Lodges lobby being the smallest, Kalaharis main lobby being the largest and Aquatopias lobby size somewhere in the middle. Whereas, the roofline @ Great Wolf Lodge is blocky. There was a nice variety of the treats and each of the kids was able to find something appealing to them. Both resorts have also utilized Groupon for deals. Offer a family slide option which is super fun to go on as a whole family. 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. It felt like you were rubbing shoulders with other people all the time. Kalahari Resort, positioned in Spherical Rock, Texas, is analogous in some ways to Nice Wolf Lodge. 2) With COVID still hanging around and the holidays right around the corner it seemed to be prudent. Great Wolf Lodge's water park is 80,000 square feet, but Kalahari's is over 220,000 square feet. 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.