EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. Hello! Update February 19th, 2021: COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay at Aquatopia. We have not yet patronized any of these establishments. Will have three kids to keep busy - 3, 6 & 8. Aquatopia is somewhere right in-between Kalahari & Great Wolf Lodge by almost every measure! Yes – there were two night stands on either side of the bed in the master suite. Thank you to the staff we mentioned for really making sure our stay was the best it possibly could be! Camelback’s Aquatopia seems to strike a particularly good balance for children in the 10 + age group and is the best waterpark for pre-teens and early teens. We have patronized several of these places, if not all – and the kids highly recommend them! It felt cozy and definitely complimented the whole lodge theme & experience! It seems that there are parts of the water park that are only staffed at peak attendance. As the kids went ahead, employee Jeremy helped to take bags upstairs. Water park access was included. It is a wonderful family vacation spot that offers a lot of adventure & nature! 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. "Great Wolf is an illustration of the strength of our region to attract tourists." There was a large selection, with an emphasis on Italian cuisine. Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains resort in Pennsylvania offers a wide variety of fun family attractions including our famous indoor water park. The food was not good at all. Thank you for your feedback. We were also advised that we would receive a text message when our room was ready. We did the empirical research - so you don't have to! Just about everything seemed to be swimming in butter or oil, including the overcooked/overheated vegetables. It felt more intimate and clean, less crowded and sufficiently staffed. We can engage in many of the other activities closer to our home (and probably at less expense). 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. Why do the adults with hearing damage always make the decisions with regards to volume level! Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. 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. 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. If you have visited all three waterparks in the Poconos – please let us know which one YOU liked best! 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. This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC. There are a number of other activities available at the lodge. Hi, Pamela! 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. 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. Our 2 year old – who would have nothing to do with a life jacket – was able to play in the toddler area and wave pool as long as Melani or I was right with her. The “cabin” was towards the front of the room and was semi-private for the kids. 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. However, we felt $26 for chicken parm was a little steep. My husband was brave enough to continue exploring as I sat out on the ground level patio. So if you are looking for a martini, you will have to hit one of the restaurants. We also enjoyed the balcony. The ladies bathroom and changing area looked tike a war zone! If you can't afford it, don't bother making the trip. We recently made a trip to the Poconos, PA to visit a waterpark – but didn’t know which waterpark we should go to – so we went to all 3 of them! Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. We ordered a pizza and had it delivered to the room from the in-house Pizza Pub...it was quite good and we felt reasonably priced! The water park @ Kalahari is HUGE. Kassi was terrific! But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! The Kalahari Resort is well appointed, nicely decorated, and the facilities are well maintained. Aquatopia at Camelback Resort — Tannersville, Pennsylvania. The IVORY COAST restaurant had a great selection of food and we thoroughly enjoyed doing takeout from there. The floors were full of paper, tissues, dirty towels, used dippers, used shampoo packets etc and there was no attendant in sight. Kalahari is absolutely immense! Kalahari is the largest at 220,000 square feet and Aquatopia is right in the middle at 125,000 square feet. This time we were on the third floor and had a balcony. It’s time to get your pack together and go for the moment at Great Wolf Lodge. Whether you're celebrating a birthday or want to bundle your meals with an add on package, there's an add on here that's sure to take your Kalahari family getaway to the next level. Hi there! The view felt somewhat private and we really enjoyed it! Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari versus Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge! This happened before on our previous visits but given the number of people this time, they kept closing the areas for cleaning constantly. Hello and thank you for the review! Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. CODES (2 months ago) Property at a Glance: Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains The heart and soul of Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains is its 79,000-square-foot indoor water park. The Great Wolf Lodge has a 78,000-square-feet water park, and the property has anywhere between 1,500 to 1,800 people a day, according to general … African photos, statues, pictures, all kinds of things that mentally transport you to another world. Here are some of my thoughts on the differences. Keep reading our Poconos waterpark guide & comparison to find out! Great Wolf Lodge is most highly rated for Culture and Kalahari Resorts is most highly rated for Culture. 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. 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. THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL COST TO YOU if you do buy something from Amazon! FOR STAYS BOOKED JULY 1, 2020 AND AFTER Cancellation and No-Show charges vary and are detailed along … We recently took a little trip to the Poconos and stayed one night @ Great Wolf Lodge immediately followed by a one night stay @ Kalahari. Once again, the food was mediocre at best. So few of you have asked which one we prefer. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. But we generally don’t patronize too many sit down restaurants with 4 kids – with ages ranging from 2-10. It was HORRIBLE! Review: Great Wolf Lodge in Pennsylvania, A Poconos Indoor Water Park The Great Wolf Lodge is a chain with locations throughout North America in the United States and Canada. The rides for the kids are great, it is an entired water playground for toddlers with amazing water slides! Woodloch Pines is one of few all-inclusive resorts in the U.S., and one of the most - … This year we tried our Kalahari Resort in the Poconos for a change. The standard rooms at Great Wolf are slightly larger than both Aquatopia and Kalahari and you get a patio or balcony, a big positive. Get those lifeguards a little more focused and offer more options at the bars! 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. Kalahari Resorts vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Klahari is themed and decorated as an African resort. I’m pleased to hear that you enjoyed the various sections of the waterpark. I will note as a previous reviewer did that Great Wolf Lodge had SPECTACULAR lifeguards. Expect to spend money on food, games, etc. See rates on TripAdvisor. Another note worth mentioning – the bathtubs @ Kalahari are huge! There were a few things that we liked about the expansion. The lobby is big – but not massive like it is at Kalahari! We also enjoyed the Lazy River and the wave pool. There was also a buffet which was closed but other little café 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. The front desk staff was extremely professional, friendly and helpful. 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! This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC. CODES (6 days ago) Property Location With a stay at Great Wolf Lodge Pocono Mountains, PA, you'll be centrally located in Scotrun, convenient to The Crossings Premium Outlets and Camelback Ski Area. At that point, it was unmistakably the smell of cat urine. Camelback Lodge and Indoor Waterpark: Camelback vs Kalahari vs Great Wolf - See 1,973 traveller reviews, 1,126 candid photos, and great deals for Tannersville, PA, at Tripadvisor. Then to get to the lower level you have to take the stairs. It smelled like an overcrowded SPCA. The lobby is ringed by various shops – and the floor has wonderful decorative murals inlaid in the marble (I’m sure these are probably decals??). We ended loading up the car, checking out (automatically at 11:00), and then using our onsite privileges for a few more hours before going offsite at a nearby restaurant to each lunch and hitting the highway to return home.My biggest concern about the facility itself is that the elevator from the lobby to the lower level waterpark is not easily discoverable or accessible. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. We appreciate it! The sound system is rather poor and the performance is rather loud. 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. I am on the mailing list and recently got a promotional offer that indicated the rooms had recently been renovated. On the lower level by the entrance for the water park, there is a pizza place with some tables in the lower lobby area. Both resorts are really good choices for water park fun with a family. Your encounters with the lack of cleanliness in the room and waterpark was certainly not up to our standards, so I am interested in hearing more about it. Water park access was included. Water park temperatures at all three is the same @ 84 degrees. We certainly do have a lot of different ways to entertain and excite the kids! (Remember that Kalahari is actually a desert in southern Africa.) We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. Lately we have been hitting the snack bar (Pizza Pub) down in the arcade – for the burritos and then the store (Marrakesh Market) right at the edge of the lobby for some of the soups. Nothing? We have never patronized the restaurant – as it does seem expensive. The fact that Aquatopia ALSO has an outdoor waterpark (Camelbeach) and it’s nightime illumination make it unique. I've been on trip advisor for years, but have never felt the need to leave a review until now. There was a microwave and mini-fridge in the room, which came in handy. Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? We love knowing that our attractions were fun for both the children and adults in your family! On our previous visit a couple of years ago we felt the place was showing some wear and tear. Clean, safe & staff so friendly! There are 2 lazy river type rides, the wave pool is immense, there are 2 hot tubs that are partly inside the building – AND partly outside of the building with a narrow channel to traverse back and forth. For example – when booking your accommodations you can select a themed suite, such as the KidCabin Suite – which we did. One of the other simple theming aspects we enjoyed were the 2 Great Wolf Lodge video book stories playing on the resort TV channel. For part of our stay both lazy river attractions were open – and there were other times when only one was open. Kalahari opened in 2015 in the Poconos. They also enjoyed the Wiley & Friends video stories that can find on one of the dedicated TV channels. 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. But having a wide variety of restaurants and foods was great! Kalahari has the largest indoor waterpark of the 3, and is the largest resort located in the Poconos. Apparently they were experiencing people taking the towels as souvenirs?? I felt the prices were reasonable for this type of American Pub food. Speaking of loud – There is usually a dance party in the evening – which we found to be extremely loud! Camelback Lodge and Indoor Waterpark, Tannersville: See 1,977 traveller reviews, 1,127 photos, and cheap rates for Camelback Lodge and Indoor Waterpark, ranked #1 of 4 hotels in Tannersville and rated 4 of 5 at Tripadvisor. Thanks for your review! So I guess you just don’t need it that much…. So the water park is what we usually focus on. Camelback Mountain Resort’s waterpark Aquatopia. Kalahari features a number of signature sit-down restaurants (Sortinos Italian Kitchen (Italian food), B-Lux Grill & Bar (Burgers & Shakes), Double Cut (Steakhouse)…. Thank you for your support! Within the 72 hours of your stay, we would be happy to provide you a Kalahari Gift Card in the amount of your deposit paid. Likewise – the lobby is magnificent! The water facilities were great and there was a nice assortment of water slides. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Towel check-out is something new since our last visit. There is one primary restaurant on the main level on the left side of the lobby / front entrance. If you want to cut right to the chase – you can jump to the conclusion by clicking here: Conclusion. really? However, there were at least 6 employees assisting at the registration desk and the line moved relatively quickly. Virtual reality, tons of games, golf, bowling - this place though of everything. He was open to questions about the place and even offered a few suggestions. It is also carried through with the water park experience itself – with some of the attractions incorporating the characters and /or lodge theme. The lobby was somewhat hectic with the number of people filing in and out, restaurants, shops, carts filled with souvenirs for sale, and a long line at the guest registration desk. We are a family of 6 with four kids ranging in ages from 2 – 10 years old. Check out our comprehensive comparison chart of these three indoor waterparks here: Waterpark Comparison Chart: Kalahari, Aquatopia & Great Wolf Lodge. We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. Thank you to management for a well-trained staff and an enjoyable time! Please email me directly at PAConnect@kalahariresorts.com. 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. Yes – it is HUGE – but it is also laid out well and serves as a destination itself within the resort. The room was nice and clean – but nothing particularly memorable. We were on the bottom level – and we had a small patio walk out area next to the ropes course. (It was almost like an obstacle course with the running kids, machines, flashing lights, and noise.) As I mentioned earlier – with 4 kids ranging in age from 2 – 10 we are not very often dining in @ a restaurant. At times Kalahari actually felt a little too big for us. 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. 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 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 Pocono Mountains | Groupon. It sounds like you were able to experience nearly every feature our resort has to offer! We recently visited (but did not stay at) Camelback Mountain Resort’s waterpark Aquatopia. Kalahari is newer and more efficiently run. Kalahari. It is really the other aspects of the resorts and accommodations that will determine which resort is the better choice for your family! It is so fun for my children (12 & 4 years old) and for adults too!! 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. Friendly, accommodating, informative....we were very happy with the initial interaction. Great Wolf Lodge has more charm and we enjoyed the lodge theme & the characters. But be prepared to spend....it comes with the territory! Learn more, read reviews and see open jobs. We didn't hear a peep after 10pm and slept soundly. Only 2 of our bracelets worked, but we were able to get around that on more than one occasion. This family resort, nestled privately on top of a hill, has an overall log cabin theme with a huge lobby fireplace, and lots of exposed wood, even inside your room. During our long walk to the room (the opposite end of the facility), he was VERY professional, engaging and helpful. 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. Confusingly enough she was allowed to go on the small kids slides that were inside the waterpark. We LOVED IT!More. We look forward to visiting once this pandemic is behind us and will update this post accordingly. The holiday decorations and standard decor also appear more elaborate and aimed more at children. We are happy to report that there were two night stands with our queen bed! 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. 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". When Great Wolf Lodge, the first indoor water park of its kind in the Poconos, opened nearly 10 years ago, it was heralded as the Northeast's largest indoor water park. Almost overnight, the Pocono Mountain region has become a major player in family indoor waterpark resorts, as Camelback Lodge and its Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark and Kalahari Resorts and Conventions opened in 2015, joining Great Wolf Lodge… We stayed from Tuesday through Thursday during July. This past visit however was somewhat disappointing. Starting with the positives: Kalahari feels more like a destination resort. Kalahari has the largest indoor waterpark of the 3, and is the largest resort located in the Poconos. It is always wonderful to receive complements on our décor as we want our guests to have as authentic an experience as possible. I actually made the kids wear earplugs (as did I) to go to this! My daughter walks with a medical device. Apart from those issues, I appreciate the detailed comparison. Score great deals with weekly specials like Beat the Clock, or other one-time offers. Kalahari is the biggest of the 3 and has a wider range of offerings that will appeal to both adults & children. So we decided to check it out and see how things had changed. There were 2 bathrooms – one off the walk-in area and the second one in the master suite. It is really the other aspects of the resorts and accommodations that will determine which resort is the better choice for your family! Embarrassing that I never realized it was the same picture! Kalahari Resorts & Conventions: Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge - See 4 393 traveller reviews, 1,258 candid photos, and great deals for Kalahari Resorts & Conventions at Tripadvisor. For our Tuesday June 25th, 2019 stay @ Great Wolf Lodge the cost of our room was $209.99 with taxes & fees amounting to $51.59, bringing the total to $261.58. With that being said – it does appear that the ropes course and zip lines are something that we may try in the future. Both are reasonable attempts at having a meal on the healthier side…. Some of the profit from any sale may merely make it into our pocket instead of Jeff Bezos! Plenty to do for the whole family. | Chip Williamson | All Rights Reserved. With the new day passes, enjoy unlimited splashes at our 84-degree indoor water park, access to over 50 activities and more all under one roof, and be back in your own bed by bedtime. Likewise – the lobby is magnificent! Imagine what it takes to run this place?!? The toddler area of the water park was rather small. This must be done via phone. Generally we are there for some water park fun – and that is what Great Wolf Lodge does best – so that is where we spend the majority of our time. To alert those in the wave pool of the wave rotation starting – it has a wolf howl. Bigger and overall more rides especially for those over 48 inches. One is about 13 minutes long and is about Brinley Bear’s fun day and the other is about 8 minutes long and is about the origin of Great Wolf Lodge. Browse all 1,203 Pocono Mountains Region topics » Kalahari vs. Great Wolf Lodge Watch this … We stayed @ Great Wolf Lodge on a Tuesday night and then Kalahari on Wednesday night of the same week. At times Kalahari actually felt a little too big for us. The room was not only spacious, but didn't reek like cat urine. The distance from the lobby to our room was an extremely long haul for her. I'm going to breakdown each part of the resort that we visited and give you the key points: Enhance your Kalahari Resort and Convention stay with these discounts and add-on packages for our Pocono Manor, PA resort. I visited the Williamsburg, Virginia location last year when on the Virginia Family Fun and Food media trip, and knew my kids would love it. Just a small thing that can be easily rectified. It may be newcomer to the scene that … We visited Kalahari in the Pocono Mountains for a last minute trip with our two girls, ages 8 and 9. We stayed in the Desert room which was sufficient in size for 2 adults and 2 small kids. Our balcony overlooked a very lightly used service road – and then there was an unobstructed view of the forested mountain side. Use Great Wolf Lodge for what it is really good at – and skip the rest! Kalahari Resorts vs. Great Wolf Lodge. Much more concise! EXPECT IT and you will have a great time. 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. From the accommodation standpoint – it was a much more memorable stay! I also added a note how COVID-19 has delayed our plans to stay @ Aquatopia. We ended up eating most of the fries and onions rings, while discarding the rest. We have been to the Williamsburg Virginia location where there was one – but there is not one @ the Poconos location. Inspired parents sharing the joys & adventures of the parenthood journey! We had a cabin themed room for this stay (KidCabin Suite) – and the kids enjoyed it more than I had expected! If you’re looking for other vacation ideas – check out our Family Travel Tips for Niagara Falls! The kids really enjoyed the cabin themed suite – which was adorned with a lot of cute character images. We ordered a burrito, nachos grande, chicken fingers, fries and onion rings from a predictable and acceptable selection of menu items. Which is the better indoor waterpark DysFUNctional Viewers? You could definitely capture everything this place has to offer in 2-3 days. Wolf Den Bunk Beds at Great Wolf Lodge. You will get a better deal via Kalahari and it is similar to Great Wolf with the cool wristbands, but both Great Wolf and Kalahari are primarily indoor water parks and … We went for the Italian the second night and the food was again wonderful. Kids under the age of 6 were coming in and out with no parental supervision. We have been to both resorts in the past – but thought it would be fun to do a back-to-back comparison. 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. 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! When you leave – make sure to return the towels and swipe the wrist band again – or you will be charged for the towels. The Poconos location has 401 rooms and each wing of the lodge has 4 floors. We usually just order a pizza and eat it in our room – with maybe a salad. 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. Kid’s hearing is much more sensitive! 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. Very spacious, a flat screen TV in each room and in main living area with fireplace. Swim Up BARS - An absolutely genius idea! 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).