Another Wisconsin Dells question - Great Wolf vs. Kalahari vs. Wilderness Resort

[sunlover13]

We are planning on going to the Dells early June. This is our first trip to the Dells, me, DH, and DD(5). I've narrowed it down to Great Wolf Lodge or Kalahari due to price. I can get Great Wolf for $116 per night and Kalahari $129 per night. We will probably just stay at the resort. The only thing we might leave for is to ride the Ducks.

Also, we are going Sunday thru Tuesday b/c it is cheaper than the weekends. My other thought was to head up there Saturday morning and stay somewhere else for that night (cheaper). Saturday we could do a little more walking around on the strip, etc. Once we get to the resort, I'm hoping to not really leave much.

Which resort would you choose & why?

Any suggestions as far as places to eat, good values, etc.?

Any thoughts on our Saturday plan? Good idea, bad idea? Suggestions where to stay?

TIA!

EDIT: I'm adding Polynesian to the mix b/c it is only $89 per night including the Saturday night. Anyone????

 

[Chelley00]

We went to Great Wolf in September and had a great time. It was over Labor Day weekend and I was really worried it would be packed since they were near sold out, but we never waited more than 5 minutes for slides. Wiley's indoor play area was so much fun and a great place to hang out when you get sick of water. The little ones loved the story time and Great Clock show in the evenings before bedtime. The older ones spent all their allowance in the arcade

The food there stinks, but we had a condo with a kitchen, so we ordered pizza in one night (look for coupons at the resort or online beforehand) and then did a Walmart run to get food for the rest of the weekend.

I haven't been to Kalahari so I can't compare, but we stayed plenty busy at Great Wolf.

 

[klynn]

I just sent you a pm. Also go to www.dellscoupons.com to get a coupon book. Be sure to click the blue and white target and that will take you to a list of all the coupons in the book. There are a lot of coupons for restaurants and attractions!

 

[sunlover13]

Shameless bump

 

[Jajone]

We live in WI and have never been to those 2 resorts before, but the Dells many times. We've stayed at the Polynesian when the kids were little (5 & 3) and it was perfect for them. The other parks have MUCH bigger slides, etc. The Polynesian really has no restaurant, so you would have to leave for all meals. There is a Denny's and Mc Donalds close by as is downtown. I vote for a cheaper place with smaller kids as they would be happy with a splash area most of the time. I have heard nothing but good reports from the other 2resorts though.

 

[mom2kayzb & jakers]

I have been to both and love them both!! We have stayed at the Great Wolf the past two 4th of July's and have had a great time!! This year we are checking out Kalahari for the holiday. K- has great family raft rides, and all indoor pools are in one huge area. GW has many raft rides but not many family ones and the set up indoors is like a Y. So I guess it depends if you have younger kids or older ones. But they both are great resorts that you do not need to leave at all for a few days! Let us know what you decide!

 

[sunlover13]

Thanks for the replies everyone! This is almost as bad as planning for Disney. I keep changing my mind!

I will hopefully know in the next couple of days. My sister is now checking to see if she could get a discounted rate for me. Her company is somehow affiliated with the Polynesian and Kalahari only.

I found a great rate at the Polynesian for $89.95 per night for the timeframe we are going. That also includes the Saturday night which is crazy to me. Looking at the websites though, I think Polynesian would be my least favorite. If it ends up being a lot cheaper than the other 2, we might end up staying there.

My DD is a tall 5 and pretty adventurous, but I think she'd be happy anywhere with a pool.

 

[sunlover13]

So, I went from either the Kalahari, Great Wolf, or Polynesian to the Wilderness resort. We had a couple of friends who stayed there recently and recommended it. Figured I'd call to check the rates & got a great rate of $99 for Sun & Mon. The only bad thing I heard so far is it is very spread out. I've heard a lot more good though that there is plenty to do, they do not sell tickets to the public. Also, we are staying at the newer building, Glacier Canyon Lodge.

Any of you been to Wilderness Resort?

 

[AnninIowa]

I've stayed at both Wilderness Lodge and Kalahari - and I much prefer Kalahari!! We've stayed there twice now and love it! Wilderness has several indoor and outdoor waterparks spread all over the place, so if you want to go to them all, it can get really tiring and confusing. Kalahari has one indoor and one outdoor area - both are huge (Kalahari's is one of the largest indoors in the US). Both waterparks are easily accessible from the lobby, and the dining and shops are also centered around there. For easy to get around at Kalahari; plus a movie theatre and Cracker Barrel are right next door, and the big outlet mall (with a Disney store) is across the street. I thought the room at the Wilderness was a bit worn down and dirty; the Kalahari rooms are HUGE and well appointed with a large mini fridge and microwave.

 

[Jajone]

We stayed at Glacier Canyon Lodge this past November. The Lodge is a different building than the waterparks, but I think they are opening their own area of outdoor waterpark this summer. The Lodge is brand new. We didn't mind the walk or being spread out because that meant people were spread out and none of the areas were overly busy. I think there is only 1 outdoor waterpark though, 3 indoor. There is a fridge and microwave in the room. The hallways always seemed very quiet and there is an enclosed walkway from one building to another. We have 3 kids and went back for my son's 2 naps/day, so the walk really did not seem very long.

 

[KLAIT]

We have stayed at the Polynesion when my son was younger. It was the most relaxing of all the ones you mentioned, but we loved it..There are not a large amount of "BIG Thrill" slides, but most 5 year olds are not looking for it. They have 2 large outdoor waterslides..one with tubes and one you go down on your butt...neither are really scary, but fun. There is lazy river outside and one inside..there are a few other pools with activities such as slides, etc..

We love the Wilderness as my son got older and more daring. They have some thrill slides as well as a few outdoor waterparks. A lot of people complain about how spread out it is, but I actually prefer it as the people are more spread out as well... They have the Hurricane (4 seater funnel shaped ride) and the thing my family calls the "flush". There is also a wave pool, outdoor lazy rivers an indoor lazy river and lots of other things..we love the Wilderness.

Kalahari was Ok, but there was always so many people as they sell tickets to the waterpark to people who are not guests..so it makes it crowded..

On staying over on a Saturday.. We always do this. We meet a group of family there on Sunday, but always drive down on Sat ...We have stayed at the Shamrock which is decent and includes a "Dells Discount Card" with each nights stay which offers several discounts to local attractions and restuarants..several of which are good deals for good places. This card also gets some buy one get a child admission offers. Check one of the Dells websites where they sell the card to look at the deals. It might even have a childs admission to the Ducks if I remember correctly. Also I noticed this year that they have packages with admission to Noahs Ark.

Another place we sometimes stay on that Sat night is the Flamingo as they offer 2 Free Tickets to Noahs Ark with each nights stay... I will warn you that if you do stay here, request a 2 queen bed room...They are newer as it appears that the Flamingo bought the hotel next door and refurb it...the old rooms and the ones with 2 doubles are PITS>>>.

HAve Fun

 

[Kellydelly]

We stayed at the Glacier Canyon condos in December. They are gorgeous! Granite everywhere, knotty pine everywhere, two bathrooms, full kitchen. We had a two bedroom and there was a murphy bed in the living area too. We got excellent rates in December (around $120 per night). We didn't mind the walking to the different water parks. There are plenty of restaurants right near the resort.

 

[Lori2Disney]

We stayed at the Wilderness in a Glacier Canyon room last month. The room was nice and was very clean and new. I like having the option of several different indoor and outdoor waterpark areas because if one is too busy you can move to another. My two girls also really like the huge arcade and the dry indoor play area.

I'm not a fan of the Kalahari because since it is one big waterpark area it was very loud and crowded. The Great Wolf is nice also, but I still prefer the Wilderness.

We stayed at the Polynesian years ago and it seemed rundown then. Unless they have updated it, I wouldn't go back. My daughter also cut her foot pretty badly on a grate in the pool, so I would recommend water shoes.

Have a great trip. The Dells is a blast and we try to go at least once a year.

 

[sunlover13]

Great! Sounds like we made a good choice at the Wilderness. I'm so excited! DD has never been there so I know she is going to love it.

We have our Saturday night booked at Chippewa Motel. I'm a little nervous about this, but we are only going to sleep there and spend the entire day in the Dells area doing the Ducks, shopping, etc. So, hopefully it is OK to sleep in. Plus, I'm only paying $30, got a 1/2 price coupon. They offer the Dells fun card for staying there so we are all set with that.

Thank you all for your comments. I appreciate it.

 

[KLAIT]

I have seen the Chippewa several times. It doesn't look too bad..I am sure it will be fine The Dells Fun Card really does have some good deals on it. Hae fun!

 

[sunlover13]

I have seen the Chippewa several times. It doesn't look too bad..I am sure it will be fine The Dells Fun Card really does have some good deals on it. Hae fun!

Thanks. That helps a little. Although, they took my name and phone number and thats it. No reservation number, nothing. We might be sleeping in our car that evening.

I have this image of a green pool filled with ducks and leaves........

 

[KLAIT]

No, the Chippewa isn't green pool kind of place...as a matter of fact we always drive around looking for some of the better looking cheaper hotels and this was one that we would definately consider...granted, these hotels are not the Ritz, but I am not expecting that either...