My neighbor and I took our kids up(no DH'S) and stayed 1 night in a 2 bedroom suite...slept 8 total. The room ran $400 fir the night, had a FP small kitchenette, whirlpool tub in one bath and 3 t.v.s. It also had a sticky stained carpet under the dining table and cpuch was pretty grungy. While the resort itself is themed well, I would not say it is on par w/AKL. For the Dells it is one of the top resorts and the indoor water park does have an incredible amount of stuff to keep the kids happy...(the latest addition being a boogie board surf area) I just kept thinking it was very expensive to be there for 1 night. We chose the suite as it was less expensive than booking 2 standard rooms, but it still cost us over $300 total when all was said and done for the stay, 1 adult 2kids. My kids keep asking to go back, we are about a 3 1/2 hour drive, but I absolutely hate paying the price over the summer, and food is VERY expensive there. Now, you can bring up all your own stuff and really cut into the overall food costs.
The resort is manageable for navigating with the kids, but the waterpark itself is huge, and multi-leveled and then the lines for the water rides can go different directions as well. I had a hard time keeping up w/my kids as they wanted to dart from one slide to the next, doing the lazy river, wanting a snack....and it is kinda noisy inside(it really can't be helped, between all the kids and the water) so I was a bit stressed.. there are t.v. monitors everywhere, but I still had trouble. I did slip and fall on the wet floor, and THAT of course, was caught on the monitor...kids still crack up about that (I spent 45 minutes in first aid and had also bruised my tailbone so bad I could not go on any of the slides)but as I said, DH was not along so you will have an easier time of it. The arcade/game room is also very large and there is a ping/pong table...bring extra$$ for the arcades! There is an ice cream/candy shop, and coffee shop that are cute, and across the parking lot is a movie theater. The resort itself is directly adjacent to the higway so while the inside has decorative themeing, the outside grounds are not on par w/ Disney...the Wilderness is better situated for that...pine trees buffer the resort on most sides. Yes, outside people DO come in to use the water park...it is around $30-35 a day and getting a locker can be a problem. We arrived at noon, but our room was not ready 'till 4, and there were no lockers left, so we shlepped back to the car to put our luggage back in, dug out suits etc, (this was in March, no one was available to help, or even watch our luggage...that is not on par w/a moderate at WDW)froze our dupas off and then did it allover again at 4, only now with wet hair etc.
I agree totally with Ohmari, and whenever we start vacation planning, we total up a summer WDW trip compared to the Dells, and WDW ALWAYS wins! I now you are not asking for that comparison, so please excuse my forwardness. The touristy stuff at the dells is exactly that, touristy, but kids seem to like it. DEF bring the bug stuff, and horse flies can be a nuisance but maybe not...just be prepared. I would say you will have an enjoyable time, IF you do not compare to WDWresorts or amenities. That is my biggest tip...enjoy the Kalahari for itself. Also bring your own pop, beer, snacks...whatever as it is more expensive to eat there than WDW, have your kids wear water shoes, (so they don't slip like I did )do not leave your beach chair unmarked, you will not get another one if you get up, have your kids in BRIGHT swimsuits...younger ones anyway and enjoy time w/your family on your vacation!
I also agree w/DEB in IA...I know the Wilderness does not have the room type you need, but if you choose another time to visit, it is nice that only resort guests can use the waterparks there. Remember, there are a ton of little motels/hotels in the area and they can pay to use the Kalahari and Great Wolf waterparks. That can be a LOT of kids, some of whom are just dropped off since their folks don't want to pay the fee for themselves to get in, but that tells what a fun waterpark it is...EVERYONE wants to be there!
Pam
