OT-Wisconsin Dells which waterpark?

[yeahdisney]

We have stayed at a Great Wolf lodge in Ohio. Liked it very much.
We are thinking an overnight stay in Wisconsin. Our kids are 8 and 5. Which resort waterpark would be better? Kalahari or Great Wolf lodge? The room, I do like a good bed and clean, we will not be in the room except to sleep. The waterpark is what we are interested in. And I read a 4 story play area at Great Wolf, what is that?, a dry playground with slides? Our kids would like that. Any pictures would be great. Thanks Diane

 

[WDWBetsy]

I haven't stayed at any of these - but we drive by on our way to Minnesota. They look really neat! I found some websites for you if you haven't seen them. From what I saw of the pics, they both look cool.

http://www.kalahariresort.com
http://www.greatwolflodge.com/Locations/Dells/


Hope you have a great trip.

 

[Anne34]

Our top picks are the Kalahari and the Wilderness. My kids are 9,11 & 13 and they have a lot more for the older kids. (We haven't gone in 2 yrs). There are a lot of parks with smaller slides for the younger kids -- just depends on what you need.

 

[imsayin]

We love the Wilderness. It has a few indoor pool options and a dry-land climbing area to play!

 

[noahynav]

We live a little over an hour away from the Dells, so we go there often.

Great Wolf has Wiley's Woods, which is an indoor interactive playland. It has slides, nets to climb, ball blasters, and you can keep score too. My kids love it, they are 9 and 2. You can also purchase entrance into it without staying on Great Wolf property, so that is an option if you decide on Kalahari. IT is free with your stay otherwise.
The only problem I had with Great Wolf last time I went is that the pools seemed a little cold. I have been there several times and never experienced this, but I think that they stopped heating the indoor pools in the summer. With that much water, you still need to heat them in my opinion. Otherwise all of our other visits have been in the winter and we had no problems.
Kalahari is a lot of fun too. They have a few unique things like simulated surfing. This parks downfall is that it is so HUGE, and it is hard to keep an eye on your kids. Whereas at Great Wolf the water park is divided into seperate smaller areas. If you are prepared for this though you will love it.
A PP mentioned Wilderness. I have only been there once about 2 years ago. I was dissappointed with my stay. The whole hotel seemed dirty and unkept. There was sand on the stairs of all the pools, lots of stuff floating (think band-aids, debris). There was foam in all of the hot tubs and I believe the presence of foam indicates the prsence of bodily fluids in the water. The hallways of the hotel were dingy with stained carpeting. We stayed in a room that featured a hot tub, and when we turned the jets on, little black particles started swirling around in the water. It was gross. It just seemed like they were short on cleaning help or were doing the very bare minimum to get by. Not what I expect for what I paid.

 

[jgates]

One thought depending on budget is getting a day pass for Kalahari instead. they used to run around $30 for a pass. You can then stay at a cheaper hotel and just go to the waterpark for a day. Depending on the number of passes you need it may work out better. We have stayed at several of the other hotels on that end and things like Ramada Express are just nice average hotels but some also have continental breakfast which can save you money again.

 

[clh2]

I've only stayed at the GWL and the Wilderness. My DD has been to the Kalahari in WI Dells too.

She loves the Kalahari. I don't know anything about the rooms. They have always been more expensive when we were wanting to go to the dells.

Our first Dells experience was the GWL. Absolutely loved it. The pool areas are all in one place, lots of stuff to keep kids entertained. The 4-story dry climbing area is Wiley's woods. Yes, it is fun for the kids. Wiley's Woods will keep a couple of kids entertained for a long time.

I made a bizarre reservations mistake (I was multi-tasking at work and didn't realize I called the Wilderness instead of the GWL) and they gave me the GWL rate/code I was looking for. Didn't realize my error until I got sent a confirmation from them instead of GWL. Since there is a cost to cancel the room, we went there instead. DD was originally really ticked off at me, but ended up having a great time. DD is 12, we also had a cousin, who is 13, and one of DD's friends (also 12) who moved from our area and lives close to the dells. I would have a hard time convincing DD to go back to GWL. We liked the Wilderness, however it is overwhelming. There are so many different places with pools, that it was hard to keep up with 3 12&13 YO's. Everything other than the pools was extra, and I just hate the nickel and diming.

Based on the ages of your kids, I would go to GWL. They'll have a great time. Wiley's Woods is included, which is a great activity when they are done swimming.

There have been mixed reviews about the restaurants at GWL, but in the Dells, there are many restaurants that are a really quick to get to by car.

Also, if you go on a week night, (unless it is over a holiday) there are usually great rates at GWL - don't know about the others.

Have fun!

 

[disneyeveryyear]

We are going to Wilderness the first week of January (kids don't go back to school until 1/8). I was able to get a room rate of $99 for a room with 2 beds and a sleeper sofa.

This includes free admission to all 3 indoor water parks and to the outdoor tubing hill and the indoor playground. The lazer tag area does cost extra, but you can buy extra games at the same time for a discount.

We have never been, so I"ll let you know how it is.

 

[yeahdisney]

Thank you for your quick responses. We picked GWL for a Sunday nite and booked it. But I now have a new question to post. I need a decent cheaper hotel possibly for Saturday, if we choose to drive there Saturday. Thanks for your help I read your responses to DH and we decided to go with GWL.

 

[OhMari]

Sign up for the website and they will send you e-mails with deals. When are you going?

Here is a website wisdells.com and choose the kind of lodging you are looking for. After you find something, either PM me back, or I can check back and let you know if it is a thumbs up or down. So many of the hotels are new over there, and the old one's have gone under rehabs, but some still are under the ick factor. If you are going in July or August, you will pay more for a room that at WDW.

 

[TALB]

Treasure Island is a good place to stay the night before for cheap. we stayed there the night before checking into the Wilderness Lodge for $75. it has a nice indoor waterpark geared for younger kids so your kids would like it too. Be sure that your family eats at Paul Bunions resturant. The food is delicious and it is a great family atmosphere.