Wisconsin Dells Resort Advice

[Dream'nDisney]

We are planning a mid-winter trip to the Dells this year, and are having trouble deciding which of these three resorts to stay at: 1) Great Wolf; 2) Kalahari; or 3) Wilderness Resort. Each has it's good points and bad points, just like any resort. We have stayed at The Great Wolf and the Kalahari, but not the Wilderness Hotel. The thing that is drawing us to the Wilderness Hotel is the fact that they have a huge waive pool that has a covering over the dome that let's you tan year round. The draw back to that hotel is that appears huge, and the three indoor waterparks are separate, meaning that depending on where we are, we may have to take a shuttle bus, and if we are wet, that doesn't sound very relaxing! The other draw back is that they are open to the public. We are going during president's day weekend, so I am sure they are going to be busy. My kids love the Kalahari in that they have the surfing thing. The lazy river is nice, and they have the water coaster, which is fun. The draw back to them is also the fact that they are open to the public. The Great Wolf Lodge is cozy and a little cheaper. The waive pool is better than the Kalahari, but overall, the slides are not near as exciting as the Kalahari's. I think this resort is more for the younger children. My kids are in their early teens and like thrill rides. Any advice would be very much appreciated in trying to decide which of these three we should choose.

[sportsguy2315]

I've stayed at Kalahari and Wilderness, so I can't compare them side by side, but I'd have to give it to Kalahari, mostly due to the high number of different thrill rides. I am also a fan of the water coaster :), and that's worth the price itself.

[Dream'nDisney]

Thanks for replying. I'm thinking Kalahari's is probably where we are going to end up, unless I hear some awesome things about Wilderness. The first thing out of the kids' mouths when I casually mentioned going back "some day," was "if we don't stay at Kalahari, can we at least go there one day and surf?" I did call Kalahari today, and they said that they don't sell outside tickets to non-guests if it is a really busy time, which I am thinking it will be, so maybe that will help with some lines.

[Momof2boys]

We have been to all 3 numerous times. My boys are now 9 & almost 7 and they love Kalahari the best. The FlowRider body boarding thing is great ! They will even let the little kids ride with an 'instructor' so they get to experience it.

Our second favorite is Great Wolf Lodge. We stayed in the Wolf's Den room so the kids have bunkbeds that are in a little cave and they have their own TV. They love that. Plus Great Wolf has Wiley's Woods dry play area.

Our least favorite is Wilderness, specifically for the reasons you mentioned. It's way too spread out now. I didn't particularly care for the dome, and the wave pool was ok. We were there in March and had to take the shuttle to some of the other water parks in our wet suits unless we wanted to take the LOOOONGGGG walk to the other waterpark.

Don't forget about Mount Olympus that has roller coasters and other fun things to do indoors. A great break from the waterparks in winter.