Camelback Lodge or Great Wolf Lodge? Which Poconos indoor water park resort is better for your family? Let’s find out!
The Poconos in Pennsylvania is a top family vacation destination, and for good reason. There are so many family friendly resorts in the Poconos. And several of them have indoor water parks!
Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are two of the most popular resorts with indoor water parks in the Poconos. And choosing which resort is best for your family can be difficult, as both resorts offer very similar attractions and amenities.
The guide below compares various aspects of each resort, including the water parks, rooms, and other activities, to help you determine which resort is the best for your family.
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Preparing For Your Visit
Before you visit one of these family-friendly hotels in the Poconos, you’ll want to make sure you have everything you need.
Packing for an indoor waterpark hotel can feel overwhelming. Of course, some of the most important things to pack are your swimsuit, extra towels, and clothing for the other activities available. Check out this guide to packing for an indoor water park hotel before you go!
Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback Resort Locations
In Pennsylvania, Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback Resort are about 10 minutes apart. They are both easy to get from I-80.
Camelback Resort is right next to Camelback Mountain, making skiing during the winter an easy add-on to your stay. During the summer months, guests can purchase passes to their outdoor water park, which is right next to the resort.
Both resorts are also short driving distances to some fun family-friendly hiking trails in the area and some of the best things to do in the area.
Camelback Vs. Great Wolf Lodge: Layout & Size
The Lobby
One of the noticeable differences between Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge is the layout and size of each resort. Those differences are apparent as soon as you enter each resort’s lobby.
Great Wolf Lodge has recently undergone updates and has expanded its lobby. It used to feel a little small and cramped. However, they moved the check-in area off the side, giving more space to the main area.
Sadly, the renovations did away with the forest creatures animatronics. Now, there is an LED screen in the center of the lobby that is used for story time and other activities.
Camelback Lodge’s lobby is also large and open and is the transition from the hotel rooms to the rest of the resort’s activities. Even though there are guests in it throughout the day, it never feels crowded. In addition, its large window overlooking the water park gives you a great view of the rides and slides.
Winner: Great Wolf Lodge! We love the new updates, moving the check-in area away from the crowded lobby space.
Location of Water Park and Activities
At Great Wolf Lodge, the water park is in the center of the resort, making it easy for guests on either end of the resort to access it quickly. Furthermore, all of the extra activities and additional food options at Great Wolf Lodge are located next to the water park entrance on Main Street, keeping everything centrally located.
At Camelback Lodge, the lobby is at the center of the resort. It serves as a divider between the hotel rooms and the rest of the attractions and activities. This can cause a long walk from your hotel room to the water park, especially if your room is towards the end of the hall.
Winner: Great Wolf Lodge due to the central location of the water park and activities.
Resort Rooms at Great Wolf and Camelback
Standard Rooms
The standard rooms at Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge are very similar in size, amenities, and style. Great Wolf Lodge recently renovated their suites to a more updated style and clean look.
Standard rooms in both hotels come with two queen beds, a pull-out sofa bed, and a small table with chairs. A microwave, refrigerator, and small coffee maker are other amenities in the room.
Multiple-Room Suites
As the rooms get bigger, that is where the differences start. Both resorts offer bunk rooms; however, Great Wolf Lodge has themed bunk rooms, Camelback Lodge does not.
With the new updates at Great Wolf Lodge, both resorts now offer two and three-bedroom suites. If you are staying with extended family or friends, the larger suites make it easy to stay together and also more economical with the availability of a full kitchen.
Sound Proofing and Noise Level
The most significant difference we have found between the two resorts is noise and soundproofing.
While at Great Wolf Lodge, noise could be heard from the hallway as well as the rooms above us. It was especially loud due to kids playing the MagiQuest game that are Great Wolf Lodge offers.
Even though the resort has quiet hours, it does not seem to change the noise level outside the room. As noted above, the hotel rooms at Great Wolf Lodge are closer in proximity to the water park and all of the activities. That is a plus due to its location, but as far as sound and noise, it is a negative.
Camelback Lodge, on the other hand, had excellent soundproofing. We stayed on the fourth floor close to the ballroom while there was a prom going on. We could hear the music in the hallway when walking to and from the elevator, but once we were in our room, we heard none of it.
Winner: Camelback Lodge due to the better soundproofing and a good night’s sleep!
Food Options at Great Wolf and Camelback
Both resorts offer multiple ways to feed your family. From sit-down dining to fast counter service, your family will not be hungry!
Counter Service
Both parks offer counter-service items like hamburgers and hot dogs for the whole family. While there are some tables located in the water park at Great Wolf Lodge, Camelback Lodge’s Aquatopia is the largest indoor water park in the Poconos, and due to its size, tables are widely available for eating.
Pizza Service
The two resorts have pizza available right next to the water park. Once you have your pie in hand, bring it back into the water park area so your family can feast without slowing down!
Keep in mind that Great Wolf Lodge does not have as many tables as Camelback Lodge’s Aquatopia, so it may be more difficult to find a table in the water park area.
Other Restaurant Options
Both Camelback and Great Wolf Lodge have made some changes to their restaurants over the years.
Camelback has a family-friendly buffet option in the lobby for breakfast (Hemispheres), as well as a table service restaurant at the other end of the hotel for lunch and dinner (Trails End). If you don’t mind leaving the hotel itself, you can eat at Berrelli’s, which is just a short walk from the resort. Lastly, the coffee shop in the lobby offers small bites for breakfast and lunch.
Great Wolf Lodge has only one table-service option, Fireside, which replaced the buffet restaurant next to the lobby.
Sweets and Desserts
Both resorts have an ice cream and sweet shop near their water parks, making a perfect spot to stop on your way back to the room or for a mid-day treat!
Swim-Up Bars
Both indoor water parks have swim-up bars for adults. At Great Wolf Lodge, the bar is towards the back of the water park. Conversely, Aquatopia’s swim-up bar is right next to the counter-service food area, towards the front of the park.
Winner: With more overall options, Camelback wins this round.
Activities Offered at Each Poconos Indoor Water Park
While the primary reason to stay at these fantastic family-friendly resorts is the indoor water park, both resorts offer more to do than just swimming and sliding.
Other Indoor Activities
Bowling, arcades, and ropes courses are some of the same types of attractions offered at both Camelback Lodge and Great Wolf Lodge.
In addition to those attractions, Camelback Lodge offers laser tag, bumper cars, and a 7D interactive ride, to name a few. Great Wolf Lodge has mini-golf and fun mining activities.
Crafts
If your kids love to make things, you are in luck! Camelback Lodge has a paint-your-own-pottery shop, and Great Wolf Lodge has a Build-A-Bear on-site.
Outdoor Activities
In addition to the indoor activities, a stay at Camelback Lodge also includes an outdoor option, like snow tubing in the winter and the mountain coaster in the warmer months.
Great Wolf Lodge has a four-story ropes course next to their outdoor pool.
Family-Friendly Events
Along with all the activities listed above, both resorts have fun, family-friendly events throughout the day.
Great Wolf Lodge has activities like morning yoga, storytime, and an evening dance party.
Camelback Lodge offers other activities as well. Family movie night, donut decorating, and a reptile show were some of the events during our stay.
Winner: It’s a tie! Both resorts offer plenty of things to do in addition to the water park.
Comparing the Indoor Water Parks at Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback’s Aquatopia
Atmosphere and Theming
It is evident both resorts spent a lot of time and effort in designing their water parks.
Great Wolf Lodge has logs and pine trees throughout to make guests feel like they are at a wooded resort.
Aquatopia is themed based on adventurous travel, and the theme varies throughout the water park. Guests will enjoy the enormous iguana on top of the entrance to the lazy river and the Arctic exploration truck perched at the top of the wave pool.
One of the features of Aquatopia is the large glass ceiling. It allows sunlight into the park throughout the day, making guests feel like they are outside, even if in winter! The sunlight also makes the park feel warmer, which is another bonus. However, when the sun hides behind the clouds, there is no noticeable difference in temperature between the two parks. If you are staying over a rainy weekend, the ceiling offers no benefit.
Winner: Camelback Lodge due to the theme and the glass ceiling (when it is sunny!).
Indoor Water Park Size
Aquatopia Water Park at Camelback Lodge is the largest of the two water parks. Its size affords it enough space to feel vast and open, even when packed with guests.
The additional space is used well by providing additional seating and tables throughout the park, as well as many private cabanas. Aquatopia also has enough space for a FlowRider, a ride that Great Wolf Lodge does not have.
Winner: Camelback Lodge due to its size and use of the space.
Indoor Water Park Rides
Aside from the FlowRider, as noted above, Great Wolf Lodge and Camelback Lodge have a very similar assortment of rides.
A water coaster, a large raft family ride, and many tube slides are the big rides at each park. They also both have a lazy river, although Aquatopia’s at Camelback Lodge has a better theme and is easier to get in and out of, thanks to the zero-entry.
The little kid section at Great Wolf Lodge is bigger than the one at Aquatopia and includes four slides of increasing intensity. Both water parks have “towers” that offer tons of water sprays to play with, as well as fun, small body slides.
The water basketball area is more extensive at Great Wolf Lodge and feels more open. Lastly, Great Wolf Lodge has two lily-pad crossings, which cuts your wait time in half.
Winner: Tie! Both water parks’ rides and attractions are fun and great for families, though families with younger kids may enjoy Great Wolf more, and families with older kids would do well at Aquatopia.
Indoor Water Park Amenities
Some of the essential features of a water park are the amenities, including towel availability, cleanliness of the showers and bathrooms, and locker availability.
There were no apparent differences between the two water parks. Both offered plenty of dry towels, the bathrooms and showers were clean and readily available, and the lockers were reasonable to rent and could fit our belongings.
Winner: Tie! Both of these resorts are doing a great job as far as amenities in the water parks.
We Have a Winner!
As you can see from our reviews above, Camelback Lodge is our first-choice indoor water park resort in the Poconos.
While we enjoyed our stay at Great Wolf Lodge, ultimately, our experience at Camelback Lodge was better. However, we wouldn’t hesitate to revisit either resort! And if you don’t want to stay overnight, both resorts offer day passes to their indoor waterpark.
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