Kalahari - Sandusky Ohio
February 24, 2008
Kalahari Indoor Waterpark – Sandusky, Ohio
In February, we decided to make our family adventure the Kalahari Indoor Waterpark in Sandusky Ohio. Kalahari’s website boasts that it is America’s largest indoor water park. In February, nothing seems more like a welcome adventure than to go run around in your swimsuit and act like it is summer on water slides.
We decided to stay in a hotel room. The package included the room, tokens, the water park and some discounts for under $300. We were able to spend most of the two days in the water park, which would have cost more if we bought straight admission to the park for two days.
Whether you have a 2 year old or a 10 year old, Kalahari has a lot to do for all ages. We spent a lot of time together in the wave pool. Our younger daughter would then go with one of us over to the toddler area while the other half of the family would explore some of the many water slides.
The pool area was well kept, busy but not packed, and really fun for the kids. If you are thinking about swimming some laps while the kids play, don’t get your hopes up. The park has not place you can actually swim more than a few feet. But there is a fitness room in the hotel, so go run and then play in the water.
Best of Kalahari
- We were there nearly 24 hours and did not have time to do everything.
- Life guards were quick to jump in and help someone that was struggling.
- Could almost feel like we were in Mexico with the margaritas by the pool.
Worst of Kalahari
- We took beach towels and did not need to. We failed to take sandals and should have.
- Hotel room smelled like bacon from the people before us. (There is a microwave in the room) Our vegetarian daughter found that repulsive.
- Line at the counter to cash in your tickets from the games was disorganized and understaffed. We wasted at least a ½ hour trying to cash in those tickets for some candy. Not how I like to spend my time.
- While we got into our rooms early, we did hear other people complaining about taking a while to get the rooms.
Ideally, you will be able to go during the week when you can save some money on Kalahari. They have discount packages during the week. http://www.kalahariresorts.com/hub/
If you have a comment on your experience with Kalahari, please leave it in the comments section to help others decide if they should visit.
We found many positive and negative comments at Kalahari Wisconsin and Kalahari Sandusky.
Overall, we did find Kalahari a bit pricy, especially if we were to just go for the day. While we had no major negative experiences, the reviews on the links above show that many people have. Had we not gotten into our room early (luck) then it would have been impossible to start swimming as early as we did. We’d have needed to rent several lockers to put our stuff in. My solution to this is to leave everything in the car if you are checking in early. Have your swimsuits on under your clothes, leave your coat & baggage in the car and go back for it once you have your room. Then you should just need one locker ($5 + $5 key deposit) to stash everything in and swim until your room is ready.
We tentatively recommend Kalahari to charge your summer-time battery in the winter. Just be ready for some bumps in the road and plan ahead for them.
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