Wisconsin Dells – The Pros and Cons of the Kalahari

Although my recommendation would be to stay somewhere other than the Kalahari in order to save some cash and get the most bang for your buck, the resort is very nice.  The room we stayed in was quite spacious and safety procedures are quite impressive.  We had to use a card in order to access our hall, to use the elevator in or wing, and to access our room. 

If you do stay at the Kalahari when you visit Wisconsin Dells, one tip:  you might need to put your key in a reader right inside of your door in order to activate the lights throughout the room.  We really felt like fools not knowing how to turn our lights on!  Also, if you have young ones that cannot swim, life jackets are available for rent at the resort.  To me, they should be given for free because I consider it to be a safety issue.

The staff at the Kalahari was very friendly and helpful.  If you will be using the waterpark, however, you will need to stop at the kiosk to get a bracelet if you are resort guest.  This kiosk is located a bit away from the entrance, so don’t get drawn in by the entrance and think you will be able to get in that way, as you will just be sent back to the kiosk. 

One thing that slightly bothered me was that, after being done with the waterpark from the time being, I had asked the employee if we could remove the bracelets and get new ones later if we decided to return and she said they preferred we kept them on and that “everyone in Wisconsin Dells has bracelets on anyway.”  I would have preferred being told I could remove the bracelets if we liked.  With as much as the place costs, I am sure they could withstand the cost and inconvenience of supplying my family with new bracelets if we needed them later.  My kids, particularly the twins, were not too thrilled about wearing them in the first place.

So, if you have money to spend and if you will make good use of the waterpark, you might want to stay at the Kalahari.  You could truly spend your entire vacation there because of the restaurants and activities available.  If you are going to check out the other sites the Dells has to offer, however, you might want to just go somewhere else.

A Friendly Reminder For Keeping Your Finances Safe When On Vacation

When on vacation, you are at an even greater risk than usual of having your credit card information lifted from a thief.  This is particular true when on a family vacation since you will be so distracted by the kids.  With all of their excitement and your concern about keeping an eye on them, it is easy to accidentally misplace your card, to have it stolen, or to simply drop it.   So, in this installment, I am going to focus more on educating YOU while on vacation rather than educating your kids.

First of all, never leave your credit card in your hotel room.  It is unfortunate, but cleaning service personnel have been known to steal credit cards or just credit card information when left in the room.  If you do need to leave your card behind, be sure it is kept in the safe if your room has one.

Next, make sure to copy down your credit information before you head out on vacation and keep it seperate from your actual credit card.  This includes the account number and the toll free customer service number.  This way, if your card is misplaced or if you lose it, you can call the credit card company right away and close the account. 

Since there is the possiblity that your card will be lost or stolen, you should also bring along an extra credit card just in case.  I am embarrassed to admit that I have lost cards on two different vacations, one when I went to Shenandoah National Park and one time when I went to Wisconsin Dells.  The fact that I had a back up card was a lifesaver when it came to enjoying the rest of the vacation.

Finally, if you are going out of the country, be sure to contact your credit card company ahead of time.  With all of their anit-fraud software, your unusual spending in a foreign land may set off some alarms.  So, to prevent hassles while on vacation (which is even more of a problem when you have antsy children waiting to move on to the next activity), call the 800 number ahead of time and have a great vacation!