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Comments
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11/13/20 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
Unless your child fits in their snotty box, they could care less. My biggest mistake. BIGGEST. Unless your princess is perfect at sports, etc, and RICH, the other kids could care less, they are BRATS or are just the followers who do whatever the "rRgina George" wants. My kid didn't. She's a nice kid, not use to that kind of behavior. I should have sent this review two years ago.. My bad.
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2/26/20 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
I personally attended this camp for abt 5 years (forced to) & it was my personal hell hole. Most of the girls knew each other from back home & as an “outsider”, coming in at the sophomore level, it was extremely difficult making friends & close connections to counselors who clearly had favorites. Note, I was shy, but very friendly & always eager for friends. This isolation remained for the following 5 years as the environment here is really only suited for extroverts & one where jappy culture greatly thrives in.I also experienced some occasional racist episodes & uncalled for judgment, which just accentuated my loneliness and poor self esteem.While it is a beautiful facility, I felt most of it went to waste due to the heavily scheduled programming with some limited freedom to choose an activity of your choice. I cried most of the time I spent there & overall had a miserable time that to this day haunts me. Overall good if you're well connected within the Jewish network & extroverted
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*
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10/29/19 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Camp Walden has been an incredible experience for my three children. They thrive in the warm and nurturing environment that camp provides. They have made lifelong friendships and always rave about the fantastic staff. But most importantly to me, is that they have been encouraged to try new things and step out of their comfort zones in a safe and supportive environment. We could not be more pleased with Camp Walden and would highly recommend this camp to anyone looking for a down-to-earth, loving community for their children.
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9/20/19 |
2 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
I speak only for my child's experience there as a first time camper. They handled it very poorly. They practically complained about every little thing about my child being sensitive etc. to the point that I said to myself: aren't they there to do just that? to make first timers feel better and grow with the camp? I even spoke to the director and she made me feel like she was paying me and not the other way around. We found a new camp and couldnt be happier. I WOULD NOT SUGGEST THIS CAMP FOR FIRST TIMERS, especially if your child isn't a go-getter sort of type.
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5/9/19 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I love this camp! Have been going there for the past 2 years and it is amazing!
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10/1/18 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Great camp with great people! was there on an adult weekend and it was wonderful, especially our group leaders Brooke and Andrew super friendly and great fun
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2/11/18 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
walden was absolutley amazing!! i would totally go there again. the staff is so friendly and so kind. everyone at the camp is a total darling. no one was mean to my child and she came back with a huge smile on her face. the activities and the whole atmosphere was really priceless. I do have to say this however - the counslers weren't that great. a lot of them were extremely air headed and it seemed like they were up in space. when my daughter got ill, they were very harsh with her. this was only one counsler however, the other two counslers were darling. the activities were great but some were a little babyish. i do like how participation (though mandatory) isn't enforced as harshly as other camps enforce it. we're definetly coming back :)
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4/25/17 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This is a great camp. The comments that say otherwise date back to 2007 where clearly, things were different. Walden is warm and loving and I have friends I will be with for life. The camp is well run, entertaining and the counslers are responsible and kind. Personally, I would never go to another camp. The food isn't good but that doesn't matter. Nobody is mean and people don't care about what you wear. It's a great camp and it's far better then any other camp i tried. If your kid is injured though, this may not be the best camp for now since when I broke my toe, I had to sit out on al lthe activities <3
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10/6/16 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I go to camp walden and it is the best camp out there. I have made my best friends in the whole world at walden and I know we will all be lifelong friends. For the comments below saying that Walden is jappy, yes it is jappy but it is full of nice japs who just have nice things. I would not want to go to any other camp
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9/28/15 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
I would not recommend this camp for boys who are not quick friend makers.
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8/1/15 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This was my 8th summer at walden and was the most amazing experience i could have ever imagined. All my years were filled with friends who i will stay in touch with for as long as i can, and amazing memories that will never go away. Walden is a place where everyone can be themselves and feel equal with everyone, while feeling important at the same time. The counselors are trained to not only be amazing staff, but to act as family towards us, making our summers incredible. My counselors this year left such an amazing impact on me, teaching lessons to continue using even after camp ended. I still text with them everyday along with all my other camp friends who I will soon visit during the school year. Since walden is not the most competitive of all camps, it allows us campers to enjoy the activities and events with our friends, feeling no pressure to "be the best". These were the most amazing summers i've spent, and i would not change them for anything. 12824 will always be my home
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12/8/12 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
CAMP WALDEN IS THE BEST CAMP EVER! I have been going to walden for 6 years now. I stared when i was 6 years old. All of the counselors and campers are so nice and make my summer so fun. WALDEN IS MY SECOND HOME!
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5/6/12 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Walden is the most amazing place in the entire world. I could not imagine myself going to a different camp even for a minute. It is a place where everyone feels welcome and even if it is the first day of your first summer, you feel as if the friends you make on the very first day are the people that you want to remain friends with for the rest of your life. Walden teaches its campers all of these life lessons that can be taken out of the camp environment and applied to life elsewhere. To be able to offer a special gift like that, it must be a special place. I can't even rave more about this camp because I will easily run out of room typing on here but if you need a camp to send your kids to, don't even think of sending them anywhere else but Walden! This coming summer will be my 7th summer at Walden and I cannot wait!!!! I love it so much I can't imagine my life without it. WALDEN IS THE BEST
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4/28/12 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Walden is warm, beautiful, nurturing, fun, and friendly! My dauighter spent her first summer there at age 12, an age where girls can be "clique-y," and felt welcomed even before camp began, when she attended the NY spring gathering. Lauren and Mark Bernstein are simply amazing, and their staff is wonderful. Everyone really cares about the kids and it was apparent on visiting day when anyone who passed my daughter by greeted her with a big smile. The activities are varied and well-taught and supervised. The lake is simply breathtaking! And my daughter called the food "amazing"! Even her picky-eater bunkmate loved the food. The camp doies a great job of keeping parents connected with goings-on at camp through daily e-mails and posting hundreds of photos every night. My daughter is now counting down the days until camp starts again and she cannot wait!!!
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SYSTEM: 3 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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12/9/10 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
I am sorry this camp is just plainly awful. Nothing is ever scheduled and you just feel lost the whole entire time! none of the staff attended as campers and it is very apparent that they are just there for the money. in comparison i now go to camp robinhood in nh and all of the staff except for 4 people this past year came as campers. and they have been working for 5 years because they dont want to go. When i attended it was so poorly scheduled that we had to eat dinner in our WET bathing suits. The kids are japy and the staff is not caring and its just overall a bad experience. seriously, take this camp out of your list. if you attend you will regret it.
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10/20/10 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
this coming summer will be my 6th summer at Walden and I am so glad that I have spent the past years going to this camp. It is more than just a camp. It is a place where you truly make friends that can last a lifetime. This is my 2nd to last summer as a camper at Walden and I don't think that I will be able to function after my last summer. I get through the school year because I think "If I finish the school year, I will be at camp sooner!". Walden is a place where everyone fits in and everyone is accepted for who they are. You don't have to pretend to be someone else here, everyone likes you for being you! I remember my first summer, I got off the bus and the Muppet song was playing (a tradition that when the buses arrive, a song from the muppets is playing) and I felt like I was in a safe bubble that was unbreakable. To this day, 6 years later, I still feel exactly the same way as I did back then. I love you Walden and I can't wait for next summer! <3
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8/18/10 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This was my son's 3rd summer and every year it just gets better and better! My son loves every minute of camp. The setting is beautiful and the campers and counselors are genuinely down to earth. Lauren and Mark run the camp with grace and enthusiasm. It is the BEST!
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9/8/09 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My kids love this camp. They come home and wish they could be back at Walden. This will be my son's 4th year and my daughter's 3rd. I'm thrilled that we found the right camp for our kids.
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8/12/09 |
3 |
4 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
This camp is ok. I dont suggest it. The activities are scheduled and mainly sports. There is no free choice. The food tastes bad, and there are 'fruit' soft drinks that is allowed at any meal at any number. After dinner each camper is allowed a pack of candy and a cup of soda. Campers are also forced to take a shower each day, even if it is the first day they are there and took a shower that morning, or they didnt swim. I didnt have fun from the first day I was at this camp.
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SYSTEM: 2 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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3/30/09 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This camp is my summer home. I love this place to death and would never even think about going to a different camp. I previously went to a different sleepaway camp and I thought that I love it, until my parents told me that I wasn't allowed to go back. I went to Walden the next summer and thought that the previous camp seemed so terrible compared to this majestic, beautiful, and perfect summer home. This will be my 5th summer at Walden and I am so glad that I made the transition here. All of you guys looking for a summer camp to attend, this is the one for you without a doubt. No matter how old you are, you will fit in. "Oh, the days of summer, they are gone and the time has come for moving on, bonds of friendship strenghten through the years, and as we think back until these times, and lean on what we've learned, for we'll all face life everyone in his own turn." Walden=LIFE <3
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SYSTEM: 3 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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8/7/08 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
What a wonderful camp. I don't think there is a better camp owner than Lauren Bernstein. I feel so lucky to have found this camp for my children...they are having another wonderful summer, thanks to the owners and staff of Camp Walden.
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7/30/08 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Fantastic camp!! The owners are extremely warm and nurturing, very communicative and accessible. Campers and families seem very down to earth. Great selection of activities. My son loved it and this was his first time away. He wants to go back which speaks volumes.
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5/28/08 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
this camp is so much fun and i made some great friends. even when i thought i was miserable someone always came up to me and was a friend, not just polite. sure people wore designner clothes like juicy or true religion but that doesnt make that person mean. every camp has that. walden had great food, nice people, and was a place i would send my kids to one day. the people who didnt like were the rude people or the shy people and if you are rude or shy, then u wudnt like this camp because every one is outgoing. 1 girl in my bunk was so rude and she is the 1 who sed evry1 is rude in this website. other than that 1 problem, this was a great summer!
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SYSTEM: 3 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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1/26/08 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
THIS SUMMER WILL BE MY FITH YEAR AT WALDEN AND I LOVE ITT . !! THE STAFF ARE AMAZINGG &+ MNY FRIENDS AREE GREATTT . ! I LOVE CAMP AND I PLAN TP BE THERFE EVEN AS A COUNSLERRR . :] .
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1/1/08 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
This will be my third year at camp walden and i love it! it has hills so it feels like camp, the counslers are so funny and nice, the kids can really bond with each other and their counslers, and the acttivities are so much fun. if i could say anything about camp walden, it would be the exact opposite of pontiac.
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12/13/07 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
This is the worst camp ever every1 is so jappy and rude I wish i could go to point o pines since its soooooo amazing hate walden love point o pines especially cuz the girls are NOT jappy or rude. i visited point o pines once and i met these two girls from scarsdale who were sooooo nice
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10/10/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I love Camp Walden! It is the best camp in the whole world! I would do nothing to let it go! It was my first summer there and I wish I started sooner to expierience everything, the staff, facilities, love, friends, caring and much more. It is my second home and there is no other place in the world that I would prefer to spend my summers. Camp Walden is the first thing that comes to mind when I think of "LOVE"! "...All the days of summer they are gone and the time has come for movin' on, bonds of friendship strengthen through the years and we look back until these ti,mes and lean on what we've learned for we'll all face life everyone in his own turn..." There are many other cheers at Walden, and that creates the spirit and the fun. I would like to thank the staff for a wonderful summer of 07'! Also I can't forget my friends and bunks G4 and G5 for such a wonderful summer! Lastly I am so happy that my parents sent me to this camp! I can't wait for summer of 2008!
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SYSTEM: 3 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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4/15/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My 2 children have grown up at Walden and I am an alumni as well. The facilities are outstanding, the food delicious and the Directors incredibly attentive. The counselors truly care about children. Walden is warm, safe and spirited. I highly recommend Walden if your children want a home away from home and memories that will last a lifetime.
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*
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3/7/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My children had a fabulous summer. They made great friends and had fun playing all types of sports and water activities. They loved the excitement of Tribals. The camp is extremely well-run, clean and safe. The kids of all ages are happy and have life-long friends. No bullying - it just isn't tolerated or accepted by the kids or staff. The food was really good this year. My kids are still singing camp songs and talking about their experiences. This is a well-kept secret as a world-class great camp for kids.
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3/6/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I spent eight magical summers at Walden. I look forward to the day I can send my children there. It is like no other camp I know of. The bonds you make here will last a lifetime.
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SYSTEM: 3 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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2/24/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My son attended Walden after going to another camp for 5 years. I thought the change was going to be hard for him, but the staff and the directors were so wonderful with him. When I saw him on visiting day he was so happy and had made so many friends. He is so excited about going back this coming summer and I am so happy for him. He has a nice base of friends that he keeps in touch with daily and they are all over the east coast...The directors are such caring people and the staff were very responsible. I feel so much better about sending my child back to Walden this summer...and I know now I made the right choice when I took him out of the other camp because he was never this happy or so self assured...thank you Camp Walden!!!!
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1/25/07 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
WE LOVE WALDEN!! We have lots of overnight camp experience. My 12-yr. old son went to Walden for the first time, alone (without his siblings) in 2006 and had a FABULOUS summer - he's going back. The owners and staff are the best anywhere - incredibly attentive and wonderful. The program and activities are traditional and plentiful. On Visiting Day, we were impressed with how friendly, and down-to-earth all the campers and counselors were - this is NOT a ritzy camp for snobby kids. Everyone knew everyone - it's a small, personal camp where people really care about the kids and each other. Although the owners are relatively new, there is tremendous (27+ years) continuity in the director, and a strong sense of camp tradition. This is a camp where kids can grow in a safe, well-supervised environment. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND WALDEN to anyone!
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1/4/07 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
This camp is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what camp should be. Camp should be a worrie free environment where children go to build confidence and realize their potential. At Walden you won't find children being themselves. You will find designer clothing, expensive electronics, and 17 year old counselors who lack vaules and responsibility that are required when childeren are looking up to you. You will also find a complete lack of administration and leadership. I would NEVER reccomend this place to ANYONE! I was morally conflicted on a daily basis with the sight of childeren who felt the need to buy their acceptance and counsleors that would sneek off at all hours of the night and have members of the opposite sex spending the night in their cabins. Summer camp should provide a care free environment with staff that understand the responsibility that they have been given when the admiration of a child.
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11/30/06 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
My son loved Camp Walden. The camp has the most wonderful owners. They are constantly available to the children (and the parents) and work to make each child's summer successful. When my son had some issues early on, they took the time to call and let me know what was going on, and then called 2 other times to give me updates. He ended up having a terrific summer, thanks to Lauren, Mark and Loren (the head of boy's camp). I would recommend this camp to anyone!
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11/8/06 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
camp walden just is not a good camp. i personally went their and i cried every day and made my parents pick me up early. the people are all jerks. the counselors are all 30 year old british men and my counselor was fired for suspicion of "getting too close" to the campers. the lake is ACROSS THE STREET from the camp and is so public that when we tried to haev a bbq on the beach, boats were pulling up to the shore checking out the scene. there is also a new owner every year or so...not a very tight family if u know what i mean. DONT GO TO WALDEN
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