Laaaaas Vegas!

[disneygirlie11]

Can anyone give me some info about Las Vegas?
The best time to go? The cheapest (and still safe!) places to stay? How much I would need to spend? Etc..?? Anything else you think would be helpful. TIA!!! :thumbsup:

[RAIDER]

Ive only been there once in my life which was this year in June and it was really hot . We stayed in Caesars Palace as we got a brilliant deal ...

As to how much to spend ..What i did learn was that on new strip were we were staying seemed far more expensive in general than the old strip ( stratsosphere end ) ..I suggest you get the monorail to go down from one end of the strip to another .Its a day pass and its about $12 i think and this saves on the taxis as the rip you off by detouring around the block ( maybe they did this to us as we were from the UK ) but we found the monorail system right at the end of our vacation .

The hotels i would avoid in my opinion are the Luxour ( sales people wont leave you alone and the outlay of was awful and Circus Circus was really scuzzy ....

We saw the Blue Man Group and Elton John and Circus de Soliel KA ( AVOID as this was so boring ) we wish we had gone to see "O"
And ofcourse we had to go to the Grand Canyon :number1:

We found it very safe especially on the new strip area at night ..We had heard it can be rough down the old strip at night end so we avoided

But various hotels have great buffets at various prices we found this a helpful website www.vegas.com/
and the monorail one when we got back home !!
www.lvmonorail.com/

i hope you have as much fun as we did :thumbsup:

[Janet89]

If you live near casinos, sign up for their players card and gamble some. This WILL help on your room rate. Try to aim for properties owned by Harrahs or MGM/Mirage. Most of the properties on the strip are owned by these. If not, you can sign up on line, but not sure if this helps much on your room rate with no gambling activity.

Travel Sunday - Thursday. Rates increase dramatically on the weekends in LV.

We have always stayed mid-strip, but like the PP poster mentioned. The monorail can get you back and forth.

DH and I saw "O" last time. It was good, but I think I was expecting too much or had sensory overload. But, I don't regret seeing it. The floor turning from a stage to a pool throughout the show was pretty amazing.

[jrkcr]

We stayed at Mandalay Bay. The rooms go for 150-300 a night, but the rates change from night to night, and make no sense to me! :confused: It is by far the prettiest casino in Vegas!! Very open ceilings, and huge chandeliers.
After hitting the Rum Jungle, I used the word "sparkly" over and over to describe it. :blush:

I liked the Bellagio lobby. It has a Dale Chihuly glass ceiling of 2,000 flowers. WOW!

And since I am a part-time Trekkie (:secret:) I really had fun in the Hilton at the Star Trek Experience!! I would love to go again!

Basically, every casino has something cool to see and do, and getting around is part of the fun! And then there's Marqueritaville! :marg:

Have a fabulous trip!!

[nls721]

Awww, Vegas my absolute favorite place in the world. When to go? Depends on the weather you like. Summer into October gets warm outside 110+. But super cold inside casinos. December / January is a little cool for most people, but coming from WI it feels nice for me. December is my absolute favorite time to go because everything is decorated for Christmas but very cheap. Actually anytime of the year is great. Because even in the summer at so warm, the hotels all have great pools.
You'll want to stay on the strip. That is where most stuff is. Downtown is really cheap, but it is gambling only (and the light show). MGM Grand is a great hotel and they have alot of deals so you could get a Sun - Thurs for under $100 / night. As PP mentioned Sun-Thurs is least expensive. Other then that, basically any hotel from Mandalay Bay to Wynn on the strip is decent except; Tropicana, Casino Royale, Imperial Palace, or Bill's. I personally don't like Harrah's but alot of people do. And, I know alot of people don't like Excalibur, but I don't think it is too bad.
Spending money all depends on what you'll gamble.... Buffets aren't cheap like some may believe. Decent dinner buffets are $25-$30. But, there is a ton of free stuff to do. If you want to take in a headliner night show, that'll run you $90+ per person.

[RPHX2NC]

Its a day pass and its about $12 i think and this saves on the taxis as the rip you off by detouring around the block ( maybe they did this to us as we were from the UK )


We had the same experience in a taxi, he tried to blame me for not knowing where I wanted to go. Not only did this double our fair but wasted 30 minutes in traffic. :mad:

I think that MGM is too big. It can take forever to get to your room. Where comfortable shoes. What looks like 1 block on a map will be much longer. Food is expensive in Las Vegas be prepared. I would try to stay in the middle of the new strip. We are going for a 3rd time this spring I think the Bellagio or Venetian but not sure. Paris, New York, or TI might be good less expensive places.

The Casinos feel safe, walking around not so much. Stay on the strip and don't look at the paper flickers. We like to gamble so tried some less than glamorous Casinos that pay better odds on craps. There were so shady characters at the craps tables from South Central LA. We also went dowtown to gamble, lots of locals and not worth the very $$$ cab fair. Taxis are also very expensive in Las Vegas and are not allowed to drop off or pick up on the strip, you must walk to the hotel.

Circus Circus is gross. It is more to stay on the strip but for a first trip money saved will be lost in taxis.

We went online before we left and got free passed to night clubs that usually charge a $15 cover. If you plan on seeing a show it is at least $100 a ticket. Las Vegas can be a pricey vacation.

[Clay Ransone]

I have been to Vegas twice. Once in September at the New York-New York and once in November at Treasure Island. Of the two times of year November is much better. It is cooler and seemed a bit less crowded. I also have much more football to bet on. If you go over a weekend be prepared for the So Cal invasion. If you go during football season there will be a ton of Raiders fans there too. I have no idea why unless there are still a bunch of Raiders and in LA that all come to Vegas on the weekend.

I really enjoyed my stay at Treasure Island. Treasure Island is not as large as some of the other mega resorts on The Strip so getting around the hotel is very easy. If I were to go back to Vegas I would stay there again. If Treasure Island is not your thing I liked the look of Paris and Planet Hollywood. Planet Hollywood is a Starwood Hotel so if you have some SPG points you may be in luck with a deal on the room.

The first time I went to Vegas I went on a package through Southwest Vacations. It was a pretty good deal but I could not check in online.

When you go to Vegas take money. Everything is expensive. The best deal of the day is breakfast at the hotel coffee shop. I really liked the one at Treasure Island. There was a Canter's Deli there too that was AMAZING. It's crazy how good a turkey sandwich can be.

I have seen Blue Man Group and Spamalot out in Vegas. Both were very good. It is a shame that Spamalot has closed. When I saw Blue Man they were down at Luxor and tickets were like $80. Now that they have moved to The Venetian the tickets have gone up to like $160. There are a few half price ticket places on the strip but I have never used them.

[KatMark]

My husband goes twice a year for business (he is there now with our oldest son). I have traveled many times with him on the August trip (I don't go in February because I won't fly in the winter and because the pools aren't open and he know longer does a May trip which was my favorite time of year to go). We have stayed at: MGM (my favorite--I love the "no one under 18 year old pool"), Treasure Island, Flamingo Hilton, Monte Carlo, Hilton, Bally's and the Venetian. It depends on what you want to do and how far you want to walk or cab (the monorail is your best bet). I used to walk the strip alone...but I wouldn't do it now, especially at night. Vegas is VERY expensive. It is no longer the place of cheap buffets.

[thrillme]

We had a nice room at the Rivera and it was quite reasonable ($70 in October) and right on the strip...Circus Circus is right in front of it and the Hilton right behind it. Circus Circus had been refab'd lately and is nicer.

We discovered to blow off the car. Take a shuttle from the airport about $10 and catch the Duce ($5 a person for 24 hours...note that it's 24 hours not per day...Vegas doesn't believe in "days"). The Duce stops at the main entrance of the hotels and runs every 15 minutes. They do have a couple of stops at the end of the strips that seem to be in the middle of nowhere but in general most of their stops are quite well peopled 24/7.

ANYPLACE...is can be a little "unsafe" these days. If you stay on the main street you'll be fine. It's crowded but...I think in general with proper "precautions" you'll be fine. Just watch you're purse and wallet. But this is nothing new. Pickpockets have been in crowded areas since the beginning of time.

Oh yes...and one more "secret". If a couple of people wearing sorta of "tuxudo" type outfits (without the jacket) walk up to you smiling and offering tickets. Smile and give them a "thumbs up" sign. They're "Timeshare Vultures"...unless you have the time to sit down to POSSIBLY get tickets that you can use during your trip...the "thumbs up" sign is supposed to tell them that you've already been through the lecture and they'll leave you alone.

[MelXThree]

I have to tell you about "The Comedy Stop" at the Tropicaina. It is the BEST show, only $20 a person but you can usally find coupons for buy 1 get 1 free. I have been there twice and it was GREAT both times. It is in the Tropicaina which is not the nicest hotels but if you like a good laugh for a good price this is the place!!:funny: