Need vegas with kids ideas

[Diabolicdesire]

I have never been to Vegas so any help would be appreciated. My daughters cheer team will be in a competition there at the end of July. I am looking for ideas on where to stay and what to do with the kids. Being that it will be HOT I'd like a decent pool and reasonably priced accomodations.

The competiton will be at The Orleans which I believe is off the strip.

Thanks !!

 

[skiingfast]

I have never been to Vegas so any help would be appreciated. My daughters cheer team will be in a competition there at the end of July. I am looking for ideas on where to stay and what to do with the kids. Being that it will be HOT I'd like a decent pool and reasonably priced accomidations.

The competiton will be at The Orleans which I believe is off the strip.

Thanks !!

How old are these kids? Teens or little ones?


I would try to stay middle of the strip. What is the budget? Orleans is cheap but requires a shuttle to get to the strip.

 

[skiingfast]

I think the tournament of Kings dinner is a good idea for younger kids, probably teens kids. Also in the castle, Excaliber is a carnival area with canival games and arcade games.

Also consider going to Fremont Street early evening after sunset for the light show all ages can enjoy this, for older kids there are street vendors and bands playing.

Other than that for kids maybe the volcano in front of the Marage, the pirates show at TI(semi adult now, less pirates), and Bellagio Fountain.

In Ceasars the forum shops have some shows good for kids, and nice fish tanks.

For a lot of walking you can see the lions in MGM, kids like this but it's about all that is kid worthy in the giant hotel.

 

[Diabolicdesire]

Sorry, my daughter is 13.

I'm hoping to stay under a 100.00 a night for the hotel.

 

[skiingfast]

Sorry, my daughter is 13.

I'm hoping to stay under a 100.00 a night for the hotel.

I'd base the hotel desicion on two things. Will you have a car? How often will you need to be at the Orleans?

Prices vary a lot in LV, much higher on Friday and Saturaday night.

If you stay at the Orleans it has a free shuttle to the center strip area. So if you are carless I would consider staying at the orleans itself. Or for good pools and under 100. The Flamingo which is next to Bills, it has a good pool, I'd give it a B+. The Orleans pool a C. No A rated pools for under 100.

If you want to stay further away, but center strip. Harrahs or the Imperical palace, both have D pools, very basic often shaded. If you opt for the Imperial stay in a Delux rooms not the basic ones. You can walk to the orleans shuttle from these.

If you have a car you have a lot more options.
The Tropicana, with a B+ pool. The Excaliber with a B pool.

The Rio is offstrip but is an easy drive to the Orleans and has a shuttle to the strip. Their pools are a B-


IF you stay at the the Sahara C, Riviera D or Stratosphere B-, you will be in for a long drive.

The freeway and Strip are a very slow crowded drive.

Book direct with a hotel not TA or website. Room price match gaurentees is very standard in LV and hotel offer package deals. You migh get free drinks of dinners with your stay.

 

[alaskagirlchrissie]

Also, The M&M Store is a good choice. It is 4 floors of nothing but M&M stuff. And Circus Circus has a indoor amusement park. And the Stratosphere is pretty neat. Another one is The Coca Cola Store, it is next door to M&M World. They have a thing in there where you can taste soda's from all over the world. There are some interesting flavors.

 

[GrandBob]

I agree that the Flamingo has a great pool. One of the better ones.

Also, Mandalay Bay's pool area is supposed to be one of the best. Never been there, but I hear great reports. They even have a wave pool. The hotel may be a little pricey, though.

Also, Golden Nugget downtown has a pool with a terrific water slide that the kids love. But downtown is too far away from the Orleans to be convenient.

I'd price Mandalay Bay, and if it's reasonable to you, do that. If not, Flamingo should be a good 2nd choice.

-Bob

 

[Diabolicdesire]

Thank you guys so much!

We will be flying in and would prefer to not have to rent a car unless I absolutely have to. Do most of the hotels have shuttles to and from the airport?


Also food options, any budget tips?

 

[GrandBob]

Thank you guys so much!

We will be flying in and would prefer to not have to rent a car unless I absolutely have to. Do most of the hotels have shuttles to and from the airport?

Also food options, any budget tips?

The Orleans is a bit isolated, so it's going to be a bit difficult to get around without a car. But it can be done, since they have a free shuttle to Bill's at mid-strip. But it only operates every 30-45 minutes. http://www.orleanscasino.com/things-to-do/shuttle-service

No hotels have free airport transportation, unless you're a high-roller, in which case they'll send a limo. There are numerous shuttle services (e.g. BellTrans). But with 3 people, it may be just as cheap to grab a taxi. Price it out to see.

As for food, I've always liked the buffet at the Orleans. Not nearly as fancy as something like Bellagio's, but very fairly priced, and pretty good.

Flamingo could end up being a good choice for you. It's right next door to Bill's, where the Orleans shuttle picks up. And it's right mid-strip, allowing you to walk to free shows like the Bellagio water show, the Mirage volcano, etc. And they have a great pool.

If you stay at Flamingo, you'll be right in the middle of most the buffets included in the Buffet of Buffets. $40 for 24 hrs of buffets, if you get a free Harrah's card. And most of them are a short walk from Flamingo. Mind you, I could never do that many buffets in a row. But for a family with teens, it could be a reasonable thing to do once. Hint -- it's 24 hours, not 3 meals. If you buy it in time for a late dinner on the first night, you can still use it for breakfast, lunch, and an early dinner on the 2nd night. That way you get 4 meals out of it.

Oh, and if you stay at Mandalay Bay for its fabulous pools, there's a tram that you can take as far as Tropicana, across from New York. That gets you within walking distance to a bunch of hotels/casinos. From there, you can walk past New York to the Monte Carlo, where you catch another tram to Bellagio. See the bottom of this page. Although the Monte Carlo - Bellagio tram is marked as future, it's there and operating now.

HTH,
Bob

 

[Green-bay]

I have to agree that the Flamigo might be a good deal for you - very pretty pool area, you can catch the shuttle to New Orleans easily and you will be in the center of everything if you want to walk around and check out the casino lobbys and such which might be interesting to your daughter and her group.
You can also take the Monorail if you don't feel like walking that much but the trams would be cheaper (free) and might work out well for you.
And there is always the "people watching" which can be entertaining in itself!
Also, the Tropicana has a wonderful pool (but it might still be in the remodeling stage when you are there - I don't think so but you might want to check that out). It is an older hotel but has greatly re-vamped it looks and are having some fantastic offers now.

 

[Diabolicdesire]

Thanks everyone for your help. The parents met last night and we decided we would all just book at The Orleans. Less of a hassle of getting around on competition day.

I was thinking since I was there that we may take a day and go to the Grand Canyon. Anything really cool to do there (for a 13yr old, lol) I've heard they have a helicopter ride, is it worth it? How long of a drive is it?

 

[kguenther8]

Hi! I live in Vegas, and have kids!

Things to do:
Mandalay Bay Aquarium is nice. (pay)
Lion Habitat at MGM (free).
White Tiger exhibit at Mirage (pay)
Hard Rock during the day is still really cool, great music, and celebrity sightings.
Zipline on Freemont st.
Ride the Coaster at New York New York, or the rides on Stratosphere
Titanic Exhibit at Luxor
Cirque du Soleil shows are AWESOME.
Mac King Comedy is sometimes a free show at Harrah's.
Flamingo Habitat at Flamingo is free too.

Hoover dam is about a one hour drive. Red Rock Canyon is BEAUTIFUL for hiking, also about 45 minutes away. Mt. Charleston has snow right now, and is also about one hour drive. There is skiing and sledding up there. So much to do here!

 

[granismith]

I would suggest Excalibur, or New york. The Excalibur is inexpensive and they have a nice pool area a game area, also the dinner show they have is fun. plus just across a walkway is the New York Roller Coaster ride. Then just not that far down the street is the M&M's store. So there would be alot to do right in a close area. Or you could stay at or near Circus Circus (never stayed there though) They have the indoor theme park. The way it is situated you can even leave them there if they are responsible and old enough. And go play slots or something.