about las vegas????

[chip n dale fans]

we have just booked to go to vegas next year in april.
we have decided to have a year off from orlando
although we are looking forward to vegas as we have never been,we will still miss disney.
does anyone have any tips and must sees for vegas first timers?

 

[wickesy]

We were there in April this year and really enjoyed it. It will be very hot outside but all of the casinos are air-conditioned so you will be fine indoors.

M&Ms World is a must see - four floors filled with M&Ms and M&Ms merchandise. Look out for the floor-to-ceiling M&Ms dispensers.

The view from the Stratosphere Tower is quite spectacular.

The strip is quite long so a one day bus pass is a good idea.

A nice way to round off your trip, as we did, is a helicopter flight over the strip at night. It lasts about 10 minutes or so and goes from the airport up one side of the strip, around the Stratosphere tower and down the other side of the strip with the pilot pointing out sights along the way.

Hope you enjoy your tyrip and just out of interest, where are you staying?

 

[carolfoy]

I love Vegas, theres soooo much to do and see, don't miss an overnight trip to the grand canyon, make sure you see all the evening free entertainment, the volcano at the mirage, the show at treasure island, the fountains at the bellagio etc. Don't be afraid to go into the other hotels to have a nosey as they are all theme parks in themselves. I agree with the view from the stratosphere - amazing. Don't miss the fremont street light show and don't forget the Jimmy Choo shop in The Venetian!!

 

[Young Pooh]

I took DH for his 40th a few years ago - it was fantastic.

We stayed at the Luxor but checked out most of the other main hotels. I agree about the view from the Stratosphere.

The shopping is fantastic, the food is great and plentiful (and available 24 hrs). A must see is the Grand Canyon - we did a helicopter trip with Sundance who have authority to actually land in the canyon - most other companies don't. We did an afternoon trip as this included flying down the Strip on the way back to see the lights.

PM me if you want anymore info.

 

[Boo Boo Too]

We have been a few (three) times:
- definitely look around all the other hotels casinos (including the Bellagio with it's botanical conservatory, the Venettian with it's gondolas and little Venice, Paris, the shopping mall at the Aladdin, the Luxor, the inside of New York New York etc).
- Go up the stratosphere tower for the view (as someone else mentioned): there is also a small roller-coaster and a couple of other "thrill" rides at the top of the stratosphere.
- There is quite a big rollercoaater wrapped around New York New York.
- I think that there are some circusy things at Circus Circus.
- I believe that there is still a Star Trek ride/exhibition at the Hilton (but that is a couple of blocks from the main strip).
- As Carol mentioned, the "free shows" (the pirate ship show at Treasure Island, the Volcano at Mirage, the Bellagio musical fountains etc).
- There is an aquarian of some sort at Manadalay Bay.
- There is a water park in Las Vegas (Wet and Wild I think)... no idea how good it is though.
- Catch some of the shows (http://www.lvol.com/lvoleg/lvshows.html might provide some insight into what is on when you are there and will allow you to pre-book). We say a "cirque de soliel" show at Treasure Island (although there is another one at the Bellagio too). You might find other interesting acts on tour in Las Vegas (Elton John did a spell there a couple of years back...).
- Go out to Hoover Dam and see the Dam and learn the history about it.
- A Carol said, take a tour to the Grand Canyon: you could do an overnight trip or do a helicopter tour out there and back.

And don't forget to check out some of the great places to eat. Las Vegas is famous for its buffets (personally I loved the Bellagio dinner buffet and their brunch buffet and the Rio Seafood buffet (not their normal buffet which isn't supposed to be too great, they have a seperate seafood buffet restaurant). There is also a HUGE range of different dining experience from "cheap all you can eat", to "amazingly expensive" and everything in between.

I tend to think of Las Vegas as the "grown-up Disney Woirld" - it is heavily "fantasy" themed, but the place is directed at adults (proper meals, gambling, shopping, shows etc) and not children.

To be honest, it might be worth you getting a "rough guide" or something to read through before you go... there is so much to do there.

You will have a great time.

Boo

 

[patdavies]

If you are into Star Trek then the StarTrek Experience at the Hilton is a must!

As a side trip, Ethel M's chocolates and cactus garden are worth a vist.

Ethel M was the mother of the Mars Brothers.

 

[carolfoy]

Just to add as well that when you check into your hotel there will be free magazines and 'what's on' guides that will be very current and so leave a spare day and evening to catch some of the one off shows or the ones with a very short run

 

[daisax]

Good website to deal with: http://billhere.com/ (I've ordered coupons from him for years -- you can get lots of 2 for 1 deals, etc. from him. The only cost is the postage (unless you order a special item). Not sure what his international mailing rules are. Also, subscribe to his Vegas Resource newsletter -- it will notify you of new coupons added, plus there's a regular email with a list of who's coming to town, usually 3-4 months in advance, as well as other shows/restaurants/properties that are opening/closing, etc.

A fun (cheap) change of pace is the exotic car collection at Imperial Palace -- there are lots of cheap/free tickets to this (billhere also has them) and it's worth an hour or two to get away from the action and admire some cool cars (and I'm not even a car person! It's still fun to see what passed for a "luxury" vehicle 80 years ago -- they look terribly uncomfortable!)

there's a usenet newsgroup called alt.vacation.las-vegas that sometimes is spammed, but there should be many useful old trip reports to enjoy and get a feel for things.

http://www.visitlasvegas.com/vegas/index.jsp is the official tourism convention authority website, and will also tell you what's going on at the time you'll be in town.

Keep in mind, within the US it's nearly always cheaper to book airfare/hotel separately rather than get package deals. This may be different since you're coming from so far away.

For your first visit, I'd do enough research (just go from website to website for each casino) to identify restaurants I'd like to eat at, get a map that shows you the general location of each property on the strip, and try to build visiting 3-4 properties at a time. For example, if you really want to dine at MGM Grand, and you're staying at the Mirage, make your dinner reservation for MGM, then in late afternoon, go to a couple of resorts near the MGM, go have dinner and explore the MGM, and maybe check out another property afterward. This will save on traveling expenses -- many people zoom back and forth up and down the strip. If you plan your sightseeing ahead of time you can cut down on the amount of walking/fares.

Beware of thinking that anything is "near" anything else. The scale on which these resorts are built is amazing -- Because the street signs are so huge, something that looks like it's a city block away is more like a half mile away. And then you have to walk waaay off the street into the casino, adn then the casinos themselves are huge.

It's a great town, great for dining and entertainment (and you can get a real deal on hotels), so for your first time, I'd concentrate on just seeing the different properties and leaving your schedule basically open aside from dinner and show reservations.

If you're not a big breakfast food person, you can also probably get by on 2 large meals a day, late morning and late afternoon. And if you're a foodie the sky's the limit!

 

[Claire L]

Wet and Wild closed in 2004 and is unlikely to open again, having said that alot of the newer hotels have fab pools, Mandalay Bay being the best with a wave pool etc.

Shopping is great at the Fashion Show Mall and also Premium Outlets.

A trip to the Grand Canyon is a must as is the Hoover Dam.

The hotels themselves are great for just wandering through and seeing how the theming is done.

A show is a good way to spend the evening, we really enjoyed Mamma Mia! at the Mandalay Bay.

Be aware queues for the buffets can be 2 hours long at peak dining times and often close by about 10pm, after that dining can be limited.

Either way you will have a great time

Claire

 

[Pootle]

I've been to Las Vegas 7 times - always incorporated into other trips I should add and my tip would be to consider staying at a hotel in the centre strip area to make it easier walking either one way or the other.

There is a monorail which links some of the hotels; MGM to Sahara I think, and the buses - Deuce - are good but slow because of the congestion on The Strip and the time it takes to load an unload.

Some of the hotels in the centre Strip are Aladdin, Paris, Harrahs, Bally's, Caesars Palace, Bellagio, Venetian, Wynn, Mirage and Treasure Island. I've stayed at Luxor, which was lovely but is almost at the end of the Strip - the Stratosphere is at the other. On the other hand, some of the luxury hotels are not in the centre either - Mandalay Bay and THEhotel spring to mind - so I suppose it all depends on what you want.

Consider a side trip to the Red Rock Canyon, a round trip of around 50 miles and spectacular. The Grand Canyon is truly amazing but if you do a road trip from Las Vegas, the southern rim is a return journey of around 600 miles. Not everyone loves Las Vegas, but I definitely do

 

[Chilly]

I went a couple of years ago and stayed at the Sahara. It was a long walk along the strip so I used the monorail from Sahara to MGM a lot.

I went on a plane to the Grand Canyon and I wish i'd spent the extra and gone on a helicopter.

The fountains were my favourite free vegas thing.

 

[CustardTart]

This is a great thread! I've fancied a trip to las Vegas for a while and, having read this thread, I'm now thinking 2008 will be the year!

 

[Miffy2003]

Just popping this over to UK Community

I would love to visit Vegas, one day

 

[Booknut]

yes, I think Las Vegas would be a great place to visit, hope you have a fabulous time.

And you know, I reckon its a short flight to Disneyland if you're truly suffering Mouse withdrawal and have a day or two free!

 

[RENThead09]

If you are considering a Cirque de Soliel show, consider LOVE at the Mirage. I have seen all but KA, and it is by far my favorite. If you are not a fan of the Beatles, skip it because it is all set to their music. Mystere would be my second favorite, but you can not go wrong with any of them.

if you are a Phantom of the Opera fan, you can have a nice italian dinner, followed by a gondola ride and then see the new Phantom production at the Venetian.

Have fun, it is a great city.