Las Vegas, please help

[cabanafrau]

I go there all the time and I barely gamble, there is so much to do there, if you cant have fun, your just a no fun person, here is a 179 things you could do
http://www.viator.com/las-vegas-tours/d684-ttd?pref=02&aid=g3320

Thanks for sharing the link. It's not one I've seen before.

You definitely know you're talking Vegas when the list of things to do has several options & packages for getting married!

 

[raraavis]

yay, vegas! it's my favorite place! i go at least once a year (and i've been going for the past 13 years). i highly recommend joining vegas message board; i've been a member for years now, and i love it there. they are very informative and nice.

i saw some people mention staying off strip. i cannot stress enough that you should not do this for your first trip. even staying at hooters is too far imo. looking at a map is deceiving. it will take you at least 5 minutes to walk from the hooter's exit to las vegas blvd. 5 min. doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up. to give you an idea of walking times, it generally takes me about 30 minutes to walk from mgm to paris (and that's with low crowds).

besides, staying at hooters or even tropicana will be just as costly if not more than staying at a mid strip location. my top choices for the frugal minded are bally's and flamingo (bally's is my favorite). i am currently booked at harrah's for $25 a night during the week of christmas and also at flamingo for $30 a night during the same week (i can't decide which one i want to stay at, so i booked both and will just cancel one of them later).

oh and be aware of resort fees!! CET properties do not have them (i.e., bally's, paris, harrah's), which is why i stay strictly at CET properties. resort fees might include things that interest you, so make sure to see what is included in the resort fee. and the price is different for every resort (some resorts are $10 a night, some are $20 a night). just make sure to add that fee into the room rate you see online in order to make a fair comparison of hotel prices.

check out smartvegas.com for discount codes (i usually get some really good deals there).

i know tons about vegas and about doing it on the cheap, so feel free to pm me with any specific questions!

 

[kristen821]

yay, vegas! it's my favorite place! i go at least once a year (and i've been going for the past 13 years). i highly recommend joining vegas message board; i've been a member for years now, and i love it there. they are very informative and nice.

i saw some people mention staying off strip. i cannot stress enough that you should not do this for your first trip. even staying at hooters is too far imo. looking at a map is deceiving. it will take you at least 5 minutes to walk from the hooter's exit to las vegas blvd. 5 min. doesn't sound like a lot, but it adds up. to give you an idea of walking times, it generally takes me about 30 minutes to walk from mgm to paris (and that's with low crowds).

besides, staying at hooters or even tropicana will be just as costly if not more than staying at a mid strip location. my top choices for the frugal minded are bally's and flamingo (bally's is my favorite). i am currently booked at harrah's for $25 a night during the week of christmas and also at flamingo for $30 a night during the same week (i can't decide which one i want to stay at, so i booked both and will just cancel one of them later).

oh and be aware of resort fees!! CET properties do not have them (i.e., bally's, paris, harrah's), which is why i stay strictly at CET properties. resort fees might include things that interest you, so make sure to see what is included in the resort fee. and the price is different for every resort (some resorts are $10 a night, some are $20 a night). just make sure to add that fee into the room rate you see online in order to make a fair comparison of hotel prices.

check out smartvegas.com for discount codes (i usually get some really good deals there).

i know tons about vegas and about doing it on the cheap, so feel free to pm me with any specific questions!

Thank you I will probably be PMing you soon. I appreciate all the help I can get. I am so excited for our first Vegas trip, but I hate planning new things.

 

[kristen821]

Is strip view worth paying double?

 

[klacey1]

We love Vegas!! We alternate our Disney trips with vacations there.

Re: Hotels-- Harrah's is perfectly fine, though not luxurious in any way. It's midstrip, which is VERY important for your first trip, and the no-resort fees is great, too. TI is perfectly fine-- not sure it's worth $200 more than Harrah's, though. Midstrip hotels worth $200 more than Harrah's IMHO include the Mirage and Caesars Palace. Bally's is a bit nicer than Harrah's and also nice. The Flamingo is great, too. It has a great VEGAS vibe and I've heard great things about the GO rooms.

In my opinion, no, a strip view isn't worth it. We tipped the front desk agent $20 and got a massive upgrade that included a pool view-- I would have been perfectly happy w/o the view. We're just not in the room enough to enjoy it. I think the only view that MIGHT be worth a few extra dollars is a Bellagio fountains view at Paris or the Cosmopolitan. Still, I prefer to watch the fountains at street level and hear the music. Do you envision yourself being in the room often enough to enjoy a strip view??

Food wise, Vegas is EXPENSIVE. All of the hotels have food courts (our favorite was the Flamingo-- small but had a Johnny Rockets! We'd never been, so that was a treat) where you can do cheap lunches. Part of Vegas for us is having nice meals, so we splurge for great dinners every night. Some favorites are Wicked Spoon (buffet at the Cosmopolitan-- not a regular buffet!! Look it up!), MIX at Mandalay Bay (amazing view & hazlenut souffle), Red Square (also in MB, might be closing soon ), Mon Ami Gabi at Paris, and Sinatra at Encore.

Let me know if you have other questions! I love talking Vegas!

 

[Albort]

In my opinion, no, a strip view isn't worth it. We tipped the front desk agent $20 and got a massive upgrade that included a pool view-- I would have been perfectly happy w/o the view. We're just not in the room enough to enjoy it. I think the only view that MIGHT be worth a few extra dollars is a Bellagio fountains view at Paris or the Cosmopolitan. Still, I prefer to watch the fountains at street level and hear the music. Do you envision yourself being in the room often enough to enjoy a strip view??

SHHHHHHHHH!

haha, i can confirm, this trick worked. I actually PM Kristen821 of this trick...
Rio upgrade, $60 per night for $20.

 

[raraavis]

Is strip view worth paying double?

this is really subjective. imo, no it is not worth it, but i say that because we are hardly in our room. you'll see so much of the strip for free. or you can pay to go on the eiffel tower or the stratosphere tower. there are some bars in casinos that have great views of the strip as well.

fyi: you can get a bellagio fountain view from the standard room at bally's (south tower). i have gotten it every time i've stayed there (also a great view of paris). i don't know how to add pics on this forum (just want to attach the pic, not share a link), or i would have shown you our bally's room view from June 2012.

p.s. i haven't checked lately, but you might want to find out how construction on the linq project is going. it has been especially frustrating and annoying for people staying at flamingo, harrah's, and imperial palace.

 

[kristen821]

this is really subjective. imo, no it is not worth it, but i say that because we are hardly in our room. you'll see so much of the strip for free. or you can pay to go on the eiffel tower or the stratosphere tower. there are some bars in casinos that have great views of the strip as well.

fyi: you can get a bellagio fountain view from the standard room at bally's (south tower). i have gotten it every time i've stayed there (also a great view of paris). i don't know how to add pics on this forum (just want to attach the pic, not share a link), or i would have shown you our bally's room view from June 2012.

p.s. i haven't checked lately, but you might want to find out how construction on the linq project is going. it has been especially frustrating and annoying for people staying at flamingo, harrah's, and imperial palace.

I would love a view of the fountains. Do all the rooms in the South Tower have a view of the fountains or do you have to ask for it

 

[raraavis]

I would love a view of the fountains. Do all the rooms in the South Tower have a view of the fountains or do you have to ask for it

every time i have stayed in south tower, i have had a fountain view, but i really can't say if every room has that view. i never have to ask for it; it's just the luck of the draw. the view isn't a straight on shot of the fountains, but you can see almost all of them. you can hear them too!

here is a pic of my view:

 

[kristen821]

That is a very nice view. If I book there I will ask when I put in my reservation. I am still so undecided there are so many mix reviews on all the hotels. I don't know why I am so undecided since my husband and I are not picky and we really won't be spending much time in the room anyway.

 

[Albort]

That is a very nice view. If I book there I will ask when I put in my reservation. I am still so undecided there are so many mix reviews on all the hotels. I don't know why I am so undecided since my husband and I are not picky and we really won't be spending much time in the room anyway.

just another excuse to go back to vegas!!! XD

 

[raraavis]

That is a very nice view. If I book there I will ask when I put in my reservation. I am still so undecided there are so many mix reviews on all the hotels. I don't know why I am so undecided since my husband and I are not picky and we really won't be spending much time in the room anyway.

it's really difficult picking a hotel if you've never been. reviews will always be mixed because everyone comes with their own expectations. if you go to bally's expecting a $40 a night hotel, then you will be satisfied. if you go there thinking it will be bellagio, you will be disappointed. which hotels are you considering?

my fiance and i are extremely frugal, so we hate paying more than $45 a night for a hotel. we use coupons for our food and shows and gamble very little. yet we have an awesome time every time!

 

[raraavis]

just another excuse to go back to vegas!!! XD

 

[kristen821]

just another excuse to go back to vegas!!! XD

I like your way of thinking!

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

I've stayed at Harrah's several times and at TI. Harrah's is not as nice as TI but I like the location better. TI is a little more upscale - but not anything like Bellagio or Wynn.

so of the ones I've stayed at - here are the pros & cons

MGM - toward the end of the strip so lots of walking, huge casino easy to get lost in. Rooms are nice.
Wynn - VERY nice - great rooms but expensive. No reasonably priced dining options - all are expensive.
TI - nice, had a great view of the strip.
Luxor - horrible stay there. Had a pyramid room - kids found porn/playing cards in the room. There were bugs on the bed and the room was not very clean. Have never been back.
Circus Circus - very run down. Rooms were equal to Harrah's but circus themed. Only stayed there once.
Flamingo - GO rooms are cool, good reasonably priced dining options. Nice Mid-strip location
Harrah's - we stay here alot due to the convention we attend being at the Sand's Expo at the Venetian. Convenient location room are ok but nothing fancy. Would not recommend upgrading to the deluxe room as there is little difference from the regular rooms.
Venetian - very nice rooms, Canal Shops are a must see even if you don't stay here.

 

[Albort]

MGM - toward the end of the strip so lots of walking, huge casino easy to get lost in. Rooms are nice.

You can always take the monorail... though it cost money but it will take you up the strip very quickly...

There are monorails also between TI-->Mirage
and Mandalay bay--> Excalibur --> Luxor

 

[BriarfoxinWA]

You can always take the monorail... though it cost money but it will take you up the strip very quickly...

There are monorails also between TI-->Mirage
and Mandalay bay--> Excalibur --> Luxor

The monorail at the MGM you have to buy tickets for but the other 2 are both free I believe. It's actually cheaper to take the bus down the strip than the monorail at MGM.

 

[kristen821]

We're planning a trip for DHs b-day so I will be watching this thread. Costco has a city pass that seems interesting. I really want to stay at Paris because I can't afford to go to the real Paris...lol. There's this buffet of buffets deal that seems interesting. You should sign up for their Players club because it gets you discounts to various things. For example Buffet of buffets if I think $5 less if you have a membership. It gives you 24 hour unlimited access to all the Buffets at 6 different places (we like food). There are a lot of websites that give you tips too. Like theres one website that tells you where to get the cheapest drinks etc. We really want to see Celene Dion and eat at Chef Ramsey's restaurant. We're big Hell's Kitchen fans. There is a deal I saw too where you can get your room with the Celene Dion tickets included or if you don't like her you could see Shania twain or Elton John. I really want to see a Cirque de Soliel show too but I haven't really seen any great deals or strategies on that.

We also love Hell's Kitchen. My husband worked with Jillian from season 8. I'm glad you mentioned he had a restaurant we are going to go there too now. I want to try a beef wellington

 

[PizzieDuster]

We thought 3 nights was the perfect amount of time. We'd like to go back again, and take in some of the bigger shows next time.

Ok, stop me in my tracks! That pic of in your sig of "Sport" brings back so many memories. You have to send it to me so I can frame it for my father. We talk about that attraction all the time. "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow...." clapping and all.


On topic!

There is a great message board for all things Las Vegas. Dining, entertainment, comps, coupons, hints, trip reports, hotel offers/discounts, etc. Fun place to search around.

www.lasvegasmessageboard.com

If you fly in early - 3 nights is enough. I always book a late flight and request late check out.

 

[eliza61]

just another excuse to go back to vegas!!! XD

I will not book a trip to Vegas, I will not book a trip to vegas, back away from the computer Eliza, back away from the computer.

See now Vegas is stuck in my head.

I'm really want to try the Bellagio.