Not going this year

[Timbo]

Having become a travel planning freak (thank you disboards) I feel compelled to plan our non-Disney trips as much as I do our trips to WDW. This year we are taking a break and going to Las Vegas during the Jersey Week in November. Are there any forums similar to the Disboard for Las Vegas? Any information you may have will be appreciated

 

[jeff968]

Have a good time. i was in Vegas on business back in November. Keep in mind, this is not a family travel location. Yes, I saw a few kids but not many. And there is "sex" everywhere. On every corner on the strip is someone trying to hand you a card to contact someone for an evening. And there are billboards, flyers, everywhere advertising the same thing. I thought it was an interesting place to visit and I was glad i had the chance but I won't bring my family there.

 

[Patsfan7]

I have not been to Vegas in years and years, but my friends just had to take their kids for a childs gymnastics invitational. They said the exact same thing. The postcards with ladies with no clothes on were everywhere, and there were even prevocative shows going on in window dressings. They are a very liberal family, but it was way too much for them. They said they could not keep their two ten year old boys there, so they tried to do road trips to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam and Route 66 as much as possible to keep the kids off the streets. They could not even take them into a restroom without the postcards being in the stalls, nor could they walk down the street without the discarded postcards being about. Just a word of warning if your kids are young.

 

[mark&sue]

We went in 1999 with our six year old and thought it was great. We are going next May for a week and then a week at Disneyland with our DVC points. Has it changed so much in six years? I hope not. My daughter will be 12 and I had hoped we could do some of the things we missed last time.

I thought there was loads for kids. Start trek experience was brilliant (especially for us trekkies). The big shot is good. The lions are good at MGM and they had rides in Ceasars Palace and the Luxor. White tigers were good too. I know that the Pirate show had changed at Tresure Island but I had hoped everything else would be the same.

Has anyone else taken children recently?




Susan

 

[jeff968]

Has it changed so much in six years?

I'm afraid so. You'll recall a few years ago LV was trying to make itself a top "family" destination. They gave up on that. In case you haven't seen the commercials, their new catch phrase is "what happens in vegas stays in vegas". Like I said, I have no problem with that, it's just that this place is no longer a place for the kids IMHO. Sex is everywhere you look.

 

[TedO]

I don't remember Timbo saying that this was a family vacation but if it is, I would have to agree with the others who have said that Vegas isn't really a family spot. They tried to make it a more family-oriented vacation in the 90's but that really don't go over too well and have since gone back to a more adult-oriented atmosphere recently (ie. the MGM Grand Theme Park closed a few years ago and the Pirate Battle at Treasure Island has just undergone a makeover that features scantity-clad women instead of pirates). We took our kids for a few days about 3 years ago when they were 15 and 12 and were able to do some family oriented things with them, such as Caesar's Magical Empire dinner show (which was great but has since closed) and some afternoon shows (magician Mac King at Harrahs, magician Rick Thomas at the Tropicana and ventriloquist Ron Lucas at the Rio, are all good shows for the whole family). Overall though, it was tough to keep them entertained the whole day and we didn't really get to do much gambling, which after all is why most people, including us, go to Vegas. We won't bring our now 18 year old daughter back, and she has no desire to go back, until she is 21 and is actually allowed on a casino floor.

That said, to answer you original question, there are no Vegas boards that come close to the DIS, but the one I like best is LasVegasTalk.com. Another is Vegaswatch.com but that seems to have less and less info lately.

Hope this was a little helpful! Good luck with your trip and feel free to ask any Vegas questions you might have (We ususally go at least once a year).

 

[MiaSRN62]

Are there any forums similar to the Disboard for Las Vegas? Any information you may have will be appreciated

I've never been to Vegas so can't comment on the appropriateness for kids, but I did find some message boards :
http://www.icq.com/boards/browse_folder.php?tid=2799

http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=topics&board=1600630058&sid=1600630058&type=r

Not sure if you're an AOL member or not, but they should have a board too.
Good luck. Hope this helps.

 

[Timbo]

Thanks for all the replies. My wife and I will be going. I understand the concerns if my kids were young and were coming along. My wife used to freak out a little when we used to drive into Manhattan in the Times Square area before they cleaned it up. It was an "educational" experience my kids now laugh about.

We are going to be there for a week and our looking to stay on the Strip. We are considering the Monte Carlo, Luxor or the Flamigo. We are not gamblers so the casino at the hotel is not a big factor. We looking for a nice room and a good pool area. We plan on taking trips to the dam, the Red Rock Area and maybe a plane ride to the Grand Canyon.

Any suggestions on hotels, restuarants, shows, etc..will be appreciated. And thank you for the links. Let the planning begin.

 

[MiaSRN62]

Timbo,
I honestly don't know anything about Vegas but a friend of mine stayed at the Luxor last summer and loved it. Wish I could offer more in the way of suggestions.

I understand the concerns if my kids were young and were coming along.

I totally understand your kids aren't coming, but even if they're not still "young", I'd, personally, be concerned. I think it's actually the older kids moreso than the younger set that would take notice of adult-oriented stuff. My kids are 12, 14 & just turned 18 (still in HS). If things actually are as some stated here, I don't think I'll be making any plans soon with my kids considering the ages. It's not like my kids haven't had "the talk" and all, but who wants this in your face stuff while you're on vacation.
I only mentioned the issues with the kids because of what I've read here in this thread. I honestly thought it was more family-oriented too.
I'm sure you and your wife will have a wonderful time.....I think your side trips sound great ! Have fun planning.

 

[vfb2girls]

I can so relate about not getting into the vacation planning when it doesn't concern Disney! My husband and I decided not to do a Disney trip this spring but opted for a Vegas trip instead. Needless to say I am less then thrilled about going. The more research I do on Vegas the more I find that it just doesn't fit our personalities. But we have to go because the airline is booked and we can't afford to lose that money if we cancel. I chose to stay off the strip at the Embassy suites, the one of Paradise road, it does not have a casino in it and according to my sister who stayed there last fall it was a very nice hotel with a great breakfast and a nice manager reception. Also all the rooms are suites which means they have coffee pots in them, the one thing you don't find in on strip hotels is a coffee maker in them, this may not be important to a lot of people but both myself and husband enjoy our fresh coffee in the mornings. So good luck with the planning, and by the way I am already planning our Orlando trip for next February! Just can't stay away!

 

[HappyLawyer]

all i can say is have a great time, we are doing hawaii and california this year but all i can think about is disney-these boards keep the magic of disney close
at least for me they do.