Quick! Need Las Vegas info....

[Kitty 34]

Are you back yet Fire 14 (Juli)??



This thread could use a little trip report!!!

 

[Shutterbug]

Throwing in my 2cents here about the Blue Man Group.
It was the best show I have ever seen in Vegas!
I had great seats, sat about 2 rows above the "splash zone"

I know they just came out with a new album so I'm not sure if they will be changing the show around to reflect the new songs but the music is great. And the twinkie thing...LOL that makes me laugh everytime I think about it.

I always get a car when I go for several reasons:
1. I'm always going off strip for supplies, Zion national park, Lake Meade, Valley of Fire etc.
2. It gives me more free time. I dont have to depend on a bus schedule or pay for a taxi to get to a show.

Many of the hotels on the strips have back entrances. I rarely drive on the strip. When I stay at the Trop and want to go to the Mirage I just hop on the I-15 interstate and a few minutes later boom I'm at the parking garage at the Mirage.

If you have AAA you can get a 10-15% discount on a weekly rental.

About the Trop pools, but the last time I was there the Trop is the only place on the strip that has an adult only pool that is open all night. It was too hot to swim during the day (120) but at night it only went down to like 86. Many nights I went for a 2am swim. Two nice things about taking a swim that late at nite is one..no crowds, two..no need for sunscreen(I wonder if it is possible to get a moon burn though

any more question kitty let me know and I can see what I can answer for you.

 

[Kitty 34]

Shutterbug, you are so-o-o-o helpful!!! Can you come out with us and be our guide???


Because we don't know what night we would want to do BMG, do you think we can get tickets once we get to Vegas?

 

[Shutterbug]

Just sent ya a pm kitty

 

[Fire14]

Ok I'm back on Ohio soil and awake enough to function. My Dh and I had a great time. We flew into Las Vegas spent a few days there than drove to UT. The drive was beautiful Very neat to watch the country side go from brown desert to green mountains. WE basically just spent time casino hopping and collecting players club cards. WE never did take in any of the shows. I'd have to say my fav casinos were New York New York and Hard Rock. I gotta say though the time share people drove me nuts. I got really snotty towards end and told them If I wanted a time share it would be at Disney!!!!

While visting Vegas we stayed at Tropicania. We had Airport view first half and Strip/Pool View second half. I'd be very content to stay here again. The island buffet for Breakfast and dinner were both great. I'm working on getting pictures posted now.

 

[Shutterbug]

Glad you had a good time in Las Vegas and enjoyed your stay at the Tropicana! I like the drives too up through the into Utah. First time I headed that way I remarked, " I have never seen so much nothing before!"
Yes, those time share people are a pain. I think they are even more of a pain then those people that used to stand on the corners and hand out those "brochures"

 

[Parrotheader]

This has been a very informative post. My wife and I will be going to Vegas in a couple weeks and we've never been. I've done a lot of research online, but the all-Vegas sites have SO much information it's hard to sift through sometimes. It's good to get feedback from other place sometimes.

Since we're on the eastern side of the country, we've never been, and we know we won't be going often we're going to take our time, stay for 6 nights, splurge on a nice place in the heart of the Strip and enjoy ourselves. We're going to stay for 4 nights at the Mirage and 2 nights at the Bellagio (were originally going to stay at the Venetian for 2 nights, but my deal fell through there . . . I guess we'll "settle" for the Bellagio since I got a pretty good deal there too. )

My biggest question right now was which show(s) should we see. I was originally leaning toward seeing one of the traditional big name Vegas acts like Siegfried and Roy, but my wife heard about O and was really leaning toward that one. Given the reviews you guys are giving it I think O might be what I'll get for her afterall. However, given how expensive those headliner shows are we might end up only doing one. ~$85-$105 a ticket is a LOT of money that we could spend on other activites, drinks, etc.

 

[Parrotheader]

The scariest part about this Vegas trip is how much cheaper this trip's going to be compared to our Land/Sea vacation last year. Granted, this trip's a couple day's shorter. But even with a lot of money budgeted for gambling, dining, entertainment and relatively swanky accommodations it's still going to be WELL over $1,000 cheaper than our Disney vacation (that had cheaper airfare and "moderate" class accommodations) ended up being last year . . . and I think I did a very good job of getting good deals on our trip last year.

I love WDW and we LOVED our cruise. It's by FAR the best trip we've ever been on since we've been together. We want to take another trip down there ASAP. But it can just be SO expensive. I think next time we're going to end up borrowing my parent's motorhome so we can camp at Fort Wilderness and save a bundle on accommodations and a little on dining. I know how to appreciate the 'free' things to do at WDW after having been down there many times now. But at the same time, a big vacation (for me at least) is a once a year thing and I hate to have to be a tightwad when it's going to be the only chance I get to do those things for a LONG time. It's always a catch 22. I usually walk the fine line somewhere down the middle.

 

[Shutterbug]

Go for "O" at the Bellagio. In all the times I have been to Las Vegas I have never seen S & G and from others that I talk to that also frequent there I'm not really missing much. They tell me its big and flashy but as far as magical its okay.

If you want to see some magic you could try Lance Burton.
I saw him my first time to LV in 1995 at the Hacienda(which was blown up later and Mandalay Bay built)
He is currently at the Monte Carlo.

You cant go wrong with rooms at the Bellagio. Do have fountain room view? I heard those are very nice. I could watch those fountains all night. Just make sure to ask for a room away from the construction. Bellagio is building a new tower of rooms.

Another good way of seeing the fountains is from atop the Eiffel Tower across the street.

 

[Shutterbug]

I agree with you on the point about Vegas being less expensive than a Disney trip although if I gambled more it would quickly become more expensive

One gambling tip I would like to pass on to everyone and that concerns slots.
If you are going to play slots make sure to play the max amount of coins it takes. Thats only way you will get the big jackpot if all the symbols come up. There are a couple of slot games out there called quartermania and megamillions. These slot games are all hooked up to a huge network and the jackpot grows constantly but the only way to get the jackpot is to play max amount of coins. So many stories of people that got all three symbols but didnt get the multimillion dollar payout because they only played one or two coins instead of the 3 max. I usually tell people if you only want to play 25 cents a spin, find a nickel machine that has a 5 coin max play. Of course that is harder to do now than it used to be. There are lots of nickel machines that have a max of 50 credits or higher(credit = coin). If you really want to feel adventurous you could always try the high limit slots. Those use $25.00, $50.00 and $100.00 tokens

And as far as the finding a slot machine that is getting ready to have a big payout...All slot machines are controlled by microprocessors that spit out random sets of numbers continuously so there is no need to worry about that

 

[Fire14]

Link to my vegas pictures.
http://www.imagestation.com/album/act/invite.html?album_id=4290147383&referrer=/album/?id=4290147383

 

[adamak]

We're going next Sat. Staying at Orleans and Four Seasons (I know, its a strange combo, but 4 seasons is cheaper than AK on weekdays). Can't wait.

I admit that Vegas is cheaper than WDW. Though I don't know if we can have as much fun. We're going all the way this time. White water rafting, top restaurants and hotels. We'll see how / if this can top our DVC trip.

 

[madcoco]

Glad you enjoyed your stays.
If you are coming to visit during the summer,make sure to stay well hydrated and carry water and supplies if you plan on venturing out for a scenic drive. The air is much drier than most people are accustomed to. Coupled with the heat, you can get dehydrated and suffer heat exhaustion before you know it.
adamak Hope you enjoy your stay.Here is a forecast for the next 10 days:

Vegas Weather

 

[bigsis1970]

Hi just wondering if any of you brought your kids ?? mine are 10 and 8 .. Thanks Michelle

 

[madcoco]

Vegas was starting to build towards a kid friendly resort town but saw that wasn't working. The Pirate Show at Treasure Island is being changed more for adults and the big game room was removed awhile back. MGM's theme Park has been gone for a while also. Wet and Wild is supposedly to be torn down and a new resort built. Still there are plenty of things for children to do. Grand Slam Canyon at Circus Circus has a lot of amusement packed into an Air Conditioned Dome and is worth a visit.

Here is a link with some childrens info:

Las Vegas for Kids:

 

[Shutterbug]

Kids in Vegas...that is topic that is often one great debate on Vegas boards often leading to some knock down brawls..lol

Please be aware that Vegas is not called Sin City for nothing.
Advertisements(featuring veryyy scantily clad girls) for shows and night clubs are all over the place. Some people I have talked to who have taken there kids were really quite bothered by it all but on the other side I have talked to some who thought it was okay because their kids could handle it.
Vegas is returning back to its gambling and sex roots. There are more topless shows than a few years back from what I remember.

I agree with poster above about the heat and water.
I just got back couple of weeks ago. 115 everyday. Took the drive through Red Rock Canyon and did a little bit of hiking. Hiked about 100 yds are so to see some ancient anazazi drawings. Heat just zaps your breath away plus its so hot and dry your sweat evaporates the minute it touches the air!

 

[madcoco]

I agree with poster above about the heat and water.
I just got back couple of weeks ago. 115 everyday.

Hottest July on record.Yes that is why we head to FL for most of the summer to cool off.LOL

Please be aware that Vegas is not called Sin City for nothing.
Advertisements(featuring veryyy scantily clad girls) for shows and night clubs are all over the place.

One thing that bothers us, is the adult entertainment brochures they hand out/force upon you when walking even with children. Some of the Casinos have fought to have these peddlers banned but they are public sidewalks and it is Freedom of Speech.

Also for those that may visit downtown and not into gaming, a new outlet mall just opened yesterday. Here is a list of the stores:

Las Vegas Premium Outlets