Santa got me a trip to Vegas - any advice?

[ottawa-newbie]

Hi everyone!
Yup, under the tree was a big box full of Vegas brochures and we are leaving on Feb 25th for 5 nights at the Mandalay Bay.

This is our first time to Vegas, anyone have any tips/advice?

Yikes, I spent 6 months planning our first trip to Disney, and so far I have no itinerary for Vegas. Will this be ok?

 

[Lizziejane]

What a nice Santa!!!

First thing you need to do is check out what shows you might be interested in and get tickets a.s.a.p. (no lack of on-line resources). For me, that was the "biggy" in terms of planning. (didn't get to spring for those Elton tickets, though. At $500 a head, just a little expensive for my taste!)

Then read some reviews for restaurants and nail some reservations down. We planned only one special dinner, in the Paris hotel - can't recall the name of the restaurant, but it was under the Eiffel Tower. The atmosphere was great - dark and quite noisy, but we got a prime view of the Bellagio fountains at show time! Be aware, though, that Vegas is big on buffets! All the major hotels have one, and some are quite pricey.

Decide if you want to stay on the strip or go off to see the sights out of town. If so, do you want to drive or take a bus tour? Or how about a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon?! ka-ching, ka-ching!

If you get tired of the strip, hop in a cab and go to Freemont Street - the "original" Vegas. Kind of seedy, but neat overhead light show. The casinos there are downright grubby and you certainly see some interesting characters!

We're not big gamblers so our plan was on Day 1, head out of the hotel, turn left, go into every major hotel/casino, and drop $10 in the slots! Unlike the casinos here, $10 can actually last a while in Vegas We spent two entire days walking the strip and still didn't get into all of them!

Can;t help you with clubs, we didn't go to any. The Cirque shows are excellent - Mystere is my favorite, but "O" was good too!

Have fun!!! And don't worry, you don't need to plan for this like you do for Disney!!

 

[Care]

If you're interested in attending Cirque du Soleil's "O" (which I loved), buy your tickets now if you want the best seats. This particular show sells out well in advance. There are a few other Cirque du Soleil productions in Vegas: Mystere (the original Cirque production in Vegas, at Treasure Island), KA (at MGM Grand), Zumanity (risque, 18+ only, bring an open mind, at New York-New York) and LOVE (based on music by The Beatles, at Mirage).

Since this is your first trip to Vegas, make sure to spend a couple of days wandering through the many casinos/hotels along the Strip. There are lots of free attractions inside them, and many offer cheap eats. Toward the north end of the Strip (Riviera, Sahara, Circus Circus), you can get $1 margaritas, $1 foot-long hot dogs, etc. There are some great buffets, as well, and the lunch or dinner buffet at the Bellagio is highly recommended.

Definitely make a stop downtown and catch the nightly Fremont Street Experience (which is awesome because the canopy along Fremont Street lights up with musical accompaniment, every hour until midnight or 1am). There is a bus called the Deuce which will take you downtown, but the ride can take over an hour so if you have a vehicle, drive (or take a taxi).

Check out the discussion forums at http://www.lasvegastalk.com for ideas on what to do and see while you're in Vegas.

I've been to Vegas twice, and my last trip was in April 2006 when I brought my mom for her first trip there. We took a one-day bus tour to the Grand Canyon so that she could see one of the most beautiful natural wonders around. There was also a stop at Hoover Dam for photos. It makes for a much longer trip than the plane/helicopter trip, but she wouldn't get into one of those tiny planes so we took the 15-hour tour

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. I did a lot of research about Vegas before each of my trips, so it's all still pretty familiar to me. Enjoy your trip!

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

It has been 5 6 years since I have been there. Planning a trip this spring too

Here are a couple more bulletin board sites

http://www.everythinglv.com/


http://www.vegaswatch.com

 

[cabmom]

We were just there in early December. Take good walking shoes!

We saw Howie Mandel at MGM Grand, he is hillarious! You can get 1/2 price tickets at the Coke bottle, just up from MGM Grand. They don't sell Cirque tickets, however they do sell a lot of shows. It opens at 11am and you should be there when it opens.

Have fun, I can't wait to go back!

Marilynn

 

[nosnobunny2006]

My one suggestion from my past trips.....take money, lots of money.

Beth

 

[hockey mom]

You will love Mandalay bay- gorgeous place, gorgeous pool.

If you do plan on playing table games there though beware of $15 and up table limits. A high end hotel has high table limits. You are also at the far end of the strip so be prepared to cab it to a few places.

I spent my first trip just wandering trough all the hotels- this is where Veagas is like Disney- great themes to their hotels.

I went 3x last year and have yet to see a show just can't seem to fit them in.

 

[dhluvsDisney]

Definately good walking shoes! Someone gave me that advice for our trip in mid November,and glad I listened. We spent a lot of time walking the strip and seeing the different hotels. They are a sight unto themselves. We did some shopping at the outlet malls (there are two of them not too far from the strip), and just enjoyed the dining. Caught Barry Manilow's show, and it was fabulous! He plays in the same place Elvis did in the Las Vegas Hilton.

Have fun!

 

[mom_rules]

Mandalay Bay is gorgeous but the elevator situation to your rooms is a nightmare. It often took us 20 minutes to get an elevator to our floor to go down and it can take as long at 30 minutes to catch an elevator going up from the lobby. If it's conjested in the lobby elevator section take the stairs down to the pool/valet area and catch the elevator there-it is way faster.

I agree, book all your shows and tours (Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, Cirques-I think there are 5 of them now) before you go and pick up the tickets there (or via email).

Freemont epxerience is great-try to make it there by the first show and plan to stay awhile.

There are 3 malls there-one great outlet mall. Also, if you get tired of buffets for breakfast, there is an IHOP beside the mall.

Have fun!

 

[hockey mom]

Mom_Rules- can you tell me which outlet mall you liked. Dh are heading down in a few weeks and he wants to shop while I gamble( he is not a gambler)

 

[ottawa-newbie]

Thanks for the advice Dis friends!

I will definitely take good walking shoes - hope I don't stand out too much with my Disney Crocs!

DH wants to see "O", so we'll be getting our tickets for that soon.

DHluvsDisney, was there a particular outlet mall you liked more? I am hoping to get to one, but only if it's worthwhile - we really liked the (?)Prime Outlet Mall in Orlando.

 

[Cass]

Have a wonderful time, Santa was soooo good to you.

I think Mamma Mia is playing in Vegas, that is always a fun show. Make sure you get to Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops

 

[mom_rules]

Las Vegas Outlet Center
7400 S. Las Vegas Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89123

Great stores-excellent deals-take an empty suitcase!

 

[dhluvsDisney]

We liked the one that was in the opposite direction of the Mandalay. It was not too terribly far from The Hilton. It was newer and mostly outdoors. The other one is closer to the Mandaly Bay, and it is indoor (like a regular mall). We didn't care for it as much and found the other one to have better deals, and food (must stop to eat).

 

[mom_rules]

Thanks for the advice Dis friends!

I will definitely take good walking shoes - hope I don't stand out too much with my Disney Crocs!

DH wants to see "O", so we'll be getting our tickets for that soon.

DHluvsDisney, was there a particular outlet mall you liked more? I am hoping to get to one, but only if it's worthwhile - we really liked the (?)Prime Outlet Mall in Orlando.

"O" is fabulous. If you are a Beatles fan "Love" is excellent. Blue Man group is good (but you can see a version here in Canada too). We also thought that Mystere was awesome.

It is also worth your while just to hotel/casino hop. There are so many different themes to check out.
The bus tour to Hoover Dam is about 1/2 day-you also see Ethel M's chocolate factory and their cactus garden. The tour guide narrates your trip and points out different celebrity homes and sights outside of the Strip.
Well worth the $40 we paid.

 

[~luvthemouse~]

There is a duelling piano bar in Harrahs hotel that is fantastic. It was the highlight of our trip. I think it is called "piano bar" not sure though. Also "Speed the Ride" at the stratospere.

 

[princess pooh]

We loved the aquarium in Mandalay Bay!!! We also took advantage of the half-priced ticket booth when we had a free night. I got to see Avenue Q at a great price

 

[FormrCastMbr]

O was great!

The Top of the World restaurant was great...the view is unbelievable!

The Ghost Bar is also fun and has a great outdoor patio...its in the Palms hotel...

Have fun!

The Dueling pianos at NYNY are also fun!

 

[ottawa-newbie]

Thanks for the tips everyone!

We booked our flight and hotel today, and the lady taking our reservations was surprised at the great discount code I received. Now I'm hoping for a free upgrade, as she put us down as that we were celebrating our anniversary!

Are there dueling pianos at both NYNY and Harrahs?

So many bars... not enough liver function...

 

[FormrCastMbr]

Are there dueling pianos at both NYNY and Harrahs?

So many bars... not enough liver function...

I just googled dueling pianos in las vegas and both places came up...I can only speak for the NYNY one (The Bar at Times Square)...it was alot of fun! Here is the link...

http://www.nynyhotelcasino.com/entertainment/entertainment_barattimessquare.aspx