Transportation Bus or Monorail???

[FrenchSnowWhite]

Never been to LV before, we are staying at the Flamingo for 4 nights.

What is the best way to travel? Monorail or bus?

Where do we buy tickets/pass??

Thanks!!!!

 

[xlxo]

Some thoughts...

• I like the Monorail because it rises above the congestion.... however it operates a few blocks East of the strip and can be tough for small feet. It also does not reach Fremont and it's a long walk to the Stratosphere.
  http://www.lvmonorail.com/
• I was going to suggest "The Deuce bus" strip bus as it was popular when I went there last, but I see it's now gone. I see there's a Gold Line on the strip. Ooops that's gone now too... The roads can be kinda congested with riders and traffic.
• I found the taxi's the good to get around.... EXCEPT when arriving at the airport where they are famous for ripping off the passengers by South Tunnel Freeway long hauls. Too many traffic excuses! Don't push the 40% tip button!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCdxKDH11Io
• a friend mentioned parking is free at many hotels along the strip. Good for rental cars if you want to explore outside the strip.

So for me.... a combination expecially to get the full experience. If you have time, do check out the nearby Grand Canyon (West Rim for speed, South Rim for natural beauty)!

 

[ncc1701]

OP where are you going to? We found that walking or using a taxi worked for us. The bus going up/down the strip took a long time due to traffic . We have also used the monorail when going to/from the MGM area to the Mirage area .
If you want to check out Mandalay Bay just walk over to Excalibur and take the tram that goes from there to Luxor and MB.
P.S. Go Habs !

 

[bcla]

• I was going to suggest "The Deuce bus" strip bus as it was popular when I went there last, but I see it's now gone. I see there's a Gold Line on the strip. Ooops that's gone now too... The roads can be kinda congested with riders and traffic.

Uh what? It's still operating.

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/routes-maps-schedules/
http://www.rtcsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/routes/2013/SDX(07-07-13).pdf

If it's not too hot I'll walk. Also - getting around by taxi is pretty common.

 

[StageTek]

If speed is of importance then the monorail is the best choice. The bus's (Duece and Express) can be crowded and the Duece is very slow. I don't mind – we grab a seat upstairs and enjoy the ever changing view. To me the journey is a big part of the LV experience. To Freemont take the Express - fewer stops.

You buy the pass at most of the stops.

 

[xlxo]

Uh what? It's still operating.

http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/routes-maps-schedules/
http://www.rtcsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/routes/2013/SDX(07-07-13).pdf

Thanks for the clarification.... was looking at wikipedia and misread it appearing to have ended service on March 2010.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Deuce

 

[usnuzuloose]

The Duece is still running. Yes it can be crowded at times, but I use it every time. It will even take you all the way to Freemont st.

 

[Dot2Vegas]

Never been to LV before, we are staying at the Flamingo for 4 nights.

What is the best way to travel? Monorail or bus?

Where do we buy tickets/pass??

Thanks!!!!

I think it depends on where you want to travel to while visiting. The monorail is great, but I dont know where exactly it runs. The bus is another great option. The concierge at your hotel can probably best direct you on tickets ect...I am local, so we drive to where we want to visit. Depending on the weather you can probably walk a good portion on the Strip. The Flamingos is a good central location. Also, taxis are everywhere!
If you want to go further out, Hoover Dam, Red Rock canyon, things like that- I would suggest renting a car. Those would be expensive cab rides.

 

[FrenchSnowWhite]

OP where are you going to? We found that walking or using a taxi worked for us. The bus going up/down the strip took a long time due to traffic . We have also used the monorail when going to/from the MGM area to the Mirage area .
If you want to check out Mandalay Bay just walk over to Excalibur and take the tram that goes from there to Luxor and MB.
P.S. Go Habs !

We will be staying at the Flamingo Hotel.

We have no plans, we will see when we get there!!!

 

[bcla]

I think it depends on where you want to travel to while visiting. The monorail is great, but I dont know where exactly it runs. The bus is another great option. The concierge at your hotel can probably best direct you on tickets ect...I am local, so we drive to where we want to visit. Depending on the weather you can probably walk a good portion on the Strip. The Flamingos is a good central location. Also, taxis are everywhere!
If you want to go further out, Hoover Dam, Red Rock canyon, things like that- I would suggest renting a car. Those would be expensive cab rides.

I thought the original idea was to build a monorail right on the Strip with elevated stations right over the street. My understanding is that the plan was nixed because the casinos didn't want it to detract from the light show that they had, which is meant as advertising. It would have blocked the view from the other side of The Strip.

As it stands, they used an existing monorail segment between MGM and Ballys that had free rides. Then the rest was built going through city blocks and well off The Strip.

There are a few things that could possibly boost ridership, even with the location off The Strip. One would be to build an airport extension and there's talk of it. Of course the taxi drivers don't like that idea. I think right now they can live with people using slow or somewhat inconvenient transportation (because of the stations at the back of casinos) to get around The Strip, but they are really afraid that a monorail to the airport will kill their more lucrative airport business.

http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/t...n-when-will-las-vegas-monorail-expand-airport

Quigley’s goal is to have “as many alternatives and modes as possible to get people from Point A to Point B.” She scoffed at the notion that the politically connected taxicab industry would block any effort to extend the monorail to the airport or that extending the monorail to the airport would kill the cab industry.

“There’s a certain demographic that is always going to want to use a taxi instead of mass transportation,” Quigley said. “There will be enough for everybody.”

 

[xlxo]

Great link.... I wondered about the story of the monorail. I like the idea of skipping the long hauling rip off taxis. It's bad enough the queue is so long.

In Vancouver's case..... the taxi's thrived, but the airport shuttle buses were the ones that lost ridership.

In Hong Kong... the trains took awhile to build their ridership as there was a premium for airport travel.

 

[bcla]

Great link.... I wondered about the story of the monorail. I like the idea of skipping the long hauling rip off taxis. It's bad enough the queue is so long.

In Vancouver's case..... the taxi's thrived, but the airport shuttle buses were the ones that lost ridership.

In Hong Kong... the trains took awhile to build their ridership as there was a premium for airport travel.

I've been long hauled before. Had no idea that they were required to go down The Strip until one driver told me they had to unless they cleared it with the customer.

As far as Hong Kong goes, they had the ultimate downtown airport. Other than maybe Taipei Songshan Airport.

 

[Grammy4Lizzy]

As you can see the monorail is only on one side of the strip and has the stations in the back of the casinos. So if you use it, you then must walk all the way through the casino/hotel.
If you are just going from one resort to another, walking is a good way to get there. Depending on the weather when you come here, it is a nice way to get around. The Flamingo is in a nice position. It is right by the new Linq with the observation wheel, there is quite a bit of shopping there and places to eat. You are not too far from the Forum shops and the Fashion Show Mall.
Have a good visit.

 

[SMD]

I find that walking from the monorail at the back of the casino isn't that different than walking from the front of the casino to the Deuce stop. Especially at Caesars. There is a free shuttle from Harrahs and Ballys/Paris to Rio. I also try to group hotels that are easily walkable. Like MGM/Excalibur/NYNY or Mandalay/Luxor. Just keep in mind that Vegas cabs have a strict limit of 5 people, but otherwise a cab on the strip can be cheaper than multiple $4-6 bus fares.

 

[Luv0fDisney]

it also depends where you want to go? The monorail only takes you so far where as with the bus you can get to downtown vegas, or the premium outlets. and more. I'll be going to vegas tomorrow.

my friend and i stayed at flamingo back in 2012. my opinion is that the layout sucks. its a long walk to the monorail from the rooms.
I'm staying at Excalibur from the 30th to the 3rd of October.

 

[ncc1701]

OP forgot to add 2 other trams. One that runs from the back of the Bellagio to CityCenter then ending at the Monte Carlo and another one that run from the front of the Mirage over to the back of TI.

 

[ghtx]

OP forgot to add 2 other trams. One that runs from the back of the Bellagio to CityCenter then ending at the Monte Carlo and another one that run from the front of the Mirage over to the back of TI.

Also a tram that goes between Luxor, Excalibur, and Mandalay Bay