Vegas BABY!!!!!!!

[PartyofSix]

I would like to hear about your trips to Vegas. I am planning to take my husband for his birthday in June. I'm curious as to what's on your must do list for resturants, sightseeing, shows. We've never flown so this will be a BIG trip for the both of us. I am so excited about this but i don't have a clue as to where to start my planning. Web sites would be great if you have any of those to share. Also, CASH I would plan this for a 4 or 5 night trip mostly likely from a thrusday-monday trip. How much cash would be needed to have a blast? My dh loves to gamble i love to shop but we are not rich so we do need to budget somewhat. I was thinking in the neighborhood of 3-5k. That's a big range so i'd like to know what other people have taken and what that got them as far as entertainment and shows and hours gambling. Thanks so much.

 

[Nickunited]

Vegas is so good you dont remember any stories from there!

 

[Tina]

Wow! That's a lot for a Vegas trip!! Vegas is fairly cheap compared to some vacations. We generally go Sun - Thurs in order to get cheaper room rates and usually stay 3 nights (we go every year, so having to see it all isn't an issue). For airfare and hotel, we usually pay about $800 for the 2 of us. We like to stay at places like Bellagio or Venetian, which can be had for great rates mid-week. You will end up paying a bit more for the Fri and Sat nights, so budget in an extra $150 - $200 more for each weekend night. Most hotels will charge the applicable rates per night, rather than one rate for the entire stay.

I would check the Cirque de Soleil website and see when tickets will go on sale for the various shows in Vegas. I think you can buy tix about 60 or 90 days out. I highly recommend getting the Orchestra level (mid-section) at O at Bellagio. Its by far the most amazing Cirque show in the world. We paid $125 for Orchestra level seats.

Food in Vegas ranges from cheap to extravagant with all the prices in between. We generally head for the upper scale buffets like Bellagio and Paris. I'm sure lots of DISers can recommend places for good eats. You'll also find plenty of shopping at the various malls in the hotels. Since this is your first time flying, be sure that you plan ahead for bringing your purchases back with you. Either pack extra baggage or plan to ship it, if you buy alot.

Have a great trip!! Don't forget to pack the sunscreen. June will be VERY HOT!!!

 

[aimee11621]

Hello there partyofsix:

I have booked our reservations on Americawestvacations.com. Got them from our sunday paper the herald travel section 25% off all vacations.

They have given me the best rate ever! Four of us are going Oct. 6 through the 9th. (me 37 dh36 dds 10&3) Although kids stay free at hotel .

I wanted to stay at EXCALIBUR (the castle hotel I wonder why) Check it out on Excalibur.com.

Three nights hotel and air from miami nonstop into vegas $1081 including taxes.

I plan on getting a taxi from the airport to the hotel they are very close.

Also check out vegas4visitors.com. They have alot of info. Pictures and show info.

 

[PooohBear]

There is another thread floating around here with ALOT of great Vegas tips~ do a search for it..... I highly recommend Danny Gans for a show, also the Rat Pack Show ..... definately go to downtown las vegas for the free lights show.... check out the Volcano at Mirage and the free shows at Treasure Island, Rio and Bellagio.... great buffets are everywhere..... Lasvegas.com and vegas.com are great web sites!!

 

[Tina]

If this is a trip for just the 2 of you, I wouldn't recommend Excalibur. Its not really a nice place for couples and a little on the cheesy side (no offense intended Aimee - its a good choice for those with kids).

Also, we saw Danny Gans a couple of years ago and didn't really enjoy it. Most of his stuff went right over my head. I didn't know who he was "doing" most of the time. I'm 36 so maybe some of it was before my time.

 

[PartyofSix]

Thanks for the great info! I'm 35 my husband is 37 so I'm thinking maybe the venician or belliago for us. Thanks for the great sites too.

 

[Aimeedyan]

That's ALOT for Vegas, I think. we honeymooned there for 4 nights and spent less than 1k on airfare, hotel, food, and entertainment. But we didn't spend much on shopping and gambling... I guess it depends on how big you are on those =) You def can spend that much if you want, but what we loved about Vegas was that we didn't have to spend any to be entertained.

I HIGHLY recommend The Paris hotel, incredibly romantic, not very many children at the pool, gorgeous, and great casino. Not to mention the location was awesome! We paid $79 a night there. I do NOT recommend Mandalay Bay at all. We paid $119 there and felt it was a big fat waste of $.

There are several Vegas threads floating around, I'd do a search.

We had both never been, so we did the free stuff and nickel slots and were content for those 5 days. We just got that little book in our room, figured out the times for the shows we wanted to see (like the Pirate show that's not there anymore, fountains, volcano, etc), and then just started walking. Lots of great shopping, great eating, etc.

You'll have a blast!

 

[scrappinMickey]

Just got back from Vegas a week ago! We have been several times and this time we did the Richard Petty Driving School at the NASCAR Track!!!!!!! It was a blast! My dh and his friend got to drive 8 laps at 130 miles an hour and I did a ride-along for 3 laps at 160 miles an hour it was a blast!!!!!


We stayed at the Venetian this time and loved it, last year we stayed at the Bellagio (my favorite) and Treasure Island the year before that!!

We have seen:

Mystere (awesome)
"O" (fair)
Blue Man Group (good)
David Copperfield (awesome)

Also, did the Hoover Damn tour!! Lots of shopping too!!

 

[SnowAngel]

I haven't only visited Las Vegas but lived there for 5 years. Fun place and much more to do than just gambling.

 

[Jeafl]

My favorite restaurant is Emeril's New Orleans Fish House. Even if you don't like fish, the food is fantastic, and the service is the best we've ever had. Not cheap, but great for a special occasion.

If you're looking for a cheap, good lunch, try Tequilas at Bally's. It has the absolute best nachos, fajitas and other Mexican food for an incredibly low price. Also, if you like margaritas, this is the place to go. They have a 20 oz. margarita for about $7.00, and they come in dozens of flavors.

The Grand Luxe Cafe at the Venetian is very good as well. Large portions, good variety and very reasonable prices.


My favorite hotel, for the best price, is Paris. We've stayed there several times and never paid more than $89 during the week and $119 on the weekends. Call the hotel direct and ask if they still have the Passport to Paris package. It was a great deal.

If money is no object, then go for Bellagio or the Venetian. Bellagio and Paris have the best locations, right in the middle of the strip. The Venetian is a little farther down the strip and not as convenient if you are planning on visiting the other hotels. I don't recommend staying anywhere north of the Venetian. It's a lot more run down. Caesar's Palace is also very nice, but it's HUGE!.

Don't miss the Forum Shops at Caesar's, or the mall at Aladdin (forgot what is is called). There is also a mall at the Venetian which has more upscale stores. You can take a gondola ride there too, but the line is usually long.

There are lots of great shows there, especially O and Mystere. We've also seen Mamma Mia, Blue Man Group and Jubilee/ All were good.

A good website for Vegas info is www.a2zlasvegas.com.

 

[Peter Pirate]

We stayed at the Aladdin last trip and it was a great big room! Liked the location. Also loved the micro brewry at Monte Carlo for lunch (and beer)...And don't forget Freemont Street. It's old Las Vegas, but way cool with street bands, strip joints, old style casinos, .99 shrimp cokctails, 1.00 heinies and a great light show. Worth a night (at least).

Mystere was great. We're doing Zumanity next week so I'll report back.

Also, the Hoover Dam is totally awesome and we loved horseback riding in red rock canyon (hot but beautiful).

Also, re: Mandaly Bay, while I've never stayed there and it may not be worth it, if you're loking for pool time it just might be! Wave pool, misters, awesome ambiance.

 

[nemo1987]

my mom is there right now as we speak! she left on sunday and gets back on friday. i cant wait to hear where she went and what she did. i hope she takes lots of pictures. i want to go to vegas sometime, but not sure when or if i will go. i would go to shop because im not old enough to gamble. have a good trip!

 

[*Flower*]

We did a Vegas/CA trip from Sept 2 - 9.

For the first part in Vegas, we were at Paris. We enjoyed our time there, but it would have been better if we'd gotton the type of room that we reserved.

Casinos are smoky (of course)- but we had the breakfast buffet one morning. It was so awesome that DH couldn't get over it.

And they have a bistro called Mon Ami Gabi. I'd heard both good and bad reviews about it.... we ended up going twice! It was really good, and they have a pot de creme dessert that is AMAZING!!!

On our last night after going to CA, we stayed at the Venetian, and the room was amazing. We had dinner at Bouchon, and will definitely go back. The food was outstanding!!

We saw Celine, Mystere, O, and the new Queen show at Paris; "We Will Rock You".

DH now wants me to plan a trip for next year to see Elton John.

Wish me luck!!!

 

[PartyofSix]

Thanks for all the advise and tips. I just thought it would take at least 3k to have fun but it seems you all did it for much less than that. Thats why i was wondering what you guys took to have a blast. Our airfare will be free. I transferred enough amex points to delta to have tickets for the both of us. And we are going to have to have gambleing money i was thinking maybe 300 a day. My husband is going to love to gamble i need about 100 a day to get souviers and shop then eats of course. Great advise here thanks again.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Two great Cirque shows, Mystere and -O-, The Forum shopping at Caesar's, Hoover Dam, fountains at Bellagio, people watching

http://www.disboards.com/search.php...=1056587&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending (not sure if this search will work for you)(I looked for 'vegas' in the title only on the CB.)

 

[Peter Pirate]

Dan (and Partyofsix), the show I mentioned, Zumanity, is an adult oriented Cirque show, as well.