Vegas!!!! Questions and Advice!!!

[libinatorsmom]

Would love advice and the Must Dos and Must Not Dos in Vegas!!!! Going on our 1st trip in April Really would like budget ideas (yeah I know probably dreaming but) We are staying at Ballys and will be there for 4 Nights in April...

 

[i*heart*minniemouse]

Would love advice and the Must Dos and Must Not Dos in Vegas!!!! Going on our 1st trip in April Really would like budget ideas (yeah I know probably dreaming but) We are staying at Ballys and will be there for 4 Nights in April...

Budget for shows...a must see is KA. It was amazing!! We actually did not buy show tickets before we got there (except for Donny and Marie). They were running a special on Cirque shows - 2 shows, 4 tickets for $200. We had a great time last March-it was our 1st visit. We also rented a car from the hotel, MGM, for the day and drove to Hoover Dam and the west rim or the Grand Canyon. We did the Skywalk at the Grand Canyon.
Whatever you decide to do...have fun!!!

 

[elcodfish]

Along the strip there are a few places to buy show tickets for less, so unless there is something that is a MUST see, wander over there and see what is available. We went to 2 comedians for less than $100.

Go to the Bellagio Buffet, BUT go right before 4pm, you get the dinner food at the lunch price.

Also, don't use cabs. Walk or get a 24 hour bus pass, it was cheap and easy to navigate.

 

[Avery&Todd]

I'll be in Vegas in 42 days and I CANT WAIT!!!



If you like the Dis Board, then you'll LOVE the Vegas Message board..

vegasmessageboard . com / forums

you'll find A TON of information there!!

 

[Luv Bunnies]

Along the strip there are a few places to buy show tickets for less, so unless there is something that is a MUST see, wander over there and see what is available. We went to 2 comedians for less than $100.

Go to the Bellagio Buffet, BUT go right before 4pm, you get the dinner food at the lunch price.

Also, don't use cabs. Walk or get a 24 hour bus pass, it was cheap and easy to navigate.

Yes! One of the discount ticket outlets is next to the giant coke bottle right down the street from the MGM Grand. They don't usually have tickets for the really big shows (although you might get lucky), but you can get great deals on some of the smaller shows. Also in that area is a giant Coca-Cola store (right by the bottle!), and a huge M&M's store that is always a must-do for us.

In terms of transportation, we like to use the Monorail. It starts at the Hilton, which is actually off the strip, and runs all the way to the MGM at the other end. It's easy and fun to use, and each stop serves several hotels. A day pass is fairly cheap and a good alternative to cabs and walking if it's too hot. When we stayed at the Hilton, we took the Monorail to the middle of the strip and walked all through the casinos in that area. Then we took it to the MGM to get closer to New York, New York, the Luxor and others in that area.

 

[ah1126]

We stayed at the MGM and loved it! Not far from the hotel was a CVS (I think, maybe a rite aid) we went there on our first night and stocked up on snacks and drinks for the room. It was much cheaper than getting them in the hotel.

STAY AWAY from the people selling time shares! We made the mistake and ended up wasting a whole day to get tickets for a no name show. NOT WORTH IT!!!

Everything is much further away than it looks!

There are all kinds of coupon books once you get there. Keep on the look out.

Have a great trip!!

 

[rella's fan]

Food is really expensive so we found the buffet of buffets pass is a good deal. It's $44.99 and it's for 24 hours from the time of purchase, and you can go to all of the Total Rewards properties within the 24 hour time frame. We went to the Rio for dinner (huge selection and there is a free shuttle from Harrahs and Ballys), did Paris for breakfast (awesome made to order crepes), had a light lunch at Harrahs and then did Planet Hollywood (my favorite) for dinner. It's a lot of food but it also includes non alcohol drinks and you can eat as much or as little as you like.
Our favorite show is LOVE @ the Mirage (have seen it 4 times and never get tired of it)

 

[disney67]

since i'm a big pinball person since i was a kid here is a inexpensive way to spend a few hours if you grew up on pinball like me . I miss this on my first trip 2 years ago . here is the link
http://www.pinballmuseum.org/
to the pinball hall of fame

 

[mikehn]

Fremont street experience is worth checking out.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Check out the free lion habitat in MGM. Be sure to take your camera. There is the Earl of Sandwich in Planet hollywood. Excellent.

 

[Maddies Mama]

Just going from casino to casino....they're not just casinos, they're places worth of just sight seeing! Fremont street's light show is awesome and worth the trip downtown for a night.

 

[wbeem]

Would love advice and the Must Dos and Must Not Dos in Vegas!!!! Going on our 1st trip in April Really would like budget ideas (yeah I know probably dreaming but) We are staying at Ballys and will be there for 4 Nights in April...

Since this is the Budget Board, let me give you a DO NOT to protect you. There's a $7.77 Steak & Shrimp dinner at Mr. Lucky's at Hard Rock Hotel that's become overblown because it's not on the menu - as if it were some kind of secret find.

DO NOT order it. It's rubbery and tastes like crap. The reason it's not on the menu, in my opinion, is SHAME. This meal is awful. I say that as a big fan of both the Hard Rock Hotel and Mr. Lucky's. I actually like that restaurant, but I would slap anyone at my table who ordered that crap.

It may be a budget item, but trust me when I say it's overpriced for what you get. I'd rather go to Burger King at an airport than eat that meal.

 

[wbeem]

Fremont street experience is worth checking out.

Everyone likes to say that, but I've never agreed. I could live without seeing Fremont ever again.

 

[happygirl]

Next time we go to the Vegas I wanna go see the Pawn Shop that is featured on the History Show Pawn Stars

 

[wbeem]

Since I've given two negatives ($7.77 special and Fremont Street), I'll share some things that I really enjoy about Las Vegas.

1: The Bellagio Fountains at dusk. That's my favorite time to watch the show. You're not in the harsh sunlight or pitch black of night. Something about the blue hour that makes it just a bit more enjoyable to me.

2: The Eiffel Tower replica at Paris. Nice views, especially if you take my advice about dusk:


Serene by wbeem, on Flickr

3: The Bellagio Conservatory. I like to go either very early or very late to avoid the crowds. It's very comforting to walk around, except when you're fighting a bunch of tourists who aren't watching where they're going (much like at Disney World!)


Conservatory by wbeem, on Flickr

4: One Million Dollars. This is in the walkway between Paris & Bally's. It makes me plot & scheme.


One Million Dollars by wbeem, on Flickr

5: Alternative Gambling Opportunities. You may find some unauthorized games on the street. They're not fond of having their photo taken, though.


No Pictures, Buddy by wbeem, on Flickr

6: Play "Guess Who's the Prostitute" at any casino bar. It's not always the ones you think.


In the Pleasure Pit by wbeem, on Flickr

7: Watch the "Walk of Shame." You have to get up early, but it's not hard to tell who was sleeping elsewhere the previous night.


End of the Hooker Shift by wbeem, on Flickr

8: Get High. I really enjoy elevated views of the Strip. The Eiffel Tower is one, but there's also a bar on the 23rd floor of the Mandarin Oriental with a good view (and expensive drinks). House of Blues Foundation Room is open to the public on Monday evenings (Mandalay Bay). You can also get a nice view from Mix on top of THE Hotel.


Foundation Room View by wbeem, on Flickr


Whiskey or Wine? by wbeem, on Flickr


South Strip by wbeem, on Flickr

9: Grand Lux Cafe. This is a sister-restaurant to the Cheesecake Factory. They have one in The Venetian and Palazzo next door. On every trip, I go get this meal - Jamaican Pork Tenderloin and a Grand Mojito. You may or may not like it, but it suits me fine. At any rate, they have a big menu, large portions, and it's not too pretentious. A bit loud, though.


Jamaican Pork Tenderloin 3 by wbeem, on Flickr

10: Carnitas & Tequila at Pink Taco! This is another one of my favorites. It's inside the Hard Rock Hotel. I always say I'm going to try something different (and one time I did), but I come back to the Carnitas and a flight of tequila.

There's plenty more that I like in Las Vegas. I've visited about three times per year over the last decade and watched it change. It's getting a bit crowded lately, but this seems like a good time of year to go.

 

[DisneyWorld Delight]

AWESOME pictures wbeem! I've been itching to get back, you just made it worse. (Great pics? Camera, photographer or combination of both?)

 

[wbeem]

AWESOME pictures wbeem! I've been itching to get back, you just made it worse. (Great pics? Camera, photographer or combination of both?)

Thanks, I'm glad you like them. I like taking photos of places I visit and doing portraits when I can. You can see more stuff on my blog at http://williambeem.com, if you like.

 

[Sagginit]

just went for the first time in oct. my take on budget vs splurge.

staying: ballys was perfect for us. we got an amazing price and were very happy with the room. while the hotel/casino was blah it connects to the paris and our tower was actually closer than to the main bally area. we spent most of our time in paris and always went out to the strip that way. the location is great, we were able to walk to plenty of places and cabs were cheap. we never used the pool b/c it was so cold so cant speak to that but i heard you can pool hop to paris.

food: i have a food allergy so a buffett is a no-no. check out restaurants.com. i got 4 certificates for $125 off food for $9 before i left. yes the restaurants were pricey but this was part of the reason i went to vegas (we could not care less about gambling). this really did help take a chunk off our bills. also proportions were big at times so we often shared an app and sides. our first big meal we tried to eat a full salad, app, and meal individually and it could not be done. i loved julian serrano, its a tapas place so you can go for a drink and one or two dishes or the full dinner as we did.

clubbing: if you want to club check out the club pass pack. we paid $120 which seems like a lot but the passes get you two things, no cover and skipping the line. considering you can pay 20-40 to get into a club it was a bargain as we hit at least 2 clubs/bars a night.

seeing: there is a lot to see that is free. we paid for the sigfried & roy dolphin habitat/tiger habitat. we loved this and it was worth the money. we did tix for tonight and saw crazy horse for like $30 each. if you do go to that don't get drinks. they are crazy overpriced and they were awful. we never made it to freemont street as there was a lot on the strip and my friend had been there and did not care for it.

transportation: i have a strong opinion on this. the bus pass and monorail is a waste. it was like $7-8 almost everywhere we went from bally's in a taxi. we actually joked that its not a real meter, they just set it to show up a random amount between that, because it was so consistent. we paid $10 with tip one way. the monorail was $5 one way per person and we had to hike to the back of the casinos. so that meant it was the same cost for the two of us to take a taxi. also the bus never showed up when we wanted it to and we were in a freak cold snap so shivered while waiting. we bought a bus pass for like 3 days and used it twice. bally's was a decent walk to a lot of casinos and quite frankly i could not stand the people on the busses. you know how people get pissed at people who do things in disney like take pics on pirates of the caribbean or try to stand up? i feel that way about people who insist on getting on the back of the bus without paying b/c the front is just too crowded and they have a pass anyway or refuse to move in b/c they are getting off at the next stop, or think they can scream stop to stop the bus in between stops. i have saintly patience (i walk thru times square on a regular basis going to work) but i litterally was losing my mind the two times we took the bus.

 

[crisi]

6: Play "Guess Who's the Prostitute" at any casino bar. It's not always the ones you think.

We play "wife, girlfriend, or escort?" Las Vegas is a great place to be snide.

Also, we've been known to collect and trade escort cards - that started as a lark with my feminist girlfriends who decided it really freaked out the card slappers. "Do you have a Rogue, I have two Scarletts."

Penn and Teller is a good show and not too expensive, though you'll need a cab to get there and back. The Rio also has a good Indian restaurant that is reasonably priced.

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I would personally spend about 6 nights there and would go see every Cirque Du Soleil show they have going at the different casinos. During the day we would eat breakfast and lunch at different places, check out some of the resort hotels and just be touristy during the day. All about the shows at night.

I would definitely rent a car at the airport and have my own vehicle to drive myself around and then return the car to the airport when you fly back home.

I am going to get my week in Vegas sometime in the next 2 years. I just have to convince my husband he won't die if he flies. =]