What do you like or not like about Las Vegas as a vacation?

[eeyoresmom]

DH is not a big fan of Disney. He likes it, but only enough to visit every 4 years or so. I love the resort experience at Disney. Love the parks too, but the resorts is what I most look forward to. Can we get a similar experience in Las Vegas? It would be just him and I, possibly a 4 night trip. I would not like a spring break atmosphere, but I do love lots of options for activites. Having never been, I have no idea about what food, car rentals, hotels etc. Anyone have any input, good or bad? TIA

 

[disykat]

I hated it. It just felt dirty to me. The hotels etc. were obviously nice, but lots of smoke and when you walk down the strip you have people trying to interest you in peep shows etc. by giving you flyers that get dropped all over the street.

Perhaps if you stuck to the resorts and avoided walking between them it would be better.

 

[Ginny Favers]

I've been there 5 or 6 times, but honestly would never go if it wasn't for work. I don't really like the over-the-top shows (I had to sit through Celine and Elton and thought I would stab my eyes out), I don't like gambling. It is very much of a party atmosphere, which I enjoyed when I was younger, but would drive me batty right now. The restaurants were great, but crowded and expensive and I was happy to have someone else footing the bill. It's great to go once, just for the experience, but I'm happy never to go again.

 

[Beach Mouse]

I have been to Vegas several times with and without kids. If you are not taking kids you will be able to roam more freely. Yes there are very risqué areas but you can avoid a lot of it by walking through the casinos when possible as opposed to the street level. Take a cab if going a good distance. There is great food, shops, and shows. Some of the larger hotels have more amenities than others (pools etc.) I do very little gambling when we go. The Love show is worth seeing. Especially if you like the Beatles.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Too many casino's and a lot of walking. And like PP said it felt and smelled dirty.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

Like: The shows and the weather (if you visit in Spring or Fall).

Dislike: Longer flight for me and there is a time change. While I do love the shows, they are quite expensive. I'm not much of a shopper, so going to the high end stores does not appeal to me. I'm not much of a gambler, so while putting a $20 in the penny slots and playing for an hour is somewhat amusing, I wouldn't gamble all day. I'm also not a big drinker or nightlife person, so going out to the clubs/bars doesn't appeal to me either.

I had a fun time on my trips there in my early 20s, but now that I'm in my late 20s, I could go m whole life not going back. I'd much rather go visit the Grand Canyon or some other national park in the region.

 

[eeyoresmom]

Thank you. It doesn't sound appealing to me. Any recommendations for a resort experience similar to Disney's deluxe resorts? We live on the east coast. Not opposed to returning to Florida, just not Disney.

 

[shoney]

How about staying onsite at Universal? They have 3 great hotels that would be on par with Disney Deluxes. You get free unlimited express passes, so no waiting in lines. It is a much smaller complex than Disney, so no waiting for buses to get anywhere.

Whenever my DH and I can get away for 5 nights or so, we wind up at an all inclusive in Mexico or most recently Jamaica. Gorgeous resorts and you do as much or as little as you want.

 

[eliza61]

DH is not a big fan of Disney. He likes it, but only enough to visit every 4 years or so. I love the resort experience at Disney. Love the parks too, but the resorts is what I most look forward to. Can we get a similar experience in Las Vegas? It would be just him and I, possibly a 4 night trip. I would not like a spring break atmosphere, but I do love lots of options for activites. Having never been, I have no idea about what food, car rentals, hotels etc. Anyone have any input, good or bad? TIA

OK, I'll be the lone dissenter. I LOVE VEGAS. I've only stayed on the strip so don't know about else where.

RESORTS!! Girlfriend as much as I love disney, vegas resorts are true 4 star luxury resorts (I've only stayed on the strip).
Paris, Paris, the Bellagio, The Venetian (lol which has it's own canal in it). NY, NY with a roller coaster and the ny sky line.

Next, the price is 1/3 of what a disney deluxe cost. I've stayed in suites at the Bellagio with spectacular rooms for 300/ a night which is barely wilderness lodge price.

I'm contemplating a stay at the end of July in a kings size deluxe room at the Bellagio on the upper floors with a view of the fountains. 204 bucks a night with no discount!!!.

Here's is a link to the Belligios pool
http://www.bellagio.com/amenities/pools-and-courtyards.aspx


Our second choice is Paris, Paris. A premier suite for 3 adults with eiffel tower view? 186.00!!!!!
That's why I can never stay at a disney deluxe paying cash. I refuse to pay disney prices for basic rooms.

Once again these prices are before any discounts AND so many times when you check in at vegas you get "comps". The Wynn resorts are offering complimentary buffet passes for people booking this month.

Sorry almost everyone will tell you Disney deluxes would not be called deluxes any where else but at disney. You pay those outrageous prices for the privelege of being on site.

FOOD Once again, 1000X better food, 1/2 price of disney. So basically every resort has 5 or 6 full service restaurants. One is usually run by a headliner chef, one is usually a steak houe, one is usually a sports bar and one is always a buffet.

Entertainment tons to do and we are not gamblers. there are 7 cirque du soliel shows. every resort has a "lounge" show, sight seeing, dh and I did indoor sky diving. LOL. swimming. shopping (mainly window) and a helicopter tour of the grand canyon. Last time we were there I saw Sinbad (comedian), cirque du soliel and a local entertainer at mgm for about 300 bucks which is about what I would pay for a 4 day park hopper ticket.

Now not sure why some feel it's dirty? Most places have banned smoking in indoor areas, and now the casinos must have super duper filters so even the smoke does not linger. I've been a few times and never seen a lady of the evening once. Now they do have those guys that flip those little cards at you but they just stand there, they don't forced them on you nor are they aggressive. people do drop them on the sidewalk but I did not think vegas was dirtier than any other city. Yes it is dirtier than wdw but I'm from NY so I don't expect a city to be like a theme park.

Personally I think you'll love Vegas but you can't go comparing it to WDW. It's not like wdw but for 2 active adults it's fabulous.

 

[Happyjen27]

I loathe Vegas.

It is just such a sad city. People who live there hate the tourists, yet need them. People visiting are losing more money than they can afford, or winning less than they think they should. Underneath the glitter lies a whole lot of sadness in my opinion.

We've stayed high end there, and while it was fine for a girls weekend, it was not nirvana.

I can think of about a zillion places I'd rather go.

The boutique, resort hotel business is booming all up and down the coast. There are posh, albeit very expensive all inclusive resorts in New England through Florida.

http://www.resortsandlodges.com/resort-type/all-inclusive/usa/index.html

When I'm aching for resort life, I always think of the Caribbean. Love going to Aruba and just sitting and sipping all day, then eating fab food and shaking it in a club at night.

 

[disykat]

Now not sure why some feel it's dirty? Most places have banned smoking in indoor areas, and now the casinos must have super duper filters so even the smoke does not linger.

I think some of us come from areas where smoking hasn't been done in public for so long that ANY smoke is hard to tolerate.

 

[girli565]

I also liked Vegas. My husband and I love good restuarants, and Vegas has plenty of those! We loved the drive to the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon West for the skywalk. And we like to gamble a bit, only do it on vacation, so it's fun to us. And the shows! We love all the cirque shows available to see. We'd see a different one every night if we could afford it, lol.

I will say that if we had the option of Vegas and a beach vacation we'd pick the beach vacation. we love all inclusives in punta cana. Best and most relaxing vacation!

 

[jetskigrl]

OK, I'll be the lone dissenter. I LOVE VEGAS. I've only stayed on the strip so don't know about else where.

RESORTS!! Girlfriend as much as I love disney, vegas resorts are true 4 star luxury resorts (I've only stayed on the strip).
Paris, Paris, the Bellagio, The Venetian (lol which has it's own canal in it). NY, NY with a roller coaster and the ny sky line.

Next, the price is 1/3 of what a disney deluxe cost. I've stayed in suites at the Bellagio with spectacular rooms for 300/ a night which is barely wilderness lodge price.

I'm contemplating a stay at the end of July in a kings size deluxe room at the Bellagio on the upper floors with a view of the fountains. 204 bucks a night with no discount!!!.

Here's is a link to the Belligios pool
http://www.bellagio.com/amenities/pools-and-courtyards.aspx

Sorry almost everyone will tell you Disney deluxes would not be called deluxes any where else but at disney. You pay those outrageous prices for the privelege of being on site.

FOOD Once again, 1000X better food, 1/2 price of disney. So basically every resort has 5 or 6 full service restaurants. One is usually run by a headliner chef, one is usually a steak houe, one is usually a sports bar and one is always a buffet.

Entertainment tons to do and we are not gamblers. there are 7 cirque du soliel shows. every resort has a "lounge" show, sight seeing, dh and I did indoor sky diving. LOL. swimming. shopping (mainly window) and a helicopter tour of the grand canyon.

Nope, you aren't the lone dissenter. I love Vegas too!!! It is definitely my "other Disneyland." And while I have taken my kids once (to see a concert), it is usually my girls weekend away from the family.

We enjoy the strip, the hotels, the food and the shows. I also enjoy gambling so we spend some time doing that. Mostly it is a social thing for us. We play quarter video poker at the bar while enjoying our free drinks and chatting with anyone else that happens to be around.

We do have a favorite Dueling Piano Bar that we will visit once or twice each trip. We usually do one really nice dinner each trip also.

Each hotel has a unique theme and it is fun just to walk through them and see what has changed from our last trip.

Our trips often revolve around a concert so my last trip was me, my sister, my cousin and my Mom. My Mom loves George Strait so we got tickets to see him and planned the rest of the trip around that.

One thing we did different last year was to stay at a timeshare (my sister was going to lose a week of her other timeshare so she transferred it to a place in Vegas instead). We had a great condo at a resort just down from the strip. There was no gambling there and it had an awesome pool area with lazy river. They also provided a shuttle to the strip so we could head there for more Vegas action any time we wanted. The rest of the time we spent by the pool or shopping at the outlet mall, etc.

 

[eliza61]

I loathe Vegas.

It is just such a sad city. People who live there hate the tourists, yet need them. People visiting are losing more money than they can afford, or winning less than they think they should. Underneath the glitter lies a whole lot of sadness in my opinion.

.

Whoa, talk about generalizations. Well if the people there hate the tourist they do a great job of not showing it. I've gotten nothing but first rate quality service. I can't believe they hate tourist any more than cm's at disney hate tourist.

Me and my friends aren't gamblers so we definitely aren't losing money we can't afford. If op doesn't want to gamble still tons of stuff to entertain, and once again I would venture to guess that just as many folks are charging wdw vacations that they can't afford (espcially since we read about them here all the time) that are losing money in Vegas

I think some of us come from areas where smoking hasn't been done in public for so long that ANY smoke is hard to tolerate.

Totally true DK. I've got serious year round allergies and I didn't find Vegas any more annoying than my daily commute. But once again I'm from NYC and now live outside of philly. Air quality is not what I would call "great" to start with. I know smoking is no longer allowed at the Vegas shows, so probably the only place you would encounter it is walking through the casinos.

 

[gracie1]

Nope, you aren't the lone dissenter. I love Vegas too!!! It is definitely my "other Disneyland." And while I have taken my kids once (to see a concert), it is usually my girls weekend away from the family.

We enjoy the strip, the hotels, the food and the shows. I also enjoy gambling so we spend some time doing that. Mostly it is a social thing for us. We play quarter video poker at the bar while enjoying our free drinks and chatting with anyone else that happens to be around.

We do have a favorite Dueling Piano Bar that we will visit once or twice each trip. We usually do one really nice dinner each trip also.

Each hotel has a unique theme and it is fun just to walk through them and see what has changed from our last trip.

Our trips often revolve around a concert so my last trip was me, my sister, my cousin and my Mom. My Mom loves George Strait so we got tickets to see him and planned the rest of the trip around that.

One thing we did different last year was to stay at a timeshare (my sister was going to lose a week of her other timeshare so she transferred it to a place in Vegas instead). We had a great condo at a resort just down from the strip. There was no gambling there and it had an awesome pool area with lazy river. They also provided a shuttle to the strip so we could head there for more Vegas action any time we wanted. The rest of the time we spent by the pool or shopping at the outlet mall, etc.

I'm with you guys. Loved Vegas! Went for a friends wedding and I stayed on for 7 nights by myself - stayed at the Luxor - next time I would stay more towards the middle of the strip. There is so much to do!! I didn't see where it was a dirty city at all, I also didn't run across anyone trying to interest me in free peep shows or anything at all. Everyone seemed so friendly!! I also did a trip to the grand canyon - had a party tour bus pick you up right at the hotel and that was awesome too! If I were to go back, I would most definitely stay at the Bellagio or the Venetian.
The shows ---- they have so many and great headliners! Cirque de solei, David Copperfield, Elton John (is he still there?) I think the other headliner is Barry Manilow, the Chippendales, Elvis impersonators (definitely recommend Steve Connolly!)
Anyhow, enough from my experience. I think Vegas is something that you need to experience, and then determine if it's a place for you

 

[DVC-Don]

Not a fan. The streets are dirty with lots of riffraff about, I do not gamble either. That said, the shows and restaurants are nice. I only go there for company conventions.

 

[eliza61]

The shows ---- they have so many and great headliners! Cirque de solei, David Copperfield, Elton John (is he still there?) I think the other headliner is Barry Manilow, the Chippendales, Elvis impersonators (definitely recommend Steve Connolly!)
Anyhow, enough from my experience. I think Vegas is something that you need to experience, and then determine if it's a place for you

Yep Elton is still there. Celine dion has a permanent show there. Shania twain is also there and Boys II Men.

also there are review shows. Motown style review show, BeeGees celebration show. tons of show.

 

[shoney]

My DH and I went to vegas once. We had a great time! We loved walking the strip and checking out all of the different hotels. We had great meals. We were actually supposed to see siegfried and roy, but one of them got sick and they cancelled. So..we saw Carrottop instead!!!

We rode all the major rides and did a little gambling, not much. We actually preferred the more seedier casino..."slots o fun" or something like that. They had .50 cent roulette and free beer! Where else could you find such a bargain!!!

I didn't suggest Vegas in my original post, because the OP seemed to have made up her mind.

If you've never been, it is worth a try!

 

[BCV2003]

I've been to Las Vegas twice staying at the Venetian and Bellagio, most recently last year for my parents 50th wedding anniversary. We were there for five days and there was never a shortage of things to do. One day we just spent walking through the various resorts. They are all like a theme park themselves and almost all of them have some kind of attraction. All of the resorts we visited were very clean.

We drove to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon one day, went to the Hoover Dam and did a tour of the dam and also a boat tour below the dam. We also went to Red Rock Canyon too so there are also many outdoorsy type things to do outside of the strip.

Also, as others have said, there are many great restaurants for whatever style of food you choose.

We are honeymooning in Hawaii in the fall and stopping for one night in Las Vegas on our way to Hawaii.

 

[Zim]

Went to Vegas a few years ago. It was worth going to walk hotel to hotel to see how some of them are designed. I really enjoyed seeing the indoor gondola boats at the Venetian. We saw a comedy show that was entertaining, Circus Circus has an indoor midway that was fun and there are lots of good restaurants and cheap buffet deals.

Having said that, it was a one-time-only deal for me, whereas we go back to Disney at least once every 2 years.

If you've never been to Vegas it can be a cheap getaway relative to what Disney or Universal would cost you. But I don't think you can compare the two, it's apples and oranges.

If you want an experience similar to Disney, I'm in agreement with what one other poster said - try Universal. Hard Rock Hotel is wonderful (all three are very nice Lowe's hotels all in walking distance to parks). They also have free shuttles to Seaworld if you've been meaning to get over there. And if you love Halloween, I highly recommend waiting until late September and doing the Halloween Horror Nights.