Las Vegas Trip Advice (Hotels, Cheap Show Tickets, etc.)- Page 2

[LizzieCurry]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 10:10am

The discount ticket booths are at the aforementioned Coke Museum and at the Fashion Show Mall across from the Wynn. There used to be a booth at one of the downtown hotels as well, but not sure if it's still there.

There are more: http://www.tix4tonight.com/locations.html

[Mamie]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 10:14am

It's been a few years since I was there but the Rio was always my favorite. I love the decor and the view from the upper rooms is wonderful!

I would suggest breaking up the gambling/shows with a day of travel. A drive to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and the tour there is pretty neat. If you go, leave early in the morning because the wildlife you see in the desert as the sun rises is fantastic. (If you hear a really loud CRACKING sound, repeated, it's the big horn rams butting heads. Honestly - it's the best show in town!)

Another pretty drive is up to the top of Mount Charleston. Just watching the flora change as you start in the desert and go up the mountain is fascinating.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 2:47pm

Steer clear of KA. It was honestly the worst show I've ever seen.
The buffet in Paris is the best in town (if you like French food) and O is by far the best Cirque show.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 3:35pm

I guess it' a matter of taste, but I've seen seven Cirque shows live and O was not one of my favorites. I'd rank it around number four or five. What was wrong with Ka? I can't imagine it's any worse than Kooza or Dralion. Generally speaking, I haven't seen a "bad" Cirque shows, but some are definitely better than others. I can't imagine any of them being the "worst show I've ever seen". I'll take the worst Cirque show over Oba Oba or Notre Dame de Paris any day. The one Vegas Cirque show I've consistently heard was disappointing was Zumanity.

Updated On: 6/16/09 at 03:35 PM

[nealb1]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 10:38pm

As usual, DollyPop has to make some stupid ass comment about a gay guy. What the hell does that have to do with Las Vegas? What part of Las Vegas was sleazy?

Mister Matt - thanks for the detailed right ups about the hotels. You are spot on!

You'll get cheaper rates in Las Vegas (hotel and airfare), if you go Sunday - Thursday. Buying airfare & hotel together as a package, won't always get you the best rate. Do your homework before booking. Some hotels will have packages - a free buffet, show tickets, etc.

Bally's is right in the middle of the strip, and you can get rooms there for $59 a night, and walk to everything. There's a monorail behind the major hotels going from The LV Hilton to The MGM Grand. I think it's $7 for the entire day.

There's a free monorail from The Luxor to Mandalay Bay. Or, you can walk in between the hotels via the sidewalk on the strip, or in the hotels as they are connected.

The Strip is very, very ez to get around.

Just plan your trip out several months when booking your airfare and hotel. Most hotels will require the first night's stay pre-paid in advance with your credit card.

All the hotels have buffets. The hotels downtown will have less expensive food and less expensive betting tables for Black Jack. Gone are the days of $3.99 all you can eat buffets.

There are 2 places on the strip that sells 1/2 price show tickets. But, don't count on Bette, Cher or Barry Manilow to be on those boards.

And, of course there is "Jersey Boys," "Phantom" and "The Lion King" in LV. JB & PHANTOM are 90 minute versions of the show. The theatre for PHANTOM was specifically built for the show. Depends on what your definition of expensive tickets are regarding shows. I saw Celine at Caesars a few years back and it was $250...something around that. Didn't occur to me that it was expensive. Look at what that $250 pays for....the artist, her dancers, the orchestra, the crew, etc. That's how they earn their living.

Many of the large resort hotels, have check-in desks at the airport. Where you can get your room keys, and take a shuttle bus to your hotel, and charge it to your room. It's very convenient!

What part of the US are you coming from?

The "O" type of shows in Las Vegas are everywhere at the major hotels. They aren't really my cup of tea. My favorite Las Vegas show is "Jubilee" at Bally's. It's your typical "Las Vegas" show - gorgeous, topless showgirls coming down big staircases, incredible costumes, big production numbers, etc. The finale is amazing! Such glitz and glamour! Every time I go to LV with friends, we always see "Jubilee" and enjoy it so very much.

If you do take a cab to your hotel on the strip, make sure your cab driver does not take you there via the freeway. It's longer, and will add on to your fare and the tip that they want. Have them go the back way, behind the major hotels on the strip.


Updated On: 6/16/09 at 10:38 PM

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 11:23pm

We'll def see O and Bette. Maybe Celine and Lion King.

Coming from NC.

Thanks again for the advice!! It looks like, minus show tickets, that it will be a cheaper trip than anticipated!

[nealb1]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 11:26pm

Does Southwest service your local airport?

Celine is long gone, sorry to say!

[CapnHook]

Posted: 6/16/09 at 11:51pm

DAMNIT!!

[Capt_Fluellen]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 12:17pm

As someone who has been going to Las Vegas around twice a year for twelve years now, I'll add my two cents and hope it helps.

Mister Matt and nealb1 have already provided great advice.

1.) The most important thing to remember is what nealb1 wrote earlier -- rooms rates are always cheaper Sunday through Thursday (assuming no Monday holiday.) Las Vegas fills up with wealthy people from LA every weekend, so the room rates are always much higher Friday and Saturday night. For me, however, there is a tradeoff. If you want to hit the nightclubs, the weekends are obviously a better time to go. Much less club life during the week. So if that's something that interests you, then you unfortunately have to pay the extra money.

2.) You will not believe the crowds trying to get into the nightclubs on weekends. The guys at the door do play favorites with women and locals, just like everywhere else, so guys from out of town should expect to wait in line.

3.) I love the club Krave at the Planet Hollywood/Miracle Mile Shops. Jet at the Mirage is also quite good. Got to see Tiesto spin there. Amazing!

4.) I've stayed at most of the resorts on the strip (except Planet Hollywood, which has only been around a few years.) If you are going in the summer, stay at a resort with a great swimming pool. Some of the nicer ones are at the Mirage, Bellagio, Caesar's and Flamingo. If going November through February, the pool doesn't matter as it might be too cold (and some of the pools actually close for the Winter.)

5.) As to getting around, I used to use public transportation, take cabs, use the free shuttle buses that some casinos offer, and take the monorail. No more. The bus that goes up and down the strip takes forever. It stops every block, and twenty to thirty people get on an off at each stop. Most are tourists and have questions for the driver. It can literally take an hour and a half to get from lower/mid-strip to downtown. There are always lines for the free casino shuttles, and you usually have to walk a mile out of your way to the very back of a casino to get to the monorail entrance (not kidding...try it once, you'll see.) Now, I rent a car each time. It's much easier, and every casino offers free parking. It takes a little getting used to at first trying to find the entrance to the casino parking garages, but I think it beats the other options.

6.) If you do rent a car, avoid driving on the Strip if possible. Yeah, I know, then you won't get to feel like Chevy Chase in the movie Vegas Vacation looking all the lights at nighttime, but the Strip gets very crowded with cars and, more importantly, Vegas traffic is geared toward moving people quickly west to east and east to west, not north to south and south to north like the Strip. Depending on which resort you stay at, use Paradise Road east of the Strip and Frank Sinatra Drive/Industrial Road west of the Strip to go north/south quickly.

7.) Do get downtown at least one night to see a little of "Old" Las Vegas and the spectacular overhead light show (a different seven minute show every hour on the hour.) It's not as good as it used to be, but still fun. Avoid the seedier casinos on Fremont Street. You will only lose your money! I stick to the Golden Nugget, Four Queens and Binion's Horseshoe when downtown.

8.) The discount tix places mentioned earlier are great. Lines are no where near what they are at tkts in New York. Remember, show schedules are crazy in Vegas. No rhyme or reason to when a show is dark, unlike NYC where most are dark Monday night. In Vegas, you have shows that are dark Wednesdays, Thursdays, even on the weekends.

9.) Beatle's Love at the Mirage. Best Cirque show in town.

10.) Sunday Champagne Brunch at the Mirage, Bellagio or the Paris is worth the wait in line.

11.) Do more than play the slots! Most casinos offer lessons in blackjack, roulette, and craps. If you do play the tables, watch out for the signs that tell you the table minimum bets. These days, it's hard to find a $5 blackjack table on the weekends. Harrah's use to have a guy do a craps lesson at 11:00 AM, then open a table for an hour with a $2 minimum since they knew it was you first time playing dice. The dealers were very friendly and would help you if you forgot parts of the lesson. I even got my Mom to play craps this way (her one and only time.)

12.) Fun slot games -- Wizard of Oz, Texas Tea and Goldfish.

13.) Pace yourself gambling if you're going to be there three to five days.

14.) When not spending the afternoon at the pool, a good way to try some of the celebrity restaurants without forking over half your paycheck for a meal is to go for lunch. Much of the dinner menu is on the lunch menu at a far lower price.

15.) I've been to Vegas at least two dozen times and still haven't seen Hoover Dam or the Grand Canyon, but I'm told they're great.

Enjoy!

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:47pm

Some things that were "wrong with" KA:
It was boring.
It wasn't as visually spectacular as the commercials made it look and one would expect a Cirque show to be.
The acrobatics were (for the most part) the least impressive of any Circus I've ever seen.
The "plot" was confusing.
The acrobats' audience interaction before and during the show was annoying for everyone and scary for children and people with heart conditions.
The theatre was uncomfortably hot and dry due to the pre-show fire pit.

I was in a party of 12 and all but one of us hated it, and my parents fell asleep numerous times during the show.

[broadwayboy101]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 4:58pm

Really, lvsong? I went with my mother this past summer and we both thought it was incredible! I agree with you about the plot and the heat of the theatre, but it wasn't distracting at all. And, at least when I went, everyone loved the pre-show interaction and no one seemed unimpressed with the visuals.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 5:08pm

When is a Cirque "plot" not confusing (if not entirely absent)? The only one with a somewhat clear narrative I've seen is Corteo, simply because it so obviously revolved around the death of a clown clearly illustrated with mourners and a death bed followed by a funeral procession (and it is my second favorite Cirque show).

Honestly, I was bored with much of O, but like I said, it was mostly due to the fact that I had seen Le Reve the night before which is like watching O being taken to the next level. O really had no clear plot or anything. The clowns floating on the house were the dullest and slowest clown act I've ever seen in a Cirque show (Kooza clowns were almost as bad, but less dull). I'm very curious about Ka because you are the first person I've ever heard say anything negative about it.

[bwaylvsong]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 5:09pm

Maybe I just saw it on an off-night. Nobody in the audience seemed to enjoy it. The most common comment I heard was:
"I can't believe so-and-so liked this show so much! It wasn't anything like they described it!

[gavrochegirl]

Posted: 6/17/09 at 10:28pm

i'm coming back from the dead to chip in. i have to say that the orleans, which is off the strip, is a fantastic value. weekday room rates are usually between $40-$50. they have a lot to offer inside the hotel, and the staff is very friendly. the location is a bit iffy, but you can always take the shuttle to the strip.

www.orleanscasino.com

ps -- las vegas = walk vegas. wear comfy shoes if you're going to walk around the strip.