Going to Vegas for the First Time!

[ArtMan]

Ripped Man, There is no rush for shows.  If Cirque shows are what you are interested in, join M Life as I stated earlier.  They represent the Cirque shows.  Also go on the Cirque website and register for Club Cirque.   They will then send you promotions for the shows.  O is not much of a discount.  But they currently have buy one get one free ( or for $15), for Ka, Love, Zumanity and Cris Angel.  The half off booth has some of the Cirque shows for various discounts.   As I stated earlier, I did not find it to be much of a discount.  I believe the discounts are off the top ticket price.  As far as the flights, sometimes you got to take the good with the bad.  My flight was free with airline points.  Going to Vegas, my two flights are a dream.  Coming home, I take three flights starting at 8 pm and not getting home till 10:30 am the next day.  When booking flights out of Las Vegas, do not book with tight connections.  It has been my past experience that flights do not leave at the scheduled time.  Especially in mid to later day.

[Mr Roxy]

Totally agree with Art re flights leaving Vegas

[Mister Matt]

Personally, I can't handle Fremont Street for more than about an hour.  Take some photos,  watch the big video screen above, then get the hell out of there.  Most of it is shabby and creepy.  Ditto that for Stratosphere and Circus Circus.

 

Though most of the attractions are on the strip, objects on the strip are farther than they appear, especially if you're walking,  so budget time and energy accordingly.  The monorail on the east side helps a bit,  but the stations are in the back of the resorts and just walking throught them to the front to get to the strip can still be more of a hike than you might think.   And Caesar's Palace alone can eat up most of one day.  Did they ever repair the robot fountains in the mall?  Last time I was there,  none of them were working properly and they were a huge waste of time. 

 

FYI...There is a great little bar upstairs at Bellagio with a terrace.  Try to get there at dusk and snag a table on the terrace in the front.  Then relax with drinks as the sun sets and you get a glorious view of the fountains.

 

The last time I was in Vegas, the Encore had just opened and we got a great deal on a suite.  The Wynn/Encore became my favorite and now I wouldn't want to stay anywhere else.   Both Wynn and Mandalay Bay had my favorite buffets.  And surprisingly, my favorite casino turned out to be at the Planet Hollywood hotel.

[ArtMan]

The OP is looking to stay for cheap.

[Mr Roxy]

Hell, the Paris on the strip is now advertising rooms for as low as $ 59. Many place on the strip are really not that expensive.

[FindingNamo]

Most of it is shabby and creepy.

 

Hey that's my dating pool!  What MisterMatt said about the distance of things is right on the money.  I remember thinking we'd pop into The Mirage and pick up our Love tickets early and go do some other things but it took forever to get to the box office.  It was like starting at one end of a football field and winding and twisting and turning to the other.  And then going back.  

[Mister Matt]

There are loads of cheap options on or near the strip.  Many off-strip hotels have free shuttles to and from the strip.

[ArtMan]

Mr. Roxy, I just put in my dates, early June, for the Paris.  Total with taxes and resort fees was $1,015.  Would the Paris be nicer and more convenient than my Downtown Vegas hotel?  Absolutely.  But the difference is, for the same five nights, I'm paying $250 with taxes and resort fees. 

[Mr Roxy]

The Paris is ok for the price. The pool water is ICE cold. They have a nice buffet and a restaurant outside called Mon Ami Gabi is quite good and reasonable. You will also be in the center of the strip.

[RippedMan]

I got a good deal for the Stratesophere, which, someone just called creepy but whatever. I'm excited to check it out. 

But me and my friends cannot find any flights out on Sunday that are reasonable. They either leave at 1am in the morning or 10pm at night. WTf. 

[ArtMan]

I think the more reasonable priced flights leave either very early in the morning or late at night.  If I hadn't got such a good price at El Cortez, I was actually pricing the Stratosphere, which price wise was not that much more.  You are at the very end of the strip, but the Duece bus has a stop right there.  I hope my tips have been helpful.

[ArtMan]

There is also a Michael Jackson show playing at the Stratosphere.  As a hotel guest, you will get either free or very discounted tickets.

[Mister Matt]

I got a good deal for the Stratesophere, which, someone just called creepy but whatever.

 

That was me.  It is creepy and horrible.  And it's very isolated from the rest of the strip, so you will have to take a bus or cab every time you leave the hotel if that's any consideration.  My brief time there in the mostly empty ghost-town first floor and the tyrannically rude staff upstairs, I'd actually prefer Fremont Street to the weird desolate vibe of the Stratosphere.

[FindingNamo]

We dropped in there too.  Not that there's any such thing as dropping in there.  So far away.  Doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

[Mr Roxy]

Area around Stratosphere is the pits. Way to far away from the Strip.

 

[Mr Roxy]

Area around Stratosphere is the pits. Way to far away from the Strip.

 

[Mister Matt]

Spending time at the Stratosphere is like living in a particularly long chapter of The Stand by Stephen King.  There is a reason Stratosphere ALWAYS has cheap deals.  Always.

[Just_John]

I stayed at the Westgate, which is beautiful, it used to be a Marriott, and I think it is always cheaper because it's a little to the side of the strip.  They have a monorail that stops right outside the hotel and brings you everywhere on the strip. It's $5 a ride but you can get unlimited and it gets cheaper the more days you buy. We got a 3 day pass for $27 I believe.  It's super easy to get around.  They have tix4today, which is their TKTS. Britney's show is god awful.  If you didn't buy tickets yet, I'd suggest you not.  The cirque shows are all so much more worth seeing.  Michael Jackson One, Beatles Love, O and Mystere are my favorites.  Celine won't be there for two months after next week.  I always miss her.  

For flights, if you have a student ID check out studentuniverse.com

[FindingNamo]

I think the awful Britney show is the entire reason for the trip, isn't it?  Between that at the Stratosphere, it's a special vacation that's not for everybody.

 

 They have a monorail that stops right outside the hotel and brings you everywhere on the strip.

 

That's overstating it quite a bit.

[Just_John]

Ok, it doesn't stop EVERYWHERE, but it will get you within a short walking distance to everywhere. 

[FindingNamo]

Again, that's sweet, but there's no short walking distances in Las Vegas.

[RippedMan]

You old, tired queens have been great. Thanks :)

[The Glenbuck Laird]

ArtMan said: "There is also a Michael Jackson show playing at the Stratosphere.  As a hotel guest, you will get either free or very discounted tickets.

 

"

Sure he died fella?

[The Glenbuck Laird]

Remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas

[ArtMan]

The Glenbuck Laird said: "ArtMan said: "There is also a Michael Jackson show playing at the Stratosphere.  As a hotel guest, you will get either free or very discounted tickets.

 

 

 

"

 

Sure he died fella?

 

"

Ha Ha He He.  It's a tribute show...Missy.

[FindingNamo]

I don't think they are allowed to say the names Michael or Jackson are they?