Arriving
Airplane:
While flying in, you can see the Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, and Red Rock Canyon. Also, the captain may announce that you
are flying over the Grand Canyon, which is spectacular to see from the sky.
Airport:
You can check into most hotels at the airport. Be
sure to have AAA cards (one for each room) present. Hotel rooms are assigned
randomly. If you want to stay on a top floor, all you have to do is ask. If staying in Paris, Bellagio or Bally’s say you want a “Bellagio Fountain View” so you
can see the elaborate water show they have outside during the afternoon and at night.
Otherwise if staying at Bellagio you will have a Sierra
Nevada mountain view. Also,
if we say it is your first time in Vegas, you may even be moved into a suite (depending on availability). Or you can just ask if there are any upgrades available… it never hurts to ask. There is the “$10 Trick,” where when checking in you slide the receptionist a $10 in hopes
of getting a better room. Some people swear by this. I personally am too timid. It is easier just to ask and not
involve money.
Getting
to the Hotel
The Park Place Entertainment shuttle is provided for people saying at Paris, Caesars,
Bally’s and the Tropicana. This shuttle will cost $5+ a person. It is sometimes cheaper to take a taxi or taxi-van ($10 total). Tell
the taxi drive you DO NOT want to take the interstate to your hotel. You have to specifically request to take “Tropicana Ave. to Las Vegas Blvd.” This will save you even more money. At
baggage claim there are limo drivers posing that their client didn’t show up and will take you to your hotel for $30. This is going to be the cheapest limo ride ever, so if you are in a spending mood,
go for it. Otherwise, take a taxi; the strip is less than 1 mile from the airport.
*In the hotel room, there is a minimum charge of $1 for every call made (except to
the front desk and from room to room). Be sure to bring cell phones to contact
each other. Leah’s Cell: 336-558-4521, Jason’s Cell: 336-558-4962.
Eating
Hotel:
In the room there will be 3 big bottles of water when you arrive. DO NOT open them. It is not complementary; you will be charged
$5 each. The drink machines in the hotel charge $2 minimum for soda. There are lots of very nice stores on the strip such as Walgreen’s or CVS where you can purchase
bottled water and snacks relatively inexpensively.
Restaurants:
Dinners are significantly more expensive than lunches.
Plan on lunch being the main meal of the day. If you walk by a restaurant
and see a “special” outside (eg. $3.99 steak and shrimp dinner), it is probably not listed on the menu inside. You have to ask your server for it.
Most
of the major hotels offer a high-end, low cost buffets. The top rated ones are
the World Market at the Rio (a free shuttle ride from Harrah’s), Le Village Buffet at
Paris, and The Buffet at Bellagio. In the fun books that casinos offer
complementary, there are often 2 for 1 buffet coupons. This is an inexpensive
way to eat very well. A great thing about the buffets in Vegas is because they
accommodate visitors from all over the world, there are a variety of foods that are not native or popular in the eastern US. I had the opportunity to try lingam berries, pot stickers and octopus at the Bellagio.
*I was told that Caesar’s
Palace had a great buffet. As it turns out, it was not a buffet, but just five
hot selections in a row. I don’t suggest eating at the Ceasars Buffet,
but the food court at Caesars is amazing. You are given a card and can go up
and get food from a wide variety of places. Instead of paying cash at each, they
continue adding to your card. There is a check-out by the exit where they total
your card.
Casinos:
Free drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as well as frozen beverages, coffee, etc.) are
given to anyone present. Always sign up for the players club card. Usually you
will get additional coupons/vouchers for just signing up for the free card. Always
remember to use your player’s club card on any machine (poker, blackjack, slots, etc.) the casino will keep track of
how long you play and offer rewards and discounts. Park Place
hotels even offer a percentage of your cash back! I constantly am getting amazing
hotel rate offers in the mail from a variety of hotels, just because I signed up for their card. I must note, this is not
a credit card, they don’t do a credit check. It is just a plastic card
casinos use to keep track of who is in their casino and rewards patrons.
Be sure to get a comp card if you do any table gaming at all. This is the best way to earn comps because they cannot track how much you gamble, win or loose, just the
amount of time you are at the table. Generally you need to be making $25/hand
bets to be comped.
Fun Books
“Fun Books” are neither fun, nor books, but are actually a free information
and coupon pamphlets available at most hotels. All you do to get them is ask
the front desk clerk or at the casino’s main cage. These books have valuable
coupons and vouchers for free things including meals, attractions, rides, shows and match play for casino games. Pick up every free Las Vegas magazine you see, these also have coupons that greatly reduce the prices of food and
attractions.
Only one hotel does not have fun books: the Bellagio.
I do not recommend spending a lot of time gaming in their casino. A thing
to be aware of is that all the beautiful hotels in Las
Vegas were built on people losing money in their casinos. As a general rule, the more beautiful the hotel, the less their casinos machines are
willing to pay out. Slot, black jack, and video poker machines are controlled
by the casino based on how “tight” or “loose” they want them to be.
There is no way to control luck at a table game.
MUST SEE Hotels and Sites: (in no particular order)
Mandalay Bay* – Shark Reef, Storm production show, The House of Blues.
Rio*- Masquerade Village’s Mardi Grass Show in the Sky (best free show on the strip, arrive early for a
2nd floor spot), Voodoo Lounge on the top floor. Don’t forget
to say “hi” to Rio Rita in the casino!
The Venetian* – Guggenheim Hermitage Museum, Gondola
Rides ($12.50/person… but with the Fun Book, it is a lot less), Jack’s Velvet Lounge (best place late night spot)
Flamingo* – Beautiful, expansive outdoor wildlife
habitat. Good smoothie bar!
New York New York* – Manhattan Express roller coaster,
Coney Island arcade, Lord of the Dance, Coyote Ugly. Lots of deli-style eateries.
Hard Rock Hotel – Best place to see famous people,
Pink Taco (great Mexican food), and the best free stuff for signing up for a player’s club card.
Freemont Street- (Las Vegas Downtown) Light show over the street, starts at dusk. Shows on the hour until
midnight. Located 3 miles north of the strip, but it very impressive.
Don’t go too late because it’s sort of creepy and sketchy downtown.
Luxor* – Blue Man Group, and the casino and rooms with sloping walls.
Mirage* – Mirage Volcano outside, indoor rainforest,
tiger habitat, dolphin habitat, Siegfreed & Roy’s old location, and Danny Gans
MGM Grand* – Vegas’s largest casino, cool
boxing arena, Lion Habitat, Studio 54, Rainforest Café.
Imperial Palace- Car museum better than the Smithsonian.
TI (Treasure Island)* – Sirens of TI’s PG-13
rated buccaneer burlesque show (get there early for a good spot), Cirque duSoleil’s “Mystere”
The Palms – Decorated really well and a fun atmosphere,
very “loose” slots. Another place to spot famous people. Movie theatre,
bowling ally, palm reader and tattoo parlor.
Monte Carlo* – Lance Burton, brew-pub.
Stratosphere – Stratosphere Tower, Big
Shot thrill ride, High Roller roller coaster
Fashion Show Mall*-
The only mall in the US with 5 anchor stores (Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Macys, Bloomingdales, and Saks).
Desert Passage*- Leah
and Jason’s favorite spot to shop. Located in the Aladdin hotel. Sephora, French Connection, and more!
Away
from Vegas:
Hoover Dam*- Amazing to see. If there is no parking, drive to Arizona (the other side of the Dam) and there are always spaces.
Red Rock Canyon*- Beautiful Nevada state park, lots of hiking trails.
VERY hot out there, but the most beautiful rocks you will ever see.
Lake Mead*- The reservoir created by the construction of Hoover Dam (huge lake).
The Grand Canyon-
Located approximately two hours north-east.
To get to Freemont
Street to see the light show:
Show runs every hour on the hour from dusk to midnight. 7-9 minute light and sound shows. Take the #301 city bus (CAT)
the length of the strip to downtown. Busses run at 10 minute intervals from 5:30am
– midnight, then every 15 minutes after that. The cost is $2 per person
and requires exact change. Best place to stand is in the middle, in front of
Binion’s Horseshoe, or on the 2nd floor balcony of Lucky’s in the Fitzgerald’s casino.
*Watch out for Mexicans (citywide) on street corners slapping pamphlets on their hands
to get your attention. Don’t make eye contact. The pamphlets contain explicit call girl information. Prostitution
is illegal in Clark County, so we don’t have to worry about that… But they will slap the pamphlets in front of
anybody any age, so ignore them and keep walking.
Transportation
Walking: Vegas is a pedestrian friendly city, but
you will be routed to walk over overpasses to get across the streets. There are
numerious outdoor excalators and people-movers. Don’t jay-walk, it is dangerous
to do and also the police will give you a big ticket.
Rental Car: Available at hotel, airport, and at places
along the strip. Every hotel advertises free parking and if not, they will validate.
Trolley: $1.50 to go up and down the strip. Requires exact change.
Free Shuttles: 9am-1am (the shuttles are located
in the back of hotels, sometimes hard to
locate)
Hard Rock – Stardust – Fashion Show Mall – Tropicana – Caesar’s
Palace
Rio – Harrah’s
Monorail:
Navigate
the Las Vegas Strip with the help of four free monorails that run between Bally's and the MGM Grand, the Monte Carlo and the Bellagio, Treasure Island
and the Mirage, and Excalibur and Mandalay Bay (with a stop at the Luxor).
Mirage-Treasure Island Tram
The Mirage-Treasure Island tram runs between 9 a.m. and midnight. The tram arrives every 15 minutes at its slowest. The ride lasts about 4 minutes
- add another 3-4 minutes on either end for the inefficient disembarking procedure. Attendants are nowhere in sight while
passengers are waiting and their direction doesn't help much when arriving and departing passengers have to navigate the same
narrow platform.
The Mirage
stop of this monorail is outside but well shaded. At Treasure Island, passengers
wait indoors. No smoking, food or uncovered beverages are allowed. The ride, which passes under not-very-tropical vegetation,
is slow but smooth. Seating is bus-style, with long benches and a little standing room.
MGM
Grand to Sahara Monorail Opens in late summer 2004
The MGM Grand to Bally's monorail
has been temporarily closed as an extension is completed. The new monorail -- set to open in late summer 2004 -- will run
from the MGM Grand to the Sahara hotel. The new route will include stops at: MGM Grand, Bally's,
Flamingo, Harrah's / Imperial Palace,
Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas Hilton and the Sahara. There is also a proposed spur being discussed that would connect
the monorail to the Riviera and Stardust.
Bellagio-Monte
Carlo Tram
The
Bellagio-Monte Carlo Tram is temporarily closed due to construction at Bellagio. A date for when the tram will re-open has
not been set.
Mandalay
Bay-Excalibur Tram
This
monorail's route varies based on what hotel you start at. If you start at the Excalibur main station, the monorail will take
you directly to Mandalay Bay - about a 3-minutes trip. If you start from Mandalay Bay, you will stop at the Luxor and then the Excalibur - about a 7-minutes trip. It is in operation 24 hours a day, and trains leave every 3-7 minutes.
All waiting
areas are indoor except the Luxor's, but some walking is required to make the loop (there are stairs
as well as an elevator to access the tram stop). Fortunately, everything is well air-conditioned. Small platforms and a lack
of any attendants at the Mandalay Bay end mean you may have to scramble to a car when traffic is heavy, but even a holiday
weekend crowd can be accommodated once the initial rush for a seat dies down.
Although
it's a little more complicated to make this loop, the profusion of stations has some advantages: The Main Station is convenient
to a free pull on a slot machine with a $5,000 payoff (though it gives out many more free show tickets), and the Luxor's is
the only monorail stop with music for waiting passengers.
Dress Code:
During the day it is 110deg. dry heat. People
wear as little as possible. In the hotels/casinos they keep the a/c blasting
so you would actually want a sweater. At night LV is a slightly
more formal city, but LV is known for people wearing comfortable
things anytime of the day or night. To get into any hotel club at night
try to dress sophisticatedly (they have door people to keep out the weird-o’s).
I suggest black skirts for the ladies and a button down with khaki pants for the men.
Money:
ATM’s
charge $3
Checks-
our hotel will cash our personal checks up to $200
Travelers
Checks- Not usually accepted
Tip
cab drivers 15%
Tip
valet $1
Tip
bellman $1/bag
Concierge:
$10 per service (such as getting us sold out tickets or a car)
