Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2009

ferf1223

The Bellagio Fountains

funkyfin2000 wrote: »

guys, if you arnt allowed to put your sat nav on the windscreen in california, where do you put it or what do hire companies give you when you have sat nav?

looks like the law changed 1st Jan.

http://www.engadget.com/2008/09/30/windshield-gps-mounting-legalized-again-in-california/2

nvh

The Bellagio Fountains

it's weird... i never recall actually seeing kids in vegas... even at pools it always seems to be only adults...

if i did take kids to vegas, i'd probably try and stay somewhere a bit out of the way (or that is deemed 'acceptable' for kids) - my understanding (from reading comments / other messageboards) is that kids in Vegas is an idea that is often 'spat' upon - however, I know TangoBunny said she's been with her kids before so maybe she has some good suggestions

re: Ferf + Ballys - i'm guessing the casino bit wouldn't matter as it would be off limits anyways really - although admit that it would possibly be good to have the 'wow' factor when you walk through it

is TI deemed kid friendly? I know they tried to shake the image but do kids still go there? otherwise, i'd go for Excalibur - the place always tends to get a kicking on messageboards etc but i think the theme, the location, the refurbished rooms, the chance of a strip view room, the price, and the fact it is deemed more of a 'family place' ticks all the boxes theres the 'arcade' bit in the basement, tournament of the kings is a good laff too, it's also fairly near to the giant 'coke' bottle which also has arcades, cinema etc

the only other thing i guess is that rooms in vegas only ever seem to have at most, 2 beds - can't remember how many of you you said there would be, and whether you want the kids sharing if there's more than 1 of them, but at strip hotel if you want '3 beds' you will most likely (correct me if i'm wrong) end up with 2 queen beds and a roll-away-mat thing to go on the floor

TangoBunny

The Secret Garden

The 2 best pools I think are the Tropicana and the Flamingo.
There were a lot of children around when we were there but I suspect that was because it was Halloween during our stay.
We only took one 16 year old with us and we managed just fine with 2 queens...she got one and we had the other....we were still charged to have her in the room with us despite us not requiring the extra bed.....Not having been to Vegas before I declared she was in our party.....if I had the time over again I would not have mentioned her....paid for 2 adults and just sneaked her in....belive me they would never have known.
The hotels I saw the most children in were Excalibur(don't know if they were actually staying there) and Flamingo.....there were a few at the Tropicana mostly around the lagoon pool area again you have no way of knowing if these families are staying there or just using the pool facilities.
Can't say I noticed any kids in any other of the properties we visited.
I personally would go for the Tropicana having stayed there I just get the feeling it's more child friendly despite it being slightly run down

mookybargirl

The Bellagio Fountains

Hey everyone. There's been a lots of posts already so took me a little while to catch up. Looks like my next trip will be start of next year

Adding to some of the earlier posts, Maggianos has great food and I'd eat there again, but to be honest, we eat mostly on strip and had never had a bad meal. I have a pic of the Chicken Pot Pie from Grand Lux Cafe (will post it later as at work). Oh My God. It was huge and I ordered chips with it :rotfl: It could have fed 4 people..... Vegas is one place I'd order small anything and not be worried about going hungry.

sew109

The Volcano @ Mirage

nvh wrote: »

it's weird... i never recall actually seeing kids in vegas... even at pools it always seems to be only adults...

if i did take kids to vegas, i'd probably try and stay somewhere a bit out of the way (or that is deemed 'acceptable' for kids) - my understanding (from reading comments / other messageboards) is that kids in Vegas is an idea that is often 'spat' upon - however, I know TangoBunny said she's been with her kids before so maybe she has some good suggestions

re: Ferf + Ballys - i'm guessing the casino bit wouldn't matter as it would be off limits anyways really - although admit that it would possibly be good to have the 'wow' factor when you walk through it

is TI deemed kid friendly? I know they tried to shake the image but do kids still go there? otherwise, i'd go for Excalibur - the place always tends to get a kicking on messageboards etc but i think the theme, the location, the refurbished rooms, the chance of a strip view room, the price, and the fact it is deemed more of a 'family place' ticks all the boxes theres the 'arcade' bit in the basement, tournament of the kings is a good laff too, it's also fairly near to the giant 'coke' bottle which also has arcades, cinema etc

the only other thing i guess is that rooms in vegas only ever seem to have at most, 2 beds - can't remember how many of you you said there would be, and whether you want the kids sharing if there's more than 1 of them, but at strip hotel if you want '3 beds' you will most likely (correct me if i'm wrong) end up with 2 queen beds and a roll-away-mat thing to go on the floor

Personally I think that the best hotel on teh Strip for kids is not Excalibur nor CC I cctually think it MGM as it has large non gaming areas like the Studio walk, the bit going out to the pool where you can see free non aired tv shows, it has a fair arcade, great pool, the rainforest cafe and of course the lions.

Personally I would not take kids to Vegas not becasue I disagree with kids in Vegas as some do but because it would interfere with my enjoyment looking after them and I woudl not want my kids to see all the drunks and porno cards and ads on the trucks for !!!!!s that go up and down the strip.

sew109

The Volcano @ Mirage

TangoBunny wrote: »

The 2 best pools I think are the Tropicana and the Flamingo.

Sorry I disagree best Pool by a mile and some is Mandalay Bay and then for me either Mirage or MGM, I actually like Paris as well becasue its quiet and in the sahde of the tower but its not a great pool.

I used to like Tropicana nice pool and cool waterfalls etc but since it was closed after the discovery of Ecolli in there, ok it was onlyt shut for two days but that is enough for me to have concerns about the hygine of the pool.

ferf1223

The Bellagio Fountains

mookybargirl wrote: »

Vegas is one place I'd order small anything and not be worried about going hungry.

Agreed...my MIL was overwhelmed by the portions and declared that she would only order small anything...then at Nascar Cafe on our next to last night she ordered the 'Big Chef Salad' and it was, naturally, absolutely massive.

We pointed out to her that

a) she'd already noted much earlier in the trip that portions are huge and to order a small whatever and

b) the name of the dish had 'Big' in it, so she should have known.

She said she assumed that 'big' referred to the 'chef' and not to the 'salad'.

mookybargirl

The Bellagio Fountains

sew109 wrote: »

Sorry I disagree best Pool by a mile and some is Mandalay Bay and then for me either Mirage or MGM, I actually like Paris as well becasue its quiet and in the sahde of the tower but its not a great pool.

I used to like Tropicana nice pool and cool waterfalls etc but since it was closed after the discovery of Ecolli in there, ok it was onlyt shut for two days but that is enough for me to have concerns about the hygine of the pool.

I've spent 26 days in Vegas to date and managed to get to a pool once (for about 2.5 hours .... :rotfl:

TangoBunny

The Secret Garden

I couldn't in all honesty recommend the Mandalay bay even if it is better I didn't mention it because
1.I've not been there so have no experience
2.I thought it would be to expensive for someone travelling with children
I assumed they would be on a budget

sew109

The Volcano @ Mirage

TangoBunny wrote: »

I couldn't in all honesty recommend the Mandalay bay even if it is better I didn't mention it because
1.I've not been there so have no experience
2.I thought it would be to expensive for someone travelling with children
I assumed they would be on a budget

Hi sorry I was not trying to critizise very sorry if it came accross like that just trying to help.