Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2009

tingtong

GRIGGSY wrote: »

I was thinking of going to New York for my 30th but have just found a luxury suite at the Venetian for 7 nights including flights from Edinburgh for just over £800 each. Man what do I do..............

Simple answer - you go to Vegas !

stoneman

The Bellagio Fountains

Just had a look at my Restaurant.com account and my voucher for Austins is still in there to be printed off. It says it is unused but I used it a few months ago. Maybe they never validated it.

ferf1223

The Bellagio Fountains

tingtong wrote: »

Yeah, come on ferf, how much ? I've read somewhere anything over $1200 on slots must be declared, is that correct ?

Yeah, that's right - anyything over $1199...Jamie won $1267.25 so not far over the threshold but far enough for us. Luckily he already has an ITIN so he got the full amount...I know some casinos will do the paperwork for foreigners so they don't have to hold back 30%, but they aren't obligated to...so was nice to get the full lot anyway. Of course, it's all down to me as he was playing MY favorite slot...so...:)

Since then Vegas is working on taking it all back - but we're having a great time and the temperature is due to be in the high 80s (was in the 50s when we arrived which was weird).

OH!

I asked about Danny Gans previously and I don't think anyone here had been before...we booked, went yesterday and OMG...worst Vegas show I have ever seen. He IS very talented, and he DOES do some really great impressions, but that's about 20 minutes of the show...the rest is a) bad impressions, b) impressions that are so outdated as to be ridiculous (you're still doing Tim Allen's character from Home Improvement? And Jeff Foxworthy? Really?) and c) really stale jokes. I wanted to leave so badly but my husband decided that he would get his money's worth out of making me squirm and since he blocked my access to the aisle, I was stuck...he was SO amused with himself. To be fair we did laugh more at his torturing me than the show.

Then again, most of the audience seemed to LOVE the show...so we must just be weird.

ferf1223

The Bellagio Fountains

stoneman wrote: »

Just had a look at my Restaurant.com account and my voucher for Austins is still in there to be printed off. It says it is unused but I used it a few months ago. Maybe they never validated it.

They don't update that section - the user has to...it's weird, I know...but it's just a self maintenance thing so you can keep track of what's used and what's not.

mookybargirl

The Bellagio Fountains

NVH - great report. Loved the pics too (I'm still a day behind but glanced up and well done ferf on the win!) Hoping a trip report is coming soon - think your one from 2 years ago was the first one I ever read and it was a monster.... lol

JailhouseBabe

Hi,

I've promised DD I'll take her to Vegas for her 21st. Ideally I'd like to fly out/arrive on her birthday (21st Nov) and arrive back early on 27th (day I graduate). If we fly from Birmingham, we should be able to manage it.
Here's where I'd appreciate some help/advice:

I've found flights for £417 (1 connection) - is that reasonable? I'm pretty sure it may be worth paying a little extra for the convenience - it's 20minutes from home by car and we could get a lift each way.

Flights are with Continental. Any horror stories? Recommendations? Does anyone think we'd blag an upgrade as travelling on DD's 21st?

Finally, should we wait until nearer the time to book a hotel?

TIA x

pebblesmax

The Bellagio Fountains

That seems about the best available from Birmingham. We have flown with Continental before, and are doing so again on May 4th. Can't say I've heard anything bad about them, but some of the more frequent fliers may be better answering that.

If you book direct with the hotel, you can always cancel, but the offers for November will come out later. Be aware though, that your dates include Thanksgiving, which is a big deal in the USA.

JailhouseBabe

pebblesmax wrote: »

That seems about the best available from Birmingham. We have flown with Continental before, and are doing so again on May 4th. Can't say I've heard anything bad about them, but some of the more frequent fliers may be better answering that.

If you book direct with the hotel, you can always cancel, but the offers for November will come out later. Be aware though, that your dates include Thanksgiving, which is a big deal in the USA.

Is Thanksgiving likely to affect us? Sorry to seem dim
Oh - I'm imagining John Candy and Steve Martin now Busy airports?

FluffyFiFi

The Bellagio Fountains

stoneman wrote: »

Thanks for the restaurant codes guys. Just got a $50 Hawaiian Tropic zone voucher for $6. Minimum spend $100 but you can use it on drinks as well!!

We thought the Hawaiin Tropic place was great, although I felt a bit sorry for the poor girls wearing nothing but bikini's and a sarong, it really wasn't warm enough, DH didn't mind though!

When we were passing they were handing out coupons for buy one get one free on their drinks. Ended up spending a very enjoyable couple of hours there people watching.

tingtong

sew109 wrote: »

have a look at shooting safaris I have not done it but it looks fun.

OK, looks like I'm doing the Shooting Safari "Shooting Through History" package on Tuesday. Will let everyone know how it goes.