Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2009 part 2

p4girl

Arrived back from U.S. yesterday, during our holiday we spent 4th July weekend in LV. Thanks to all who post here - your advice was invaluable!

We stayed at Ballys. Couldn't believe my luck when there was no queue to check in, and in the days following we did see HUGE queues, altho' to be fair there were at least 9 or 10 people checking folk in. We took the $20 a night upgrade to North Tower, which I'm glad we did - the room was enormous and spotless, well worth the money. We had a view of the mountains and the airport and at night we slept soundly because it was so quiet - lovely!

Ballys left us helpful information sheets each morning, warning of construction work, advising us of ways to check out quickly and offering half price tickets for Jubilee, which we went to see, albeit the early show because we had a 17 year old in tow. I loved it, maybe because I'm a sucker for old style all singing all dancing shows! All acts were fab, it's quite a spectacle, but I did find the cheery singing which accompanied the sinking of the Titanic a little strange...! I think it would be a great pity if it had to close - it really is olden days Vegas.

We found eating out more expensive than we had expected, and cups of tea and bottled water were dear too, but we paid up due to the temperatures of 106 / 107! Hot!

I'd recommend Ballys happily, the location is hard to beat for the money.

We took a day trip to the Grand Canyon, which was indeed awesome, altho' a long journey there and back. Driver showed good films on the bus so it wasn't too arduous.

For anyone else who is readig this prior to a trip as I did, let me say that for me, the best $20 I spent was on a ticket to see Mac King at Harrah's - he was great, comedy and very clever magic, and if you need a while out of the heat in the afternoon, this is the place to be. And he happily stands outside at the end of his show to say hi to anyone who wants to meet him. Great guy!

I didn't fall in love with Vegas instantly, it was more of a 'slow burn', but I'm glad I went. Some of the hotels are really jaw dropping!

mich_city

well guys i'm back too.. spent 3 days in vegas and have to say it was more than enough!

dont know how you guys do it!.. we were shattered and drained there.. might be beause of the short time we had so rushing around trying to see everything but ending up seeing very little..

it is a gob smacking place, our room in the IP wasn't great looking out over the back but we wasnt too bothered as we didnt spend a great deal of time there..

from my TR on the california, arizona thread..

day 8:
mostly travelling today.. hit the road to vegas!

stopped en route at a huge walmart store.. bought a new large holdall, knew I should have taken my large case!!.. more outlet shops and more purchases back onto coach
vegas loomed in the distance, a sight to behold even from afar!
everyone woke up on the coach and the cameras came out!.. past the vegas sign, luxor, new york new york.. onto the flamingo were we stayed whilst coach and guide dropped our bags and booked us into the imperial palace.

we wandered around the casino, gob smacked!.. got a drink and found a quiet spot sat watching the flamingos (of course) sun was splitting the stones one minute then a freak gust of wind and rain descended scattering everyone back inside.. disappeared as quickly as it arrived!
onto the IP, bit shabby compared to some of the other hotels we'd stayed in.. but was to be our home for the next 3 nights. OH not happy as no smoking and no tea/coffee maker (our travel kettle sprung a leak!)

had a rest then headed out to explore nearby.. what a culture shock for us.. went into the forum shops looking for the cheesecake factory after reading rave reviews about it on here.. what a place.. we got lost going up and down escalators and round in circles.. eventually spotted the sign in the distance.. mecca!.. OH impressed with the 'statues' and trojan horse in there.. didnt pass the tapping test tho

hmm... was a bit disappointed, I had cajun jambalaya pasta, was ok.. bit greasy and didnt eat it all.. worst of all I didnt feel like having cheesecake... whaaaaaaa!! got 2 slices to go.. very pricey!

had a walk after went down as far as bellagio fountain, watched this then headed over the road to head back up to the IP.. took an age.. back to room feet aching and 2 wilted cheesecakes in tow.. ate mine as no fridge, but didnt really enjoy it.. white choc raspberry truffle!!

didnt get to do the pool or slots today!

day 9:
early start as we decided to do tour of hoover dam and lake mead cruise.
did this with an external tour company, after an hour and half waiting for people to show up at various hotels we got there.. were told we had an hour and half

what they didnt tell us was they have security checks, then a short film before taking a limited number down to start the tour.. unfortunately we got stopped and had to wait for another tour to start so we didnt get the full tour we were meant to have, nor any time to mooch around outside the dam!.. very disappointed and annoyed as we were looking forward to this so much!.. did take some great photos thankfully..

onto lake mead, paddle boat cruise upto the hoover dam with a snack lunch onboard, nice and relaxing and mega hot - 110 degrees!.. good view of the dam from the bottom!

on way back to vegas they took us on unscheduled stop to a chocolate factory and m+ms world.. guide and drivers of various coaches got nice goody bag back handers for taking us there!.. cheeky sods could have let us have more time at the hoover dam rather than have their palms greased! :mad:

back to the IP, recharged our batteries then got the deuce down to watch the fremont show.. saw the queen and kiss shows, really enjoyed it and liked the vibe down that end of town.. far less hustle and bustle, even tho it was crowded.. looked around the gift shops bought more tat then another long deuce trip back up the strip!

we were tired and hungry so just grabbed a McD's and headed back.. we vowed we would make the pool and have a go on the slots... tomorrow!

threw OH's cheesecake away.. *sob*

day 10:
we decided to head down to the outlet mall dowtown, got the deuce and bus, wasn't too long today thank god!.. had to visit the disney store, no handy manny for grandson so he got cars and mickey stuff instead.. onto converse to buy new boots and t-shirts for daughter.. went in a few others, hilfiger, nike etc.. all shopped out we got a sandwich and headed back.. we called in at bill's to catch the big elvis show.. very cheesy but great stuff.. OH made me get photo taken with him afterwards.. hmm.. :cool: lol

later on we went down to the vegas sign for more photos.. then never ending journey back up the strip.. this really tires you out!.. meant to stop and have photo taken at one of the wedding chapels for the craic but decided no more deuce trips!.. went to watch the sirens show at TI - very corny took some photos around the venetian.. nice reflections with the lights, OH did some more tapping of walls and columns etc!..

called in dennys for something to eat, I decided I hate dennys..
back to pack as leaving vegas in the morning, was nice not to worry about bags for a few days! - still never made it to the pool.. but did LOSE $20 on the slots.. last of the big spenders

didnt do as much as we intended to do, its hard work travelling around and walking anywhere.. meant to go down to MGM and the titanic exhibition at luxor.. wanted to see the fountains again as didnt have right camera with me when we went the 1st night.. didnt make it to any!

verdict on vegas.. glad i've been.. and glad to get out of it..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21425581@N06/sets/72157621480065697/

some piccies

ferf1223

October , November

mich_city wrote: »

well guys i'm back too.. spent 3 days in vegas and have to say it was more than enough!

dont know how you guys do it!.. we were shattered and drained there.. might be beause of the short time we had so rushing around trying to see everything but ending up seeing very little..

Thanks for taking the time to write that up - I enjoyed reading it...and yes, I think that short trips - especially if you do not have a rental car - can end up being pretty exhausting as you try to pack so much in and things never really go to plan. Our first few were 3/4 nights...after that it's been 7+ with one exception (3 nights last summer tacked onto the end of a trip elsewhere in the US). We so much enjoy the extra time as it does mean we can keep a slower pace...but even after more than 10 trips it does still seem that sometimes we're rushing to cram things in and by the end we're pretty tired...but almost always book our next trip within a week or two of getting back.

ferf1223

October , November

p4girl wrote: »

Arrived back from U.S. yesterday, during our holiday we spent 4th July weekend in LV. Thanks to all who post here - your advice was invaluable!

Thanks for your post - I agree on the Titanic music, a bit odd but a fun show even if I think I liked the acts between the singing and dancing a bit better. Glad you liked Ballys - we really love it there especially due to the room size - really think we would now feel cramped many other places.

trets77

Ballys left us helpful information sheets each morning, warning of construction work, advising us of ways to check out quickly and offering half price tickets for Jubilee, which we went to see, albeit the early show because we had a 17 year old in tow. I loved it, maybe because I'm a sucker for old style all singing all dancing shows! All acts were fab, it's quite a spectacle, but I did find the cheery singing which accompanied the sinking of the Titanic a little strange...! I think it would be a great pity if it had to close - it really is olden days Vegas.

The themes of Jubilee are bit afternoon soap opera . kind of a excuse for great sets and Chorography if you ask me . The show makes a bit more sense when you see the 10 'o clock show i guess , yes that is hundreds of topless girls, if you have doubts about going guys , but a show you take your wife with you and your wife will enjoy too ( audience when we went was 95% couples )

i doubt it will close anytime soon as he showroom is custom built i think , plus it is pretty popular.

Volcano

October , November

mich_city wrote: »

then never ending journey back up the strip.. this really tires you out!.. its hard work travelling around and walking anywhere..

I think the distances can be deceiving, especially as you're so busy looking at the sights.

Taxis are cheap and plentiful, every big hotel has them lined up outside. We'd just walk down the strip until we were tired, then hop into a taxi to get back, makes it so much more enjoyable!

nvh

mich_city wrote: »

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21425581@N06/sets/72157621480065697/

some piccies

thanks for the report always good to see a not so positive review of the place seems like some of your trip was tarnished by the organised stuff - we've never done these (as i despise coach / buses... probably because of that! I must be a control freak!)


anyways, that's not what i wanted to reply about - just had to say you've taken some wicked photo's there! - fantastic colours on them! love how the colours in the sky (etc) come out! nice one! :T

tingtong

Anyone after an Archos for your own films on the long flight to Vegas, Dabs have got the 705 (7" screen) for just £128.99:

http://www.dabs.com/products/archos-705-wi-fi-80gb-multimedia-player-4MV1.html

Also, if it's like the one I had a few months back from Play.com, it may have a 160gb drive fitted instead of the stated 80gb. Just remember you may have to buy additional plug-ins depending on what files you want to play - these can be bought off Ebay much cheaper than off Archos.

tingtong

mich_city wrote: »

verdict on vegas.. glad i've been.. and glad to get out of it..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21425581@N06/sets/72157621480065697/

some piccies

Some great photos, obviously not from a point-n-shoot camera ! Noticed your Flickr photos from Erddig Hall too - I grew about about a mile from there !

James_Bond

Hi there,

I am looking to stay at the bellagio at the beginning of June 2010 for two people. I am looking for the best available deals related to flying from Manchester, with minimum stops.

I would appreciate any help regarding the price. The cheapest I have found is £13000 flight and hotel. Is there any places I should be checking online? Have done opodo, expedia etc etc.

Many thanks in advance for help. :money: