Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2010

photome

Stayed at The Hotel last year..booked at MB for $79 a night (from memory) and got a free upgrade to a suite at The Hotel. Fantastic room had view over pool and airport from floor 30 something. Couldnt believe we got the free upgrade to it.

1 bedroom, large lounge, large bathroom, a 2nd toilet, 3 tvs.

As others have said the pool is easily the best in Vegas if you want to be active and "surf" the waves.

pebblesmax

October , November

jaymjay wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if £430 is a good price to pay for a flight from Manchester to Vegas, in April, with a change of flight at Philadelphia? Also, would 1 hr 50 mins give enough time to get through security etc and onto the next flight?

We are paying £427 in May, higher than they've been for some time, but the best I could find at the moment.

PHL is an easy airport to navigate, and we have managed the change over easily within 1 hour 50 mins. Even if you don't, they will get you on the next available flight. There are several flights each day from PHL to LAS.

jaymjay

April

ultimate_shopaholic wrote: »

That seems to be around the going rate for flights to Vegas at the moment, perhaps due to all of UK being sick of the snow! I paid £340 for flights to Vegas from Manchester with Delta, changing at Atlanta when I went there in September. That's fairly cheap for a flight to Vegas IMO, but I think £430 is pretty average!

Thanks for your reply. How far in advance did you book your flights? We only decided to go to Vegas a few days ago and as we hadn't planned for it, are wanting to do it as cheaply as we can. I don't know whether to book the flights now or wait a while. Are the prices likely to come down?

mookybargirl

March

indiegirl wrote: »

Booked our flights this morning for September... after oodles of deliberation we've gone with AA - out via LA and back via Chicago. It was £35 cheaper than the Virgin direct flights but more importantly from Heathrow: Gatwick's a pig for us to get to.

I'll be wishing the next 8 months and 28 days away!

Looking at Ballys and TI this time around (did PH last time), although would love Paris.

Does anyone know whether I'd be eligible for any offers if I signed up for a Harrahs card before we go (or get someone to pick one up for me which I could then register online)? Or do I need activity on the account for the offers?

I preferred both Bally and TI over Paris. We found the room at Paris average in terms of service and decor and our room in Paris was tiny. We could have just been unlucky (and we did tip at check in)......

ferf1223

April

indiegirl wrote: »

Thanks Ferf, annoying though, that is... what a shame I can't grab a card and retrospectively sign up. Never mind, the email offers it will have to be for us, for now...

I don't think it would have made a difference - the offers they send out to players club members will either be the same as those for the general public or those based on your play...so you won't lose anything by not signing up until you get there, and you can decide which casino you want to sign up based on which has the best freebie for you...sometimes there are vouchers (like in the ACG or LVA) with sign up freebies too.

ferf1223

April

mookybargirl wrote: »

I preferred both Bally and TI over Paris. We found the room at Paris average in terms of service and decor and our room in Paris was tiny. We could have just been unlucky (and we did tip at check in)......

I think you mentioned this before...and I think stoneman was disappointed in his Red Room at Paris due to the size...we were going to try Paris this trip but now I'm waivering even more..I think we're going to go with THE Hotel our first 3 nights and cancel MGM...but then may end up going back to Bally's for the last 5...at least we know the room will be big, though will unlikely compare to the room at THE Hotel - it will be something we're used to rather than trying something new.

ferf1223

April

ferf1223 wrote: »

I think you mentioned this before...and I think stoneman was disappointed in his Red Room at Paris due to the size...we were going to try Paris this trip but now I'm waivering even more..I think we're going to go with THE Hotel our first 3 nights and cancel MGM...but then may end up going back to Bally's for the last 5...at least we know the room will be big, though will unlikely compare to the room at THE Hotel - it will be something we're used to rather than trying something new.

Aaand we changed our minds again...have booked the deal at THE Hotel (thank you, Luci!) and found that we could have the last 5 nights comped at Caesars in a Forum Tower Deluxe room (the newly renovated ones - and last time we stayed at Caesars we got upgraded to the Palace Tower).

Incidentally - while the deal at THE Hotel says from $99 - some nights are actually coming out less than that.

blueybug

The good
vdara hotel was great, the rooms were huge very clean Inc fridge, microwave
etc lush huge bathroom and the twin HD telly was fab!.
Very quite non smoking hotel

gran canyon trip was a great day out, very long but in my 7 trips
it was the first time of seeing it covered in snow.

The strip was so quite on the Sunday, Monday, Tuesday it was nice to walk
at your own speed without the crowds ( I normally go Aug/Sept ).

I had my two tattoos done at a place called smoking aces great shop and artist.

For the first time ever! I brought home $$$$ ! couldn't seem to spend it.

The bad

traffic jams on the strip all day/ night long. Riding the bus took an age
and even the drivers were telling people just to get off and walk it will be quicker.

The strat had closed the outside viewing point, you could only stay
inside but still had to pay full price! Which was a con in my book.

After telling the taxi driver do not go through the tunnel and get to the
hotel fast please didn't get into his tiny head then was quite happy to charge
me $36 for the trip after I told him no I asked you to go the quickest route
not the longest I give him a $20 and left him shouting.

The ugly

now this is my view on the subject, some of you won't agree or think I'm a little OTT but this is my own view

airport security What the hell are they playing at? As soon as I got to gatwick they said the LV flight was 2 hr delay which was fine. Then I checked the bags in and went through security again no problems here. Was told to go to the gate an hour before the flight was due out again no problem. While walking to the gate I could see a long line of people wow I thought I asked the family in front is thethe line for Vegas? Yes it was and the line for the two Orlando flights too.
What I never knew and what others were never told we were going through yet another security point. What's the point? We just came from one!!

Cutting a very long story short picture the scene
3 flights going out at 3 different times
one huge line of people
3 now very late flights

Mr Gatwick security wouldn't it of been better to line up three different
flights of people so at least one of the flights may of gone out nearer their
time slot, maybe use a loud speaker to tell the 1300 people in the que what the hell is going on? The LV flight was 4 hours delayed and could of been less
if they did their job better and had three lines of people not just one

As soon as you got through this mickey mouse secuity ( this person never even checked my bag!!!!) you got put on the plane and had to wait till everyone on your flight was checked.

I know it wasn't Virgins fault but the people on board were screaming and shouting at the stewards and it was nasty to see.

I know it was all due to the security issue on dec 25th but the way they addressed the issue was a complete joke.

And to top it all off I'm in bed with some sort of sickness bug
27 hrs of sleep and lost 2 stone in weight in 3 days not at all good

will it stopme from going back?

No, but Gatwick needs to pull their finger out and wake up on the problems
it makes peoples hoildays start with a bang

ferf1223

April

blueybug wrote: »

Mr Gatwick security wouldn't it of been better to line up three different flights of people so at least one of the flights may of gone out nearer their time slot, maybe use a loud speaker to tell the 1300 people in the que what the hell is going on? The LV flight was 4 hours delayed and could of been less
if they did their job better and had three lines of people not just one

I know it wasn't Virgins fault but the people on board were screaming and shouting at the stewards and it was nasty to see.

Maybe they didn't have enough staff for 3 lines? I don't know - but that would be my guess...it sounds like it sucked for the passengers, but when unexpected things happen it's sometimes hard to cope on relatively short notice. As for the passengers screaming and shouting - probably they were mad they had to wait for their free booze.

ultimate_shopaholic

August

jaymjay wrote: »

Thanks for your reply. How far in advance did you book your flights? We only decided to go to Vegas a few days ago and as we hadn't planned for it, are wanting to do it as cheaply as we can. I don't know whether to book the flights now or wait a while. Are the prices likely to come down?

I think we booked about 7 months in advance, but I've been scouring the net for cheap flights to Vegas & even the ones from London seem around £400+. A few years back I got a last minute fly drive with what was then MyTravel (now Thomas Cook) from Manchester in June or July, I dont recall which, and it cost £220, so that's really the only time I've seen the flights to Vegas so cheap. I'm not entirely sure whether Scheduled flights to Vegas will drop, it's a shame because there are such good hotel prices in Vegas at the moment as well!