Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2011

secretmachines

July

luci wrote: »

I keep forgetting to post this deal and it's available until 30 June. Might be of some use to anyone going this year.

http://www.travelzoo.com/local-deals/deal/3104

ooh has anyone been? that sounds a really good deal, quite tempted!

iltisman

This is a bit scary I must have walked over that walkway 100s of times

http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2011/06/25/fatal-stabbing-on-the-strip/

luci

May

iltisman wrote: »

This is a bit scary I must have walked over that walkway 100s of times

http://lasvegas.cbslocal.com/2011/06/25/fatal-stabbing-on-the-strip/

At 4.15 in the morning?

dontone

June

Hiya all.
Just got back today from our 3 week USA tour that I won last year. 3 nights NY, 1 night San Fran (definately go there again) and 3 nights of bliss at Yosemite park - If you get the chance, please go there, such an amazing place, capped off for us by a black bear running across the road in front of our car as we were heading to Vegas.
2 weeks in Vegas at the Wynn this time for us. It's nicer than Caesers but being on the 34th floor still didn't help drown the nightclub noise out, even though I asked for a higher up room away from the hustle and bustle. Apparently guests as high up as the 36th floor could hear the music :eek:
Anyway, the highlights - My first ever Royal Flush on VP :j 4000 coins, it was nickels which worked out to $200. Great win because I was down to my last max bet of 15, so worked fab.
The Wynn hotel room. Beautiful and tasteful.
George Wallace comedy show - funny, funny guy, and a very nice man too, got a signed dvd and got to meet him.
The Outlet Mall - Timberland boots $50 :T
The Mirage Volcano - first time we saw the new version.
The Freemont Street zipline - I'm a big coward on rides but this was amazing, a real adreneline rush. Well worth the $15.
The Bellagio conservatory display - the best one I've seen, the big wheel in there is gorgeous.
The Cosmopolitan/Aria - A pleasant surprise.

The Bad -
The amount of beggars on the footbridges. We gave some our loose change, but we've not known that many people asking for change in all the times we've been.
The Wynn nightclub - too loud.
Bratty college/graduate kids - full of their own importance and very ignorant, especially when jumping the queue getting into lifts. Idiot award goes to the wally shouting off in one how cool dodgeball was because he had "dodgeball" written on his shirt. Never have I wanted to hold a bowling ball so bad, IYSWIM
Lack of decent cups of tea in the Wynn buffet - Earl Grey & Bergamont blend (need I say more) oh and make sure you ask for milk first, or you get honey and lemon slices, yeuch!!
Sad to see the Sahara go - first hotel we ever stayed in, in Vegas.
And Hilton - no more Star Trek - now just a meh hotel.

Apart from that we had a great time, just pottering around the casinos, shopping and the couple of bowling trips at Gold Coast. Can't believe it's over with. Here's to the next trip :beer:

bubble113

August

I've previously bought i pod touch and nintendo consoles in Vegas for my boys but one of them has asked about an i phone. I don't know how and if this would work. Are they locked to network in US (at&t?) or can I buy a SIM card when I get back.....not really into mobiles just use it for calls and texting so any replies need to be non techie!:)

TIA x

jonana1982

wow, never been to las vegas. hope next summer.

stoneman

October

bubble113 wrote: »

I've previously bought i pod touch and nintendo consoles in Vegas for my boys but one of them has asked about an i phone. I don't know how and if this would work. Are they locked to network in US (at&t?) or can I buy a SIM card when I get back.....not really into mobiles just use it for calls and texting so any replies need to be non techie!:)

TIA x

As far as I know they are locked to a network, but simple jailbreaking and unlocking will sort that out
There really is no point in buying one there anyway, with a bit of looking you can get a brand new unlocked one on Ebay for about £400 (less than the cost of one in the U.S.), and they all come with apple warranty, much easier to get sorted out in this country if things go wrong.

secretmachines

July

not much development, but today's strike update:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/8600820/Branson-tells-Virgin-pilots-strike-will-leave-indelible-scar.html

selfishly, at least i'll be good to fly out there on Friday, would be such a shame if they announce strikes this week and we get stranded out there for a few extra days :eek:

WestHamDaz

has anyone had any experience of being refused their reservation at check in, and if so how did you deal with it?

We were due to check in to mandalay bay yesterday, got there about 11.15am and when we got to the counter the girl looked at our reservation and said she'd have to get a manager to come talk to us about our booking.

This guy come out and said they were moving us to the MGM Grand as Mandalay Bay was full and they couldnt accept our booking. After about an hours worth of discussion they were not budging and it was the MGM, excalibur or nothing. I tried to find out why they couldnt accept us but the manager seemed shifty and wasnt reallly telling us the truth why they couldnt accept us.

He claimed the issue came to light only at 11pm the night before, told us that lots of guests have decided not to check out and are staying in their rooms and the couldn not force them to leave. I told him I find it hard to believe that in a hotel of 3000+ rooms there wasnt any way they could offer us 6 nights accommodation even if it meant moving out of 1 room to another.
His reply to this was 'this is Vegas, and this is what happens'

He also contradicted himself when I asked about mving to another MGM resort apart from the MGM Grand, and he said they offered that hotel as it is the closest 'like for like' room. According to him the mirage, aria, even the luxor are all fully booked for the next 6 nights, but by coincidence the MGM grand was the only hotel with availability.

So after hitting a brick wall we had no other option but to head over to the MGM Grand and spend our final 6 nights there. To say I wasnt happy is a bit of an understatement.

Something is going on at Mandalay Bay this week and the management were being reluctant to tell us what. I dont believe that suddenly at 11pm on a saturday that a few hundred guests all decided to extend their stay and they couldnt accept us (and a hundred or so more bookings).

Due to the way we were treated I have now decided to cancel our booking at Mix on thursday and eat elsewhere, and due to that I have a $50 restaurant.com voucher going spare to whoever wants it.

Has this happened to anyone else out in here and if so how did you deal with it? We eventually got him to cover 3 nights room costs instead of 1 but it isnt really about the money. we chose Mandalay Bay for a reason and didnt expect to be treated like complete mugs by the management there and be vobbed off with their crap excuses for not having a room available for us

Froggitt

:(:( I hope it was a Celebrity or Hollywood suite or something really spangly at the MGM.