Las Vegas

UnitedFlyer

PandaPants wrote:

theres a check-in at the airport? ive never heard of that before! :rotfl:

It's something fairly unique to McCarran airport.
As you come down the stairs/escalator to baggage claim it is directly to the right. You'll see the MGM logo!
If its open and there are no queues, check in as the line at the hotel can be a wait at times.

trets77

most of the BIG casino's do a airport check in but to be honest it depends on your hotels check in service.

If you are going to the Grand Canyon in your car be advised it could well be a 8 hour round trip if you get stuck on the security for the Hoover damm and it,s busy.

Buffets are a Great money saving tip as you can eat as much as you like for a bargain price. Mandalay bay Mirage and Rio buffets were excellent and MGM was pretty good too. they are good quality with steak, chops and pretty much everything you would expect from a good restaurant over here ......avoid ( i,m reliably informed ) excalliber and Circus Circus buffets but check out Bellagio buffet if you really want to live it up .Luxury is not the word to do it justice ...but it's a bit more expensive than all the others.

Duece bus service is great for cheap travel but it can get overcrowded and be slow. but $5 for a all day pass makes up for it. If you want a taxi you can only get one from a hotel lobby ( and have it called for you ) they do not stop when flagged on the street or anywhere else. Trolleys are not great and no cheaper than the Deuce and they drop you in out of the way places. Monorail is a option if your in the MGM grand but it can be long walk to and from and it,s not that cheap.

Unless you know what your doing i would advise you leave the gambling to the air heads and rich people. can you win ??? in the short term yes in the long term the house ALWAYS wins. the only true way to make money in a casino is too own it. 1c slots are a good bet for your free beers though. try the less popular casinos up the strip for more fequent service. or enter a cheap poker tourney like i did , play really tight and grab thoose free drinks. The Luxor does a good 4pm one that should see you with at least 3 drinks and a juicy prize pool up for grabs ( providing you tip the girls of course).

Shows can be seen for half price ( strip shows included) by going the the half price ticket tonight outlets. as it sounds like a lads weekend the strip clubs do good deals if you look in the free magazines for offers and coupons . just remember if they are totally nude they don,t serve booze ( with ONE exception The Palomino club up town). try one of the Really big clubs to be sure your not in a scam joint.

have fun:beer:

andrewitsmeagain

Hi,Im a newbie.
Anybody help me.
Like to go to las vegas next year wondering whens the cheapest time of year to travel and also am I better off buying some dollars now.
Cheers Andy

zigmonkey

PandaPants wrote:

Thanks a lot! We already have a car hired for 2 days, planning on going to the grand canyon so we might extend it a few days if we need to.

We drove from vegas to the canyon in october...one thing i would say is that
if you're thinking about driving to Grand Canyon West (soon to be home of the skywalk) then try and get a 4x4...the last bit of road is unpaved and with our rental car we had to go about 10mph for ages and be overtaken by a stream of land rovers!

we were out of time in vegas so made our visit a day trip which took about 3hrs each way at a comfortable pace which gave us a good amount of time at the canyon

photome

Triker wrote:

Money saving tips for Las vegas;

there are ton's of coupons available in magazines and a free booklet that is handed out or in the back of taxi's etc.
Coupons are a way of life over there, everyone uses them.
This book is packed with them also, http://www.amazon.com/American-Casino-Guide-Steve-Bourie/dp/1883768160

I wouls also advise a guide book like lonely planet.

if you are a dedicated coupon finder, tons of stuff in there. Many buy one get one free on buffets.

In every casino they have a 'players card', sign up and you can sometimes get free gifts, use the card every time you play on a machine to get points, points equate to 'comps' complimentary's, including free dinner (bufftets) t shirts, even free nights at the casino hotels dependent on what you spend.

Also each casino should give you a 'funbook' filled with free drink vouchers and stuff.

Go Downtown, cheaper food/beer and the the slots are considered 'looser'. 99cent margharita's and shrimp cocktails in Golden Gate casino downtown, ask for cocktail at bar.

In the Bellagio, near the Gelato stand, (signposted) there is a coffee shop. Buy the coffee in the take out cooler cup, costs about $5.75 and every time you return you can get free refills of either coffee, iced tea or soda's.

Ellis Island casino, around the back of Ballys and Barbary Coast does a fantastic steak special for $4.99, includes soup or salad and a sirloin steak dinner. It's not on the menu so you have to ask for it, superb value, we had it twice! Also their beers are $1.50 and really really nice, brewed on the premises.

Hiring a car will be cheaper than accumulated taxi fares and gives you the freedom to get about a little off strip where there are many bargains to be had.Book in uk, I'll try to find a link for you for best value.

There are so many free things to see and do in all casino's, go on other travel forums for tips on these.Bellagio fountains, Big Elvis at Barbary Coast, people watching everywhere, exploring the casino's.

Remember tipping is a way of life so be prepared with lots of single dollar bills.
Enjoy, vegas will blow your head off.

I used the 2006 version of the ACG, bought in one of the station casinos gift shop and saved a geat deal...loads of 2 for 1 buffet coupons.. I am looking to buy the 2007 version before i go in march next year....Do amazon.com ship to the UK as it doesnt appear to be available on amazon.co.uk

PandaPants_2

UnitedFlyer wrote:

If its the MGM you're staying at consider checking in when you land at the airport (if it's open).
It's a lot quicker than at the hotel itself and upgrade chances are better at the airport

I forgot we are actually in the Excalibur (sp?) on our first night (NYE), then moving to MGM so i dont think the airport check-in is possible.

stephenadarglas

Use the 'trip advisor' web site. All the queries mentioned here have been dealt with on many occasions.

UnitedFlyer

andrewitsmeagain wrote:

Hi,Im a newbie.
Anybody help me.
Like to go to las vegas next year wondering whens the cheapest time of year to travel and also am I better off buying some dollars now.
Cheers Andy

Hi Andy,

April/May or Sep/Oct are good times to go to Vegas. Weather is really nice then!
They are also fairly cheap times to go.
Dollars?? Now is as god a time as any. Approx $1.9 to the £ is very good!!

UnitedFlyer

PandaPants wrote:

I forgot we are actually in the Excalibur (sp?) on our first night (NYE), then moving to MGM so i dont think the airport check-in is possible.

Oh well ...
Anyhow, when you get to MGM, hold your $20 with your credit card and ask for a Bungalow Suite (assuming your booked into the West Wing or Tower Rooms).
If it's given, hand over the $20 and a nice room is just a ride up in the elevator!!

andrewitsmeagain

thanks for that united flyer.

i ll send you a pressie when i drop a million
Andy