Las Vegas 2007 bargain hunt + tips

fifth_ave

newbie here looking for a bit of advice

we are planning a trip to Vegas for a birthday celebration staying 7 nights from 2nd Feb 2008. I have found out the NFL Superbowl will be on the 3rd Feb (not in Nevada luckily, but expect it will be busy in Vegas) from past experiences would people recommend to book well in advance rather than hoping for last minute offers on hotels. Looking at booking flights & accomm independently as packages look really pricey.
Looking at hotels like Mandalay Bay, Bellagio or Signature.

thanks in advance

trets77

jaymac wrote: »

When's the quiet time for conferences in LV? I've just noticed that a convention for 20000 people is on during my planned dates and wonder what sort of difference it might make.

there is always a convention of some sort on , 20,000 is only slightly above average so i would not worry to much.

newbie here looking for a bit of advice

we are planning a trip to Vegas for a birthday celebration staying 7 nights from 2nd Feb 2008. I have found out the NFL Superbowl will be on the 3rd Feb (not in Nevada luckily, but expect it will be busy in Vegas) from past experiences would people recommend to book well in advance rather than hoping for last minute offers on hotels. Looking at booking flights & accomm independently as packages look really pricey.
Looking at hotels like Mandalay Bay, Bellagio or Signature.

thanks in advance

Superbowl weekend will push the prices up a fair amount though. but only for the weekend it is on.that said your still better going down the booking seperate road than considering a package. keep a close regular eye on the prices for that weekend on the usual links ( http://www.vegas-promotions.com/ ......http://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=13 .......http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/messageview.php?start=60&catid=63&threadid=704925 ) and book anything you like the look of . if something better comes along simply cancel for a full refund ( very few offers don't allow this the Luxor, seems to be the main one that has no refund offers , but always check carefully)

the hotel will only take your first night as deposit when you book. you can of course simply book any good prices you see for the superbowl weekend only and add to it later as well .

if you don't have a post office credit card yet get one now , you will then have the freedom to book and cancel anything you like without fees. make sure you go through Quidco when you apply for it for that juicy £20 cash back ( last i checked) like ferf got .

as for flights the usual tips apply... Virgin should have some pretty decent fares for feb in a upcoming sale if you are planning on going from down south.( e.g £304 available for feb 2007 in sale that started over xmas 2006) or try a money and miles booking

photome

Was hoping to be the 1000 poster but I guess it is right that trets was. Well done evryone and congrats to trets for starting this thread and to everyone else for keeping this thread going.

Maybe we should start a group in th UK.."las vegas appreciation society"

trets77

photome wrote: »

Was hoping to be the 1000 poster but I guess it is right that trets was. Well done evryone and congrats to trets for starting this thread and to everyone else for keeping this thread going.

Maybe we should start a group in th UK.."las vegas appreciation society"

:rotfl: :rotfl: i missed that little milestone . i did the same when my car went past 100k . congrats and many thanks to everyone who has contributed so far , hopefully we have saved a fair bit of money for people.:T :T

as demo to anyone who has not been and is worried about not finding a good deal here is a list of how many rooms there are to fill.

Mandalay bay - 3309
The Hotel - 1117
Luxor - 4408
Excalibur - 4008
NY NY - 2023
Tropicana - 1876
MGM Grand - 5034
Signature - 1728
Monte Carlo - 3258
Planet Hollywood - 2567
Bellagio - 4445
Ballys - 2814
Paris - 2916
Flamingo - 3626
Imperial Palace - 2640
Ceasers - 3348
Harrahs - 2957
Mirage - 3044
Venetian - 4027
Treasure Island - 2885
Wynn - 2700
Frontier - 986
Circus Circus - 3774
Hilton - 3000
Riviera - 2075
Sahara -1720
Stratosphere - 2444

= 78729

and thats just the strip !!!!! ( you can debate if the Hilton is "strip" if you like) and does not include Downtown , any of the big off strip Casinos or the off strip motels ect

middy60

hi all ok ibooked the airtours/mytrave premier gold seats £1130 flight only not very money saving but didnt want to be stuck in them little seats for 10 hours where going on the 7th november for 2 weeks staying at the luxor in a tower deluxe room for 3 nights now am after a car for 8 days to do some exploring going as far as san sanfransico any one know any sites that do it all inc so i dont have any nasty suprises like scdw wen we get there where gonna be back in vegas on the 18th nov staying at bellagio for 3 nights costing $480
thanks

alanshave

Well thats me booked up for my first time in Vegas, going alone but I'm sure I'll enjoy it! From 4th Aug to 11th Aug staying in the Luxor. Almost booked a payer deluxe room but figured that as I am arriving late 10/11pm I would just take the pyramid room and try the $20 trick to get an upgrade.

Couple of quick questions for you guys/girls given your experiences in the past.

1. I'm flying with NorthWest Airlines courtesy of KLM, anyone have any experience of them?

2. I'm looking to book a couple of shows whilst I am out there and visit the hoover dam, also would love a helicopter tour of the grand canyon. Am I best to book these things online now or wait until I get there? If better online then what website is best, I saw some on travel zoo. Would anyone recommend any shows, quite fancy a hypnotist one.

trets77

Congrats on your booking alanshave.

you can do the Hoover Damm and the Grand Canyon in one helicopter trip ( like we did).




The Helicopter tour is okay to book before you leave or when you get there as the Major players out of McCarren don,t have to offer discounts as a rule. you might see some vouchers in a free mag though so it's up to you. Budget on at least £200 for a Grand Canyon helicopter tour out of McCarren. Cheaper trips are widely advertised in magazines and on the strip but they require you to travel out to close the Canyon yourself by road ( probably going over the hoover damm).

all i would say is remember the Canyon is a long way from the strip ( 10 hours round trip apparntly on coach just to pear over the edge).

this is a expensive activity granted, but worth every single penny IMO. £200 in your pocket when your back home is no subsitute for a one the greastest sights you will ever likely see in your life.

here are the links to the major companys who operate out of McCarren. all will pick you up from the Luxor.

http://www.maverickhelicopter.com/

http://www.heliusa.com/

http://www.helicoptour.com/

http://www.papillon.com/

as you see from the above sites there is no shortage of choice when it comes to the type of trip you want to take. landings , overnight stays , sights to/ from/ around The Canyon.


as for Show Don't book till you arrive. unless you have your heart set on one of the shows that you will very rarely or never find in the half price outlets. O ,Blue man group, Celine dion, and Lance Burton and the other cirques really.

if you know what to expect may i recommend The Amazing Johnaton at the Sahara it's a riot, and very suitable for solo traveller . you will find it half price for sure. see post #762 for details of half price tickets ect :beer: :beer:


right weekend is over lets see what My Travel have for us

this wednesday is £248 7 nights only showing on web.

this weekend is over £400 though.

photome

I know trets and others on here advocate a helicopter trip or flight to the canyon, but

I have done it with a hire car and stayed overnight, which means i can please myself with stops on the way, i got up early the next morning and watched the sunrise over the canyon,(worth doing but was -3 in may) done many stops along the rim and was awestruck all the time i was there.

I would recommend doing it this way but I guess it depends on how long you have..we did it over a weekend to avoid the higher prices in Vegas

trets77

i would consider doing it that way too, if time permitted .

i,m reminded of a signature i saw on one of the vegas boards

" every minute i,m not in vegas is like a hour, every hour i,m in vegas is like a minute"

alanshave

Thanks for that so far folks.

Trets - Would you say it is worth booking a helicopter flight that lands at the canyon or do you see the best of it from the air?

And you just visit these outlets on a day you want to see a show to generally pick up a cheaper ticket?