Las Vegas 2007 bargain hunt + tips

bluemorph

TangoBunny wrote: »

Thinking of getting a retina scan at Gatwick for when we go to Vegas in 3 weeks
Anyone had this done.....do you have to pay?Is it quicker to get through immigration if you have it done

We signed up for this, it took about 5 minutes to do, there is no charge, coming back into heathrow we went straight to the machine, only 2 people in front of us and got away really quickly, i guess as it gets more and more popular the q's will grow but at the moment it is worth it.

TangoBunny

Do they not have it at McCarran airport??

alictait

TangoBunny wrote: »

Right I've looked into it and providing the enrollment room is open I'm doing it.I'll let you know how long it takes us to get through immigration....however not having been before I'll leave it up to you to tell me if it's quicker or not.

Couple more questions.Are mobile phones cheaper in Vegas.....and can they be used over in UK with say an Orange pay as you go sim??
Are jewelery and watches cheaper there?
Would a digital camera be cheaper also??
Do you know if there any pet shops in any of the malls on vegas strip.....my daughter wants to get toys and a collar for her kitten.....thinking they will have more unusual things there than here.

Hi there,

I found mobile phones to be pretty cheap over there, but very basic ones only. We bought one whilst on holiday, it was a very basic Motorola but only cost $14.00 and that included $10 credit. We bought it as we wanted to have a backup telephone whilst driving to the Grand Canyon South Rim, as the previous time we went the Hoover dam was closed and we were diverted quite a distance out of our way into the middle of the desert (where their is probably no coverage anyway). Anyhow, for some reason my virgin phone would not pick up a signal despite it being a phone that was US compatible. We never needed the new phone whilst over there and just used the credit to make calls back home at the end of the holiday. We would have kept the credit had we been able to for our next trip in February \ March(going to nascar), however their PAYG credit only remains active for a month on a lot of their price plans.

Their better phones only really seemed available on contracts and most of them you still had to pay for. I am a bit of a gadget freak and I felt that most electronics were not justifiably cheaper. I think that if you use these forums for your shopping guidance and the likes of HUKD, then you can get the items just as cheap here with the proper guarantees. For instance although ipods were marginally cheaper, is it really worth saving £10 for the risk of no guarantee or a possible customs bill ?

Watches were much cheaper in the US, particularly in the outlets. Kenneth cole had most of their range at $45, and Guess had their watches starting at $30. I was also on the lookout for a decent pair of sunglasses, but I found these particularly expensive for the latest transition lenses.

Finally, clothes are def. much cheaper. I got a £700 value Ralph Lauren Suit for only $220 from the outlets, also Tommy Hilfiger Outlet is very very cheap for some stuff. I got Jogging trousers for $4.99 a pair and they are the comfiest ever. Ideal for lounging around. The polo shirts are so cheap aswell. Trainers though were not as cheap as my previous trips, although def still cheaper Nike did not seem to have the bargains that I have enjoyed on previous trips. Oh Timberland were as cheap as ever, and there are some real bargains to be had in there.

HTH

Ali

tingtong

TangoBunny wrote: »

Would a digital camera be cheaper also??

I can confirm that you'll definately be able to get a bargain on a digital camera. I bought a Panasonic TZ1 in May for just £107, almost £100 saving on UK price at the time. Got it from Circuit City at the Boulevard Mall. Just do your research before you go because some savings are minimal so not really worth it.

ferf1223

tingtong wrote: »

I can confirm that you'll definately be able to get a bargain on a digital camera. I bought a Panasonic TZ1 in May for just £107, almost £100 saving on UK price at the time. Got it from Circuit City at the Boulevard Mall. Just do your research before you go because some savings are minimal so not really worth it.

You know, we've been there tons of times - always stop at the Best Buy across the side street from Boulevard Mall, and never have I noticed a Circuit City there. That's a great tip for us as we were planning on checking both Best Buy and Circuit City for the camera and the CC we knew of was miles and miles away from Best Buy. Thanks.

ferf1223

TangoBunny wrote: »

Do they not have it at McCarran airport??

No, it's for clearing immigration into this country...so won't have any impact on clearing immigration in the US.

Maybe one day they'll all have the same and be linked, but for now the only change you may see is on your return to the UK.

bluemorph- Glad to hear that it's working well for now...a bit worried about the comment in the FAQ section that says that if the IRIS queues are really long you can just go through the old way...well, thanks for that. At least for now it seems like not a lot of people are taking advantage of the new system

ferf1223

Tango - not sure how much shopping you want to do and think you have said you won't be renting a car, but there's an outlet mall that's about 40 miles from Vegas in the same complex as 3 casinos which also has a sort of amusement park with a few rides...as I know you're there for a couple of weeks and may be looking for things that your daughter might enjoy, may be worth looking into.

You can get a shuttle for $12/pp (with a $3 coupon available at the outlet's website here):

http://www.fashionoutletlasvegas.com/shuttle.htm

You can also look at the list of stores to see if there is enough to interest you to take a 1/2 day trip or so.

The attractions at one of the casinos are listed here:

http://www.primmvalleyresorts.com/pages/attractions.asp

There is a buy one ride get one free coupon for the Desperado roller coaster in the American Casino Guide as well.

photome

mookybargirl wrote: »

Photme - couldn't see your pic on page 21 of Bellagio Conservatory but from memory, I think it had the hot air balloons and if I'm right, it was the same display. I'm so jealous of everyone who's still waiting for their trip to come around. I still think about my holiday every day at the minute - I JUST LOVE VEGAS!
And that midget story nearly made me choke of my cup of tea!

The pic/s are still there on page 21 post 402,405 and 407.

Two are mine and one from trets and no there wasnt any hot air balloons

Glad you JUST LOVE VEGAS, now you know how the rest of us feel.

photome

TangoBunny wrote: »

Photome.Thanks I have PM'd you

Have emailed you some pics, any questions ask away, and if you want any more just ask.


May take a while to upload as they are large file sizes

dan28

I would like to let you all know of a website listing special hotel promotions for Las Vegas. I always book my rooms via promotions, it's much better for me compared to the prices of my travel agency.

The site is: http://www.vegas-hotels-online.com