Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2013

traveller

jammerr wrote: »

is it because your birthday falls on a weekend? no you wouldn't lose access to the pool on checkout time, as long as you have your room key you'll be fine. just don't return it on check out, they won't do anything/ask for it back. (or you could give one keycard back on checkout) (i kept my last GN keycard for memorabilia pourpouses)

it usually is one person per keycard in the pool area however families are a different case altogether. get 4 keycards on check-in then if one of your kids wants to go elsewhere they have a keycard they can give to each other without you have to get up and escort them. if you're not going on a weekend it's very relaxed and once they recongise you you probably won't even have to show it.

Thanks for your detailed reply :T Yes my 40th would just have to land on a Friday,lol. The only Cabana's we can actually rent are in the busier section near the shark pit, as you have to be 16 or over for the hideout cabana's.However, busy will suit us fine cannot wait

pebblesmax

superj2 wrote: »

Can anyone recommend any rooftop/high floor spots for a good view of strip? Preferably free but don't mind paying if it's within a bar or restaurant though.

The best free one is VooDoo lounge at Rio. You can go up 5 pm to 8 pm for free. We like to watch the sun setting over the strip.

Other paid ones are Eiffel Tower, Stratosphere and Mix lounge. I think maybe Mix is free if you are eating there.

ratkarth

it can be hard to believe since so much violent crime has happened on Las Vegas Boulevard South since December starting with a man shooting at police in the parking garage at Circus Circus.

A murder suicide happened a few days later in the lobby of the Excalibur and the day after Christmas, a woman was arrested for cutting another woman while working at the Bellagio.

February was just as violent with two men stabbing a guest at the hotel at Mandalay Bay and three teens shot as they came out of a parking garage elevator near Tropicana Avenue.

jaytay

pebblesmax wrote: »

The best free one is VooDoo lounge at Rio. You can go up 5 pm to 8 pm for free. We like to watch the sun setting over the strip.

Other paid ones are Eiffel Tower, Stratosphere and Mix lounge. I think maybe Mix is free if you are eating there.

agree with the strat,Eiffel Tower and Mix bar but we always thought the view from voodoo lounge overated,great view of the 15,and the back of the casino resorts but not a lot else imo.Mix bar was free when we stayed at the Hotel,sure i can remember a bloke giving out entrance cards early evening as well near the will call desk

Wendell_Pierce

Wizbit82 wrote: »

Has anyone had any good prices for car hire recently?

For our dates I am another that found Alamo Brits came out best value.

I went through the process of registering for special offers with various websites, Dollar, National, Hertz, Alamo, etc, best of which was Alamo.com that sent me an offer for a genuine 10% saving compared to any offer without their code.
I also checked netflights, expedia, virgin holidays, usrentacar, carhire3000, economycarhire, all of whom were within a few £ of booking directly with the rental company, so I eliminated them.
Next I checked the special offer through the AA which resulted in a very good price with Hertz, which was better than anything except Alamo Brits.
I also tried tripwheels as suggested by somebody on a different forum, they were about the same as the other third-party
quotes.

So after spending more time checking a few others that I can't be bothered to list, it came down to booking directly with Alamo using their e-mail code, booking Hertz through AA or Alamo Brits.
I settled on Alamo Brits as the price equalled the lowest and they included up to 3 additional drivers, which would have cost me extra on others, either because the rate was higher, or additional drivers cost extra.
Just as an extra point, with all that I checked over a period of about 12 weeks, any offers of a " free " tank of gas were actually offering a rate roughly equal to paying for a full tank of gas, no surprise there.

Lastly, although some websites claim booking early is cheaper as rental car rates in Vegas increase closer to travel dates, I found several of them actually lowered their rates.

It also seemed to be possibly cheaper to pick up a car elsewhere than on the airport, but I didn't look too deeply into this as I couldn't be bothered with taxis etc. Might suit some fine though.

ferf1223

Wendell_Pierce wrote: »

It also seemed to be possibly cheaper to pick up a car elsewhere than on the airport, but I didn't look too deeply into this as I couldn't be bothered with taxis etc. Might suit some fine though.

if I remember correctly, picking up off airport avoids the consolidated rental facility fee...but whenever I checked, the actual price of the rental itself was a bit more so it was more or less a wash, especially when I factored in the cost of a taxi from the airport to the hotel...I haven't checked in quite some time though as swapped to CH3000 rather than dollar.com which used to be my way (as I have hire car insurance on one of my US credit cards I used to decline additional insurance waivers so didn't have extra insurance costs to factor in - just the rental fee and taxes)...but now I find the savings for me in going that way is minimal against booking through a UK 3rd party with insurance waivers included...and I figure if that means no faffing around with CC insurance then that's worth a little bit more to me.

ferf1223

Ificansocanyou wrote: »

Anyone know how many internet/wifi devices are included in Bellagio's resort fee or if it's limited to a certain amount?

I don't know but this was posted awhile back so sounds like free access is available throughout the property...whether that means unlimited devices in the room I'm not sure.

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2013/jan/08/mgm-resorts-offering-free-wi-fi-las-vegas-resorts/

secretmachines

ratkarth wrote: »

it can be hard to believe since so much violent crime has happened on Las Vegas Boulevard South since December starting with a man shooting at police in the parking garage at Circus Circus.

A murder suicide happened a few days later in the lobby of the Excalibur and the day after Christmas, a woman was arrested for cutting another woman while working at the Bellagio.

February was just as violent with two men stabbing a guest at the hotel at Mandalay Bay and three teens shot as they came out of a parking garage elevator near Tropicana Avenue.

You're getting a bit tedious now... If it's freaking you out then don't go, stop at home and wrap yourself in cotton wool.

photome

Wendell_Pierce wrote: »

For our dates I am another that found Alamo Brits came out best value.

I went through the process of registering for special offers with various websites, Dollar, National, Hertz, Alamo, etc, best of which was Alamo.com that sent me an offer for a genuine 10% saving compared to any offer without their code.
I also checked netflights, expedia, virgin holidays, usrentacar, carhire3000, economycarhire, all of whom were within a few £ of booking directly with the rental company, so I eliminated them.
Next I checked the special offer through the AA which resulted in a very good price with Hertz, which was better than anything except Alamo Brits.
I also tried tripwheels as suggested by somebody on a different forum, they were about the same as the other third-party
quotes.

So after spending more time checking a few others that I can't be bothered to list, it came down to booking directly with Alamo using their e-mail code, booking Hertz through AA or Alamo Brits.
I settled on Alamo Brits as the price equalled the lowest and they included up to 3 additional drivers, which would have cost me extra on others, either because the rate was higher, or additional drivers cost extra.
Just as an extra point, with all that I checked over a period of about 12 weeks, any offers of a " free " tank of gas were actually offering a rate roughly equal to paying for a full tank of gas, no surprise there.

Lastly, although some websites claim booking early is cheaper as rental car rates in Vegas increase closer to travel dates, I found several of them actually lowered their rates.

It also seemed to be possibly cheaper to pick up a car elsewhere than on the airport, but I didn't look too deeply into this as I couldn't be bothered with taxis etc. Might suit some fine though.

Just checked my rental period in May and Alamo Brits is a few pounds more than CH3000 and the rental doesnt include a tank of fuel (not that I can see anyway).

CH3000 also promise to be the lowest price so presumably they would beat the price you have paid Alamo Brits

vegasvisitor

Going to Vegas in September this year.....but we are currently considering a second trip this year (well in June, so that would actually make September the second one!!).

Considering flying to Phoenix, couple of days maybe Scottsdale, drive to Flagstaff and stay overnight, over to Lake Havasu (London Bridge) overnight at Laughlin, then up to Vegas for 5 nights, then over to San Diego and LA for a further 4 nights.

Any opinions?