Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2014

vegasvisitor

Dollar is up at 1.71262 if anyone is thinking about buying just now. I wonder if it will go any higher. Wish I had a crystal ball

Indout96

Booked Muscle car challenge for me & Daughter, just got tickets to Zumanity via MyVegas for all 3 of us (had to get 2 double tickets)
Planning is almost as much fun as arriving LOL
All going to get single tickets to Jabawoccies as no double tickets available and then not sure about 3rd choice.
we will be doing Gospel Brunch au HoB again as we really enjoyed it before.
Just 10 weeks to go. and we were 100% not going back this year.

vegasvisitor

Sort of considering booking car hire through ebookers.

Rentalcars price is around £195 including fuel package and extra driver.

Ebookers is £150 excluding fuel and extra driver (hubby would never drive anyway although I always add him on), plus 10% quidco.

Any thoughts - should I go for it? Says no one way fee, pick up Phonix Sky Harbour, drop off TI Vegas.

Your price includes:

* Airport Service Charge.
* Collision Damage Waiver and theft protection with No Excess To Pay.
* Location Service Charge.
* Liability Insurance/Extended Protection.
* Local Tax.
* Third Party Liability.
* Unlimited Mileage.
* Vehicle Licence Fee.

Your Price Excludes:

* Additional Driver.
* Child Seat Baby
* Fuel (Must be Returned with Full Tank or a Refilling Charge will Apply).
* Navigational System GPS
* Personal Accident Insurance.
* Personal Effects Protection.
* Road Assistance.
* Underage Driver Charges are not included, and are payable locally. Underage driver ages vary from supplier to supplier, but can start at 21 and go up to 25 years of age, depending on the category of car being rented.

nvh

Chuffed with the exchange rate last few trips I've budgeted at 1.55, so if this rate sticks around then it'll be nice and will give us a few extra pennies to spend...

I've just booked my car too (with our friends @ CH3000) - TBH, I was completely non-MSE and forgot to shop around! but it is fully cancellable I guess doesn't put me in a good place to offer any advice

Lastly, just booked the Muscle Car Challenge - thanks to those that have mentioned it and for the headsup on the price reduction photome appreciate it! (although the wife doesn't I'm sure she'll love it when she's in the car tho )

ferf1223

nvh wrote: »

I've just booked my car too (with our friends @ CH3000) - TBH, I was completely non-MSE and forgot to shop around! but it is fully cancellable I guess

this is me...but I blame the fact that anytime I do shop around CH3000 is cheapest for me so I just get lazy. We're picking up from the airport for the first time in several trips this year so I may look around a bit more as we aren't tied to picking up from TI...

ferf1223

The thing we learned about moving is that it means that packing up to come home is not as much of a pain...partly because (and I know, I know) I normally go to do laundry on the morning of the move so pretty much all our clothes are clean when we hit the second hotel...and we don't really completely unpack again, just what we need for the last few nights...so we make sure we have one case designated for dirty clothes and everything else is clean when we get home.

I may have said it before, but I think I am turning into my mother.

Wammer

lmitchell wrote: »

Another question about my 2015 trip - would you advise my GF and I to try a few different hotels? E.g. 2 nights at Hotel X, 3 nights at Hotel Y and 2 nights at Hotel Z?

The last two times I've been with a group of lads just looking for a place to sleep and shower (Excalibur) and I'd rather show the GF a nicer side to the strip. Am I more likely to get upgrades staying shorter periods such as this?

The first time we tried hotel hopping we did 7 and 3. We loved it as the change of hotel felt like a different holiday. That was a few years ago and we have hotel hopped ever since.

What I have found is

• It's not worth moving for less than 3 nights so on a 7 night trips do 3 and 4 or 4 and 3.
  
  
• Do the better hotel last.
  
  
• Most hotel check outs are at 11am and some are at 12 noon. If you call the front desk on the morning you are checking out, you can usually get an extra hour free of charge. We usually do this hoping that it gives the next hotel time to have a room ready, but it doesn't always work like that.
  
  
• If you check in and the room isn't ready, leave your bags with the bell desk then clear off and do something. Don't hang around the hotel waiting for the room to be ready.
  
  
• Official check in at CET properties is now 4pm and MRI properties is 3pm. However if a room is ready you should get it. That said, some CET properties are now charging an early check in fee.

Do you have any idea yet where you might be staying?

photome

lesley74 wrote: »

Sort of considering booking car hire through ebookers.

Rentalcars price is around £195 including fuel package and extra driver.

Ebookers is £150 excluding fuel and extra driver (hubby would never drive anyway although I always add him on), plus 10% quidco.

Any thoughts - should I go for it? Says no one way fee, pick up Phonix Sky Harbour, drop off TI Vegas.

Your price includes:

* Airport Service Charge.
* Collision Damage Waiver and theft protection with No Excess To Pay.
* Location Service Charge.
* Liability Insurance/Extended Protection.
* Local Tax.
* Third Party Liability.
* Unlimited Mileage.
* Vehicle Licence Fee.

Your Price Excludes:

* Additional Driver.
* Child Seat Baby
* Fuel (Must be Returned with Full Tank or a Refilling Charge will Apply).
* Navigational System GPS
* Personal Accident Insurance.
* Personal Effects Protection.
* Road Assistance.
* Underage Driver Charges are not included, and are payable locally. Underage driver ages vary from supplier to supplier, but can start at 21 and go up to 25 years of age, depending on the category of car being rented.

Have you checked these

http://www.alamo.co.uk/brits

inc free additional driver but no fuel

ferf1223

Wammer wrote: »

[*]If you check in and the room isn't ready, leave your bags with the bell desk then clear off and do something. Don't hang around the hotel waiting for the room to be ready.

This is such good advice...most times we have been able to check straight in, or are told it will be 30/45 minutes and for that short a period we will stick around. Once at Cosmo they couldn't tell us how long it would be other than it could be 4pm...we spent 4 or 5 hours half-heartedly wandering not too far and checking our phone thinking 'well maybe it will be ready in a little while'. We swore that next time we would do just what you suggest and go and DO something.

vegasvisitor

Wammer - I agree, it does feel like a different holiday.

We have done 2 nights in a hotel before - 7 nights TI and 2 night Bellagio and enjoyed that too. But I suppose it's because we had a nice long 7 before the 2, and for Bellagio was worth it. As a rule though I agree with 3 night minimum.

For those who like the pool, consider that it can get a wee bit tricky on moving day. Personally I'd rather be sort of dressed to move, however some might not mind moving in swimming stuff with shorts pulled over, in which case you will often be able to go sit by the pool for a bit and wait. Can be awkward though as I don't know if you can get a room key etc. Last time we didn't get checked in we were at Green Valley Ranch after driving in from LA, so we went for a late lunch buffet and there was quite a queue. Once we got to the front of the queue they were able to tell us our room was ready (we were using a dining credit that they had to call front desk about due to us not being checked in).

Off to look at Alamo Brits now as well.