Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2015

scholt

Hello
We're off to Vegas for the first time a week on Monday :beer::j and would like to do a helicopter over Strip/Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam.
Any tips? Best to book before we go or whilst we're there. I've heard sunset or sunrise is best?

Thank you :T

nvh

scholt wrote: »

Hello
would like to do a helicopter over Strip/Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam.

sorry, just to be clear, do you mean one of the above , or all of the above?

We did the strip flight a few years ago (via. Travelzoo.com IIRC before we went over there) and it was with Maverick (again, IIRC) - think it was around $80 and they gave us some fizzy wine, and transport to / from the hotel for that. I liked it more for the experience of being in the helecopter than anything else - it was quite a short trip

Unless it's part of another journey (ie. grand canyon), you may be better doing the hoover dam on foot (in my opinion), as it'll be more than just a fly-by then (though I've never been any of the other places by helecopter)

nvh

jodles16 wrote: »

Have just realised that the Mandalay has an ice bar, has anyone been? Its something I have always loved the idea of but have never done! Are they actually fun??

Jodles

Expensive for what it was (in reality), and quite quiet whilst we were there - though again, something we've never done before so the experience was worth it I wouldn't go back though they had some good ice sculptures (etc) in there

EssexExile

scholt wrote: »

would like to do a helicopter over Strip/Grand Canyon/Hoover Dam.

We flew over Grand Canyon many years ago in a fixed wing plane & it was brilliant. Do they still fly "into" the canyon? I've a feeling they don't do that any more. Use an airstrip as near the canyon as possible, the flying once there is brilliant, the flight to or from over the desert can be very bumpy.
Drive to the Hoover Dam, they do tours (or did) & I don't think flying over it would add anything.
As for the Strip, I can't stand Vegas so no help there, what am I doing on this thread?

John259

EssexExile wrote: »

Do they still fly "into" the canyon?

The helicopter trips from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon West (West Rim) do go down and land near the river. In the real Grand Canyon, the national park, there are no flights permitted below the rim.

Use an airstrip as near the canyon as possible

That would be Tusayan, just outside the park's south entrance. There are trips using fixed wing flights from Las Vegas to Tusayan airfield, then the company buses you the short distance to the park, and there's an optional add-on helicopter trip over the national park. None of that is cheap of course.

Drive to the Hoover Dam, they do tours (or did)

They still do (and they're optional, you can just walk round the dam and the new bridge if you wish). Details here:
http://www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam

Las Vegas to Hoover Dam is about 35 miles, easy driving once you're clear of Las Vegas.

Las Vegas to the south rim of the national park is about 275 miles, very easy driving (interstate quality to Williams, then a fairly flat and straight two-lane road to the park). However, there's a risk of snow and ice in northern Arizona if you do this trip in winter.

vegasvisitor

EssexExile wrote: »

As for the Strip, I can't stand Vegas so no help there, what am I doing on this thread?

Am I the only one who doesn't understand this? Doesn't everyone love Vegas???

vanilla8

So I redeemed a comp for Luxor on Friday for three nights in tower deluxe and $50 freeplay over memorial weekend.
Need to book for the remaining three nights and have just logged in again to find a spring offer of 2 comp nights at bellagio and $50 freeplay and $25 f&b credit!
Correction the comp offer differs depending upon what hotel I select!

Just to clarify I am only sapphire and me and TH gamble $200 a day each mostly on slots. I think our Mlife accounts are linked as we requested this upon checkout before.

We have stayed at Bellagio before but not since 2008

nykied

Thinking about going back to Vegas this year for our first anniversary. Just looking at hotels and I'm missing something.

Last year we booked through Priceline Express and you could see that one of the North Strip hotels was the Venetian, due to the room names. I can't find them on there now - does anyone know if they're hiding them more or have totally gone off or if we're just looking too early? We're going in Spetember.

vegasvisitor

nykied wrote: »

Thinking about going back to Vegas this year for our first anniversary. Just looking at hotels and I'm missing something.

Last year we booked through Priceline Express and you could see that one of the North Strip hotels was the Venetian, due to the room names. I can't find them on there now - does anyone know if they're hiding them more or have totally gone off or if we're just looking too early? We're going in Spetember.

Don't quote me on this but I think the obvious difference now is:-

Trump doesn't have a casino, so no casino symbol
Venetian is 8.0 rating, and I think it may have a bed choice too
Palazzo is 9.0 rating, don't think it has a bed choice
Wynn I have never seen to be able to identify so I have no idea, but I guess it would be a bonus if you happened to get it anyway!

Good luck. Keep me posted if you manage to get something good for September as I'm also looking. Need to get my May trip sorted as well though.

ferf1223

lesley74 wrote: »

Am I the only one who doesn't understand this? Doesn't everyone love Vegas???

amazingly, not everyone. I work with a guy who cannot stand the place...and another who stopped for one night as part of a national parks sort of trip and she wasn't too keen, either.

I think some fall into the 'didn't do enough research' category like my sister's old boss who went for a conference and came back saying 'there's nothing to do but gamble'.

And others, it's just not for them...most of those seem to be those who prefer the natural beauty sort of holiday and just because there are places that fit that description within an easy drive, it's not enough...they just don't like the manufactured-ness of it. And a few others who find it too manic and prefer somewhere much more relaxing. I suppose I can see that. I would find somewhere relaxing really boring but I can understand why some people enjoy that sort of thing.