Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2015

Cornwall_Girl

I managed to get some seats in the bubble on the way home with virgin. I've got the back row seats row 79. are these any good for reclining, or am I better off with central rows?

Not going til June, but getting excited already!

Winter_Jasmine

We've sat in those seats, loved them - no issues with reclining ��

Cornwall_Girl

Brilliant, thanks!

moreofthegoodstuff

ferf1223 wrote: »

there are a couple of offers for Love here that may work for you.

http://www.smartervegas.com/shows/love_cirque_du_soleil/ticketsdiscounts.aspx

It's a great show, we think...and being close to the front is not better. we have seen the show from the first row and from the last row and if given the choice we would go with the latter - you miss too much if you are too close.

It is only one one of your dates, though.

Since you are only in town for a short time, if I could get a good deal booking in advance I would likely just do that. But you may get a good deal at tix4tonight, etc.

Thanks for the great advice there, I think I'm going to book the seat C tickets for the Monday night, it works out around $100 each so a really good deal! Am I right in thinking that includes all the taxes etc and we just have to print the tickets off? We are booking for two other people so want to get it right!

moreofthegoodstuff

37 days to go!! Very excited but now started thinking about trips, we would like a helicopter tour starting in Vegas, fly over the strip and head to the Grand Canyon with a stop to have a look and return to Vegas (no bus etc) is it doable for around £250 each? Does anyone have any recommendations? I have had a look on many different websites but they all include different things and different parts of the Grand Canyon and most have a bus to the Grand Canyon which we're not that keen on!

John259

moreofthegoodstuff wrote: »

helicopter tour starting in Vegas, fly over the strip and head to the Grand Canyon

None of the helicopter tours from Las Vegas go to the real Grand Canyon (the national park). Instead, they go to Grand Canyon West (also called the West Rim) which is about 100 miles (160 km) west of the national park as the crow flies and generally regarded as highly inferior.

You can get bus trips from Las Vegas to the national park (south rim). You can also get trips by small fixed wing aircraft which land at Tusayan airstrip just outside the south rim of the national park, then the company provides a short bus trip into the park. Some of these trips offer an optional add-on helicopter trip over the national park but they are not allowed to fly below the rim.

You can also drive yourself and provided you have the time and a driving licence that's by far the best option. It's about 275 miles (440 km) each way, mostly on freeway/motorway standard roads with very low traffic levels making for easy driving.
Map: http://goo.gl/NcE1sE

Because driving from Las Vegas to the south rim and back in one day means a lot of driving and not long in the park, it's better done over two or three days with one or two overnight stops in or near the park (for example, in Williams which is on I-40 about 60 miles south of the Grand Canyon). Then you'll not only have longer in the park, you'll also have time for the Hoover Dam and driving part of old Route 66.

In April there is some risk of encountering snow and ice in northern Arizona.

The Grand Canyon section of the US National Park Service web site has a lot of practical information about the visiting the park: http://www.nps.gov/grca/index.htm

Here's a National Park Service video about the free Hermit's Rest shuttle bus service which gets you out of the congested central area to some of the best viewpoints. In winter this service doesn't run but you can drive along the road yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCMRKElBkgA

This is a personal video of a trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. You might like to skip to the sections which show the roads between them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UjRDToxqxY

This video is of AZ66, the old Route 66 alternative to I-40 between Kingman and Seligman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVd2iTCkYQw

This is a video which describes some of the options for visiting Grand Canyon National Park (south rim) from Las Vegas. It's a bit out of date (for example, the Hoover Dam by-pass bridge is now completed and open to traffic) and it's a bit commercialised, but it still contains some useful information:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0BmR53DZnU

This is a video about the town of Williams:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulvdAsgFwWw

moreofthegoodstuff

Thank you John, we have considered driving there but with only 4 nights, we don't want to stay over and as you say it's a lot of driving in one day! I didn't realise the helicopter tours don't go over the main national park.

John259

Would this appeal to you? It's a day trip by small fixed wing aircraft to the national park.
http://www.viator.com/tours/Las-Vegas/Deluxe-Grand-Canyon-South-Rim-Airplane-Tour/d684-5235EXPLORER
There are other companies offering similar trips but they might just be different booking agents.

Update: I found a promotional video for that trip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivGn7ehniGc

stoneman

moreofthegoodstuff wrote: »

Thank you John, we have considered driving there but with only 4 nights, we don't want to stay over and as you say it's a lot of driving in one day! I didn't realise the helicopter tours don't go over the main national park.

They go to the West Rim, now even though some will be pedantic about it that is part of the Grand Canyon.
If time and money are an issue it's good enough. We went a few years back and it was quite cool. You land on a ridge in the canyon over looking the Colorado River and get out, take a few snaps, and back in the copter again.
You get a nice copter ride, get to say you've been to the canyon, and if you pick the last trip of the day, you get a free night time strip tour at the end of it.

John259

Agreed, there's nothing wrong with a trip to the West Rim (Grand Canyon West) provided people realise that it's not the national park.