The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

ferf1223

March

db123 wrote: »

Thanks for the link.

64,000 people,just my luck.

I wouldn't worry about it too much - that's really only a medium sized convention for Vegas...hotel rates are slightly higher those dates than the week before but not obnoxiously so - that's usually a decent indicator of the impact of the convention...have a look at rates for the first week and a half of November or the 8th-11th of January - those are BIG convention periods (100,000+) You may have a bit longer of a wait for restaurants, etc but at least you know in advance and can book where you can and maybe plan ahead a little more than you might normally. I'm sure it will be fine.

brummiekid

September

STSAVER wrote: »

now that I would be happy with!

whereabouts were your flights from and connecting?
Mine are LHR - Detroit - LV

Those flights were Gatwick-Minneapolis-LV

In September I'm doing Heathrow-Detroit-San Diego. (£280 return):j

WestHamDaz

Evening all,

After spending numerous hours over the last couple of days I thought Id post firstly to say how appreciated the information on this thread is and secondly to see if anyone has any specific recommendations for a Las Vegas newbie.

Im planning on going to Vegas next year with my fiancee to get married. We're thinking of going this time next year and have provisionally booked the wedding for June 4th 2009.

I read with interest your experiences with Virgin's Vegas route, which is of interest as I currently have 50,000 virgin airmiles that i was planning on using to upgrade to 2 Premium Economy flights.

We're looking at the Luxor to stay during our time in Vegas (14 nights) but if anyone else has any recommendations for that type of class of hotel i would listen with interest.

I have learnt quite a bit in the last 2 days from this thread, and the $20 check in thing sounds like a good start to try and get an upgrade for our wedding/honeymoon out there!!

For june 09 when are the hotel deals likely to start emerging? We've got 15-20 family and friends coming over too and would like to get the best possible deals. ANy more help and advice would be greatly received.

Thanks once again:T

ferf1223

March

Trump deal (courtesy of travelzoo).

This offer has us seeing stars -- 5 to be exact! Stay at the luxurious Trump International Hotel & Tower, Sin City's newest 5-star hotel, for only $139 per Sunday-Thursday night, June 2 through Aug. 31.
What we find most amazing is that you can stay weekend nights for only $30 more. Other 5-star hotels in Las Vegas are regularly $300 or more on weekends.
You will also get a $50 resort credit per stay to use at many of the top establishments within the resort including:

• The Spa at Trump
• DJT Restaurant (excluding alcoholic beverages)
• H2(EAU) Restaurant (excluding alcoholic beverages)

Trump International Hotel & Tower is located near Wynn Las Vegas and includes direct access to world-renowned shopping at Fashion Show Mall. Offering personalized service and pampering, the hotel features a fitness center, salon, pool with sundeck and bar, as well as indoor valet parking.
Blackout Dates: July 4, 5, 27-30; Aug. 22-26, 29, 30

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/las-vegas-hotels/413653?utm_source=top20_us&utm_medium=email_top20

Edited to add - it looks like there are kitchens in even the standard room!

pennylane99

May

ferf1223 wrote: »

Trump deal (courtesy of travelzoo).
Edited to add - it looks like there are kitchens in even the standard room!

yes there are, its very similar to The Signature where all rooms have own kitchenette area, microwave, toaster , coffee maker etc...and also it has no casino, as the Signature...

trets77

April

WestHamDaz wrote: »

Evening all,

After spending numerous hours over the last couple of days I thought Id post firstly to say how appreciated the information on this thread is and secondly to see if anyone has any specific recommendations for a Las Vegas newbie.

Im planning on going to Vegas next year with my fiancee to get married. We're thinking of going this time next year and have provisionally booked the wedding for June 4th 2009.

I read with interest your experiences with Virgin's Vegas route, which is of interest as I currently have 50,000 virgin airmiles that i was planning on using to upgrade to 2 Premium Economy flights.

We're looking at the Luxor to stay during our time in Vegas (14 nights) but if anyone else has any recommendations for that type of class of hotel i would listen with interest.

I have learnt quite a bit in the last 2 days from this thread, and the $20 check in thing sounds like a good start to try and get an upgrade for our wedding/honeymoon out there!!

For june 09 when are the hotel deals likely to start emerging? We've got 15-20 family and friends coming over too and would like to get the best possible deals. Any more help and advice would be greatly received.

Thanks once again:T

congratulations on your planned wedding. you and family will have so much fun.

with your Virgin flights if you can upgrade for free go for it , as Premium economy would at least be bearable IMO. problem you may have is that your going in June. everyone from UK wants to go June - beginning of September.

If you could make it late May ( avoiding Bank Holidays) you might well find a few better fares and save a few quid. but what ever you decide get the flights booked early. the discount seats for summer will sell fast and if you are early you can grab the rows of 2 seats for you family. i cannot remember how many days in advance airlines release their seats ( you can ring them up to find out ) , but get in the day they come on sale and you stand excellent chance of grabbing the prized rows of 2 at the back. it is something around 11 months in advance they come on sale.
weight this up against the risk of waiting to see if prices come down later and defiantly having the standard cattle class seats . there is no guarantee they will come down of course.

having a flyer club account you can off course buy some money and miles fares for others in your group. don't forget you can buy extra miles if you need them see post #5 for details.

sort the flights and the hotels are a piece of cake. as a rough guide as to what you might expect to pay check your dates in 2007 offers. you can find plenty of Luxor offers on the hotel rooms links in post #1. of course things might be happening next year that aren't this , but you can at least see what is in your budget.

offers will start popping up from about xmas , but generally the best ones appear 12 weeks out. book any offer you fancy then simply price match or cancel / re book as and when you see something better.

the thing is not to panic if you you are not 100% sure where you will be staying upto a week before you go. book a fall back deal , then simply cherry pick the offers as they appear upto about 5 days before you go.

The Luxor has well over 4000 rooms so you will have little trouble finding enough rooms for everyone. you may need to book a few blocks of people separate , but they will probably do the lot for you if you call them quoting the offer.

Hotels on a par ( or a bit better) with the Luxor would be = Monte Carlo, MGM grand ,Mirage , NYNY , Treasure island ,Ballys and maybe the Flamingo.

hotels a level up would be Caesars , Mandalay bay , Planet Hollywood and Paris .

top of the pile in terms of price and quality = Signature @ MGM Grand, Bellagio , Wynn + Wynn encore , Venetian + Palazzo , THE HOTEL @ Mandalay bay .

a step down from the Luxor would be the likes of Excalibur , Imperial palace , Harrahs.


scrape the bottom of the barrel with the Hooters , Circus Circus , Sahara , Stratosphere and the Tropicanna .

stamford

STSAVER wrote: »

Any of you guys got tips for doing the Grand Canyon from Vegas?

Going in August for 14 nights, but only planning on staying a maxium of 4 in Vegas before heading off to the West Coast to do the coastal drive up to San Francisco so bearing that in mind I'm starting to think that it might be best to do one of the day trips to the Canyon rather than drive it myself (and save the need to hire a car in Vegas also).

Done a bit of research on some of the plane, helicopter and coach trips for prices etc but not really found much in the way of customer feedback about the value of some of these trips.

Papillon seem to have a very reasonably priced Helicopter trip that takes you down into the Canyon (West side I gather due to restrictions now in place) compared to some other prices.

I'd give a thumbs up to Papillon http://www.papillon.com/ - last Saturday I took the Golden Eagle Air Tour with them. I didn't feel comfortable dealing with all the cowboys and resellers of flights in Vegas so checked it out on line and then phoned them from the Hotel to book cost $259 which was the all in price inc taxes and fuel surcharge. Had booked for the 23rd but flight was cancelled just after my pick up due to bad weather in Canyon.

Nice staff both the drivers and pilot. Flight was the last of the day at 6.15 saw a great sunset on the way back here's a couple of my not too good quality pics

stoneman

May

WestHamDaz wrote: »

Evening all,

After spending numerous hours over the last couple of days I thought Id post firstly to say how appreciated the information on this thread is and secondly to see if anyone has any specific recommendations for a Las Vegas newbie.

Im planning on going to Vegas next year with my fiancee to get married. We're thinking of going this time next year and have provisionally booked the wedding for June 4th 2009.

I read with interest your experiences with Virgin's Vegas route, which is of interest as I currently have 50,000 virgin airmiles that i was planning on using to upgrade to 2 Premium Economy flights.

We're looking at the Luxor to stay during our time in Vegas (14 nights) but if anyone else has any recommendations for that type of class of hotel i would listen with interest.

I have learnt quite a bit in the last 2 days from this thread, and the $20 check in thing sounds like a good start to try and get an upgrade for our wedding/honeymoon out there!!

For june 09 when are the hotel deals likely to start emerging? We've got 15-20 family and friends coming over too and would like to get the best possible deals. ANy more help and advice would be greatly received.

Thanks once again:T

Welcome WestHam *cough*rubbish*cough* Luxor is a nice hotel, I always say that if you go to Vegas you must stay at the Luxor at least once. There is always a debate on whether to stay in the tower or the pyramid, I go for the latter every time, great fun ridding the lifts that go diagonal, and the view down into the atrium from the corridors is fantastic. If you are taking that many family members over, maybe an idea to get married in the hotel you are staying at, and phone the wedding coordinator to see about a block deal for everyone to stay at that hotel. As for the Virgin flights, you will see on here a few people that would rather have their teeth pulled than fly on that tatty old plane again, me included, but if you are all going together may be the best option as a flight where you have to change planes might be a nightmare with all those pax to look after. But remember that Virgin are by no means the cheapest by a long shot. Also, the flight gets very busy and there are not a lot of Premium seats on it, so trying to use your miles to upgrade will be very difficult, might be an idea to fly via SFO or LAX with Virgin as there are more prem seats loads of availbility for upgrades and the planes are nicer.

g-random

Hi

Long time lurker, first time poster on this thread. Every time I read this thread, I can't wait to go back!

I'm heading to vegas for my third time in October, previously we have done a multi stop holiday where we flew LAX to McCarran with United/Ted and last time we flew delta from edinburgh (via Atlanta).

I had a preference to United, however I got a good deal and am flying Virgin this time through ebookers. Having read through the recent comments I'm concerned about these virgin flights and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts/advice on these points

- Normally we book economy, and upgrade at the checkin desk to Premium economy. The seats are usually two seats at the window end, I find this a better layout. - Are the Virgin planes (from gatwick) three seats at the each window.

- IRO upgrading to economy plus, can this still be done on Virgin and when would be the best time to do it.

I am looking forward to our ten days at the Signature, but I'm thinking I should have stuck with united for the flights after reading this

Cheers
G

Steff

July

ferf1223 wrote: »

Trump deal (courtesy of travelzoo).

This offer has us seeing stars -- 5 to be exact! Stay at the luxurious Trump International Hotel & Tower, Sin City's newest 5-star hotel, for only $139 per Sunday-Thursday night, June 2 through Aug. 31.
What we find most amazing is that you can stay weekend nights for only $30 more. Other 5-star hotels in Las Vegas are regularly $300 or more on weekends.
You will also get a $50 resort credit per stay to use at many of the top establishments within the resort including:

• The Spa at Trump
• DJT Restaurant (excluding alcoholic beverages)
• H2(EAU) Restaurant (excluding alcoholic beverages)

Trump International Hotel & Tower is located near Wynn Las Vegas and includes direct access to world-renowned shopping at Fashion Show Mall. Offering personalized service and pampering, the hotel features a fitness center, salon, pool with sundeck and bar, as well as indoor valet parking.
Blackout Dates: July 4, 5, 27-30; Aug. 22-26, 29, 30

http://hotels.travelzoo.com/las-vegas-hotels/413653?utm_source=top20_us&utm_medium=email_top20

Edited to add - it looks like there are kitchens in even the standard room!

Thank so much ferf! - Whilst checking out this deal - which seems really good and very tempting - I noticed that Travel Zoo were advertising a code for The Orleans also which I have hastily booked as follows:-

""The Orleans Hotel and Casino just released one of best deals of the season -- stay Sunday-Thursday for only $35 per night or Friday-Saturday nights for $80.
Unlike most Las Vegas deals, this offer is valid every single day between June 3 and Sept. 11. It also includes 2 FREE buffet coupons per stay ($16 value).
Blackout Dates: June 22, 23; July 21-24

https://reservations.coastcasinos.com/cgi-bin/lansaweb?procfun+rn+resnet+or1+funcparms+UP(A2560):;TRA2008;;?&imc=TRA2008
for more information and to book directly with The Orleans. Or call 1-800-675-3267 and mention promo code TRA2008. Book by June 6""

I had previously booked this hotel with expedia for a great deal of £270 (for 9 nights) but with this deal it comes out at £220 - so I have cancelled expedia (at a cost of £12.58) so this bargain hotel is now working out at approx £25 per night. Excellent price which leaves me with more money to splurge on The Wynn for the last 5 nights of our stay (Im still hoping that a further deal for the Wynn comes out to beat my $159 weekdays and $259 weekends)..... If anyone sees one I would most appreciate it!

Thanks again.
Steff