Re: Las Vegas
 

Hi,
If you just want to cruise the strip you won't need a car, but a trip out to Lake Mead and the Hoover dam is deffo worth a visit and it's only about an hour's drive (or you can take a heli trip out to the Grand Canyon) I would deffo recommend seeing Love by Circe du Soliel, (they are on at the Mirage) i saw this a couple of months ago and was totally blown away, it was amazing and awesome...and want to go and see it again. Other than that Blue man group are really good fun (I saw them in Vegas and London) I really want to see KAA (I think) it's another Cirque and they seem to run down vertical walls! it looks amazing.
make sure you go into the lobby's of most of the big hotels and check out their decor, the Venetian is spectacular, they have a tromp loiel (sp?) ceiling and you could almost imagine you are in Venice!
I'm waffling..... have a fabby time wear comfy shoes :-)

Re: Las Vegas
 

Hehe Ariel sounds like you are a big fan! Ditto all the things you said.. plus the amazing malls inside the hotels.. caesars, and venetian.. I think Aladdin bit the dust recently...

Re: Las Vegas
 

I recommend a drive to the Hoover Dam...then take the tour around the dam.

Any of the Cirque du Soleil shows is a must....especially 'O' at the Bellagio.

Best buffet but most expensive is at the Wynn Hotel IMHO.

Take time to wander around the hotels...The Venetian, The Paris, The Bellagio to name a few.

There is a new outlet shopping centre near the north end of the strip.

Re: Las Vegas
 

I was there this time last year and stayed in the MGM grand for 4 days. Also got married in the hotel and it was wonderful. The weather was great too which surprised me for December and being so close to xmas it did not stop people going out there it was busy as ever.

I was also there for a few hours on tuesday for work and again the weather was great. I am hoping to go back so I can go see the Grand Canyon etc.

Have a wonderful trip!!:thumbsup:

Re: Las Vegas
 

Is Celine Dion completely sold out now?

Maybe Leslie would know? :sneaky:

Re: Las Vegas
 

Don't know what's on there at the minute but last time we were there the wife and I got half price tickets for some topless lesbian vampire trapeze show (and believe me I kid you not) that was on at the Stratopshere, from the half price ticket booth in question. Ok, ok - it was the cheapest show they had and we'd already spent all our money on buffets... (P.S. The one at Aladdin was good).

Oh, and don't get a car. The Strip's at a crawl for 23 hours of the day...

Re: Las Vegas
 

You don't need to drive on the strip...there's a road that goes around the back of the hotels.

Re: Las Vegas
 

Make sure you have plenty of $1 bills...the cab drivers will try to rip you off by saying they don't have change. BTW they always take the longest route to and from the airport. :frown:

Re: Las Vegas
 

You don't need a car, but you need to realize 'the Strip' is actually quite a long walk from one end to the other. You can see such and such casino and think 'we'll go visit' and then you're like 'ok, that was a sucky walk'.

Rental cars are very cheap at the airport, so if you are only there two days vs. a couple of cabs then well--maybe. Parking is free at the casinos, and if you have a car you can get 'off' the strip and go eat where the locals eat (better food, lower prices).

I'd second the weather comments--yeah it is in the desert but the desert can get very cold--especially at night. I was there 2 years ago Jan. for CES (the geek trade show) and it was snowing up in North Vegas where I was staying (I'll be back again next month).

I usually stay at Paris or way out of town. I like the pirate fight at Pirates of the Carribean, and the big TV at the 'Frontier Street Experience' (i.e. the old 'Diamonds are Forever' and U2 video part of Vegas).

The airport can be a zoo if there is a convention in town, but otherwise not that big a deal

NOTE: Vegas is one of the few airports I've been to that you NEED your claim checks for to get your bags. They won't let you out of the luggage area without them.

Re: Las Vegas
 

Yup. They are supposed to take the direct route but they always go South and then loop around. There is a 'tunnel' and they are either 'supposed to take the tunnel' or 'supposed to NOT take the tunnel' (sorry, can't remember which you should ask for. Maybe a local will chime in).

Re: Las Vegas
 

There's the monorail that operates up and down The Strip so you don't have to walk if you don't want to. I recommend a car for at least some of the time...that way you can see more of the area than just The Strip.

Re: Las Vegas
 

The 'don't have any change' really bugs me...they do it every single time. :mad:

Re: Las Vegas
 

I'm not a local, but the correct answer is "DON'T take the tunnel". Supposedly the "tunnel" route is faster, but it is farther, and can add several dollars. The airport is very close to the strip, so the fares are pretty small, and the drivers might try to "longhaul" tourists for a few extra bucks.

Re: Las Vegas
 

Be sure to get the 1 day pass. A single ride is $5 or so

Re: Las Vegas
 

A very good point. The panoramic shots of the strip show the resorts lined up side by side, but until you get there you don't notice that the casino proper is often set far back from the street behind a huge parking lot. Walking from one property to another is certainly possible but it's farther than you realize if you haven't been there before. Less of an issue in December than in July, though.