Viva Las Vegas - Tips For A better Trip - Part 1

It's Vegas Baby! One of Mar and My favorite places to visit. Las Vegas (Spanish for 'The Meadows"), Sin City, The City That Never Sleeps, City Of Lost Wages, whatever you choose to call it, we still have as much fun vacationing there as we did the first time we went over 10 years ago!


While this is not an all inclusive list of suggestion or observations (and we certainly don't claim to know all there is, hey, good reason to go back!), here are a few things we gathered that makes our stays to Vegas more fun and saves some money too!

• If you live near a city that has Southwest Airlines, download a little program called DING. It will alert you when fares go down. If not, just check airlines web sites for different days and times to fly. It is amazing how much you can save when you don't fly at peak travel times.
  

• Pack Comfortable Shoes! This is one of the most important things to remember....you Will be doing a lot of walking. Nothing puts a damper on your vacation trying to have fun with sore feet. Everything in Vegas is Farther than it seems (even inside some of the casinos).
  

• Check the weather forecast. Although the temps in the day are usually warm to hot, some of the desert nights can get very chilly.

• Get the Players Card for whatever hotels you want to stay and play at and use them every time! Comps are based on points. That means whether you win or lose, as long as points are running through the machines or at the tables, you are earning points on your card. When you run up enough points, the casino properties will send you offers for free rooms and more!

• When you land in Vegas Cab It to your hotel. We always budget $20 for cab fare each way to and from the airport to our hotel. Yes, the shuttles are cheaper but, shuttles do not take off until they are fairly full and sometimes the wait is over a half hour, then you stop at every hotel that is between the airport and your hotel to let people off. Your in Vegas to have fun, not sit on a shuttle. The $20 usually covers the cab ride and tip to most hotels near the airport.

• Here's a Tip - TIP! You should tip everyone in Vegas that serves you. From the baggage handlers ($1 per bag) to the cocktail servers (at least $1 per drink) to the maid service (at least $3 per day). These people make your stay fun or not, plus much of the salaries are based on tips. I am not in any way involved in any of these industries, just an observation during our trips and talking with many of these great people!

• See the Free shows! There are a ton of free things to see and do in Vegas, here are just a few of them (I will post more in further writings as they come to mind):
• The Bellagio Fountain show run about ever 30 minutes starting at 3pm (hint, right across the street from Bellagio is a little restaurant called Mon Ami Gabi, you can sit on the outside patio, enjoy a nice meal and watch the fountains. Also a great place to people watch. One of our favorite places)
• The Volcano at the Mirage erupts every 15 minutes after dark
• The Sirens of TI (Treasure Island) is a free show that was really cool (pirate ships battling it out and all) but it has kinda gone downhill with their new show, but it's still free!
• You can watch people riding in Gondolas at the Venetian (or pay to ride in one).
• The conservatory at the Bellagio is free and always awesome!
• Dueling Pianos at New York New York and Harrahs are a blast and you can sing along with the crowd and the musicians are always funny.
• The Forum Shops at Ceasars Palace are a great way to spend a few hours and some of the statues and artwork are amazing!
• The Fremont Street Experience is a must at least once. You will have to take a bus or cab to get there, but the overhead free lightshow is well worth it.
• Big Elvis at Bills Gamblin Hall mid-strip. Big Elvis is Huge, but he sounds just like the real big guy and he gets the crowd into the act as well.
• The Lion Habitat at MGM is pretty cool although though the lions are pretty sleepy.
  

I will end Part 1 of this series here. If you have suggestions or comments of your own, please feel free to add them as you see fit. By sharing, we can all learn more about enjoying our trips to Las Vegas. I will write Part 2 soon.

Regards - Ken & Marilyn
www.wisesize.com (you can shop our store for comfy Vegas shoes and outfits!)
Viva Las Vegas Baby!