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First trip to Vegas, Staying at the Flamingo...
My husband and I are going to Vegas in mid April for my mom's wedding. We are staying at the Flamingo hotel, that's also where she's getting married. We have never been to Vegas, so I'm really worried that there will be to much to do, to much to see and I'll be to overwhelmed and may not enjoy everything. What are the SHOULD sees? We are on a pretty limited budget, around $,650.00 for 4 nights 5 days, we really aren't gamblers, maybe one day we may go to the casino, whatever one someone says is great, and see what luck we have. And I'm not really sure if we can afford any shows... Any suggestions?
Re: First trip to Vegas, Staying at the Flamingo...
We stayed at the Flamingo the last time we went to Vegas, and the good news is, it's centrally located on the strip. So much to do right around your hotel. You can really make your trip anything you want it to be--relaxing, busy, full of nightlife, shopping, casino-hopping, etc.
If you're on a budget, I'd check online for coupons. We got a buy one get one for a celeb impersonator show at the Stratosphere that was pretty good and came in around $30 total. We also got BOGO for the wax museum, which was a fun time. Even if you don't like gambling, my suggestion for a first time Vegas trip is to hotel hop. They are all So different from one another, and many of them are really pretty inside. If you want to go from one of the end of the strip to the other, I would invest in some monorail passes because it is quite a long walk from one end to the other, even if it looks close.
Mid-April would also probably be warm enough to enjoy the pool--the Flamingo has a really neat pool area.
As a Vegas veteran, my suggestion is don't kill yourselves trying to do and see it all. You'll just make yourselves miserable. Plan one meal and one touristy thing per day and play the rest by ear.
Wear comfortable, broken-in walking shoes. You can't even begin to imagine the amout of walking you'll be doing. Speaking of walking, keep repeating to yourselves "Just because I can see it doesn't mean I can walk to it." You can see the Palms and the Rio from the Strip but that doesn't mean you should walk to the Palms or the Rio. You'll see what I mean when you get there.
Consider buying 24-hour bus passes for the Deuce, the double-decker bus that runs up and down the Strip and to downtown. The cost is $7 per person and can be purchased directly from the driver (exact change only). You can hop on and hop off to your heart's content.
If you have time, spend an evening downtown on Fremont Street. It's the original Las Vegas Strip and very cool. Everything is cheaper down here -- food, gambling limits, and souvenirs.
Check out www.cheapovegas.com. It has direct links to all of the casino websites so you can check out what each one has to offer.
Just walk around!! There is so much to see. FYI the lion habitat at MGM Grand closed for good (we found this out as we went to see it in February and apparently it was closed in January!).
Personally, like a pp suggsted, I love walking through the hotels and casinos to see the over-the-top decor. I love it. My favorite is the Venetian and Palazzo, with all of the canals. You can find less expensive places to eat, and you don't have to gamble to have fun. The last time we were there, I only gambled one night (out of 4) and only spent $70, while getting free drinks and having a blast.
Have fun! I love Vegas!
I wish I had talked to you before my first trip to Vegas two years ago. Haha. We walked to the Rio. I could cry even today thinking about that walk. Ugh.
Thank you all for your suggestions. I am sad to hear that the lion habitat is closed, that would have been something I would not have missed! But i do know that we will be doing a lot a walking, looking at all of the great hotels! The confusion of all the transporation options is what's getting me at the moment. I know there's a monorail, and there's a stop at or near the Flamingo, and then there was suggestion to use the buses, so which is better? I do know we will be going to Freemont Street on our last full day, we almost thought of staying down there but it was to far from the rest of the family. Thank you so much for all your ideas!
I know the bus is cheaper than the monorail, especially for an all day pass. I'm not 100% sure, but I'm pretty sure that you can take the bus downtown to Fremont street--something you can't do with the monorail.
If you were interested in the lion habitat you may want to check out the animal exhibit at Mirage. There are white tigers and a separate dolphin exhibit. I believe there's a small charge for the dolphins but the tigers are free.
Do make time to just lounge by the pool. The Flamingo has a really fun pool with lots going on. Just make sure to get down there early on the weekends, it gets really crowded.
Across the street from Mirage and fairly close to Flamingo is Casino Royale, which has really cheap drinks and low minimums for the gambling. For your dollar to really stretch I agree with ziti that you should hit the downtown area (aka Fremont Street). The area has really been updated with lots of fun bars are restaurants and like ziti said, it's a neat taste of old Vegas.
You can get some really good deals on shows. Check out the red and yellow discount ticket booths on the strip. There's one next to the MGM and M&M World and one in the Fashion Show Mall across from Wynn.
I vote for using your feet and the bus system. The monorail only runs on one side of the Strip, only has a few stations, and the stations are at the very ass-back of the hotels. You'll do more walking to get to the casino from the monorail station and back than you would if you just took the Deuce up and down the Strip, and that stops at each hotel. A one-day monorail pass is $12 per person versus $7 for the Deuce.
And m+j is correct, the monorail doesn't run downtown but the Deuce does.
You don't need to worry about it,because Las Vegas is one of most fabulous attractions of the world.And there are a lot of attractions to see and visit too like Casinos,Night clubs,Museums,Skyscrapers etc.It is also called the city of lighting and joy.When you visit there,you will forget all your worries.
Good luck!!!!
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You will have a blast! I would recommend getting tickets to see Carrot Top from the 1/2 price ticket booth (there are a bunch of locations on the strip). He was very funny and the tickets were affordable (around $35 pp).
I wouldn't waste my time with the Secret Garden Dolphin/Tiger habitat at the Mirage. IMO it was a waste of money and we really didn't get to see that much wildlife.
Have fun!
I have been to Vegas a lot - actually just came home yesterday. I agree with the PP who mentioned Carrot Top. I never had any intentions of seeing his show (he sort of creeps me out) but we stumbled across really cheap 2nd row tickets on Travelzoo. He. was. hilarious. I laughed my @ss off! Great show, and I think we paid $35-40 ticket?
Absinthe is also great - very offensive though - across the street from you at Caesers.
Besides being more expensive than the bus, the monorail stations aren't in particularly convenient locations. It may say that it stops at X hotel, but you still have a long hike to get from the station to the casino itself.
You might try one of the discount ticket booths for same day tickets to a show. You usually have to wait in line a bit, but great deals can be had. There is a booth in Fashion Show Mall (next to Treasure Island and across from the Wynn.)
There is usually free entertainment in Carnival Court in front of Harrahs, which is close to the Flamingo.
People watching is the cheapest, and often most entertaining, part of any Vegas trip.