Day 12 - Tips and Conclusions

[AndyJ]

Tips and Conclusions

So, planning on hitting Vegas? Here are my tips...


Cars

If you plan on using a Hire Car, book before you come to Vegas, and collect it from the airport.

The first thing that suprised us, is that Valet parking is free. Save for the tip. It is everywhere and should be used to give you the most of your time. Just look for the Valet lanes when you enter any of the strip hotels.

Next tip, following immediately from that, is to use the Bell Desk service. Ask the valet guy for help with your bags when you drop your car off and they will spirit your bags off to safe storage.

Once you have checked into your room, you can just call down to the bell desk and they will bring them up. We always tipped $1 a bag for this, and the Bell guys are usually very helpful in explaining key features in your room.

Drop the Hire Car back at the airport, and there is an easy shuttle bus to the terminals. You could also drop a member of the party at the main terminal with all the luggage right by the door, and then the driver just rides the bus while the rest of the party queus for check-in.


Rooms

Be clear at the check-in desk about what room you expect and want. They have room plans, and can show you where you will be.

It is sometimes worth waiting for a good room. If you followed the advice above, your luggage will be safe and you can go eat/swim/gamble/shop.

Some hotels will give you the keys to an as-yet-uncleaned room and a phone number/code. You then call at a designated time and ask for the room number. The best rooms are more often than not worth waiting for, but again, be clear as to what you are getting.

There is a rumour that if you slip the check-in clerk a $20, you will get the best service. Untested by me, I rely on a smile and the occasional threat that I am a member of the press.



Views

It depends on what you want really.

Ask for the views you want, and be careful sometimes as the descriptions used can be misleading. For example, the “City Lights” view at the Luxor sounds like a strip view, but as the Excalibur and Luxor Towers are well and truely in the way, even from the 28th (of 30) floor, you can’t see more than the top of the tallest hotels in that direction!

The best view while sat at a hotel window really is a nice high up room in the Bellagio main tower, overlooking the lake and the fountains. They pipe the music into the room.

However, you can also get great views from:

The Wynn - Strip view, higher the better. You get to see the Lake of Dreams, and most of the big name hotels if you are on the right hand side of the hotel, as you face the strip. Also, you can see (but only hear the loud explosions) of the Sirens of the TI show.

MGM Grand - Airport View, if at the far end of the Eastern Wing, lets you look out over the Mandaly Bay and the Luxor and of course the airport if you like to watch planes. The helicopters fly real close too. (Noise is not an issue.)

Mandalay Bay - Airport View is good for plane spotters, the Strip View gives amazing views of the Luxor and beyond.

The Mirage - Strip View gives you the Wynn, Venetian courtyard and the Mirage Volcano which are all nice to watch.


Gambling

The best game to play, as I understand it as a non card player, is Blackjack (21, Pontoon.)

For all card games, the hotels have lesson sessions where you can learn how to play, and some even have little “Cheat Sheets” you can buy, read and even have at the tables.

I like to play the slots myself, even though I do enjoy a game of poker at home.

(Disclaimer: This could all be untrue, true on certain days, and true if you are wearing the right colour T-SHIRT. In short, this is an opinion and mileage may vary !)

MOST IMPORTANTLY: As soon as you arrive, get a Players Club Card. See Below. DO not enter $1 until you have. Do read that section.
The slots at the entrances to the casino’s, overlooking queues, near restaurants, in walkways will all pay out a little, often, to entice people into spending money.
WALK AWAY WITH WINNINGS. Go get a nice steak.
In some cases, playing the Max Bet is the only way to win any money at all, in other cases it is the least likely route of small profits. Learn what gets you returns.
WALK AWAY WITH WINNINGS. Go buy some nice clothes.
Don’t keep feeding a dead duck.
The small hours of the morning seem to payout better, and certainly on Friday and Saturday nights.
WALK AWAY WITH WINNINGS. Go get a massage.


Players Clubs

The Players Clubs are your ticket to freebies. Freebies come in Food, Rooms, Merchandise and Free Play flavours, and others in some casino’s.

Sign up for your card at the booth before you enter a single $ into a machine.

The best card to have is the MGMMirage card, which will score you points in most of the casino’s on the strip that are worth visiting: MGM Grand, Mirage, TI, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Monte Carlo etc. see any of there web sites for a complete list.

The Venetian and Pallazo share a card, the Circus Circus and The Wynn have there own - but it gives first sign ups a very quick and easy free food ride for about a $40 “cycle.”

The “Comps” or “Complimentary free stuff” are a little of a black art, but the best thing to do is just ask ask ask different players club desks and staff members to see what you might have now or in teh future if you gamble one more $20 note.

$20 is an important figure, as most club cards will only credit you Comps if you “Cycle” through $20 in a “Session.”

Cycle means $20 worth of spins. It does not mean $20 of your money. If you put $1 in a machine, win $19 and then gamble back down to $0 you have “Cycled” $20 and you will accrue your comp points.

Session means you have to do the above on one machine in one sitting.

How soon you cash in your Comps is up to you. You can do the following:

Get a Casino Buffet meal often. (We had two in 24 hours.)
Credit at a much better restaurant. $75 at Rainforest Cafe we had, or a two person meal at a swanky Chinese.
Get free rooms at the hotel.
Simply have money discounted from your overall hotel bill.

It is up to you what you do, and unfortunately they are not forthcoming with what-gets-what, but I hope this provides a guide.


Pillows

In most of the rooms, you get a wide variety of pillows to play with - from hard to soft, from goose to feather to poly-whatsit-ethal-windowlene.

The MGM Grand pillows I loved, but then the (Eugh I feel so unclean saying this) so were the Circus Circus ones.

The Mandalay Bay had a great matress topper that you just sunk into. Whilst this is too hot for me, Mel loved it big time and would be a hit for anyone who loves to be enveloped at night.


Booze

6005 Eastern Avenue, near the airport (understatement - it’s on the other side of the road) is where Walmart can be found. Cheap beer and Smirnoff Ice a plenty.

However, Walmart does not do liqueur, but on the crossroads of Eastern Avenue and Tropicana Avenue is an Albertsons that does very cheap spirits.

Grab them and stash them in your room, often there are fridges for said use. (Luxor, MGM Grand, Pallazo)

Free Booze is the other way to go, or supplements for the above.

If you are sat at a machine or tablein a casino, any time of day (Any. Really.) you will have a nice lady in short skirt come by and give you a drink for free. Well, not strictly for free, you need to tip her $1 in order for her to quickly come by your way again. The more you tip, the more frequent she will return.

You can even ask for multiple drinks. They don’t care



Shopping

I am not a label person (unless it is an Apple computer/phone or Canon/Sony Camera so I can’t really comment on the dizzying array of expensive brand shops in The Strip casino’s.

What I do know, is that down at Walmart I can get a shedload of clothes in my size for a 5th of the price they are in the UK.

T-Shirts, Levi jeans, shoes and general accessories for life are a fraction of the price you pay here and of equal or better quality in most cases.

Even if the T-Shirts last 3 washes, at £1-£3 who cares?

[Jools]

Thanks for the tips and the great reports Andy. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading them and seeing your photos.

[AndyJ]

Thanks Jools Makes it worth the time it takes

[hel1304]

Sounds like you & Mel had a great time in Vegas - good of you to post your tips. Have enjoyed reading your trippie xx

[kirstielou]

Thanks for those tips! We are hopefuly going to Vegas for our 10th Anniversary next year.

[carolmc]

Thanks for the tips - I have them stored for our next trip in April.

[JudyC]

Wow... that's a lot of information for little ole me to take in early on a Sunday morning

Seriously thanks for posting the trip report and the tips

[bowcutt]

Thanks for the tips Andy. I have loved reading your report and seeing all the wonderful photos. I have been once and am longing to return - as soon as possible!

[mick]

Thanks for doing the trip reports Andy they were fantastic
Looked forward to every one


You seemed to have had a fabulous time in some really great rooms.
Must admit we went a couple of years ago staying in the then Alladdin and had a great room looking out over the mountains and the room was huge!

Mick

[Guest]

Thanks for the photos and the tips Andy.

Your reports have made me really excited about our upcoming trip.