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Old 17 Aug 12, 03:36 PM  
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Bella1
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Glad you enjoyed Vegas. We went for the first time a couple of weeks ago as a family (kids 18 and 15) and thoroughly enjoyed it and could have done with another night or two to try to do things we missed. I didn't go to Freemont Street but strangely I must say I felt safer walking around LV than I did on Hollywood Boulevard the previous week. There is obviously a large homeless problem but I didn't find it any more intimidating than walking around any city here at night.

The slappers avoided us completely because of the kids and they really didn't bother me. With my children being older they understand a lot of what goes on in the world but to be honest even if they were younger I would have told them what to expect and they would have coped. The only time they have travelled and been truly shocked was when they saw the Townships in Cape Town, nothing I told them prepared them for that.
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Old 17 Aug 12, 05:21 PM  
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I can't imagine what the Townships are like in Cape Town.. must be a eye opener for sure..

Obviously not on the same scale but there are parts of Daytona Beach (just a few blocks back from the beach) that are terribly rundown, and i've made sure my kids have seen it , just as they see all the homeless in Vegas.. It doesn't do them any harm to see not everyone gets to go on fantastic holidays every year and have nice homes etc
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Old 21 Aug 12, 05:24 AM  
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We fly from Orlando to Vegas on Saturday, kids are both 9, thanks!
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Old 21 Aug 12, 08:06 AM  
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I am glad i have seen this. i am just starting to look at the moment for our trip after florida and was hoping to do east coast and vegas and will be taking the children who will be 4 and 7 so it is nice to see that there will be plenty for kids to do there.
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Old 21 Aug 12, 08:42 AM  
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Many thanks for posting this, I love reading trip reports and yours was interesting regarding having your kids with you whilst there in Vegas. We are taking our son (12) in march, after reading soooo many negative posts about taking your kids to vegas, its nice to read something positive.

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Old 21 Aug 12, 08:46 AM  
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Originally Posted by Bella1 View Post
The only time they have travelled and been truly shocked was when they saw the Townships in Cape Town, nothing I told them prepared them for that.
Yes, an eye opener for sure and Cape Town whilst a beautiful city has an unnerving atmosphere especially away from the V&A Waterfront area. I mentioned on another thread the other day I have only felt 'frightened' twice on our extensive travels, Cape Town and once walking down to Market in San Francisco. The area around the bus station in Cape Town is busy and dangerous, my Wife had her arm squeezed by some random passer by and she wouldn't let go and then someone tried to convince me that my debit card withdrawal didn't work and I needed to put my card back in. Err no. One girl who was on our trip through Southern Africa had her trainers stolen at knife point Pretty horrific stuff.

Anyway I have gone well OT. Vegas is in my opinion very safe, even down in Fremont Street where they just seems to be some drunk idiots who can be intimidating. I wouldn't wander too far from Fremont in the evening but during the day it is absolutely fine. We walked to the new Mob Museum without a problem and many others were doing exactly the same thing.
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Old 21 Aug 12, 02:21 PM  
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Originally Posted by Orlandoaddict View Post
Immigration at LV - absolute nightmare for both me and sister. Not enough desks open and painfully slow. Can't actually give a time on this as my daughter collapsed in the line and we got rushed through staight to an ambulance. Thankfully only dehydration, but not the best start to our hols!
We had exactly the same experience. Not actually that many flights coming in but so few desks open and then for some strange reason we were then channeled through one person for another passport check after immigration... Easily the worst immigration experience we've had in 5 visits to the US.

Originally Posted by Orlandoaddict View Post
We tended to go out more during they day/early evening (mainly because of jet lag!) and did not see a single card slapper - this I guess was more by luck than good judgement due to the times we were on the strip.
Again, we had the same experience. Almost found myself disappointed that we didn't really notice them. Certainly nowhere near as bad as I'd been led to expect.

Originally Posted by Orlandoaddict View Post
The only place I felt uncomfortable with the children was at Freemont Street at night. Someone on here recommended valet parking at the Golden Nugget which is a fantastic tip. However, Freemont Street itself seemed to have lots of drunk drunks rather than happy party drunks if that makes any sense! There were a lot of people who looked like they were very drugged & lots of beggars. As we were waiting for our car a man went past shouting obscenities to everyone within earshot and was nearly run down crossing the road. Definitely wouldn't return there on a future trip other than at daytime (still a large number of drunks but not quite so intimidating) to do the zip wire which the kids loved.
I feel streetwise and perfectly comfortable in the dingier parts of London, LA and San Francisco... but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable at Freemont Street let alone the kids! Didn't really see anything there that made the visit worthwhile. If we ever go to Vegas again I will definitely give Freemont Street a miss!

Originally Posted by Orlandoaddict View Post
Overall I would say if you have kids and are in two minds whether to go to Vegas - go for it!
Have to beg to differ there I'm afraid... I made mistakes in my planning for Vegas so definitely didn't see it at it's best.

But the obvious focus on gambling and drinking (and the less visible sex industry), along with the heat at the height of summer, for me makes it a survivable but far from ideal family location. We saw so many people with screaming kids in pushchairs trying to force their way through the crowds on the Strip - and few looked as if they were having much fun. If it made sense to include this on the itinerary so as to go to Grand Canyon then fine. Otherwise I think families would be better to avoid.
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Old 21 Aug 12, 02:33 PM  
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... and while I did think that the hotels should be applauded for the efforts they have gone to, I couldn't help but think of it more as a grand version of Disney backlot then anything to approach what, say, Europe has to offer.

I found it very hard to be overly impressed by Paris, for example, having only been to the real thing just days before our holiday. And we've also been on a gondola in Venice, so very hard to get massively excited by the hotel version in Vegas. I thought the strip was "clever", in the way a waxworks or miniture model of a town are clever. But as an attraction in their own right, they don't come close to what Grand Canyon, Yosemite or even San Francisco have to offer.
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Old 21 Aug 12, 02:47 PM  
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Originally Posted by Mickiengland View Post
... and while I did think that the hotels should be applauded for the efforts they have gone to, I couldn't help but think of it more as a grand version of Disney backlot then anything to approach what, say, Europe has to offer.

I found it very hard to be overly impressed by Paris, for example, having only been to the real thing just days before our holiday. And we've also been on a gondola in Venice, so very hard to get massively excited by the hotel version in Vegas. I thought the strip was "clever", in the way a waxworks or miniture model of a town are clever. But as an attraction in their own right, they don't come close to what Grand Canyon, Yosemite or even San Francisco have to offer.
You can't compare the Vegas strip to the Grand Canyon or Yosemite (or even San Francisco) although of course you just did.

I generally get the feeling that Vegas isn't for you Mickie. There are many people who get enjoyment out of the things you say you didn't enjoy. If you do return I would suggest spending time out in Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire State Park, Lake Mead, Mt Charleston or even looking at combining with some time in Zion National Park in Utah which will give you a nice National Park experience like you got in Yosemite.

I'm a bit of both. I like the big cities, I like the neon lights, gambling, drinking and partying which comes with Vegas but you will find me equally at home in Bandelier National Monument, just outside Santa Fe in New Mexico where you can climb up ladders into Pueblos and see petroglyphs. Unfortunately the park was affected by fire in 2011 and I guess recovery is slow going but it is an amazing place. The time we spent in New Mexico remains some of our favourite from our travels to date.
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Old 21 Aug 12, 02:57 PM  
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Originally Posted by Mickiengland View Post
I feel streetwise and perfectly comfortable in the dingier parts of London, LA and San Francisco... but I have to say that I felt uncomfortable at Freemont Street let alone the kids! Didn't really see anything there that made the visit worthwhile. If we ever go to Vegas again I will definitely give Freemont Street a miss!
Many people prefer seeing real Las Vegas compared to the grand version of a Disney Backlot you talk about above . Some people think the slots are looser (I don't), definitely table games have lower limits and food and drink is much cheaper. Lots of people travel to Vegas and just stay Downtown so there is an attraction.

I enjoyed Gordie Brown at the Golden Nugget, eating at the Hash House a Go Go in the Plaza, seeing the new Mob Museum (worth a visit Downtown for this alone) and the light show for Bon Jovi (Livin on a Prayer) but one night/day is enough at Fremont Street.
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