With Toddlers In Vegas
Written: Feb 22 '01 (Updated Feb 23 '01)
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Pros: Something for everyone and a lot of it's free.
Cons: If you could make a living at gambling, it wouldn't be called gambling.
The Bottom Line: This was a great vacation, plenty of variety and lots of reasons to go back and see some more at any stage in your family's life.
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| roxsax's Full Review: The Strip |
Gather ‘round, moms and dads with small kids for a tale of a family vacation in Vegas. I looked up reviews before we went for ideas on things to do and went there with a notebook so I could come home and write a review with the kind of information I had been trying to find.
We were there for three whole days and two half days (just about right with small kids—got to see enough and didn’t get too exhausted from trying to see enough). We tried to select a fair representation of what the place had to offer and I feel we got a good mix of entertainment, education, and family fun. We went in mid February, the end of the off-season, and had one rain day, one cool day and one perfect day but none of the weather affected our fun.
THE PLANE TRIP—Hope to heck the plane is not too full and you will be able to get a row for yourself and one child and a row for your mate and one child (or however the math works out in your family, you get the idea). This gives them room to fidget without aggravating others. We flew from Detroit so it took a total of 5-6 hours and two planes to get to Vegas via Salt Lake City (Delta, no complaints). YOU CAN USE YOUR STROLLER AND/OR INFANT CARRIER UP TO THE LAST MINUTE THEN “GATE CHECK” THEM AS YOU BOARD IF THIS WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE EASIER (it will).
Going there was an early morning flight, returning was an evening flight. If you have the luxury, plan for evening flights as the children will be calmer in a dim, more cozy plane interior—more likely to sleep for part of the flight, too. The sparkling town and city lights seemed a more pleasant view to me, like looking at the stars in a very clear sky. I was not able to see the moon from my position but that would have been a treat at that height I’m sure.
I packed a kid’s backpack for my two year old to have as carry-on luggage (2 and older had to have a ticketed seat, so at least she was allowed 2 pieces carry-on) and filled it with toys for the two of them to play with. It worked pretty well, but don’t pick small toys that roll or you will have a difficult time getting them back up off the floor after junior drops them. (Another plus to having your own row, room to twist to the floor)
P.S. Don’t be prideful, dress comfortably for dealing with possibly difficult children in tight circumstances. Changing babies can be done in a two-seat area (arm rests fold out of way) or on the seat tray (worked for me with an 8 month old) or on the floor back in the galley out of the way. I had to do it in all these places and it seemed to bother no one on the plane. The stewardesses can get you hot water for baby bottles.
My husband and I made a pact, we promised to concentrate and do whatever it took to help each other keep the kids happy and not get mad at each other or frustrated. For the most part it worked. We had to trade off on the kids a few times when one was being good and the other was restless but that solved the problem and kept things going smoothly. I’ve had grocery trips where I’ve had a worse time so I count myself lucky. On take-off and landing, have a bottle of water (or a baby bottle) handy because if your child’s ears start hurting they will panic and swallowing something fixes the pressure quickly before things get out of hand.
THE FOOD—My husband went to Vegas to gamble, my daughter and I went to see the land of delicious yum-yums. WE were not disappointed. This is not the town to try to eat cheap in (as in going to McDonald’s all the time). If you have a sweet tooth, you have died and gone to heaven when you get here.
The RIO Carnival Buffet was everything we’d ever heard it was and we love to watch those specials about Vegas on TLC and Discover Channel. I recommend eating breakfast somewhere less expensive, though, as there’s not really much you can do to jazz up breakfast. There was one station where you could watch as the chef made you an omelet to order out of whatever fresh ingredients you picked with however many eggs you wanted. And they had peach crepes and cheese blintzes with berry sauce. Those were kind of special things. If you can live without these for breakfast, “continental” it somewhere and save your appetite for lunch.
They had many different stations at lunch and a special island for green salads, and a special island for desserts (oh, to be stranded on THAT island!). The stations involved but were not limited to, a burgers and shakes stand, a sushi bar, a fish and chips joint, an Italian bar, a Chinese bar, an American bar, a grill-to-order bar, a Mexican bar, and a BBQ bar.
I took notes, gentle reader, so I could share this information accurately with you. The lunch was $11 for adults, 5 and under free. Here’s what we had, to give you an idea. Breaded shrimp, seafood fried ravioli, breaded scallop and cod medallions, shakes, stir fry, BBQ ribs, Hawaiian BBQ pork, pork chops, meat loaf, mashed potatoes, chicken enchiladas, cheese and basil tortellini, steak fries, lasagna, ziti with chicken and pesto sauce, choice of beverage(s), peanut butter fudge pie, banana cream and coconut cream pie, raspberry mousse in a pound cake shell, and lemon cake with lemon pudding topping. The cream pies were THE BEST I HAVE EVER EATEN and I eat cream pie whenever it is on a menu anywhere and I am there.
On a side note, we also tried the Roundtable Buffet at the Excalibur for lunch. I do not remember the price, but I do remember the disappointment. This was after we had been to the Rio’s buffet. The salad bar did not have even the standard ingredients you’d expect to see anywhere and there was only one soup available. The carved meats were good, but presented poorly and the dessert bar was the kind where a tray is made up of a dessert, not an individual pie or cake. They had a few unusual items like candied yams and stuffed cabbage, and the fruit and marshmallow salad was very light and delicious, not overwhelmingly sickly sweet but overall it was kind of tired. The wait staff also was kind of, I don’t know, I guess I want to say depressing, after being at the Rio buffet. Rio employees in all areas were very friendly, helpful and cheerful in a sincere way; we really noticed this.
For pastry lovers there are coffee shops in every casino food court where you can get something layered and fancy with chocolates or fruits or nuts and caramel in wonderful combinations, but SAVE YOURSELF FOR THE PARIS.
There is a place there called Lenotier’s (I think I spelled it right) where you will see things so pretty you will have to shut your eyes to get over the crime of wrecking it in order to eat it. There are little cakes about four inches across and three inches high in various “shades” of chocolate and white cake decorated with collages of nuts and caramel, or sculptures of glazed fruits or fantastical snowflakes of chocolate. There was a chocolate heart candy box artfully filled with mixed chocolates nestled in a bunched CHOCOLATE LACE DOILY. (HOW do they DO that?) One had a chocolate violin (or cello, I’m no expert) on it. Each was perfectly iced and decorated, not a flaw in sight to mar the experience and they were only $5 each. I say “only” because I expected it to be more just by seeing how beautifully made they were. Alas, I did not sample one and I shall always regret it (until our next visit) as I was feeling in need of something that was a bit more nourishing and healthful at the time but I shall cherish the memory always. I went a little further down the hall and got a rare roast beef with horseradish sauce on French bread and a vanilla flan with caramel glaze.
I did not have the energy to explore the whole court as it was the end of a long exciting day, but I do not remember seeing a cheese store and that made me sad, as I know France is famous for its cheeses. I would have loved to have a whole slew of genuine French cheeses to taste to see what all the fuss is about. There may have been one, though. If anyone who reads this knows, post a comment to this review about it, please.
THINGS TO DO THAT INTEREST KIDS AND PARENTS AT THE SAME TIME---The Clown Museum, The Ethel M Chocolate Factory Tour and Cactus Gardens, a Hoover Dam Tour with Grand Canyon Flyover, Gameworks, The Venetian Hotel, The Liberace Museum.
THE CLOWN MUSEUM---My father INSISTED we had to go here. I hate clowns but since he was driving and he drove us there I went so the kids could see some “eye candy”. It was actually very interesting for all of us.
There is a beautiful, and I mean beautiful carousel that gives rides every half-hour for a dollar (parents free if holding children on the animals). Kids can choose from an ostrich, a dragon, a stag, a rooster, a rabbit, a horse and more. There is a carnival diorama set up at kid eye-level with a train and lights and rides and everything that activates for a long time for one quarter. Then there is a display of beautifully crafted carnival rides that actually work like the real rides. They also activate with lights and music for a quarter. They are very colorful pieces and for sale, too (I believe around $200 if you’re interested in that sort of thing).
There are about 10 life-size clown mannequins with different costumes on and a collection of real clown shoes and clothes and a display of a couple of hundred registered clown faces (I guess it’s like they “patent” their look).
For those of you like me who like to know how things are done, there is a factory on the premises where clown-themed statuettes are made from start to finish. The entire process is very visible through large glass windows; up close, supported by generously distributed TV monitors playing video of the procedures in case a particular section is not working at the time. You can see molding, electroplating in nickel, copper, and gold, soldering, painting, firing, and packing. Of course, the finished products can be purchased in the gift shop. I did not look at prices as I was not interested in purchasing any clown statues of any kind but I will say that they were well made.
There is a little cafeteria there, too, which we did not eat at so I am not familiar with the prices but the entire place is very clean and airy. This place is a short ride off the strip and mentioned in most of the tourist guides that you can pick up for free at gas stations and restaurants and such (or that should be in your room). We were there about an hour and entertained the whole time. Free admission.
THE ETHEL M CHOCOLATE FACTORY TOUR AND CACTUS GARDENS---Okay, first off, let me say this…. Two free samples each are given on the tour. Ethel M is associated with M & M’s and in the gift shop you can buy some pretty cute M & M stuff at reasonable tourist prices. Go early and have the place to yourself.
The tour is self-guided, with signs along the way to explain what you’re looking at. There are huge windows and you can see chocolates going by in molds on a conveyor belt, getting fillings added or being sealed with chocolate. There are stacks and stacks of butter bricks like gold ingots and sheets and sheets of dark chocolate in the beginning, where everything gets started. You can see the copper kettles and mixers where the fillings are cooked and mixed, the marble tables where brickles and fudges cool and an area where some of the candies and caramel-chocolate apples are made (and sold—and sliced for you, if you want to share one). At the end the packers are filling the “regular” boxes.
When you go around the corner you are in a chocolate showroom where all 52 varieties are available for your pleasure. In the middle of the tour you get a white chocolate medallion with two almonds in it and at the end you get tourist’s choice of any flavor but the liqueurs. P.S. If you have cute kids with you who are enjoying this chocolate wonderland beyond their wildest dreams, you will probably be sneaked extra chocolates by the very friendly ladies behind the counters to give to your kids. You can choose from many assortments or build your own at $26/lb. The chocolates are good but I have to admit I like my Russell Stover assortment better. Enjoy the free ones, though. Outside is a pretty nice cactus garden with a wide variety of desert plants to look at. It is an interesting walk and is also free. We got there at 8:30 in the morning and spent about an hour or a little more and practically had the place to ourselves.
HOOVER DAM TOUR WITH A GRAND CANYON FLYOVER---This tour takes around 8 hours. This combo tour was through Showtime Tours and cost $129 each for my husband my two-year-old daughter and myself.
This seemed about the going rate but I wouldn’t worry about booking in advance, like I did. Once we were in Vegas, tour companies and discount vouchers abounded and you should have no trouble lining up a tour that’s to your liking while you are there. Showtime did all right by us.
The Showtime tour bus was so clean I swear we were the first group to ever ride in it. Our tour guide was very informative. He gave us the lowdown on the area’s cost of living, housing prices (pointing out examples), employment situation (plugged schoolteacher recruitment), weather (arthritis cured vs. allergies and dry eyes), which attractions were really good (Fremont Street Experience) and which were kind of a waste of money (Stratosphere Restaurant—good food, but you’ll leave HUNGRY) and answered a list of FAQ’s to the bus driver and otherwise kept us all quite entertained. The ride back from the dam features a video about the dam that was very interesting on well-spaced TV monitors. The audio is good, too. Speakers throughout let everyone hear the driver and video without having to strain or being blasted with too much volume.
Our canyon flyover was 1-½ hours in a single engine Cessna (one pair of wings across the top, one propeller in the middle of the nose, seats pilot and shotgun in front, bench seat in back). We were the only people scheduled that day or it would have been in a bigger plane, but we didn’t mind the adventure of a small one. The pilot was very personable. The plane was almost too noisy for us to hear in back but we made do without too much repeating. The ride was NOT rough (any rougher than our jet flights), and this was on a partly cloudy day and we flew through a little snow flurry part of the way back.
We flew about ten stories above the ground when we got to the canyon, sometimes closer. We saw no animals or people so it was hard to gauge how high up we were as the plants could have been trees or bushes, it was hard to tell with desert plants I hadn’t seen before. The only time I got a little nauseous was when we flew low over a large flat top of a piece of the canyon and then suddenly it ended and the view dropped two miles to the floor of the canyon. A little unsettling, but just shut your eyes for a second and then look at an angle, not straight down, to minimize the effect. Our two-year-old handled the flight well and was very interested in the view of the canyon, Lake Mead, and Hoover Dam from the air. She slept all the way back to the airport. P.S. The plane’s wings sit at about 5’4” judging from the bruise that I got right at eyebrow level when I walked into one. Par for the course for me.
We paid an extra $10 each, adult, to take the Traditional Interior Dam tour (otherwise, all you see is the outside). This was okay, but when we got there I wished we had signed for the Hardhat Tour, which went way into the bowels of the dam, under the turbines and all (from what I heard). We had seen the “On The Inside” show about the construction of the dam and were very interested in this tour.
I guess what I should say about this is that this would be better just for adults or older children who express a definite interest. Our daughter was bored with the talk, of course, but interested in the sights. She was not patient enough with us so that we could explore the dam as much as we would have liked to. She did enjoy feeding the little gray chipmunks that lived over the retaining wall, though. If we had had the time and not the child with us, this would have been a much better experience but it was worth the visit regardless. We were allowed two hours, which was just about right.
A box lunch was included with our tour---a ham and cheese sub with potato salad and a piece of fruit and a choice of drink. We ate it at the Lake Mead docks while waiting for the others on the bus to come back from their Lake Mead cruise. Our daughter was entertained by feeding popcorn to the ducks, seagulls, and carp and striped bass by the dock. We were all dropped off at our original pick-up points at the end of the tour. Showtime also had a Colorado River Raft tour, a Lake Mead Cruise, a NightLife tour and a City tour. I would try them again if I were interested in any of these based on my experiences with them this time, as the service was excellent.
GAMEWORKS—This is a video arcade for older kids and adults (not toddlers). There’s a catwalk above the gaming floor that has lots of really soft, large leather armchairs and sofas to sit in (in subdued lighting) in case some of the family is tired and the rest want to play. An eating place is on premises and you can purchase play packages if you are a big gamer, for somewhat of a discount. This is attached to the M & M / Ethel M candy store and souvenir shop (NOT the factory, that is in another town) and the Coca-Cola store and souvenir shop and there is a giant rock-climbing wall in the middle for adventurous physical types. We checked it out because there were giant M & M’s on the outside of the building, but we are not video gamers and had already been to the chocolate factory so there was really nothing in there for us. Except those chairs, calling my name…
THE VENETIAN HOTEL---I wanted to go here first because of the gondola rides I’d heard about. They are $10 each for anyone over 5 years old. The ride lasts about 15-20 minutes and they take your picture in the gondola before you leave so that it will be ready for viewing when you come back, purchase optional ($10—personal camera photos not allowed). The ride was okay, nothing special. The gondoliers are all trained in opera singing and speak fluent Italian, though. When they sing to you, it’s real. They are very nice and friendly in an appealing, casual way. The man who photographed us lost a sale, though, as he didn’t even bother to give us time to all look at the camera and smile before he snapped the picture. The boat ride was good for a rest if you were tired but there were seats and benches around for that, too, for free. The gondola ride ticket came with a stub good for a $3 discount at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum. Everything else about the place was top notch and I truly mean that.
Women, if you are like me and have fantasies sometimes of being glamorous and rich…walk through the jewelry and clothing stores where there are pieces displayed that truly had me lost in a daydream for a moment to the point of being unaware of my surroundings. There was jewelry there, oh man, it was REAL, you could TELL. There were diamonds and rubies and emeralds and sapphires and pearls of all colors and sizes. There were dainty things and huge brooches and necklaces dripping with jewels. I never looked at prices, never even thought to…I just enjoyed the beauty of the pieces. My daughter also was impressed, the same with the gowns.
Then there were other stores with works of art of all kinds in them, a feast for the eyes. Especially the blown glass…vases, sculptures, plates, glass balloons as delicate as the real thing, jewelry of beads of all kinds in all colors and gold and silver. Some of it was fun and gaudy, some of it stuffy and classical, some of it fairylike in its delicacy. There were bronze sculptures of all sizes, porcelain figurines of exceptional grace, the bric-a-brac of the rich (rhinestone pillboxes in all sorts of shapes, globes with the features inlaid in polished stones). Also represented were Godiva chocolates and Haagen-Dazs ice cream stores.
There were wandering minstrels and singers that performed at intervals and living medieval statues. My daughter was thrilled when the singing ladies (in richly detailed costumes) invited her to dance a jig with them (she is a dancing fool but was too shy around the costumes). They danced a whole dance with her, the highlight of her day. I noticed that the older people here seemed to be transported back to their youth by the sights and sounds of this hotel. The singers sang traditional Italian songs. The people would listen with their eyes half shut and smiles on their faces, mouthing the words.
The ceilings at the Venetian are covered with Michelangelo-type paintings and gold leaf embellishments. The sky is artfully painted as sky blue with scattered clouds and is eight stories above you. Part of the skyline behind the buildings' facades glows with a beautiful sunrise effect periodically. It's very realistic. One caveat, buy your film at home. The price for one roll at the Venetian (FUJI 400 36 exposures) was $13 and some change.
THE LIBERACE MUSEUM---I wanted to go here because I thought it would be a good visual for my daughter since she was too young to attend any of the floor shows to see feathers and sequins. It was way smaller than I expected, but it was interesting. Actually, my daughter wasn’t all that thrilled with it, but myself, my husband, and my father all found interesting things there, and none of us are actual fans of his.
I’d say there were about 20 costumes of his on mannequins, each with a little blurb about how much they weighed or how many beads and things were on them or who designed it for what special occasion, or how many minks were in a cape…stuff like that. They didn’t look as vivid in real life as they must have looked in the shows, maybe due to lighting or wear. There was a small case with a display of some of his awesomely huge rings. There were about 15 different pianos, one played by Chopin and one played by Gershwin. They were either significant for being rare or glitzy or played by someone famous. Then there were about 6 automobiles including one covered in rhinestones and one covered in mirror tiles (wonder how many accidents he caused driving those around on a sunny day). There are photos of him with different people and videos of his performances and a bit about his youth and some of the furnishings from his estate.
One word of caution; don’t go to make fun of him. Those people who run that place are SERIOUS about their Liberace. I had the feeling that the identities of scoffers were preserved on tape “for observation”. Admission of $8 adults over 12/$5 seniors is tax deductible as a contribution to Liberace’s Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts. We were there at least an hour.
IMPRESSIONS OF SOME OF THE MAIN HOTELS---I speak only on hotels we actually visited, only on the impressions of the gambling area and surrounding boutique and/or food areas.
RIO SUITES—Gambling area was lively and colorful, very friendly employees in ALL areas. The Carnival Buffet was the best we have ever been to and reasonably priced for its content. I would like to particularly recommend a visit for mothers to the Kid Vegas store in the Masquerade Village there. It has wonderful kid clothes that are kind of unique, fun, and WASH AND WEARABLE (i.e.—not too prissy and /or poufy to play in). The prices were better than a store like Gymboree or Baby Gap and the selection was better, too. Just don’t buy the typical souvenir t-shirts ($16-$20) when you can get cute outfits for the same price and sometimes less. My husband was under strict orders if he won 400 quarters or more to give me my half so I could shop there for the kids. My parents told me however, that “nobody wins at the Rio”. We stayed under budget for gambling but as far as winning hotels, we only came out ahead at the airport on the last day so take that or leave it, as you wish.
PARIS HOTEL---We went here in the evening without the kids. What impressed me the most (and my husband) was that the bathrooms were the fanciest we had ever seen. Mine had individual porcelain pedestal sinks with flowers all over them. The walls were tiled in a white tile with an embossed flower design. The doors to the stalls were panel doors with frosted glass windowpanes in them and the lights over the stalls were single bulbs with multi-layered flower petal shades. All the floors everywhere were of one type of stone tile or another. Also, see the bakery in the food court that I mentioned earlier.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK---this was a very exciting building to see. It was by far the most colorful and visually appealing on the outside, modeled in the center after some of the famous skyscrapers and on the edges after typical neighborhood street buildings. My daughter alerted us with an “aaaaaaahhhhhhh” every time she caught a glimpse of the roller coaster going by (the cars are painted like checker cabs). On the inside the décor was, again, neighborhood street scenes. You entered to see their show (Lord of the Dance) through a theatre façade. The streets were paved with asphalt with holes worn in it by heavy traffic that showed the paving bricks beneath. Steam periodically rises from the manhole covers. Sidewalk café tables and chairs are everywhere in the food court area, in front of brownstone stoops with trees shading them. This gave a nice cozy feel to the area that was appealing to me. There was a pond surrounded by large rocks crossed by a stone bridge, to give a taste of Central Park.
There are shops there carrying brand names indigent to New York, like Nathan’s, Schrafft’s, and Krispy Kreme. The gambling area was pleasant to look at. I would have LOVED to stay in a room in the “Empire State Building” or the “Chrysler Building”. Outside, the Statue of Liberty stands in the harbor with a tugboat on each side that shoots its water guns every so often for a fountain effect.
EXCALIBUR---We meant to go to the dinner show here, which featured jousting and eating piles of food with your hands, in medieval fashion (we figured that was right up our daughter’s alley) but we never made it. The regular buffet was disappointing, as mentioned in the food section of this review. However, on the same floor as the buffet we were able to see Krispy Kreme doughnuts being made, watch a very entertaining marionette show, and get a $5 neck and shoulder massage (up to $20 for an all-over with clothes on). That massage was a Godsend for this mom who had tight shoulders from carrying a heavy kid too much. The kids and me did all this while daddy gambled. Everyone was happy.
The interior is interesting in the gambling lobby. There are “stained glass” windows and ceiling panels, purple dragons, and wandering minstrels. There was also a “Dragon In The Moat” show that took place outside after dark but it was out of service when we were there.
THE BEST THING WE DID WHILE WE WERE IN VEGAS AS FAR AS I’M CONCERNED WAS AT THE EXCALIBUR. On the 2nd floor is an “old-time” photo shop where instead of Old West photos (which you can also get there) we got medieval photos. MOMS----HERE IS YOUR CHANCE FOR A FABULOUS FAMILY PICTURE! Daddy can be a king or a knight; mommy can be the queen and the children as gender designates. The costumes are VERY pretty and varied and the king and knight outfits make your man look sooo romantic. And what little girl wouldn’t love to be a princess and dress up with her mommy? I will treasure our picture always. The prices are very reasonable for this type of picture ($5/ea sitting fee, we got 2—8x10’s for $30 in color). The people there did a great job of making sure our two princesses (2 years and 8 months) had appropriate expressions on their faces before snapping. This is my Vegas “number one with a bullet” thing to do. Works well for couples, too. Nice, romantic photo to show your kids when you have some.
TROPICANA AND MGM---both of these were nondescript inside and out (in Vegas terms, you know what I mean). I would only go there if one of them had a show that I wanted to see. P.S. I was told children under 5 were not allowed at shows.
THE MIRAGE---Only hearsay from my daughter and parents, who went to see the fighting pirate ship show. The show is worth planning to see (I mean find out when its performance intervals are and be in the area). It is short, but packed with entertainment. You can have your picture taken with some very handsome pirates in between shows, too, for I believe it was $12. You don’t get to dress up for this one, though that would probably be a good thing for them to consider.
THE BELLAGIO---only saw the outside while at the Paris, across the street. Caught the fountain show while waiting for a long light. It was very impressive. I am still wondering what the water pressure had to be at the end to shoot the water so high so fast. This is something to keep your eyes open for while you are strolling the strip as it “goes off” at preset intervals.
AND FINALLY, A FEW MISCELLANEOUS TIPS AND COMMENTS---Valet park everywhere you go that has it. It only costs $1 (a tip) and saves your energy for sightseeing, especially important if you have children with you. For those of you who may not realize it, the airport is practically across the street from the strip and most hotels run courtesy shuttle buses. Las Vegas being in the desert (no tall trees with leaves) and full of unique buildings, it is pretty easy to find your way around just by sight. You can see forever…and it’s very well lit at night (ha ha).
We found rooms at the RIO for $89 a night on placestostay.com. This was by FAR the best rate I could find on my own at a premium hotel, but we decided to stay with my parents. Don’t be a window shopper, though, if you find a great rate. I accidentally reserved the wrong week and when I went back to change it all the inexpensive rooms were gone and we would have had to pay $120/night instead. The best airfare I found for us at the time was Delta, $281 RT from Detroit. I shopped vacation “packages” on a few sites where you could arrange room, ride, and tours all at once but I saved $300 doing it myself separately after I got a “ballpark figure” to go by. Some useful web sites for show and rate and attraction information are ilovevegas.com, bestreadguide.com, placestostay.com and lasvegastours.com.
Take a bottle of water and tube of chapstick with you everywhere and refill your bottle whenever you get a chance. You will be thirsty and it will save you a lot of money. Pick two things a day to do every morning plus one reserve choice in case you win a few bucks or have more time or energy than you expected. Packing a stroller is worth it, and attach any shoulder straps that came with your luggage and use backpacks wherever possible to keep your hands free to handle the kids. And finally, if you think you MIGHT even want to do things without the kids in the evenings, pick a hotel that provides childcare (one of the reasons we initially booked the Rio).
During the day if you try to gamble, TAKE TURNS watching the kids so one of you won’t be burned out by evening from doing it alone all day. Kids are allowed in the gambling areas as far as going through one in order to get somewhere else or in order to find your partner, but you can’t stop at a game with them. If you split up in order for one of you to gamble while one entertains the kids, agree to meet at a certain time and BE there. Don’t make each other waste your vacation running around trying to hook up with each other all the time.
Good Luck and have fun, we did. After March, check my personal web site to see vacation photos.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
roxsax
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Member: Roxanne Saxton
Location: Morrice, MI
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 6 members
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