Las Vegas Vacation Blog Blog

1.  Visit mid-week. Hotel rooms often cost three to four times as much on the weekends as during the week! Plus, with weekend crowds you’ll wait in line for everything. Mid-week visitors save tons of money and have a much better time.
2. Get a player’s card. Go to the Player’s Club desk at any casino you visit and sign up for a free player’s card, even if you don’t plan to gamble there. Then the casino will mail you offers for discounted or even free rooms on your next visit.
3. Don’t lose your shirt. Don’t bet more than you can afford to lose. Set a budget for each playing session and if you lose it, stop playing.
4. Don’t play slot machines. They suck your money away hand over fist. See our crash course on table games to have a much better chance of winning.
5. Tip the dealers $5/hr. and the cocktail waitresses $1 every drink or two.
6. Ask for comps. When you play either slots or table games the casino will reward you with buffets, show tickets, or room discounts. Ask at the player’s club booth (slot players) or at the tables (table players) for how to claim your goodies. (more on comps)
7. Use the buses. The #108 goes from the airport to the Stratosphere and then to downtown, for only $1.25 — or pay $2.50 for a Day Pass and then ride the Deuce for only 50¢. The Deuce runs the whole strip and to & from downtown for only $2.00, or $5.00 for 24-hour all-you-can-ride pass, or only 50¢ if you got a day pass from the #108 bus.
8. Don’t try to get taxis on the strip. Taxis can’t stop directly on the strip; that’s why they’re passing you by. Go to the taxi area of the hotel to get one. Up to 4 people ride for the same price as 1; if there’s just 2 of you, don’t be afraid to yell out, “Anyone want to split a cab to [some casino]?” It doesn’t just save money, it’s eco-friendly.
9. Walk. The whole strip is four miles long and you could walk the whole thing in an hour and a half. When there’s traffic it’s the fastest way to get around.
10. Get Half-Price Show Tickets. You can get half-price tickets for most Vegas shows at one of the three booths on the Strip (just S. of the Riviera, outside the Fashion Show Mall across from the Wynn, and in the Hawaiian Marketplace across from the Monte Carlo), or downtown (outside the Four Queens).
11. Bank your winnings. Set aside half your win when you win big, and never gamble it, so you have a guaranteed win.
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“Comps” is just a short way of saying “complimentaries”. They are the freebies given away by casinos to entice you to spend money in their casinos. A comp can be anything from a free keychain to a luxury weekend hotel stay including 3,000 square foot suite with butler service, limo transportation and free airfare to Las Vegas. Granted, the amount you gamble has to be pretty high to get the suite and airfare, but most casinos will provide comps to even the lowest of lowroller. It’s all in how you play the game.

The key to comps is to always be sure that you are rated when you play. This means that the casino keeps track of your average bet and the time you play. Almost all casinos in Las Vegas have a slot club card to do this. You find the slot club booth in the casino, fill out a card with your name, address, phone and social security number and they issue you a plastic, credit card sized card with an ID number on it. When you sit down at a table game, you hand that card to the pit boss who logs you in and notes your average bet. When you leave, they make a note of that too. Same goes for slot machines or video poker. When you sit at a machine, there is a slot where you insert your card. That will track the amount of money you put through that machine. Never ever ever play a machine without a slot club card in it. You are losing money if you do. Most casinos offer cashback or comps based on the denomination you bet and your length of play. You earn “points” based on the number of coins you put into the machine and those points can be redeemed for various comps from t-shirts to free rooms.

Here are some of the types of things you can get comped:

The most obvious, yet often overlooked comp in town are the free drinks you are provided with while you play. Typically, when you’re sitting at a machine or table game, cocktail waitresses will walk by saying “cocktail”. Give them your order for your drink of choice and they’ll go get it. Some casinos are limited on the drinks they provide. Some only provide the “cheap stuff” while others will give you anything you ask for. Our favorite is Main Street Station downtown as they will bring you beer from their microbrewery at the machines and tables.

The free drinks are the easiest comp to get. All you have to do is sit down and start playing and eventually a cocktail waitress will stroll by and take your order. (Remember, it’s always a good idea to tip the waitresses - see my tipping guide here). Some casinos will also comp cigarettes at the tables, but those casinos are getting few and far between. Billhere (http://www.billhere.com) has a list of casinos that still comp cigarettes for play if you’re interested. Send him an email asking for his “coupons+lists” lists. I believe the article is #546.

The next easiest comp to get would be a line pass to the buffet. Basically this just gets you past all the other people in line. It gets you into the casino guest line, but does not pay for your food. It is just a little bit more difficult to get the buffet pass and it’s always best to ask for that. Just go up to any pit boss or slot host and ask for a comp to the buffet for how ever many people are in your party. If they’ve seen you gambling at all, most will give you a comp for two to the buffet which includes a line pass. Just go straight to the casino guest line with the paper they hand you and eat up.

The same method is used to get comps to coffee shops, restuarants, shows, etc. You find your slot host or the pit boss in the area you’re playing and ask if you’ve played enough for a comp to …. whatever. You can also go back to the slot club booth and see how many points you have available to redeem for a buffet or restaurant. However, I have found better success by establishing a relationship with a host and asking them directly. More often than not, the points will not be taken out of your account for the meal, or you may be given a comp when you don’t yet have enough points to cover it.

The same goes for getting casino rate or free rooms, etc. When you are ready to check out of the hotel where you’ve been staying and playing, go downstairs and ask to speak to a host. Tell them how much you have enjoyed playing at their hotel, etc. Then ask if they can take any charges off your bill. I always charge everything to my room from buffets to restaurants to specialty drinks in the bar. I am not much of a high roller ($0.25 video poker a few hours a day) but I usually get something by asking. Usually a few free meals, or my room rate reduced. It never hurts to ask and you won’t get anything if you don’t try at all.

Never be embarrassed or intimidated. Always be nice. The casino host is there to make sure that you have a good time and that you return to their casino in the future. Many times a casino host will not be able to give you much at that time (when you’re checking out) but they will give you their card and will say “Please let me know when you’d like to visit us next time.” Calling them before your next trip will almost always result in a discounted room rate (casino rate) at a minimum. Establishing a relationship with a casino host at a particular hotel you enjoy will get you more and more comps each visit if you consistently gamble in their casino.

The trick is to be nice, and not to abuse the host. Many hosts have told me that first time visitors will contact them and expect the world for $100 of gaming. You can’t get RFB (Room, food and beverages comped) if you’re playing nickle slots. The hosts have to account for the things they comp. Comps are generally computed based on expected loss. If you played $1000 at blackjack with a 3% expected house edge, they would presume that you lost $30. They would comp you a percentage of that, usually 20-40%, or $6-12. Now, that doesn’t mean that you have to lose that $30. In fact, if you play an hour of a positive expectation video poker game (like deuces wild) statistically you will break even or come out slightly ahead, but the casino will still assume that you have lost that $30 or so and will base your comps on that figure.

There are a number of excellent resources out there about what slot clubs are best and how best to work them. The Queen of Comps is Jean Scott, the author of the Frugal Gambler. Her book is an excellent resource in learning how to work the comp system to your advantage. Here are some other great books that will help you.
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Chris Angel takes audiences on a mystifying and spectacular journey through the inventive inner workings of his mind and the surreal world created through the talented Cirque du Soleil performers in his new show Believe, directed by Serge Denoncourt. Even the name for the show has a haunting beginning that spawns from the death of famed magician Harry Houdini.

“After my death, many people will claim that they are still able to communicate with me. If their claims are valid, they will be able to tell you a code word - that word is believe,” said Houdini to his wife before he died.

Believe, unlike the traditional magic show, transports the audience into another realm of fantasy and illusion where dreams and reality are intermingled to create a stunning feast for the eyes.

Angel takes on the role of a Victorian noble who embarks on a fantastical journey where he encounters unique and exquisite characters and dancers that convey different moods and styles, from high-energy and intense to graceful sensuality. His stunning illusions are interwoven throughout the show as part of the story line, accented with the diverse troupe of dazzling characters and their performances.

For tickets and information on dates and prices go here.

The Las Vegas Strip is one of the best places to go for entertainment on the west coast of the United States. Sporting a wide variety of Las Vegas hotels and casinos, nightclubs, restaurants and other attractions, you will be able to find a little bit of something for everyone.

This site is dedicated to giving you all of the information necessary for you to plan your trip to Las Vegas without having to wonder what is available for you when in Vegas.

When you visit Las Vegas, there are a lot of attractions to see, so you’ll want to plan your time accordingly. First, you’ll want to find a hotel in Las Vegas that meets your travel needs and near all the attractions you plan to visit. A hotel on the strip puts you right in the action 24 hours a day but there are also beautiful hotels off the strip.
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The Las Vegas Strip is one of the safest places in the country. I have routinely walked the Strip at 3 or 4 in the morning without so much as a panhandler approaching me. However, every city has it’s criminal element and you should take steps to protect yourself from it. In addition, due to attraction of the large volume of tourists, the thieves can just as easily have come in from out of town on a “business trip”, staying at a hotel, as local residents. This doesn’t mean you should be afraid or limit your activities. Just follow the same simple common-sense steps you’d use when visiting any large city.

• Enlarge large crowd of tourists, money in their pockets, jammed together focused on the Bellagio Fountain Show or one of the other attractions, is enough to make a pick-pocket drool. ALWAYS be mindful of your purse or wallet. Keep your valuables well covered and don’t drop your guard while checking out the attractions, gambling, shopping, at a buffet, at the pool, or even walking down the sidewalk. Shopping bags are nice but they’re usually wide open at the top. You’re better off with bags that you can fold the top over.
• Always use the additional dead-bolt lock when you’re in your room. As fast as new key-cards and electronic locks are developed the thieves find a way to thwart them. Don’t leave large amounts of cash or valuables in your room. The hotels will keep them in their safe as a free service. Moderate amounts of cash should be locked in your suitcase. The vast majority of maids and maintenance workers are honest, hard-working people trying to make a living. However, the only way the occasional “bad apple” can come to the hotel’s attention is after guests have been victimized.
• When in a hotel/casino lobby or at the airport, always keep a hand on your luggage or set it in front of you. It only takes a second for a suitcase or bag to disappear. Thieves like busy places where people are rushing around. Hotel lobbies, casinos, and especially McCarran Airport, all fit this profile.
• Whatever you do, don’t try to walk from the Strip to Fremont Street (or visa-versa). I can tell you from personal experience that it’s no “leisurely stroll”, and you pass through areas where there are not a lot of people, even during daylight hours.
• Enlarge pictureWhen you are walking, use the crosswalks. Jay-walking in Vegas carries a $95 fine. And when you’re at the crosswalks, wait for the “Walk” light and don’t step too far off the curb while you wait. The locals really fly down Sands, Flamingo, and the other streets that cross the Strip and the traffic lanes are close to the curbs. (The pedestrian bridges at Flamingo and Tropicana are helpful in this respect.) I’ve seen numerous posts in Las Vegas newsgroups which said that car/pedestrian accidents around the Strip happen a lot more often than the Convention and Visitors Bureau would like to admit. And often the people driving the car are themselves visitors with a rental who are sight-seeing while driving. Whether walking or driving, be extra careful around the Strip.
• You should always bring along a photo ID with your current address and something with your name and social security number on it. The IRS requires the casinos to get this information if you hit a jackpot at a machine or do extremely well at the tables. However, don’t carry the document bearing your social security number around with you. If your name, address, and SSN fall into the wrong hands you could become the victim of “credit identity theft”. (You shouldn’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet or purse at all anymore because this applies everywhere, not just Las Vegas. Also check any health insurance cards or school IDs you may have in your wallet. They also often have your SSN on it.) Leave your SSN document in your room, locked in your suitcase. If you do hit it big, the casino will be glad to hold onto your winnings while you go back to your room to get the document.

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You have several options for getting from the airport to your hotel. Shuttle buses cost $5 to Strip hotels and $7 to downtown hotels per person (but it can take over an hour to get to your hotel). Taking a taxi will cost you about $15 to Strip hotels and over $20 to downtown hotels (but you will get to your hotel much sooner). Limousines cost $55 to $65. If you are in a group of six people (or you can get a group of six together from your flight while waiting at the baggage carousel), splitting this fee six ways comes out to about $10 a person. Note that all six people will have to be going to hotels in the same general area.

The ground transportation diagram on the Diagrams page will show you where the shuttle bus and limos are located at both airport terminals.

If you decide to take a cab to your Strip hotel, be sure to tell the driver “don’t take the freeway.” Some less-than-honest cab drivers will take a round-about freeway route which will raise your fare from less than $15 to over $20.

The Bellagio Hotel & Resort, the Italian-flavored resort-casino is at 3600 Las Vegas Blvd South (888-987-6667), is on the infamous Strip. Dining is accelerated to a crescendo at Bellagio’s thirteen restaurants, which run the gamut from gourmet dining to easy informal meals.

For gourmet dining you can experience haute cuisine at Le Cirque, or at its sister restaurant, Osteria Del Circo. Chef Julian Serrano left his perch at the four-star Masa’s restaurant in San Francisco to open Picasso in Bellagio, probably the most beautiful restaurant in Las Vegas. MICHAEL MINA is a clone of one of San Francisco’s best restaurants, and is a seafood venue with a distinct blend of California and Mediterranean ingredients. Prime Steakhouse, which is overseen by Manhattan’s Jean-George Vongerichten, features the chef’s signature dishes such as crab mango salad with cumin crackers; an assembled tomato accented with basil oil; and entrees such as the house prime steaks that come with a variety of sauces from béarnaise to tamarind, or seven different mustards. For Asian meals, seek out either Jasmine, Shintaro or Noodles restaurants. (contributed by GraceAnn Walden)

What was once an irresistible force is now nothing more than another industry that is struggling with the American economy. The economic state of the country is having an increasingly negative effect on the casino industry.

The Plaza Hotel-Casino project that was supposed to resume at the end of the year has now been put off again. The developer now states that construction will not start again until 2009.

Elad IDB is reported to be waiting on further financing before the project can once again be started. They have deferred payment on the loan they took out or the project. That is further evidence that the economy has a big part in the delay.

Many other developers have also stopped their projects until the economy is once again stable. Boyd Gaming is one of those developers. They have stopped construction efforts on their Echelon Resort. That project was to cost $4.8 billion.

Las Vegas is not the only area with casino expansion problems. In Atlantic City they were in the process of rebuilding what was once the gambling capitol of the East Coast. That renovation plan has been slowed by the economy.
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For all of you with extra change in your pockets this may be good news. After all I would rather be in a less crowded casino for sure when I took a trip to Las Vegas.

Fitzgeralds is calling all players 50 years young or better to take advantage of our new Fitz 50 Plus.  Fitz 50 Plus extends special benefits to anyone 50 years or better and Fitz 50 Plus is available on Monday and Tuesdays excluding holidays. Just see what you get…

• Double Points – All earned points are doubled for play on that day. (Only on Fitz 50 Plus days - Mondays & Tuesdays)
• 20 Point Bus Redemption - Redeem CTI or Coach bus fare at 20 earned points. (Only on Fitz 50 Plus: Mondays & Tuesdays)
• Breakfast Special - $1.99 breakfast from 8am to 11am.

Fitz 50 Plus is free! To start receiving your benefits, stop by the Key Rewards Desk and register.  You need to only register one time to receive double points. Once registered, your points will automatically double on every Monday and Tuesday you play; however, you will need to stop by the club to receive your breakfast coupon and redeem your bus ticket. Fitzgeralds’ new Fitz 50 Plus combined with our loose slots is a great value so make plans to play here on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Located on 11 acres, Mandalay Bay Beach provides the ultimate in aquatic relaxation. This world-famous playground offers a wave pool, lazy river, three swimming pools, jogging track and 2,700 tons of real sand. Voted Las Vegas’ premier pool experience by TripAdvisor.com in 2006, a $30 million expansion in 2007 brought to The Beach more premium seating and the exclusive new Beach side Casino. If that weren’t enough, Mandalay Beach and Moorea offer 100 rentable cabanas, day beds, bungalows and villas that include personalized service and raft/tube rentals.

Located steps away from Mandalay Bay Beach, The Beachside Casino offers three-stories of superior indulgence in a glass-fronted, climate-controlled environment. On the first level, beach-goers may dine at the open-air Beach Bar & Grill. The second floor features blackjack, roulette and craps with fabulous views of the brilliant blue water in a casual, yet upscale setting. The third level contains five Villas Soleil with spectacular views of the entire Mandalay Bay Beach. Ranging in size from 250 to 500 square feet, each contemporarily designed villa accommodates up to 16 guests with cabana service and access to a private, third-level pool.

Set amidst Mandalay Beach is Moorea Beach Club, an upscale, European-style pool experience with a South Beach vibe catering to guests 21 years of age and older, this exclusive outdoor environment features dipping pools, cushioned chaise lounges, comfortable daybeds and a private pavilion. Poolside spa treatments also are available.

The May through September Beach Concert Series spotlights some of the best names in music as guests are serenaded from a one-of-a-kind stage above Mandalay Beach. Concert-goers are invited to bring their blankets and sit on the beach or wade in the surf as they listen to popular performers. Featured artists have included Chicago, Joss Stone, Ziggy Marley, Foreigner and Pat Benatar.