Saturday, April 21, 2012

haven't been in 10 years a few questions

I used to drive from San Diego to Vegas when I was in the Military. We stayed at cheap places and gambled cheap. We even considered 2.99 buffet%26#39;s high then.





So now a few of us from my company are going out on Memorial Day. We got a good package deal at Bally%26#39;s. We are flying out and I just want some generic information.





1. Should we use the monorail for moving back and forth between hotels?





2. We are only staying three nights? Should we go downtown for one of them?





3. They used to have cheap gambling like .25-1.00 dollar craps certain times of day. We found this at Casino Royale next to Harrah%26#39;s. Is there any cheap gambling out there now. I would hate to expect to spend $250 per day at the tables and have to play $10 minimums at craps and poker games.





4. I know there used to be inexpensive buffet%26#39;s with steak and crab legs. Granted it was not the best meal but are they still there.





5. I am trying to eat one good meal. I have heard good things about Rosemary%26#39;s and still looking into Lawry%26#39;s. Any other suggestions?





6. I am going to gamble but my wife to watch a show and spa. What spa is good for the money? I read to buy show tickets the day of the show. Is this true? Is there a website that lists show by dates?





Thanks in advance,





Brad



haven't been in 10 years a few questions


1. it depends on where you are going. if you are going to another hotel with a station, then the monorail is best. you can buy 10 rides at a discount and share them with your buddies. if you are going to a hotel without a stop, then a cab is probably fast and it will cost about the same.





2. i would go downtown. you will find cheaper gambling and more of an old school experience downtown. i love downtown!





3. www.cheapovegas.com/vegas_cheapo_games.php. also look at the comparison chart (in the navigation bar to the left).





4. the buffets aren%26#39;t cheap anymore. http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/buffets.cfm has prices and reviews. my favorite cheap buffet is at main street station downtown. it looks like it has crab on friday and saturday nights.





5. circus circus steakhouse is one of the best values in vegas. your steak will still cost $35, but it will be the same steak you would pay $60 for elsewhere and it comes with sides rather than al a carte.





6. for the popular shows, like any cirque show, buy tickets in advance. http://www.vegas.com/shows/. http://www.vegas.com/spas/index.html.



haven't been in 10 years a few questions


I%26#39;d normally say that 3 days is barely enough to enjoy the strip and to skip downtown but since you are asking about super cheap buffets and low limit gambling it sounds like downtown may be a good place for you, the gambling is better and the food is cheaper.



If you aren%26#39;t married to the idea of any one particular show to see then the half-price show ticket booths will have a lot of shows for you to choose from. I like to check Vegas.com to find list of shows.




Since you are going on a budget, you might skip the monorail (expensive and inconvenient) and buy a 5 dollar 24 hour pass on the Deuce, the bus that goes up and down the strip. It also goes Downtown, and the monorail ends at the Sahara. The half price ticket store is a good idea if you don%26#39;t have a specific show in mind. Cheap buffets on the strip are long gone. The Paris breakfast buffet is around 13 bucks and is very good. The evening buffets are very pricey, generally 25 bucks and up.




Stay all your hotel nights at Bally%26#39;s....take a taxi downtown only if you seriously want cheap everything. You may still find 2 dollar black jack tables at Barbary Coast right next to Bally%26#39;s...as for the other stuff...1.00 craps, don%26#39;t know on the strip. Penny slots have made a big comeback recently with the gameshow slots like ';Deal or No Deal';, but you have to load them up, about 40 cents a pull, to really make any money back. You can get your cheap steak dinner at Ellis Island, also right there near Ballys. As for cheap Steak and Crab Legs, I don%26#39;t know...another poster may have info on that.





You can however, get more bang for your buck for free, with the free shows, than what you had available 10 yrs ago. The statues in the forum shops at Ceasars, the parade in the sky at the Rio, the Bellagio Fountains, the TI pirate sirens %26#39;thing%26#39;, the Freemont Street experience light show downtown, dueling pianos at NYNY.



Buying tickets to the show the day of, is ok for the less popular venues, but if you want Phantom of the Opera, Celine Dion, Danny Gans, any of the Cirque shows....you better book in advance.




Only use the monorail if you are going to the Sahara hotel (or nearby), Hilton or convention center. It is expensive and very inconvenient. The stations are in the back and it is quite a hike to get to them. Bally%26#39;s is in a good location so you should be able to walk to many places. For everything else- take the Deuce or a cab. The Deuce can sometimes be very slow and very crowded.



www.rtcsnv.com/deuce



Since you are only going to be there three nights- I would skip downtown unless you plan on doing some serious gambling. If you want to see the various casinos and their attractions-I would stay on the strip.



http://www.vegas.com/attractions/



For cheap but decent buffets- check the Orleans or Gold Coast (website). You can get to them by using their shuttles that stop at Bill%26#39;s (formerly Barbary Coast).



Do you have a car? The cab fare to Rosemary%26#39;s is going to run you about $25 each way.



The tickets at the 1/2 price kiosks are not the A list shows. You should have a few shows in mind because you have to be flexible. What shows are available can vary from one day to the next. They sometimes have the biggies-Mystere, Phantom, etc. available for 10-30% off- but there is no guarantee they will be offered while you are there. If you definitely want to see one of the biggies- buy tickets in advance. There is another kiosk at the Coke bottle near MGM.



http://www.tix4tonight.com/




If you want shows by dates- go to vegas.com and enter your dates. It will list the shows are available on those dates.




You mentioned Casino Royale, yep still a bargain. ;) Other than that, downtown is where you%26#39;d find some chepaer table games, however cheap would be $5 and you have to hunt for those tables.





Value for money meal and it is very good is the steak special at Ellis Island on Koval. Go out the back of Bally%26#39;s and walk down to the corner, turn right and Ellis Island casino is on the left. The steak special isn%26#39;t on the menu, you have to ask for it. Be prepared to wait for a table, it%26#39;s very popular! Good $1 beers there and you can gamble while waiting for the table. It%26#39;s a local place. ;)




(1) Monorail works fine if you want to go to the netherregions of the strip - Sahara/Hilton and/or MGM (which will give you access to MB, Luxor, Trop, etc.). Look at a map and figure out where you want to go then decide on the monorail.





(2) Yes - you will find cheaper gaming alternatives down there and it can be fun for some people.





(3) Downtown has cheap gaming, Casino Royale too. All casinos have penny slots - so you could live on $250 per day for quite a while if you stick to those machines.





(4) Yes and they are still not the best meals.





(5) Rosemary%26#39;s is waaay off the beaten path - it took 20 - 30 minutes when I went and in my opinion, not worth the treck. The service is the best in Vegas, but I think it%26#39;s to cover up the food - but I%26#39;m in the minority for sure - others rave. Really, a good answer to this depends on how much you want to spend. If you want cheap, but good - tons of places. If you want good, doesn%26#39;t matter what price - a lot to choose from as well.





(6) Spa - Look at Ballys. CP has a good one. No idea how to answer your show question - never been to one.





Have a fun trip.

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