BitsnBearsMom

Looking for some hints and tips and suggestions. We are a family of 6 (dh, myself, DS 17yo, DS 12yo, gramma and gramps) heading to Vegas for a few days after spending a week at Disneyland/LA area in march of 2012.

We will be flying from LA to Vegas (I think) because of the steep cost of picking up the rental car at lax and dropping off at LAS..... From the looks of it it's actually cheaper to fly!!

Only gramma is interested in gambling.... The rest of us just want to see the sights. Hoping to find a way to fit in a day drive/tour of some sort to the grand canyon. We will have a part day on arrival, 2 full days then pretty much a whole day on our last day as our flight doesn't leave until 10pm on the Friday.

With our group where would you suggest we look at staying? Haven't really thought of what we want to spend on a hotel there as I haven't looked at going rates..... The 1st part of the vacation isn't costing us anything as we are using our DVC points to stay at disney's grand Californian.

BigRuss

If nothing else, there are plenty of shows to choose from and numerous entertainment options. You can also go to Area 51 if you want a lark.

nytraveler

Just be aware that the kids can;t enter casinos - VERY strict about this. Also, that they will be approached on the street with VERY graphic flyers from "escort services".

There are some decent shows but they're not inexpensive. I would check with the hotels to see if their pools are open then - it may be too cold - and that could be really boring for the kids unless you do a couple of day trips.

You may want to search below for thread on kids in Vegas - and what parents said they enjoyed.

emalloy

There are several sites here that give lots of to dos in Vegas. I would not consider Grand Canyo to be a day trip, but if you want to do an overnight there it would be great. For starters with drive times to get there under ideal conditions:

Hoover Dam/Lake Meade half an hour away
Valley of Fire about an hour
Red rock Canyon half an hour
Death Valley NP 2 + hours
Zion NP 3 hours
Grand Canyon NP 5 hours

tomfuller

Allegiant Air has cheap flights from Long Beach to LV.
http://www.allegiantair.com/
They have deals on hotels, rental cars and shows that you can add to your airfare.
Rental cars tend to be cheaper in Las Vegas than in southern California.
My tip is to stay in Henderson the night before you head east to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.
My favorite is a suite at the Fiesta.

qwovadis

get my best deals bidding priceline.com for upscale

betterbidding.com Venetian for me last $80

Weekdays way cheaper than weekends

tripres.com for no bid deals Luxor StratCircus budget deals

lasightseeing.net

grandcanyontours.com

For the usual suspects

qwovadis

lasvegassightseeing.net sorry for typo

persimmondeb

I will say, that while the ground was littered with "advertisements" not a single huckster attempted to hand one to DS on our trip to LV this summer. Kids cannot stop on a casino floor, but the "cross-through" rules are less strict than in many eastern states.

Depending on your kids, there is plenty to see and do, even without a pool. We stayed at Circus, Circus, which I wouldn't recommend in a lot of ways, but there were lots of fun things for DS to do, and the room was perfectly fine. Buffets are always a major draw for teenage boys, too. I think we ate at seven in a four day trip. The flowers at Bellagio and the memorabilia at Hard Rock were big hits with DS, too. Also DS discovered that the "arcade" (really just a bit of lobby adjacent to the food court) at the Riviera had an awesome selection of vintage pinball and video games.

BitsnBearsMom

Thanks everyone..... We've already warned the boys about what they may see/hear in Vegas.... I guess that's why we waited until they were older to go. I've kept the Vegas portion of our trip fairly short so hopefully we can find enough to see/do to keep them busy!

Now to figure out with the many hotels on the strip where to stay......

Elyse_Dorm

Same here, we saw the flyer distributors specifically avoiding people with kids, although the fliers are strewn everywhere. For good kid ideas check out tripadvisor reviews of things to do and also check past threads. But the top must do in Vegas is a show or two... they are very good, also stratosphere is fun but the rides are pretty insane, and Wax Museum which we liked would probably also appeal to teenagers.

ankhboy

My first thought was why bring 12 and 17 to Vegas?? but there is alot of free entertainment there. Stay at the old but decent Tropicana and walk the strip. Granny can stay in the
Trop and gamble, or walk across the street (pedestrian overpasses) to MGM, New York2, or Excalibur casinos, all fun. Every hotel has lots of free exhibits based on their theme. Excalibur has medieval magic shows. Take the free monorail. Get the free Tshirt/ball caps that are advertised everywhere, that will absorb some time. Walk everywhere, make sure everyone has athletic shoes and socks on. Take the rollercoaster which is attached to the outside of the New York2 Hotel, cattycorner from the Trop. Walk down to Luxor and see all the cool Egyptian stuff. Walk up to Caesar's Palace and all around the Forum Mall inside there, hang around the fountain and watch the laser and moving statues show every 45 minutes. Treasure Island Hotel has a old sailing ships and a naval battle every half hour. Bellagio Hotel has outside fountain show you watch from the sidewalk, pretty impressive for 12 and 17 check hotel website for details. Eat at buffets/fast food/restaurants along the way, according to your budget/time/taste. You won't lack for things to do if you just wander around. Let them go online beforehand and choose some things.

ankhboy

Oh, I cannot Emphasize enough, stay at one of the four mentioned hotels: you will be RIGHT on the "Strip" and everything will be easier. If you stay in the Tropicana, or MGM, you will be closest to the airport, minimizing taxi time to/from the airport (which is excellent and efficient) and Excalibur or New York hotels are only a block farther, all being on the same HUGE intersection. Within those four hotels, you should be able to easily stay under $100/nt, perhaps much less, based on timing. I just checked Excalibur and it was $57/room/nt; and don't bother booking hotel til the week before, except if you book concurrent with air fare sometimes you can get a better deal that way. Oh yeah, MGM had a big free live lion exhibit last time I was there, you could even walk UNDER the lions in a glass tunnel. IF you make a huge mistake and get trapped into one of the off-the strip resorts, you will either have to spend all your time at that property (which may be nice enough) OR take shuttles to the strip, thus wasting time. Oh, I strongly suggest soft/minimal luggage so you can all fit in one van for transportation purposes, and tell the kids they may have to hold their luggage on their laps to/from the airport!

BitsnBearsMom

Thanks for the suggestions..... A question for anyone..... Do all of the hotels have non smoking rooms?? Both the 12yo and I have bad asthma and I know most places are smoking in the us but do they at least offer non smoking rooms?

isabel

Here's a link to the trip report I did from my three days in Vegas last summer - http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...s-to-vegas.cfm

As you'll see, there is plenty to see for a few days - I hardly spent any money and didn't gamble at all (it looked incredibly boring).

Here are my photos - http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/vegas As you'll see, there's lots of eye candy, plenty to look at.

I really don't get why people want to return again and again, but it's fun for a few days.

Lateagain

The Pinball Museum is great fun and it is free. it costs just 25c a game on the older pinballs. We are in our late 50's but enjoyed our time there immensely, although the majority.of the players were teenagers. Yes, the hotels do have non smoking rooms.