circus circus
 

we are staying here for 4 days next year and would like to hear from anyone that has stayed here. we are going to have 2 kids with us[1 and 6] and would like some info on where we can take them. i know that there are some hotels with theme parks etc that would suit them. be grateful for any help. thanks

Here is my recommendation:

Immediately change your reservation.

Circus Circus is a dump, plain and simple. Terrible location, lame theme, lousy rooms, awful food. Excalibur is a small step up, but I wouldn't choose that one either.

With children that young, I don't know that it will really matter, as just about everything in Vegas will go over their heads. I'd stay somewhere else-- anywhere but Circus Circus!-- and bring them over to CC for a little play time.

Maybe you could look into New York New York...?

Sorry to say, but I'll second the above strongly worded opinion.
4 days is a long time in LV, and Circus Circus is one of the worst places to spend them.
There are so many competitive hotels (granted, few geared toward kids) that you should be able to find good rates at a better, cleaner hotel in a nicer area.
Most all LV visitors calling themseves a 'jetsetter' would steer clear of CC.

I third the above--Circus Circus is Crummy Crummy. Staying somewhere newer and cleaner would be better for the kids--I'm sorry I can't help with suggestions, but I'm sure you can find ideas by searching old threads here, or reposting for hotel ideas. Good luck!

A recent thread saw a little skirmish of words about Las Vegas' appropriateness for children. For a few years, the Convention and Visitors' Bureau tried to sell LV as a "family" destination-- till they started looking at the numbers and realized that those visiting families don't gamble much. So now they're selling sin and skin again-- "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" is the new slogan. So look for kid-themed stuff right on the Strip to be even rarer in coming months. Some posters were able to come up with a list of kid stuff in the LV metro area, so a search might help in that department.

I have to agree, at least the Excalibur is in a great location and has many neat hotels within quick walking distance on all sides.

Get out of Circus Circus. Excalibur, Luxor, MGM, NYNY would all be MUCH better choices, and unlike CC, they are within walking distance of many attractions. Alos, to reiterate what rjw said, Vegas is attempting to shred some of the family friendly perception. As long as you are prepared for that, you'll be fine but don't take the kids to the "pirate show" and gripe that it's just a bunch of scantily clad off-duty strippers shakin' what they got. As for what to do, I think 1 year old is a bit young for me to have any constructive suggestions for. I know there is a big arcade at MGM and Wet n Wild is on the strip which could be fun for the 6 year old as well as the rides atop the Strat (if tall enough - the child not the strat). And FYI, the Bellagio may not let you in with your kids, just fair warning. Some properties frown on non-guest children.

The place is a dump....end of topic.

Am going to Vegas next month. Agree
Circus is a dump!
Is the steak house there still recommended????

The Steakhouse is still one of the best and thats about the only good thing at the CC unless you want to learn how to play BJ on the $2 tables

I stayed at CC just over a month ago because of the low price only. It's still a dump; rooms facing the west get amazingly hot in the afternoons even with drapes pulled. Bored, I wandered into Adverturedome (whatever it's called) and played putt-putt golf on a very sad, dull course, and played Air Rifle Shoot Out with a rifle that did not work. The Dome might entertain your 6 yr old for a little while.
Did not eat at the Steakhouse but a cab driver told me it was "the best" in town.

Circus Circus

Yuck Yuck

My sweet Mom planned a family vacation to Vegas for Christmas a couple of years ago and we stayed at, you guessed it, Circus Circus. My brothers and I hated that place! You're huddled over on the wrong side of the tracks at Circus Circus. The sad part is that a couple of weeks before we went she had an opportunity to switch to Mandalay Bay for the same price, but declined thinking it wasn't worth the trouble. She didn't hear the end of that miscalculation! Trust me, if it is at all possible to switch to another hotel/casino you will thank your lucky stars that you did. You will feel like a refugee in Circus Circus compared to all the other nice places. Even if you stay at the Hilton or something it will be a lot better.

I couldn't agree more about Circus Circus being a dump. But I have an inexpensie alternative! The Flamingo. Extremely well located (mid-strip, right next to Paris), clean rooms, refurbished, simple, decent food, AND the BEST pool on the strip. I assume the 6 year old likes to swim, as all kids do?? The rooms are usually around $100 a night.

Heed our warnings, Circus Circus is the black hole of Calcutta!

I also say skip CC!

Please do yoursef a favor and do not stay at Circus Circus.

add one more to the switch reservations now crew - stayed there about 2 years ago and it was the worst LV experience ever and so far from any of the things that make LV fun.

There's a reservation site on the las vegas visitors www site that often has good rates and there's always hotwire, etc (hotwire is my booking agent of choice but tricky if you need special room configurations for kids though most hotels will accomodate your requests if you call the concierge after you book - not the reservations folks). That said, hotel bargains are always available in LV (except for special dates like New Years) so you should be able to find a good deal. CC sounds appealling because they play up their circus and adventure dome but even your 6 yr old will be disappointed.

I'd try the Luxor - egyptians, pyramids and all should thrill the 6 yr old as will the funny little monorail to Excalibur and Mandalay Bay - and you can get good rates if you do a little digging.

For sites to see, I'd make sure you see the Treasure Island Pirate battle, the fountains at the Bellagio, the gonoliers at the Venetian and the Luxor sites - all good free entertainment that you can enjoy while strolling and accomodaing kids' needs to run around and play.

I'm going to go way on a limb here and ask a question. Are you by any chance British? The reason I ask this is because I have been told the only way they fill Circus Circus is by marketing it in the UK where people don't know any better. The same is true of the Stratosphere. It is a dump. There are many places on the strip that are far better for less money, but Circus Circus thrives on the UK trade of people who "don't know any better". I may be wrong about this, but that's the usual statement about this dump.

It would appear that you have a ringing dis-endorsement of the Circus Circus jetsetter. As you asked opinions of anyone who has stayed there, I guess we can safely assume that rjw_lb_ca, gplimplon, E, Wednesday, Loki, Troop, John, X_Bellman, Deborah, hilaryg, muffin, Lake and Patrick have all actually stayed there. Would that be a safe assumption?

KS452
Yes, I've stayed there and it was 6/7 years ago. It was a dump then and I'm sure it hasn't changed as I looked into it last May.

Not a safe assumption, KS452. I've never stayed there and never would. I've never eaten at a Taco Bell either, but have a pretty good idea of what it's like.

I was mainly reporting on the UK idea I've heard. And oddly enough when I walked through Circus Circus one day, I must admit I was very aware that nearly everyone seemed to have British accents. That's when I was given that story about how and where it is marketed.

Hehe....yes, KS452, I have stayed there.
Once.
In 1986.
So why am I still bashing Circus Circus?
Because I've been inside it almost yearly every year since 1986. When I go to LV with friends we often tour the various north strip hotels just to see what's changed and to reminisce.

What's changed at CC since 1986?
Not much.
That's the problem.
Of course I'm hyperbolizing for effect, there's the dome and such which has been added, but CC is still a boil on the rear end of LV.

Patrick's comment interests me.
I often notice that Btitish posters write and ask about crummy hotels they've been packaged into by travel agents. I find this sad, and I'm sure those travellers quickly figure out they've been taken advantage of to some extent once they get a look at the alternatives. This isn't just in LV. I notice the same thing with other popular tourist destinations.
Research pays off.

Spent one night there years ago-- swore to never repeat that mistake.

Got a recent report from a buddy who decided to risk it about 4 months ago-- and his experience matched mine. Run-down, tacky, packed with undisciplined brats....

Run, don't walk away from that reservation, jetsetter!

yes you are right, i am british. over here this hotel is in all of the lv brochures and it is made out to be a really good hotel. it just shows that companies are ready to take your money and do not care about where they send you to. you would think that CC would get their act together and and make their place better to stay at. i am stuck with this hotel now so i hope to be out nearly all day and just sleep there. thank you for all your comments, and by the way i amm not really a jetsetter, but i wish i was, but i can only dream.

You don't have to have stayed at Circus Circus to see how rundown it is in the casino and restaurants.
Count me in with the rest of the gang: Circus Circus = dump.

Jetsetter: Hi! You said you are "stuck w/" CC. You are not booked to stay there until 2004. That's at least 7 weeks away. Even some of the most stringent cancellation policies wld fall w/in that time frame. Given the unanimity on this board about the "undesirability" of CC, why not cancel & book someplace else? You said you hope to be out all day & only sleep there. But what about the 1 & 6 year old? The 1 year old will have to have a nap. And, even if you are out all day & only sleeping there, do you really want to sleep in a dump??
Just curious.

Interesting. Guess I was right in my "British" supposition. And I also suppose the comment about being stuck there is for real. In addition to the worst hotels being dependent upon foreign agencies booking them, they also generally require these "no change" restrictions. Otherwise, too many people would not stay when they got there or after a night.

British friends of mine were booked into the Milford Plaza in New York as part of a package the same way. They had the impression from their London travel agent, that it was THE place to stay in the theatre district. They hated it so much when they arrived, they checked out and moved to the Marriott Marquis, even though they couldn't get a single penny back from the Milford Plaza for their entire prebooked stay!

Patrick

You are absolutely right about Circus Circus and the Stratosphere being marketed here in the UK. They both seem to appear in many a travel brochure and holiday packages. To those of us that know better, you would laugh yourself silly at the apparent luxury awaiting you from write-ups they get. If I can find one I'll post some of the wording. I guess that's not a real surprise, a travel brochure is hardly going to tell punters what dumps these places are.

Thankfully, on my trips to Vegas I have had better sense than to end up there and I am thankful for that.

Jetsetter - you have got some good advice so far on this thread, we can't all be wrong!

Jetsetter - I would call your travel agent or maybe even the hotel itself and request to change your reservation to one of their other properties - perhaps Monte Carlo or Mandalay Bay - both are nice and far better than CC. Since you'd still be in their property, they would probably switch the reservation, although you'll probably have to pay a higher rate. Paying a higher rate would be worth it if you can avoid staying at CC. Good luck,

Jetsetter! Don't cry! This thread would have you believing that you are headed to the depths of hell! If you can't change your reservation, don't worry! You will be fine. Thousands of people stay at Circus Circus each week and they survive to see another day!

Fact is that Circus Circus is no worse than half of the Holiday Inns and Ramadas and Best Westerns all across this country. There are much more luxurious places to stay, but your room will be clean and safe. If not, complain and they will find you another room. They are constantly renovating that huge hotel.

Mobil Travel Guide checks hotels for cleanliness and they give Circus Circus two stars. Most places in Las Vegas only get three stars. Go to Las Vegas with your family and enjoy yourself! You should be looking forward to it rather than spending months wondering kind of a dirt pit you've gotten yourself into. You will be just fine!

Sorry to disagree with you, tracy, but the cleanliness of Circus Circus is not actually a guarantee (not in the room I had). If you do stay there, jetsetter, pray for a Tower room.

Thousands of people grab a Slim Jim and a Mountain Dew at 7-Eleven, call that "dinner", and live to see another day. Does that qualify as "fine dining"?!

jetsetter is going on holiday, to another country. The experience should be pleasant. Circus Circus is UNPLEASANT. The "thousands" of people who stay there basically consist of:

-- Families with small children who think they'll be able to dump the rugrats off in the arcade while they gamble, and everyone will be happy (in fact, they will be wrong-- no one will be happy);

-- Tourists from the UK who were sold a "luxury, family-oriented resort" and live to regret it; and

-- Idiots from southern California who decide at 6:30 PM some Friday that a drive to Vegas would be fun-- and find that all the good places are booked up (that was me-- but I won't repeat that mistake again); they stay at CC and learn that they have to plan so they can ensure they never stay at this hole again.

Naerly anyplace will be better, even w/a tight budget you can do so much better. Make the change.

enough already..... i think jetsetter got the message! and it looks like the family is "stuck" there, so why not some suggestions about how to make the best of it.

I almost forgot they would have youngsters with them. Otherwise,
I would say to make the best of it,
keep a lot of booze in your room so
stuff doesn't bother you.

LOL gotribe!!!
:) :) ;) ;)

Personally I wouldn't take kids to Vegas. Vegas is about gambling and adult activities (shows, casinos, drinking etc.) Two things that don't work for kids.

Circus Circus is probably the least desirable hotel on the strip. If you can't change your reservation you'll be fine. You won't like the hotel, but you'll live.

However, please disregard the comment about seeing the Treasure Island pirate battle. That free show changed and it is now totally inappropriate for your children.

As to blaming agents and operators for listing this hotel. They have every right to show hotels that appeal to all kinds of people. It is up to the traveler and their agent to make sure that the hotel they are going to will work for them. There must be some people who like Circus Circus as the place seems to fill up.

If you are really stuck at the CC at least DEMAND the best room they have. I am serious if your room doesn't meet your standards speak to a supervisor and go all the way to the hotel manager if necessary. Several times we have stayed in Las Vegas and found the room totally not up to our standards and my husband firmly demanded that we be moved and sometimes we end up in a penthouse suite at no extra charge. The meek and mild get the yucky rooms.

haven't i read somewhere that the meek shall inherit the earth? wonder what that means.....

...and right before that statement is "blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted".
;)

They won't be "comforted" in a Circus Circus bed....