getting around Vegas
 

Hi,
We're planning a July visit to Vegas. This will be our first time there, we want to see a lot and will be staying at the Mirage. We're bringing with us my 80 year old father-in-law. He suffers from COPD and can't do much walking. What do you suggest be our best way to get around? Is it very far to walk say the one block from TI to Ceasar's and back on the other side? Or do you suggest the bus or taxi from hotel to hotel or renting a power chair for him? It's hard to judge the distance between hotels from the maps I've seen.
Thanks!

I would do a power chair and go the extra distance through the casinos, inside the air-conditioning, whenever possible. No way he's going to make the "1 block" (those distances always seem shorter than they are)in the July heat.

The distances are unbelievably huge and when you get to Caesar's you will find they have a diabolical way or making guests walk a block and a half within the hotel to get to a point that is only a few yards away. (You've got to see it to believe or understand it.)

I agree -- distances in Las Vegas are unbelievably long and maps are deceiving. There's rarely a straight line to anything.

Indoors, use a wheelchair. Walks inside your hotel can easily be a quarter or a half mile (e.g., from your room to a restaurant).

Outdoors, use a cab or limo.

Good luck & Enjoy Vegas!

Thanks for the info. Helps to hear from people who have been there to determine how far things really are. Those maps make it look like a walk around Disney Land. I've also heard that the hotels themselves are a challenge to get through. We requested a room near the elevators, I hope they accommodate us. We'll look into getting him a power chair at the Mirage. Will they let us take it outside their hotel though? Thanks again!

I can't imagine that a public place can deny access to somebody in a wheel chair--even if powered.

Take a look at these threads:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34947879

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...p;tid=34678630

Lotis-
There was just an article in the LA or NY Times or MSNBC or USAToday.com (sorry... I'm a news junkie) about power chairs in Las Vegas.

Short version - you should have no trouble taking it out of the hotel, but make sure you have a reservation well in advance as many people who don't need them have taken to renting the chairs because they're lazy.

It will not only be the distances that will be of concern but it will be so very hot in July. You may find cabs are the best solution between hotels. With cabs, you will be taken close to the entrance whereas for some of the casinos, it is a long distance from the street up to the entrance (Caesar's, Bellagio, Wynn). Some have moving sidewalks, some escalators where the power chair would have a problem (may have accessibility elsewhere). For an elderly person, the heat will be a danger so early mornings or evenings but, of course, more crowded for using the chair on sidewalks in the evening.

The only area in Vegas that would be easy to walk (he may still need a power chair), is downtown Las Vegas. We'll be there this month for our family reunion with a lot of seniors, some with limited mobility. Our group is staying at the Golden Nugget (4 diamond AAA) and Main Street Station. I'll report back after our trip.

Somebody just told me about the "duece", the double-decker bus that runs the strip. Can anyone tell me if they pick-up and drop-off at the hotel door like the cabs or do they just run on the strip? Is that the same for the trolley? And what is the rate for the trolley?

Unlike taxis, The Deuce runs and picks up along the strip at marked bus stops.