We are planning a family trip to Las Vegas - 13 adults, 2 teens and 4 children, ranging in age from 3 years to 75 years. We would appreciate any advice re accommodations and restaurants in the mid-price range, as well as info on children's activities, large indoor pools, weather, etc.
We have not booked yet but would be flying from Toronto on or about Dec.28/2000 and returning Dec.31.
Any suggestions would be helpful!
Dave and Denise

Just one question, WHY would you go THERE?

There are no indoor pools of any kind that I know of in Vegas. You didn't say how old the other kids are but the three-year-old will probably NOT have a good time. Teenagers will have a good time in Vegas, though there are those on this forum who will call you a child abuser for taking them there. You will have a hard time entertaining teens and small ones at the same time without one or the other getting bored and whiney (and I don't know which is worse--bored whiney teens or bored whiney 3-year-olds). Circus Circus has an indoor amusement park, The pirate show at Treasure Island is fun,the M&M World attraction is okay for littler ones (ten and under). Roller coasters at the Sahara and NYNY are fun for teens, as is the Big Shot ride on the top of the Stratosphere Tower, but they are expensive. I would NOT want to try to keep a group of kids with that age spread happy in Vegas.

I still have a hard time seeing Vegas as a "Family" destination but to each their own. If I might make a suggestion though on my own peculiar pet peeve. I really wish people would give the actual dollar range they were looking for when asking for suggestions. I'm never sure what one person's definition of moderate or middle range is. Or for that matter "not too expensive" or "reasonable" , etc. But then again , maybe just my problem.

We were just there w/2 17 year olds, a 15 year old, an 11 year old, and an 8 year old. (and two 40ish parents!) We did everything together with the exception of when my sister and I shopped for an afternoon while the rest lounged by the pool, and at night when my parents went out for a few hours while we babysat in the hotel rooms. Most of the stuff we did was very fun for all of us, with the HUGE exception of the Hoover Dam. My parents loved it; so did the 11 year old and the 8year old. The rest of us were like, "Get us out of here!" I don't know what the three year old would like, but I know the free shows at Excaliber and Treasure Island were fun, and would probably entertain him/her. Also, we liked the bird show at Mandeley Bay. We stayed at the MGM and enjoyed it there.
The major activity we did was walk around the hotels! All the major ones are awesome just to look at, and all seven of us enjoyed that. If that sounds stupid, it really is true that looking around the hotels is a major attraction. We didn't catch a show b/c the night we wanted to go see Rita Rudner was a blackout show, it figures, right? But of course there's always tons of shows so if you research before like we didn't! I'm sure you can find one you all will like.

I'm part of the group that is baffled as to why people take their kids to Vegas. I grew up an hour away from the casinos and hotels of Lake Tahoe but I never saw the interior of one until I was 18 (and I was promptly carded and escorted out as soon as I put foot into the casino). Can any of you imagine YOUR parents taking you to places like that when you were a kid?

If you want to see shows and ride roller coasters there are lots of amusement parks in the U.S., as well as places with hotels and pools. Vegas is there to attract adult gamblers, who more often than not drink and smoke as well. There are porn shops and strip clubs with big graphic signs in plain view, again catering to the adult audience. You can even take your cocktail and walk around the streets with it -- perfectly legal.

Personally, I just wouldn't want to expose my kids to all that. They have plenty of time to grow up and there are plenty of other places to visit as a family, but hey, that's just me.

I must agree with some of the other posters, IMO Vegas is NOT a place where I would take small children. I enjoy going to LV as many others do but, just walking through the casinos can be a very smokey experience, especially with the popularity of cigar smoking these days. Remember gambling, smoking, drinking and advertisements of naked women all over the streets. Not my idea of a family vacation.

We went in May to Vegas for the first time - no kids with, though we are going next year with kids, 6 & 8, as I have the advantage of having a friend with similar age children who lives there. We could not BELIEVE all the incredible hotels - and YES, we spent our vacation walking around looking at the hotels! You absolutely MUST go to Bellagio, just to see the ceiling! Go to Mandaly Bay just to see the Aquarium in the check in center. I never saw ONE obvious prostitute, though some rude pushy americans in the buffet line. (Yes, I do know what a hooker looks like). the only place on the street where they handed out girlie flyers was in front of one cheap hotel, but we WALKED from the Sahara about a 1/2 mile down and then took a cheap city bus to Mandaly bay and worked our way back. with 19 people, I would assume you would split into groups anyway, so take turns with the little ones. All the new hotels had nice pools and hot tubs. the Sahara where we stayed had a beautiful pool and hot tub though we never used it because it was not open until 9:00 am and closed at 7:00 pm.
go the the Rio for the buffet and the show - very cool. We got a great deal through Suncountry.com for hotel and air. I would stay more in the center strip (Sahara was on the far end) for my next trip.
check out netgambler.com also for info and go to Grand canyon west if you want an awesome view that is close to Vegas.

Las Vegas (SIN CITY)what a wonderful place to bring children & teach them this is the way to behave,then wonder why our jails are full.

I am not going to comment on the pros and cons of visiting Las Vegas. Personally, I love Las Vegas and spend a lot of time there. Las Vegas is an adult playground and was a lot more enjoyable in the old days before the era of the kiddie invasion. However the US is a free country so it is not my right to tell you what to do.

Now I will get off of my soap box and discuss one very important point that has not been mentioned. You are talking about one of the busiest times of the year in Las Vegas. Prices will be very high. Many hotels will not offer rooms to people with minor kids at that time. As soon as you mention that you have minors then there will be no rooms available. There are exceptions but that is the general rule for the New Years period. Also Most properties will not offer rooms with a checkout on Dec. 30th or 31st. There will be very few properties with pools open at that time. I do not know of any places with indoor pools. The Flamingo's heated outdoor pool is open all year but that is an exception. Also the Flamingo Hilton is not very kid friendly especially at that time of the year. The weather can be pleasant to very cold. Not as cold as Toronto, but certainly very chilly. It will not be warm. Pleasant means low 60's in the daytime however it is just as likely to be 20 degrees cooler than that.

My advice is to rethink your plans to visit Las Vegas during the New Years period.