Need help with Las Vegas trip
 

I haven't been to Vegas since 1983, but I've gotten tickets to the Spice Girls Reunion Tour concert at Mandalay Bay on 12/08, so now I am trying to find a deal on airfare and hotel and need some expert advice.

I can get a room at Mandalay Bay for $300 per nite for two nites, but I'd rather not spend that much if I can avoid it. Is there a hotel within walking distance that would be suitable for less? Since my son is under 21, we will not be gambling, so the offerings in that vein are not important this trip.

How does one get up and down the strip? Taxi or is there possibly a shuttle, maybe individual hotel shuttles? Since we won't be gambling, about the only other thing we'll do in this very short weekend will be have a nice meal. Any recommendations for one nice meal?

My son is a freshman in his first semester of college and this concert is right in the middle of final exams, but I promised him years ago that if the Spice Girls ever had a reunion concert, I'd take him. Well, I am having to live up to my promise, but trying to do it on a budget.

Thanks for any advice or help you can offer.
((L))

Luxor and Excalibur hotels are both less expensive than Mandalay Bay and are not only walking distance but are connected by a free tram.

As far as going up the strip, you can cross the street and catch the Las Vegas Monorail (there is a fee) or take the Deuce double decker bus which runs up and down the strip and is much cheaper. Taxis are also an option.

Here are a couple of websites for you:

http://www.lvmonorail.com/

http://www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/deuce/

Sorry, not an expert, just an amateur.

Mandalay Bay is connected by a short free monorail to Luxor and Excalibur. New York New York is next. All within walking distance.

Across the strip, Tropicana and MGM.

I stayed at Tropicana only, budget place, but not bad, clean and nice souvenirs :)

There is a bus "deuce" running along the strip, $5 24 hrs, but not very dependable. It took me an hour to get from Tropicana to Flamingo...

Probably a taxi would be the most dependable transportation if you're far from Mandalay and want to be there on time.

Thanks to you both. Are Luxor and Excalibur about equal quality-wise?

One question I neglected to ask. What about getting to and from the airport? Taxi or do hotels have shuttles or is there a recommended independent shuttle service?

Mandalay Bay is one of the nicer hotels. Luxor and Excalibur are perfectly fine. What you should really do is go to kayak.com and hotwire.com and see what hotels on the strip are in your price range. then you can post the options here and we can help you decide which to pick based on the price difference and location. as long as the hotel is on the main part of the strip, you will be fine. taxis from one hotel to another are cheap and quick ($5-10) and there is a shuttle that goes up and down the strip.

Check Travelzoo too. Palms hotel is having a good sale for December dates. So it MGM (check their website for the specials).

Btw, Mandalay Bay is one the end of the strip, so it would actually be more convenient to stay in the middle (around Bally's) to see the other hotels, eat, etc during your stay and just cab or shuttle to the Mandalay for the concert.

In terms of meals, you should definitely have breakfast or brunch at Paris Hotel.

Taxi from the airport is only $15. No need to take the shuttle that will stop at every hotel to drop off other people.

Btw, Google for a map of the strip so you can see which hotels are where.

Check out this website that has promo codes..
Have a great time!

casinotripreports.com/smf/index.php?topic=57.0

I would rank the Luxor ahead of the Excalibur in terms of quality. I've stayed in both, and I found the rooms at Excalibur to be of motel quality, while the rooms at the Luxor are nicer, if a dated and worn.

A quick look shows that the Luxor is only $50 a night cheaper than the Mandalay Bay, which is a much nicer hotel.

I wouldn't get hung up about being near the Mandalay Bay. Hotels like the Monte Carlo or the Treasure Island are nice and much cheaper for that weekend at around $200 a night. For the savings, you could easily afford a taxi to take you to the Mandalay Bay and back. Figure $10 each way for a taxi, or as was mentioned, $2 for the bus that runs up and down the strip.

I agree that Luxor is of a higher quality than Excalibur. However, neither Luxor or Excalibur are in the same league with Mandalay Bay. I would look into New York, New York (your son might like it) or Monte Carlo. It would be easy to walk over to Excalibur and take the tram to Mandalay Bay from either of these hotels.

I agree that being near Mandalay Bay really isn't necessary just because you are going to a concert there. Actually, I would prefer to be more mid-strip. I think you should look into Flamingo, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Treasure Island, Harrah's, Bally's and Mirage. It just depends on your budget. All of these are centrally located on the strip and you might be able to find a good deal in early December.

Have fun!

Just remember that if you stay farther down the strip from the Mandalay Bay, you have to take a taxi back to your hotel afer the concert... along with most of the other concert goers. The taxi lines can be long on a normal night and may be terrible after the concert. Enjoy your trip!

I think the Luxor is a good choice for you; the central section above the casino is very young-person friendly (3-d theater, video games, food court,that kind of stuff), and it's a stroll through the walkway to Mandalay. (and the shark reef/ aquarium is well worth a visit, and there are newer food courts very near that). Way better than Excalibur, if prices are similar (but you could walk inside from there to Luxor to Mandalay, or take the 3-hotel tram).

I've stayed in a bunch of them - and definitely, Luxor is a great value. First of all, they have two new towers - and the rooms are absolutely gorgeous. If you stay in the pyramid - the rooms are a bit dated, but actually my favorite. I was definitely disappointed with Monte Carlo and Excalibur. Getting around really is easy. In addition to the other suggestions, you can just walk (lot's for fun for people watching)... Have a great time - I LOVE Vegas - and you will not recognize it at all if you haven't been there since 1983......

Excalibur and Tropicana are on the budget side and less desirable compare to MGM and Luxor.

Taxi or shuttle at the airport. Not sure if any casino/hotels have airport shuttles, probably not.

Slightly OT - my daughter just got a ticket to the San Francisco concert! (We saw them at Shoreline Amphitheater when she was 10, now she's 20!)

let me be blunt...

It is bad enough that your son actually wants to see the Spice Girls BUT taking a freshman away from college in the middle of his very first final exam week is a horrible idea.

Final exams in college can be up to 50% of the grade (if not more in some cases).

"Spice Girls Reunion Tour".... four words which should never appear together.... yikes.

The Spice Girls show was fabulous. (don't think I'd take a college freshman in the middle of exams, but the show was surprisingly great, at least 10 years ago)

Thanks for your concern for my son during exams. He is a Presidential Scholar on full scholarship and has a 4.0 average. He took college courses last year as a high school senior so he is familiar with taking college exams.