The four 50 something girls just returned from a weekend in Vegas. We had a fantastic time. The premise and highlight of our weekend was to see all of the Cirque shows. BTW, I had a concierge at Bellagio arrange all of our reservations for all three shows after I had secured reservations at Bellagio. All of our seats were fantastic. When we went to pick up all of the tickets at the concierge desk, I was a little bit worried because he sent us to the "O" box office and when we got there, there was a long line of people. Not to worry, when I asked a Bellagio employee standing there about picking up all of our show tickets for the weekend, she asked me if we were hotel guests there and when I said yes, she took us to another line with no one waiting. Nice! That is one advantage for paying all that money!

Friday evening after we all arrived and checked in at the Bellagio we had 6:30 reservations at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris. The food was great and service was good. We had appetizers, entrees, split two desserts and a bottle of wine. We did sit inside because it was just too hot for us outside although they have misters. Also, it can be very noisy since the outside seating is right on the strip where traffic is always heavy.

We proceeded to go get a taxi to Mandalay Bay. We took taxis from several hotels during our stay and never had to wait longer than five minutes max the entire weekend. We walked around Mandalay Bay then trammed to Luxor and then walked through Excalibur just so we could see the hotels. Excaliber was notably more family oriented with tons of kids and a whole different atmosphere than all of the other hotels that we went to.

We proceeded to NYNY since we were going to the 10:00 show "Zumanity" there. Originally, the show was at 10:30 but they have changed it to 10:00 with seating recommended by 9:30. This was fine with us since three of us are from the Midwest and it was actually midnite our time! The show was very funny and mostly entertaining. We were in the fourth row center so we did get some attention from some of the characters. Antonio laid across all of our laps and had my girlfriend take a picture of him out of his mouth with her teeth! Another guy dressed up like some type of masked creature came up and rubbed my leg! So that was just fun, not uncomfortable. They do have a sign at the entrance saying that if you are not comfortable interacting with performers to simply tell them and they will leave you alone. I did feel like the audience was not as responsive to the show as other Cirque shows I have seen. This was my 5th show overall.

We were very tired afterwards but we walked back to Bellagio and it was not as far as I thought it would be. We caught the end of the fountain show which we saw many times over the course of the weekend. We couldn't get enough of it, it is so beautiful.

Saturday morning we went to breakfast at Paris at the Cafe St. Louis. We were planning to go to the buffet but we got confused when we saw the line at the Cafe and got in it instead. By the time we discovered it, we decided to just go there. This seemed to be happening to lots of people. If you are coming from the front of Paris, the buffet is past Cafe St. Louis. We were seated in the "outdoor" area (you are not really outside) and the breakfast was very good. We really enjoyed all of the fake blue skies as well as the real ones on this trip!!!

We walked through the rest of the shops in Paris and on through to Ballys, then proceeded to Ceasars Palace across the street. One of my friends did not get a ticket for Mystere since she had seen it before and as we were walking past the box office for Celine Dion's show, she decided to try to get a single ticket for that night. No problem, she was able to buy a good seat.

We went to the Forum shops and really enjoyed the shopping experience there. Of course they have a lot of the same stores you see everywhere, but some others as well. I did some damage. We watched the show with the moving statues, water and fire. That was somewhat entertaining, typically Vegas or Disneyworld stuff.

After a couple of hours there, we continued to the Venetian and the Grand Canal Shoppes. We were kind of shopped out so we did not go in as many stores there. We just took lots of pictures and headed to the "St. Marks Square". The human statues are very interesting to watch and draw quite a crowd. We had lunch at Postrio which is a Wolfgang Puck restaurant right in the square. Someone on this forum had recommended it. We enjoyed it very much. We sat in the patio area. I loved the decor of the whole place. Our server recommended a great Pinot Grigio wine by the glass.

By the time we finished lunch, it was 4:30 and we were tired and not in the mood to walk back in the intense heat, so we took a taxi. I recommend asking someone the quickest way to find the taxi line when you are in these big hotels so you don't waste time trying to figure out how to get to it. I had asked while we were at lunch and I am glad I did.

We relaxed in our room and got ready for our shows. At 6:30 we went down to the taxi line and went to TI. We had 2nd row right next to center stage for Mystere. It was wonderful because many of the performers were right in front of us making eye contact throughout the show. We could hear the grunts of effort and heavy breathing of the Taiko drummer and see the smiles on the faces of the acrobats doing the see-saw and tumbling. This was my second time seeing this show and I absolutely love it. It is so beautiful and amazing in every way. It is also extremely funny. This show seems the most up close and personal to me. Maybe it was because of our seats but last time I was not that close and I still felt the same way. Both Mystere and "O" brought tears to my eyes at times and they are both mesmerizing and a feast for the eyes and ears. I love the live music and being able to see the musicians as well.

After the show, we went to Paris and the Eiffel tower bar. We didn't want dinner, just drinks and appetizers so our only choices were the bar, or little bitty tables with couch seating. We chose the bar and we enjoyed it very much. There were two cute bartenders who flirted with us, even though we were almost old enough to be their mothers! We each had a couple of drinks and a couple of us let them decide what to make. I had a bellini, which I had never tried before since I tend to get stuck on wine. We conversed with the bartenders while they fixed drinks which is fun to watch anyway. By the second drink, one of them was giving us his billfold so we could see his little boy and wife. He had moved to Vegas from California several years before. When he lived in California he was working two jobs and his wife was working one as well to make ends meet. Now he works as a bartender four nights a week and his wife stays home. I had no idea the cost of living in Vegas was that much better than CA and I can't believe a bartender could make that much money! Very enlightening. Anyway, the view was beautiful, great appetizers and great company there. Drinks were $12 each though and I think each appetizer was $15-18.

We were feeling really good when we left and decided to try to get into the Fontana Bar at Bellagio before calling it a night. We had to wait in line for 30 minutes for a table and when we were finally seated, we sat for 20 minutes and still no server to take a drink order. In retrospect, that was a good thing! We finally decided to leave. It seemed to be more of a couples bar and there was a very good band playing with some great dancing. Also, there are two long bars outside of Fontana that are open viewing and hearing to the band. The bars have some kind of slot machines built into the bar counter in front of each stool. So you can drink, gamble and hear the band without going in the actual bar.

Sunday morning, we slept in and moved a little slow. Around 10:30 we went to the Bellagio brunch buffet. We didn't have to wait too long, 10-15 minutes but it got longer throughout the day and by the dinner buffet the line was unbelieveable. The buffet was very good and had anything and everything from shrimp, prime rib , roast turkey, ethnic dishes, salads, several seafood, meat and poultry entrees to all of the breakfast items including made to order omelets. Lots of desserts, fruit, etc. They bring you all the champagne you want too.

After that we went to the pool for about 1 and a half hours. There was not one wisp of a cloud in the sky and it was a deep blue. The pool is beautiful with wonderful plantings of trees, bushes and flowers. There is a bar on one side and a patio restaurant on the other. There are two big pools and several other pools with fountains in the center as well as several hot tubs. They give you two big towels when you walk in and have big containers of cold water with plastic cups in various areas. They also have the cabanas but we were told those were mostly reserved for high rollers. It does say in the hotel book in the room that they are available though. We just didn't want to spend that much time and money anyway.

We went back to the room around 2:00, showered and went down to see the Conservatory where all of the flowers are and the Monet exibit. Beautiful on both counts. We had gelato which was right next to the museum afterwards. We also found that we hit the gift shop and sundries called Tutto almost every time we were on the way back to our room because we needed lots of water! It is very conveniant and has some nice souveniers, snacks, etc. We also went to the Bellagio shops (very expensive) and the "O" shop on Sunday afternoon. If you want Cirque souveniers, and you can go before the show, that is a better time. It is packed after the show.

We made dinner reservations for Circo for 9:45 that evening after "O". It was an amazing show, breathtakingly beautiful and unbelieveable skill. Our seats were in the 203 section I think. It was row S and right in the center with no obstruction of our view because we had the railing right in front of us above one of the theater entrance areas. We were in seats 15-18 which were on an aisle. They were excellent seats and I was glad we were up higher for this show.

After the show we went to Circo. We asked to be seated by a window since it is right on the lake and they were able to comply. We could see the fountains off and on throughout dinner. I was disapointed in the food. I had a mozzarella and tomato salad that was great and the bread and olive oil they brought to the table was delicious but my halibut entree with fennel cake was overcooked and not very flavorful. It was probably the most expensive entree I had on the trip; $33. The service was just ok. Between this and the Fontana Bar experience you could say there was a little bit of evidence of the high roller effect going on that posters have mentioned. After dinner we were tired so three of us went to bed and one stayed downstairs and gambled for about an hour. There was very little gambling in our group as you might have noticed. Between all of us, less than $300!

On Monday morning, we packed up and checked out. We had the bellman store our bags and went to Paris to the Cafe for breakfast again. We were going to try the buffet this time but the line was longer than we wanted to wait by 10:30. (25-30 minutes) After breakfast we went to a couple of shops in Paris and then to Desert Passage at the Aladdin. They have a lot of nice stores there but it doesn't have the atmosphere of Ceasars and Venetian and there were not that many people there. We did see the rainstorm and bought a couple more last minute souveniers. Then we went back to Paris one more time to the pastry shop. They have beautiful, tasty pastries that are so gorgeous that I took pictures before eating!

Well, time to say goodbye, we headed back to Bellagio and got our luggage and met our shuttle. BTW, we bought a round trip shuttle ticket from ODS for $5 on Friday and it worked out great. We just had to call @ 24 hours in advance and they were there to pick us up right on time Monday. I think it was cheaper and easier than a taxi and if you have more than two people going together, it is definitely the way to go because of luggage room.

So it was a wonderful time, staying at the Bellagio was a very nice experience overall. It was the nicest hotel I have ever stayed in, staff was very accomadating and friendly and everything was very convenient. We enjoyed a whole day at the hotel on Sunday without even leaving the premises. We walked outside of the hotel several times throughout the days and evenings through the area that goes through the shops at Bellagio and this was a good way to go to get to the viewing area for the fountains. I hope my report helps others since I got so much good advice from this forum.
Hope this is not my last visit to Vegas! I would definitely enjoy going again. I think I would like to try Paris next time. We went there more than any other hotel except Bellagio, I imagine it is less expensive to stay there and it is a great location. I like the atmosphere of whole place too. Of course Bellagio has great atmoshpere as well, but so expensive. Also, take lots of one dollar bills for easy tipping and plan to spend a lot on drinks and food although I am sure you can go much cheaper than we did. All in all, I think the whole trip with hotel, the three shows, food, drinks, light gambling, shopping, tipping and transportation cost me around $800-1000. I got my flight free and we were splitting the three nights of hotel between four of us so it was around $90 a night person.
Viva Las Vegas! No other place like it on this earth and several times I found myself thinking "only in America"!!!!!!

Wow, what a great trip report! I'm leaving for Vegas on Monday, and now I'm even more excited after reading your report.

One question - I'd like to try Mon Ami Gabi, but I'm trying to 'go with the flow' and not make reservations. I'm usually an uberplanner and I'd like to break the habit this time and just see where it leads me. Are reservations for Gabi an absolute must?
Thanks!

jet

Thanks for the report, I recall the banter we had in your planning. Sounds like you had fun.

Please tell me you did some crazy girl things and (as they say) just wanted to leave it there.......?????? C'mon share with the class!!

Tyr23,

We were in LV in December and had lunch at MAG - just walked in, no reservation necessary.

Great report. I di recall your earlier post and I so appreciate your feedback. We leave on 15/07 for a weekend and have booked for Celine and Zumanity. I was concerned after reading some of the reviews of Z, but you do not seem to have offended by the show , so I hope we are able to to enjoy it as well. Have already seen the others and booked for Alegria , coming to Toronto in August.We are also staying at Bellagio and have booked at Aqua and MAG for 2 nights, have left the first night for Bellagio buffet or something else that takes our fancy. Did you use the spa or check out the spa and salon? Thanks.

We did not go in the spa. I only walked by and saw a bunch of treadmills in the exercise facility part of it. I am sure it would be very nice and if I stayed there again I would plan a massage or something.

placeu2, about the wildest we became was when we got a little bit drunk at Eiffel Tower Bar. We really liked our bartenders! I could get a little more descriptive about the performer laying across our laps at Zumanity and what part of him was pushing into my lap but ...... better not go there!!! He told us he loves his job though!

Could I ask about the seating for "O". Some say the closer the better, you say higher up is better, and I am confused! I have reserved seating at P 201 5 and 6 which is at the side. I could have had center seats but in the last row. What do you think? Will I miss out by being on the side? Should I change them?

This was a great trip report. my husband and I are going to the Bellagio for our 25th wedding anniversary. Did you feel comfortable at the pool? We went to Vegas a couple years ago and stayed at the Aladin. We went over and walked through the bellagio and I felt as though it was for the wealthy. So why are we staying there, I have no clue. Its just so beautiful I want to give it a try. I wanted to splurge and rent a cabana on Saturday but I read on this forum that they usually reserve them for their high rollers. What are the cabanas like anyway? I also read you should get a players club card upon check in and bill everything you do inside the hotel to your room to earn comp points? Did you do that? I also read you dont have to stand in buffet lines if you have one. I am surprising my husband with tickets to see Elton John. Did you hear any good reviews of his show while you were there? Thanks for all of your advice.
Marykc

If I could add my own comments

jet, loved the report ~

marykc
When you arrive at the hotel, after you check in at the desk, go to the Players Club desk. Ask and anyone can direct you. There you ask for the Players Club card. It is quick, easy and yes, every time you gamble, you accumulate points. When you check out, you can redeem them as comps and they will take charges off your bill.
We have gotten meals for free, upgraded rooms, lots of goodies~
The pools are great, the Bellagio is not just for wealthy people, you will see all sorts in the casino and at the pool.
The cabanas are small tent rooms, with the cool air mist thingees, tables and lounges inside. They are very private and large, I think they can hold at least 6-8 people comfortably.
When you walk into the pool area, you have to show your key, the pool guys give you towels and will get you settled.

Buffet:
If you are a guest, you get to go to the front of the line ( I was told)

"O"-
We were a bit over to the side when we
saw O and the view was perfect.

The Bellagio Spa is very very nice.

If Vegas is busy, make dinner reservations everywhere, or you might really have to end up eating at 10 pm or 5 pm

jet519: Great report! One question ... what is ODS? Is it a shuttle company? Where did you get the tickets? I was under the impression that it was cheaper to take a taxi, if there were several people, but you seem to have proven otherwise.

Donna

What a fantastic report!!! And an inspiring idea. Love Cirque, so a cirque weekend sounds perfect!!! Thanks so much!