Can anyone provide more specifics about why people don't like Circus Circus? I have seen advice, here and elsewhere, saying not to stay at Circus Circus in Las Vegas - that "it is a dive". However, it is also on many lists of top "kid-friendly" hotels.
We are arriving late on a Saturday night in July, planning to take one day to check out the various hotel attractions that my kids will like (ages 10, 12), stay Sunday night and then leave for the rest of our two week road trip (Utah, Colorado).

The appeal to Circus Circus was the price and that Aventuredome will probably be one of our stops on Sunday.

Dear hotdogz, If someone told me that this hotel was a dive ,common sense would say, turn and run far away from it!Do not ruin your vacation with a bad hotel. It is not worth it.Do some research and find a better hotel.

Although I have stayed there, I have friends who have, and they did not like it at all. My main problem with the hotel would be the location, which is a bit run down and far away from all the various hotel attractions that you will want to see.

I'm trying to figure out what makes anyone have a bad opinion. It seems there are so many fancy, luxurious hotels on the Strip, and if this one doesn't live up to standards of a luxury hotel, that's o.k. with me.

Clean, comfortable, safe is all we are looking for. Luxury and gambling don't factor in. Location is a plus, but we'll have a rental car.

2nd choice with similar price, but off the strip location might be The Orleans.

Old, dirty, North end of the strip but I could prob handle one night of it if price was a big factor. The "Steak House" inside CC is one of the best steak houses in LV.

There are a lot of bad opinions out there on Circus Circus. Because of that, we were really worried when we were meeting friends in Vegas and they insisted we stay there. Our friends promised it was the perfect place for our families to meet up.

They were right. I don't know if they pulled any special strings with the mgmt, but our room in one of the towers was lovely - clean, well decorated, and the beds were comfy enough.

Our kids loved the Adventuredome. They were 15,13,12 & 11 that summer and enjoyed the feeling of being independent (the amusement park seemed very well supervised).

We didn't try the buffet or the restaurants - except McDonald's for the kids. All of the restaurants had endless lines.

The only other downsides were the lobby and check-in procedure. The lobby was a little tired looking and check-in was a mob of harried parents and impatient kids. Once we checked in though, it was a great stay.

Do consider what activities you want to do while you're there -- it is not well located for strolling the sites. We were only staying overnight and it worked well for us. We waited for the Adventuredome to close then took a drive along the Strip so the kids could see all the lights.

They didn't really get the whole Vegas experience but, at their ages, I didn't think that was very important. It was a fun, affordable stopover on our road trip.

Feel free to convince yourself otherwise (read your own posts objectively and you'll see that's what you are doing), but this place is NOT where you want to stay for one nite. There are pos/neg reviews with every hotel, and with this one the negatives overwhelm the positive ones by a wide margin, so you are trying to convince yourself that it's "ok" by focusing on the positive ones... DON"T do it!

You state that you want to see the places in LV for the kids, then you should choose a hotel near those attractions... and that's ON THE STRIP between MGM and Treasure Island.

Sure the price is cheap at CC, but you can find a lot of other properties that represent a better value. Look into places like Flamingo, Harrahs, even the Barbary Coast (which doesn't have a pool, which may or may not be a consideration for you) rather than Circus Circus. If cost is that much of a concern, i think i'd rather stay at Casino Royale or Holiday Inn Boardwalk than Circus Circus (although these 2 should only be used if price is THAT much of a factor).

Circus Circus IS indeed kid friendly, BUT there are much better choices to stay due to location. Even the Excalibur would be a better place to stay with your kids and is usually cheap! In Vegas, location is KEY!

Also, remember that those that call CC a "dive" got the same great rate you did, so trust them, and stay someplace else!

Check out the Tropicana. We stayed there last year and are returning this year. It is an older hotel, but the rooms were nice and clean and the pool area is great. It is located across from the MGM and Excalibur, which your kids will like. It has great rates, we're staying two nights for $70 for both nights.

The problem with Circus Circus is that it is too kid-friendly; I have NEVER seen a casino ohtel that is always Mobbed like CC is. The public spaces, casino, and such are always packed, and I do mean packed with people. You always wodner if there's something special going on, that would account for the crowds-but there isn't. It's the crowds that turns you off - it doesn't make for a pleasant atmosphere for KIDS or adults.

Go to ratelv.com and see the comments people wrote about CC. I think one person wrote, "I'd rather stay at a hotel that rents rooms by the hour than stay at Circus Circus again." LOL

At night there is quite a bit of trade happening down that end of the strip Trade as in prositutes. I felt safe walking down the strip past luxor, new york new york cesars etc but as soon as I got past the fashion mall It felt different and its not as lit up. If I was you I'd look at Excalibur its just as cheap

There's nothing really wrong with CC, it's a low-budget, kid-oriented place, but there's nothing really around it that you would walk to. Excalibur is usually pretty cheap and much more in the middle of things.

We made a similar stop, on a similar trip, several years ago, and would definitely pick Excal or NYNY over CC.

Thanks for everyone's input. Your replies seem to go along with what I previously had seen (a few people saying it's ok and more saying stay away), but I did get a few more specifics and will probably stay somewhere other than Circus Circus.

Many other hotel choices are not an option because apparently they do not allow Saturday check-in.

Hotdogz,

What is your exact date (and hopeful) budget?

I'll try to find a good deal thru some of the sources i know.

Bo,

July 19 & 20

around $100 for Sat, less for Sun???

Cost really isn't that much of an issue, other than our needs are few and I was thinking it wouldn't be necessary to spend a lot for our 2 nights in LV.

This is stop #1 for our 2 week trip. I have to arrange lodging for 12 more nights, about 8 or 9 different locations, and for each place will have to weigh whether it is worth it to spend more to be in a nicer place, better location. Most of our other destinations, I'll probably be deciding to pay the extra for a better place. LV has been tough deciding because the number of choices is about 100 times the number of choices at these other places.

Are you a travel agent, avid traveler, or what?

Don't do it!! We were told to stay here with our kids who were 7 and 11. It all atarted with the arrival it to us about an hour just to get through the check in line and the hour was late in the evening. It was simply crazy. They say they have the cheapest buffet at this place if you, you don't mind spending an hour and a half for the wait. Pepole start to line up for these things an hour before they open. The elevators in the towers to get downstairs took us at least 25 min wait every morning, we saw no express and couldn't use the stairs to get down with all the suitcases. Smokers everywhere the whole hotel stunk, even on the non smokers floor. We left and went to the Mirage! Thank god we saved some of our trip.

Hotdogz,

I'm not a travel agent, but i DO believe in trying to help others, has i've received much help in various aspects of my own life. I've been on the 'net for a bit longer than most, and have done the "search" for LV hotels before (and have them bookmarked... somewhere!).

I'll try to look in the next day and post back w/ what i've found and what i think is a good value.

I figure your rates for CC were about 85/45 (Sat/Sun). This is what i came upon at first glance...

The Imperial Palace isn't the greatest hotel in LV, but it's a step up from CC, even just on location alone! (but eat elsewhere... LOTS of other stuff around) Quickbook.com has them for 72/48 (Sat/Sun) which i figured was close to what you were paying for CC and would be a better choice.

If you want to spend a little extra money, i would go directly to the Flamingo's website (www.flamingolv.com) which has your dates at 110/55. The Flamingo is also a great location, but for your kids has a great pool area, as well as penguins and flamingos directly on the property.

As for the rest of your trip, i (personally) would priceline it the whole way! I've saved a bunch of money over the last few years using them for hotels (stick with the 3* and 4* ratings), and most recently have been using www.BetterBidding.com which will help you bid, tells you the hotels that other people have "won", and the prices paid.

Thanks, Bo, for all your help. I will check out the two you mentioned. I want to reserve something now in case it turns out to be a weekend where everything is full in LV. I can check back later to see if I can get any better deals. Thanks for the tip on priceline and how to make the best of it. I think I will try that.

the minute you walk thru the door, you are assaulted by the sickly sweet smell of melted sugar. ugh.