BTW, i THINK the Flamingo allows full refunds up to 3 days before arrival (but double check of course) while Quickbook.com DOES charge some sort of cancellation fee (but i'm not sure what it is, but it's "reasonable" from what i recall reading).

Here's a website to check conventions in town:
http://www.lvcva.com/finder/conventioncalendar
and there isn't too much going on. A convention:
10,000 would be considered small
20,000 would be average
50,000 would be large (although Vegas can handle MUCH more than that!)

Having visited Las Vegas at least 2 times a year for the last 8 years, I would NOT recommend Circus Circus. The location is not good, it is not close to the properties that you want to see, MGM, Caesars, etc.It is a very long walk down the strip from there. And we never go up that way after dark. It is a very crowded hotel and dingy. We go through it to just check it out on the way to Slots of Fun, but we generally avoid this end entirely. When Steve Wynn has finished La Reve...only then will that end be nicer.
You would be much better off staying at Excalibur, NYNY, MGM or any of the properties in that area.They have more things for the children to do. Check their websites direct for deals, they usually post up to 2/3 months of dates/$$$. Flamingo would be a another good choice because of the pool area. All of these are in good walking distance and with all the pedestrian crossovers, much safer than the other end. We have always stayed at Treasure Island, a good starting point for us. However, they are not as kid friendly as in past years, going back to a more adult hotel. Getting around is much easier in the last couple of years with the aforementioned crossovers. The shuttle stops at most of the hotels if you want to save you feet, ask at the desk for trips for a map. Sometimes crowded, but cheap. The monorail is closed for now to expand. Hope this helps you out. We are heading there in about 6 weeks, and as usual are looking forward to the trip.

Can you handle one more negative? I have never had such a horrible experience in my life as our stay at CC. Horrible service, took 45 min to check in. Lines everywhere. Parents screaming at kids. Kids screaming, running. The worst food I have ever had; they even messed up breakfast. Stinky, dirty.Loud. The adventuredome is just ok. My kids liked the park at MGM better.

Why take your kids to LV anyway. It's not a child-friendly place at all.

Flop,
Actually, there was lots to do there. You can drive to the Dam, they have several amusement places, virtual rides, shopping (an AWESOME FAO Schwartz) swimming, etc. They loved the big hotels and buffets. The volcano, the dancing waters at Venetian.. I took them for 4 days and we were busy! I never gambled once. We ate cheaply and got great rates on flights. However, next time we go we'll stay at the MGM. That was our first time at a Rainforest Cafe, too- a treat to them!

We took our kids, about the same ages, to LV last year on our way to AZ. We stayed at the Mirage but did check out some of the other hotels. We did not go to the end of the strip near CIrcus Circus. The Flamingo looked like a good moderately priced hotel for families. The location is mid-strip, across from the Mirage. In that area for kids you have the Pirate show (evening outside Treasure Island), the Mirage Volcano (also at night), the Mirage Dolphin and tiger Habitat (my kids played catch with the dolphins for quite a while), race to atlantis virtual reality ride at ceasars (my kids loved this), the dancing fountains at bellagio, and some the various other themed hotels (paris, venetian, NYNY, etc). We also went to the shark acquarium at Mandalay (a little further out of the way). Our kids were with us the entire time. We did not do any gambling. We did take a day trip to Hoover dam and saw Mystere (great show). We ate dinner at the buffets in Mirage and Treasure Island and also the Italian restaurant in the Forum shops area of Ceasar's. We had a car so lunch and breakfast we went off-strip to diner type places.

Not only is it a dive, but it takes 3 days to get through the lobby, as there are 700,000 children milling around. They'll like the Mirage just as well, it's kid friendly too & much nicer. MGM is another good choice.

I won't ever stay here again. Years ago I had a reservation for months and they ended up sticking me in their motels out in the back behind the hi-rise. It was a holiday weekend and there was nothing else available. The room was a dump. I hate that place.

I've been to Vegas often, both with and without kids. I would personally feel much better/safer staying at Excalibur than Circus Circus, if I were with children.

We always stay w/ family in Vegas, but in our adventures on the strip, Circus Circus is just as above posters describe, IMO. We had a lot more fun spending time at Excalibur with a child.

I once asked a friend to sum up why she didn't like CC. She thought a moment and said, "It smells like Kindergarten. You know, when little kids go outside and run around in the sun, and when they come inside they want to rub up on you?" I'll never forget that description!

Stayed there in '98 (with no kids). Our room was great--huge, marble bathroom, looked like the whole thing had recently been renovated. Think it cost about $30. Wasn't a very long walk to the main part of the strip.

To put it another way, I stayed last year at the Waldorf Astoria, and thought my room at Circus Circus was nicer than the Waldorf.

If you have an American Express card, check their rates too. Last year we stayed at the Flamingo for $55 nite. I agree with the naysayers about CC. Never stayed but it's pretty run down inside and too far away.

Just got back from a three-day stay at CircusCircus and thought i would add to this discussion. We stayed Wednesday, Thurs and Fri nights of the week after Easter. Not very crowded on Wed and Thurs but of course filled up on Friday. Buffet line varied from 20 min to walk right in. Good buffet for the price. Loved the fact that breakfast buffet is served til 1 PM. (My kids love breakfast but they are too lazy to get up before ten.)
My kids (14 and 16) loved the Adventuredome, especially the lazertag. I think my son played abour thirty games altogether and lazertag is included in the wristband price. When you consider that the roller coaster at NYNY is $12 for ONE RIDE(and SO not worth the money, by the way), the price we paid for wristbands at the adventuredome (15.95--advertised price is 19.95 but they give you $4-off coupons when you check in and there are more sitting on the counter at the McDonald's if you need them) was very reasonable.
Our room was in the West Tower, which is very convenient to the parking garage, the Adventuredome, and the Buffet. We waited about 5 minutes to check in at noon and never waited more than two minutes for an elevator. I LOVED the fact that you can walk the entire length of the casino without actually walking IN the casino. There is a wide promenade-type walkway that runs the entire length of the casino, alongside it. Our room was clean and spacious, with plenty of towels and cups, always restocked everyday, and even though they said to put the little sign on your bed if you want the sheets changed every day, we never put the little sign on the bed and they changed them anyway. Bathroom was clean as a whistle, huge, with marble surround in the tub. The ONLY complaint I had was that we rented a movie through the TV and got a bad copy so turned it off and called the desk and she forgot to credit the charge. Had to talk to a manager the next day to get it credited but they did. Regarding the neighborhood, the Riviera is right across the street, the Stardust is just down the street, and since they imploded the El Rancho, the neighborhood is not as spooky as it used to be (walking by the El Rancho definitely creeped me out, but there is an upscale shopping center going up on the site). From CC, you can zip out the back onto Industrial Rd and get to just about anywhere on the Strip in minutes without the traffic. We had a terrific time and I would stay there again with kids.

Just a quick note to advise you to check whether the hotel you DO chose charges extra for kids. Certainly MGM, Mirage, Treasure Island, Aladdin and Caesars do ($25/30 per child per night). Have a great trip.