Here are the things that I would love to do in Vegas. I am going sometime in January, so I think the big pools are out

1. Romantic dinner.
2. Dolled up, sex kitten night. ( I think they have a Playboy club there...)
3. Something totally fun, like a roller coaster or skydiving.
4. Romantic date to a non-food place.
5. Something historical.
6. Vegas show such as Cirque .

Can you guys please help me plan my trip? I am going to be there for about 5 nights.

I have been there twice before, but before the age of 21. I have already been to the top of the Eifle tower, seen the watershows, and eaten at a lot of the main big buffets. I went with family last time, so I would like to gear this trip to be more romantic with my man.

Phantom of the Opera!!!!

My friends who have been to Vegas say do a helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon.

Get married by Elvis.

roller coaster at NY-NY hotel!

The Stratosphere! It's the tallest point in Vegas, and the restaurant at the top rotates at night. It's really cool, you can see all of Vegas from there. If you're there at the right time, you can see all the strip lights come on, which is super fun.

You can also sky dive off the top of the Stratosphere, and I think they've also got a roller coaster.

Every casino has a club. If you want to get dolled up and go clubbing, you don't need to go all the way out to The Palms!

We saw Mystere while we were there. It was a cool show. I'd advise against getting front row seats - they require alot of audience participation from the people that are sitting in the front - so if you're not cool with being required to participate ("participate" includes pretty solid odds of having popcorn dumped down your shirt, or being sprayed with seltzer water), than get seats that are farther back.

I also had a good time at Peep Show. Holly Madison has all the acting talent of a stick, but it's a good show. The dude in the show can sing his BUTT off! And, the girls dance in the show in various states of dress, so it's fun for guys too.

I had the most fun walking through MGM - they've got alot of activities to do, outside of it being a casino. Treasure Island is the least fun, because they've got NOTHING to do, outside of it being a casino.

There's also zip lining over Fremont Street, which had I not been wearing a dress when we went down there, I would have considered. Also in the "fun, but not food" category is the gondolas at The Venetian.

Ooh, if you're a fan of Maks from Dancing With The Stars, he did the choreography for La Reve at the Wynn, so there's that too...

ETA; I also recommend Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace. You'll have to wait, and it's hardly romantic, but it's crazy good food.

Speaking of Casears, find out who's playing at the Colleseum while you're there, I swear I remember reading that Jerry Seinfeld was coming, he'd be so fun to go see live!

YumYumDoughnut wrote:


1. Romantic dinner.
2. Dolled up, sex kitten night. ( I think they have a Playboy club there...)
3. Something totally fun, like a roller coaster or skydiving.
4. Romantic date to a non-food place.
5. Something historical.
6. Vegas show such as Cirque.

1) The restaurant at the top of the Stratosphere, hands down. It was one of the best evenings I have EVER had. Expensive, but so worth it.

2) I'm not much of a 'sex kitten' personality; I'd much rather jam at Nine Fine Irishmen at NYNY and enjoy a really expensive pint. But, I hear the clubs at Mandalay Bay are really good...

3) I think they took the roller coaster off of the Stratosphere a few years ago, to make room for all the new rides they've put on there now. We went on the NYNY roller coaster though, and that was pretty fun!

4) Visit the dolphins and the Garden of the Gods at the Mirage. If you plan well enough ahead of time, you may be able to do a special small-group tour where you can get into wet suits and actually swim with the dolphins! We didn't splurge like that, but even the tour walking through the facilities was really neat. The day we visited the Garden of the Gods (I think that's what it's called, anyway), Siegfried and Roy made an appearance to celebrate some tiger cubs' first birthdays. That was pretty interesting.

5) Hoover Dam. Even going there on our honeymoon was fun. Also, try to get a tour of the sign graveyard, where they retire all the old light-up signs from resorts and casinos long past. I don't know if they still do tours, but my cousin (whose family lives there), took some AMAZING art photographs in that place!

6) PHANTOM. Totally worth it. The theater is built to BE the opera house, it was so amazing. Just an FYI though, the show is an abridged version of the regular Broadway musical; they cut a few numbers and there's no intermission. I didn't know that when I went so when they shortened a few songs I was rather taken aback at the time (being the music snob I am). It was still sooo good!

Like others, I'd definitely recommend seeing Phantom. And the Stratosphere (my husband and I didn't have time for it last time, but it's definitely on the list for the next time we're there).

Thanks so much everyone for your advice. Amy, I think the Grand Canyon is out of the picture because it is so far away...and I don't think my man will go for getting married in Vegas

Theresa, I will check out those spots that you mentioned. They sound like really cool places.

Sjerose I will check out those Dolphins. That is totally up my alley.

Meg, I have ridden that roller coaster before and I remember it being a lot of fun.

1. Romantic dinner.

Pinot Brasserie at the Venetian. Best meal I've ever had in my entire life. Lobster Bisque and French Onion soup was amazing. I highly recommend the Chateaubriand if that is still on their menu. DIVINE! Not sure if it has the "romance" atmosphere, but bring the romance with you and it will be fine.

Also heard Alize is amazing if you want French food and romance.

My brother recommends Bartolotta which is Italian and at the Wynn.

2. Dolled up, sex kitten night. ( I think they have a Playboy club there...)

Heard the Marquee and Chateau are good clubs to go to. They have hefty cover charges to get in. Not sure of the line.

3. Something totally fun, like a roller coaster or skydiving.

Indoor skydiving. TOTALLY fun!

www.vegasindoorskydiving.com

4. Romantic date to a non-food place.

I vote Gondola ride at the Venetian.
Couples massage at one of the resorts.

5. Something historical.

Nevada State Museum

www.vegas.com . . .

Hoover Dam is pretty cool too.

6. Vegas show such as Cirque.

Heard LOVE is the best and O has the 2nd best reviews. I've seen KA and thought that was really great too. I don't think you can go wrong with a Cirque show, but I've heard more rave reviews about LOVE than ANY other Cirque show.

Check out the sharks at Mandalay Bay. They are pretty cool.

Oh I forgot...X-Rated hypnotist. They are so much fun!

/gag Phantom. I'd never see a Broadway show in Vegas, but that's just me.

I live in Vegas and I've seen most of the Cirque shows, La Reve, Phantom, etc. Of them all, I'd really recommend Zumanity. It's sexy, funny, and guarantees a good night now. I also LOVE O but if you're looking for something that'll be awesome to see with your man, Zumanity is it.

If you like lions, see the exhibit at MGM before it goes away at the end of January.

Helicopter rides to Grand Canyon usually only take a couple hours. A shuttle will pick you up from a location (often your hotel), take you to wherever the helicopters are kept (not far off-strip) and you fly from there. It's a good late morning to mid-afternoon option.

As for clubs, I've heard good things about Marquee. The Palms has the Playboy club, Moon, and Rain. Rain used to be Perfecto on Saturdays, which is incredible. It's like a club inside a Cirque show. There are performers everywhere - on stage, dropping from the ceilings, dancing around you. Clubs are definitely not my thing but I really enjoyed that. If it's still going on, I would definitely hit it up.

As for something historical, my absolute favorite is the Atomic Testing Museum. Of course, I'm a nerd and I like science so it's perfect. In any case, it's not far away from the Strip and super cheap. The mob museum has opened this year but I haven't been. There's also the Erotic Heritage Museum, which is right behind the Fashion Show Mall. That's pretty cool, too. It all depends on what you want to learn about, of course.

I just saw Mystere for the first time in August -- I've lived in Vegas for 18 years, so it was a long time coming -- and I loved it! Love is great too, especially if you're a Beatles fan. I enjoyed Le Reve, but mostly because I got free tickets... but it's changed a lot since I saw it in 2006, so take that with a grain of salt.

Playboy Club is at the Palms and is connected with Moon, where I went for my 21st birthday... it's fun, but not worth cab fare off the Strip. Ask around if you know anyone who has a good hookup at clubs in Vegas -- you're from SoCal, right? You probably know someone -- and let them get you in somewhere for free with an open bar or a table or something. Don't pay for anything. The clubs are all pretty much the same, just stick to the newer, nicer properties and you'll be fine. (Anywhere at the Wynn, Encore, Venetian, Palazzo, and Cosmopolitan is probably your best bet.) Prepare to be groped. Clubs are icky.

Downtown is SUPER fun and up-and-coming and where the locals hang out. There is a strip of bars on East Fremont that are really chill and fun and not full of people trying to be Kim Kardashian.

Have fun! If I weren't moving out of state on Saturday, I would say we should have a drink!

Ooh, go to the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor. It sounds boring, but GO. It's amazing. I cried!

When you go in, they give you a ticket that belongs to someone that was on the ship, and gives you a little information about them, including the class that they were on on the ship, and that sort of thing.

You go through the exhibit in the same way that you'd go up the ship. You go in to third class, and all along the walls are information about people that were in the third class. Then they show you a reproduction of a third class cabin, and some of the artifacts that were recovered from third class. Same for second class, and same for first class. Then you go out and see what it was like to look over the deck of the ship.

Then you go in to the "crash" room, and it's got quotes from survivors painted on the walls, and computer reproduction footage of what the crash looked like, and all kinds of stuff like that. The one that got to me was one of the survivors said "We were dressed in our Sunday best, and prepared to go down like gentlemen." ...and I started crying. I was trying SO HARD to hide it!

You also get to see a portion of the ship that has been recovered as well.

At the end, they have the manifest for the ship on the wall, separated into classes, and then further separated into passengers who survived, and those who didn't, and you have to check your ticket to see if you survived or not.

We came out, and I was like "I started crying!" Jim goes "I know - and it would have been so much worse if your person hadn't made it!" LOL!

Ooo, we did the Atomic Testing Museum, too! So much geeky fun to be had. My favorite exhibit was where you could turn a dial to watch a test blast destroy a tree line - you could make the blast go super slow, normal speed, or super fast, forwards or backwards. All of the museum was really neat though, I recommend it too!

^ My boyfriend and his friend went there last time they visisted Vegas as well and they found it really interesting and a nice break from the strip.

We actually booked at the Luxor because everything was so cheap. For about $500 ( total for the both of us) we got 4 nights in the hotel and 2 roundtrip flights.

I am a bit worried that it is at the end of the strip, but I plan to go to Fantasy and the Titanic Museum. Are there any Cirque shows around that area that you recommend?

Luxor hosts Cris Angel, but I've heard it's terrible.

I liked Mystere and would definetly go back. Jim wants to go see Ka.

YumYumDoughnut wrote:

We actually booked at the Luxor because everything was so cheap. For about $500 ( total for the both of us) we got 4 nights in the hotel and 2 roundtrip flights.

I am a bit worried that it is at the end of the strip, but I plan to go to Fantasy and the Titanic Museum. Are there any Cirque shows around that area that you recommend?

Zumanity plays at NY NY which would be the closest to Luxor, I believe. I just saw it this fall and loved it! Great show to see with your man.

As for Clubs, yes they are quite pricey, last year the cover to get into Surrender (At Encore) was $35. This year when I went, I went to Tryst (Wynn), Tao (Venetian), and X's (Wynn or Encore, can't remember) and I didn't have to pay for any. If you walk the strip there are tons of club reps out who are dying to get you into their clubs. They will give you VIP passes and free drink tickets, so take advantage if you can!

Actually, I really recommend hopping in the car and heading down to Primm (Cali-Nev state line) and hitting Buffalo Bill's and riding the Desparado. Most excellent roller coaster and I'm pretty sure it's cheaper than NYNY's!

www.vegas.com . . .

If you consider yourself a makeup junkie, Makeup For Ever has a boutique (or some such, whatever the official name is that they gave it) at the Sephora right by the Venetian, and it's one of only three of their boutiques in the US. So that's something for the makeup fan. Had I not ridiculously badly had to go to the bathroom when I went in there, I might have done some damage, LOL!

We actually booked at the Luxor because everything was so cheap. For about $500 ( total for the both of us) we got 4 nights in the hotel and 2 roundtrip flights.

Good luck with this hotel. They are planning to do a HUGE renovation because the place is a dump now. The walls are paper thin, and I've heard horror stories about the rooms. My brother used to stay there a lot 10 years ago, but won't stay there after they found cockroaches in their room about 3-4 years ago. It used to be a really nice hotel, its just not maintained itself well. It is a long way from other Vegas hotels and you'll have to take a cab to get out of there unlike some of the other hotels on the strip.

Closest Cirque shows will be Zumanity (that was mentioned.) I must be weird, but I didn't like this Cirque show all that much, but the MGM is right across the street from NY NY and they have KA which is a really awesome show AND Asian based which might intrigue you.

If you walk the strip there are tons of club reps out who are dying to get you into their clubs. They will give you VIP passes and free drink tickets, so take advantage if you can!

At the Luxor, you don't even have to walk the strip! We were just milling around at the start of the night, and dude was not taking no for an answer on giving us club passes. We were coming, or we were dying!

And beware, there are dudes EVERYWHERE that are going to try to get you on a timeshare thing. They'll offer you money/free food/show tickets/whatever, if you just sit and listen for their class, or however they phrase it. And those people are seriously like a virus, they're at the intersection of every major walkway, in every single hotel in the city. We fell for the pitch one time (we walked, once it became pretty apparent what was happening...), but that still didn't help us avoid the people, hah. By the end of our week there, I wasn't even nicely turning the people down, heh...

Hopefully the Luxor won't be too bad. If anything, we can just switch over to another hotel if things get too out of hand. We saved about $1500 bucks just by staying here ( Instead of original hotel) that we are planning on spending the money doing spas, helicopter tours, limo rides, lots of shows, shopping etc.

We will most likely be there just to sleep, so I plan on bringing earplugs and eyemasks to get some sleep.

I am crossing my fingers that we won't get a room with a cockroach in it...ewwww...

Thanks for the heads up though. I will see if we can find a back up hotel if things just don't work out.

Here is our plan. ( We haven't booked everything yet_
1.Ka, Love, Fantasy, Blue Man group, Strip joint.
2. Dinner at Pinot Brasserie, top of the Stratosphere,Mesa Grill at Caesars Palace and some buffets.
3. "Skydiving" off the top of the Stratosphere, MGM Lions, Roller Coaster, Grand Canyon helicopter tour.
4. Atomic Testing Museum and Titanic.
5. It might be a bit a bit of a bit of a drive, but we were planning on doing this.
www.harrahs.com . . .
I think we *may* need to be guests to use this service, so maybe we can just check in for one day to se can use it. Does anyone know if I need to be a hotel guest to use this place?

The rest, we will figure out when we actually get there. Limo rides are only like $70, so if there is a huge line for a cab, we can just do that to get to the strip.

I am crossing my fingers that saving $1500 for fun stuff will be worth the crappy rooms. Wish me luck!

We stayed at the Luxor and we didn't think it was so bad. It was crowded with party people (it was a Saturday night and all...) but it wasn't too bad.

There's rarely a wait for cabs. You shouldn't have that hard of a time getting a cab ride wherever you want to go...they line up outside of the hotels, waiting for people that need rides, because they make bank on it! (And I know cab drivers aren't wealthy, and that Vegas is a hard town to drive in, but if you drive a half a mile and make 50 bucks, that's pretty decent...)

We stayed at the Luxor and we didn't think it was so bad. It was crowded with party people (it was a Saturday night and all...) but it wasn't too bad.

Really? I was there last year just to pick someone up and the only junkier hotel is the Excalibur. But, I'm comparing it to other hotels in Vegas. Yes, its cheaper and I've done Vegas cheap...but not when I'm going there with my husband.

If you walk the strip there are tons of club reps out who are dying to get you into their clubs. They will give you VIP passes and free drink tickets, so take advantage if you can!

Depending on the weekend, there can be no cabs at some of the hotels. Fight weekends, Fashion week, some trade shows etc, sucks to get cabs at hotels...and the cab drivers really really really hate it when you go to some weird place off the strip where they aren't going to pick up a good fare on the way back to the strip...so tip them well if they have to take you to a location where they aren't going to pick up a fare especially on a busy night.

^ My bf was planning on staying either at the Venetian or Bellagio. We decided that if we were going to spurge on a hotel, we would pay that when we go in the summer and the pools are open. We are going again in June for my Birthday, so we will go to a nicer hotel then.

Renae, is it so bad that we should just entirely cancel our hotel and pay for another one? We won't be losing out too much, only like $200 in hotel fees if we cancel now. It just seems for a 4 night winter trip, the Luxor won't be too bad. Although I haven't been there, so I don't know from experience.

Theresa, when you stayed there, did you stay in the towers or the actual hotel part of it?