Tips for the Virgin Las Vegas Trip

Dad, Stepmom, Grandparents and Friend
at Tender Steakhouse at Luxor

This entry will be a bit different than the ones that I have written in the past as here I will focus upon my most recent trip to Las Vegas with my buddy Alex, my grandparents, dad and stepmom.  One thing that occurred to me is that I noticed is that people who have never been to a location before tend to not research things beforehand on what they want to do.  I try to research as much as possible when planning any trip.  I try to find the best routes to get to sightseeing destinations and maps.  Each trip I go to Vegas, I laugh at all of the people who completely underestimate the size and length of everything.  In Las Vegas everything is done bigger.  Here are 10 Tips that I believe that are important for having fun and saving money while in Las Vegas....

1. If You Take a Cab from the Airport and the driver suggests the tunnel, say NO - From the airport to the strip, most think that the fastest way is through a tunnel to the freeway and then exiting.  This is wrong.  You will pay $40 in cab fare and the taxi will be long hauling you.  Tell them to take Swenson and the ride depending on traffic will only cost you $18-20.  If you still think that is still too expensive, then go with the shuttle busses which run under $10.  The shuttle busses may take a little bit longer due to dropping off many people at other hotels, but it is way cheaper.  Never take the limousine unless you really want to pay the extra dough.  Not worth the cost in my opinion.  If you are in a group, the limousine could possibly be a better deal.  Do the math amongst your friends and see what works for you.

2. Las Vegas Strip is way BIGGER than you think - The distance of the Las Vegas Strip is 4.2 miles if you are driving.  If you are walking, then it can feel much longer because of pedestrian bridges and stopping off at casinos etc.  Before one of my trips, I asked my dad how tall he thought Bellagio was.  He estimated about 25-30 stories which comes to about 300 feet high.  According to wikipedia the main tower of Bellagio is 508 feet tall and its total gaming space is 116,000 square feet.  Another casino, The Palazzo Las Vegas has the largest floor space in the United States and 10th largest in the world at 6.9 million square feet.  Younger folks in their 20's tend to make this mistake of underestimating Vegas because they all dress up nice and fancy, which makes for some great eye candy, but they will definitely be paying for it by the end of the night.  The ladies may look phenomenal in their heels, but wait three hours and see what happens when you have to walk back to your hotel.  That is not good... My suggestion here is to wear flats or have a friend bring a backpack or bag to carry extra shoes in.

Vegas has a ton of Eye Candy for both Sexes

3. Hotel Room Tips - You are in Vegas to have a good time and chances are those that read this are probably going to drink a ton, gamble and eat a ton of food.  When you check into your hotel, remind yourself to take a photo of your room number.  When you are trying to get back to your room at 4am and you are completely trashed, having the photo of your room will help you.  You don't want to be that person who tries to open every single room door with your key, only to finally realize that you were on the wrong floor and/or knocking on the wrong door.  Another tip is being careful with the food/refreshments inside of the room.  They are very tempting to eat, but also at the same time they are very expensive.  A way to solve this is to hit up the Walgreen's on the strip and pick up essentials such as water, snacks, sodas, juice etc.  The prices are a little bit more expensive than your Walgreen's in your neighborhood, but this is a much better alternative than spending $5 for that 12 oz can of coke you just drank from the minibar.

4. If you are to meet up with Friends in the Casino, tell them a LANDMARK - Casinos are huge and they want you to get lost in them.  I have never been to an IKEA before, but I am told that the store is confusing and their signs want you to basically never leave their building.  The best thing when meeting up with a group of people is to find a huge landmark inside of the casino.  One thing that most casinos have is a Sports Book and it is relatively easy to find.  Another spot would be a theatre or a restaurant.  Don't ever tell anyone to meet you in front of a specific slot machine because those slot machines are spread throughout the casino.  This will definitely not help you.

5. Wear a Watch or You Will Constantly Be Asking People the Time - Casinos have NO CLOCKS.  They want you to forget about the outside world and live in theirs.  As much as you try to do it, you will definitely lose track of time and the best thing to try and take care of this is to wear a watch.  Some of you will come back and me and say, "I have my phone."  My response is better be safe, than sorry, especially when your phone dies at some random hour.

6. ATM Fees are HORRIBLE - This is where pre-planning comes into play.  If you are one of those folks that may need an ATM, trying to find your bank at a casino is nearly impossible, unless you look it up online first.  Off the top of my head, I do know that Caesars Palace has some Bank of America ATMs in their forum shops.  Other than that, the ATM's charge monster fees between $3-$6 just to take your own money out and remember this doesn't include your own bank dinging you as well.  If you have to do it, I suggest going to check out Casino Royale.  Their ATM's charge $1 to take out some cash.

Some of the fine eats from Paris' Las Vegas Buffet

7. Food Options A Plenty - If you came to Las Vegas to be on a diet, you have come to the wrong spot.  Las Vegas has so many food options, it is mind boggling.  You can easily find a wide range of buffets, cafe's, steakhouses, etc. on the Las Vegas Strip.  Even though you did not come to Las Vegas for McDonald's, if you really want your fix of the fast food, then you can find that as well.  My favorite buffets are Paris, Wynn and also Mirage.  My least favorite are Harrah's, Monte Carlo and Circus Circus.  When the buffets aren't open at 3am, check out some of the cafe's/shops that serve quick eats.  A go to place for me at Paris is J.J.'s Boulangerie at Paris Las Vegas.  I enjoy their Prosciutto Sandwiches and their pizza.  Grand Lux Cafe at Palazzo is also a great option as I like their portion sizes.  For those with more expensive taste, the only fancy restaurant I have been to is the Tender Steakhouse at Luxor and I absolutely recommend it.  You can pretty much order any entree off their menu and be satisfied with your meal.  Don't eat too much of the bread and butter with oil/balsamic vinegar beforehand, as you might get too full and end up not finishing the main course.

8. Pre-Gaming and the Club Scene - You have stuffed yourself at the restaurants and you are ready to party! For those who love the club scene save some money and try to book your tickets in advance online.  By the time you get to the trip, everything is paid for already.  I have gone to one club in my life in Las Vegas (Marquee at Cosmopolitan) and we bought our tickets in advance.  This was a breeze for us as all we had to do was to pick them up, go through security and walk right in.  If you forgot to get your tickets, DO NOT buy them from the folks offering them on the street.  Those people are there to take advantage of you and your money.  I am sure most of them could possibly be trustworthy sources, but I just don't believe them.  They may offer you a cheap ticket, but if you can't get into the club, you are pretty much screwed.  The best thing to do is to stand in the very long line at the box office to try and get in and hope and pray you get in.  As for pre-gaming, try and purchase your alcohol off strip and drink before hand.  Club drinks can easily run you between $12-25 a drink depending on where you go.  I personally think the clubbing is all about the company you are with, so why not have a good time on a cheaper budget?

Drink enough Water or you might be "Out of Order"

9. Know What You Are Doing Before You Gamble - Gambling can be fun, but at the same time, if you are not careful you can lose a ton of money very quickly.  Make sure you set limits for yourself and only spend what you can afford to lose.  If this becomes a problem, then please call their Gambling Hotline Number at 855-2CALLGA.  Before you sit down at a table or a slot machine, figure out what you are doing first.  This is your money and Vegas wants all of it.  Going to a craps or blackjack table without doing your research can cost you a ton of money.  The first time I played craps for a long time was at Harrah's, New Year's 2010 evening.  A young guy not older than 23 wearing a Texas Longhorns hat held the dice for over an hour.  I only played the Pass Line with Full Odds and I walked away with $600 from my original $100 Buy-In.  The winning sounds great, but knowing what I know about craps now, I cost myself over $4000 in winnings that night.  The shooter was throwing numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) left and right.  That evening was the perfect storm for money making and I didn't know the game.  I was still glad I walked a way with money though.  Do your gaming research!

10. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate - I can't stress this part enough.  Whether you hit up Vegas in the 120 degree heat in summer or the 60 degree weather in December, I cannot stress enough about hydrating.  This is one problem I still have issues with.  When in Vegas I am so excited, I completely forget about the basics of drinking enough water.  I tend to walk around going from casino to casino and while I do chug waters while at a table, I don't do that enough.  For those that drink and are okay afterwards, I have no idea how you do it.  Las Vegas is very dry out there in the desert and drinking enough water really will help you in the long run.

This is only a few tips that I have offered to new folks and possibly people who have been to Las Vegas before.  If you have any other ideas that I didn't mention here, send them over.  I am sure there are a ton of them where people do other things which help them save a ton of money.