The Hangover!
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karl_h

Original Poster:

223 posts

211 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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Hello all. A close friend is planning his stag currently and is quite keen on Las Vegas. Everyone in the party is keen to go but I'm slightly worried about our planned budgets. We've semi agreed we could spend around 1500 all in.
We are planning on staying for 3/4 days and are looking at a 'name' hotel. MGM Grand is current favourite at £760 each including flights.
Is £750 a realistic spending budget for the stay. None of us are in to gambling to much so there won't be any £100 bets going on every night, but we would like to do things like the Vegas rifle range etc. It is a stag though so beer and food will hopefully be plentiful.
We basically don't want to feel like we are constantly watching our budget rather than having a good time.
Cheers
Karl

a311

6,426 posts

208 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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Budget is fine, like anywhere else you can spend a little or lot or how much you loose gambling... I'd have a set pot for gambling I wouldn't go over. You can eat/drink cheaply, lots of competition.

This is PH though so no doubt plenty of powerfully built company directors who'll drop your budget in an hour......

Tonto

2,983 posts

279 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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Thats ample money if you don't plan on big gambling. MGM Grand is the biggest hotel around but not the best IHMO, (still good by normal standards). Hopefully you won't get a room at the back as the hotel is so big it can take 15 mins walk to reach the strip!.
Vegas is geared up for 3 groups of people, (1) High Rollers who spend in a day what we earn in a year, (2) Normal people who just want to have a good time and not spend a fortune (3) People with sod all money who go for the free/ cheap stuff, of which there is plenty around if you know where to look. You can sit at the 10 cent slot machines and a pneumatic waitress will show up and offer you a free drink. Always go for a cocktail, as they are weapons grade, 3 will have you trashed.
Don't forget to tip her 1 dollar for each drink or you will never see her again.
Loads of info on Google. Here is a good start MSE

Tonto

2,983 posts

279 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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Also, don't be tempted to take any of the Lions in the Hotel lobby up to your bathroom. It never ends well!

Rollin

6,338 posts

276 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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Drinks in decent bars are not cheap.

Freakuk

4,855 posts

182 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
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If your hitting the lappies that will eat your budget in no time, but they take lappies to a different level none of this sitting on your hands ;-)

karl_h

Original Poster:

223 posts

211 months

Thursday 26th July 2012
quotequote all
Cheers for all the input guys sounds like we'll be more than alright.
I can categorically say I won't be going to the lappies....... Every night!

98elise

32,777 posts

192 months

Friday 27th July 2012
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Good things that cost nothing....

Bellagio fountains.
Freemont street experience (the Kiss one is particularly good).

Consider Mandalay Bay, cheaper than MGM but much nicer. Luxor is also good value, but is not as plush.

Vee

3,109 posts

265 months

Saturday 28th July 2012
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98elise said:
Good things that cost nothing....

Bellagio fountains.
Freemont street experience (the Kiss one is particularly good).

Consider Mandalay Bay, cheaper than MGM but much nicer. Luxor is also good value, but is not as plush.
I was last out there in 2009 stayed at the MGM.
Luxor looked like it hadn't had a lick of paint since it opened. Similarly Ceasars.

Things have moved on and I'd agree one of the early posters - decent stuff costs.
Cheap bars, like Hooters etc are cheap because they're crap.
Decent bars, restaurants, clubs cost and £150ish a day won't go very far.
Breakfast in MGM was something like $20 everyday. A show like Cirque will cost close to $100 unless you book well in advance.

Kudos

2,674 posts

205 months

Saturday 28th July 2012
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karl_h said:
Cheers for all the input guys sounds like we'll be more than alright.
I can categorically say I won't be going to the lappies....... Every night!
Get yourself an Irish accent, the ladies love it. No need to go lap dancing wink

audidoody

8,598 posts

287 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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Study the Las Vegas tipping laws until you can recite them backwards!

http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/tips/tipping.html

RedWhiteMonkey

9,214 posts

213 months

Wednesday 1st August 2012
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audidoody said:
Study the Las Vegas tipping laws until you can recite them backwards!

http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/tips/tipping.html
Off to Vegas next at the end of the month. I have no problem with tipping, but it sounds like I’m going need to carry a huge wedge of dollar bills to cover every person who wants their share!

Big Raff

1,389 posts

202 months

Thursday 2nd August 2012
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audidoody said:
Study the Las Vegas tipping laws until you can recite them backwards!

http://www.vegas.com/traveltips/tips/tipping.html
This is all a little excessive, don't walk around handing over dollars to everyone that works there...slot supervisor?? come on. Towel girls...meh...air dry like a BOSS wink but if they are hot, ask them to join you when their shift finishes for drinks, better than giving them one dollar. The girls that bring drinks to you tip...because if you tip them well they will keep on coming back. You could even play a game with them...the quicker they are the bigger the tip and you may even get comp drinks if you use the same bar girl. Then get her to invite her friends out to join you on a club night, they will get you in without hassle and saves you getting a table if you are a group of lads (they will know the doormen), you just pay for the drinks/wedding ceremony/elvis costume etc...

If your dealer is just doing the bare minimum and looking everywhere else than the table he/she is working on (which is all too common), i don't think they deserve a tip at all (they have taken your cash anyway) but a dealer with plenty of interaction gets the tips. He/she will have taken your money as well, but they have just done it in a nicer way. Maids...you probably wont see them and if you leave some bucks on the table they probably wont take them so just leave some at the end of your stay.

The rest on the list just roll with it...


Oh and if you play you get free drinks, though one Corona did cost me $200 once...oh how they laughed frown


edited to not get into a debate about tipping

Edited by Big Raff on Thursday 2nd August 11:01

BigBen

12,159 posts

261 months

Thursday 2nd August 2012
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I like the Planet Hollywood Hotel, good location on the strip and a bit less stuffy than most of the other Casinos, should be mid budget as well.

miln0039

2,013 posts

189 months

Friday 3rd August 2012
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Went last May, group of 6 of us. For 5 nights in the MGM with flights (two men to a room, i.e. double bed each) cost us £615 each.

Would highly recommend the MGM, rooms are big, nicely furnished etc. Hotel is BIG, but lots of people to meet! Plus its positioning is fantastic for going to New York New York which has a really nice casino, lots of space but with high ceiling for once!

Enjoy!

ETA - on most deals the flights will be with Delta, if so, do try to connect at Detroit or Minneapolis outbound and not JFK, the latter is a fking pig to get through immigration, the others much quieter. Plus Detroit has a cool tram and you can use that as the basis of a pub crawl while you wait for your next flight, we did! Was one of the best bits of the holiday!!!

Edited by miln0039 on Friday 3rd August 14:02