My Las Vegas tips

maziemac

Just back from Vegas and want to give a few tips which would have made life easier and cheaper. Download the Uber app for taxis. Taxi from
Airport was $33 however using Uber back it cost $19. I had never heard of Uber until I was ripped off by each taxi I got into ( every taxi took the long route) and a hotel doorman told me about Uber. For buses get an RTC ticket which costs $8 for 24hrs Or €20 for three days. Covers the SDX and Deuce buses. Buses go up
And down the strip about every 10
Minutes and brings you to the "Fremont Experience which has great free outdoor music acts at night, it's fab. To go to the shopping outlet "premium south" you get a deuce and change over to the SDX, driver will advise and its painless. A taxi would cost $24 each way and that's with the doorman saying " the short route please"to the driver.The bus stops at the Welcome to Vegas sign On the way. At the sign you don't have to wait in line for your photo, you can take your own. The guy there is not a state official although it's handy to get him to take your photo for a couple of dollars if there are only 2 of you. In my opinion Vegas is really expensive so go to Denny's for breakfasts. if it's busy, you queue for a ticket and wait to be called. Huge breakfasts, reasonably priced and despite the queues, we never waited more than 30 minutes. Water is really expensive in the shops , $4 to $7 in hotel shops so make sure you buy from CVS Or Wallgreens ( I think that's the name). First night we got caught and paid $6.75 for a 500ml bottle in our hotel. We really enjoyed Vegas but would have loved if we were armed with these tips before we went. Hope you find them helpful.

Markdmd

maziemac wrote: »

Just back from Vegas and want to give a few tips which would have made life easier and cheaper. Download the Uber app for taxis. Taxi from
Airport was $33 however using Uber back it cost $19. I had never heard of Uber until I was ripped off by each taxi I got into ( every taxi took the long route) and a hotel doorman told me about Uber. For buses get an RTC ticket which costs $8 for 24hrs Or €20 for three days. Covers the SDX and Deuce buses. Buses go up
And down the strip about every 10
Minutes and brings you to the "Fremont Experience which has great free outdoor music acts at night, it's fab. To go to the shopping outlet "premium south" you get a deuce and change over to the SDX, driver will advise and its painless. A taxi would cost $24 each way and that's with the doorman saying " the short route please"to the driver.The bus stops at the Welcome to Vegas sign On the way. At the sign you don't have to wait in line for your photo, you can take your own. The guy there is not a state official although it's handy to get him to take your photo for a couple of dollars if there are only 2 of you. In my opinion Vegas is really expensive so go to Denny's for breakfasts. if it's busy, you queue for a ticket and wait to be called. Huge breakfasts, reasonably priced and despite the queues, we never waited more than 30 minutes. Water is really expensive in the shops , $4 to $7 in hotel shops so make sure you buy from CVS Or Wallgreens ( I think that's the name). First night we got caught and paid $6.75 for a 500ml bottle in our hotel. We really enjoyed Vegas but would have loved if we were armed with these tips before we went. Hope you find them helpful.

Thanks for that info was really helpful . Just wondering how did you find the strip itself I here there are a lot of aggressive sales people hounding you for money whilst walking around particulary up and coming rap artists peddling there cd's did you find this to be the case or was it manageable enough .. ??

myate

Uber is awesome in any city in the US.
Been to Vegas a good few times and never again as it's not for us (just drove straight by recently opting for a 4.5 hr drive from Death Valley to Springdale Utah instead of going into the city) , but, walking down the strip isn't too bad. Sure there's lots of guys with their 'escort' cards...but just keep walking, they wont follow you as there's so many other people they can just shove their cards to! In terms of rap artists, there's no more than some other cities, and again just keep walking if you don't want the stuff.

maziemac

Markdmd wrote: »

Thanks for that info was really helpful . Just wondering how did you find the strip itself I here there are a lot of aggressive sales people hounding you for money whilst walking around particulary up and coming rap artists peddling there cd's did you find this to be the case or was it manageable enough .. ??

Didn't see anyone like that and we walked the strip from breakfast till bed. Lots of homeless people silently begging which I found hard to deal with also lots of people handing out cards or trying to sell excursions but we politely said no thanks and kept walking.

jme2010

maziemac wrote: »

Didn't see anyone like that and we walked the strip from breakfast till bed.

I've seen them. Been approached by them even when with my fiancee. It was always late, after 1am and over around the Flamingo casino boardwalk.

Mostly it's a fun cultural experience you get along the strip. I personally love the characters you meet.

Corvo

Heading over there on the 8th of November for five nights, so thanks for this.

Any other suggestions?

jack presley

Corvo wrote: »

Heading over there on the 8th of November for five nights, so thanks for this.

Any other suggestions?

As for water, there's usually guys selling bottles out of a cooler for a $1 a bottle along the strip. Cheaper than any shop!

ceadaoin.

jack presley wrote: »

As for water, there's usually guys selling bottles out of a cooler for a $1 a bottle along the strip. Cheaper than any shop!

Don't buy that water! Some of them fill up those bottles from the public bathroom taps.

You can get cheap water in Walgreens or cvs or if you can get to a supermarket, a tray of water bottles is $3 something. Or there are drinking water fountains everywhere where you can refill your own bottles. It won't be hot in November anyway so you'll be fine walking around without it.

Another tip is, as well as uber there is another one called lyft. Both usually offer credit when you use them for the first time so you would probably get a few free trips if you use both

EoinMcLovin

ceadaoin. wrote: »

Another tip is, as well as uber there is another one called lyft. Both usually offer credit when you use them for the first time so you would probably get a few free trips if you use both

Yeah used Lyft as at the airport I saw a poster advertising $50 free credit for new users. so for the first 10 trips I got $5 off. You can also tip the driver in the Lyft app which you can't do in Uber app. Also if going to any shows get the tickets from Tix4Tonight as you can usually get some good discounts. They have booths all over the strip and also do coupons for restaurants.

SHOVELLER

Everyone uses Uber here. Last used a cab when my phone died.

Knew Vegas cabs at the airport were a rip off but those prices are disgraceful. I was there in April and walked from the airport to my hotel and back too. Mainly because the weather was perfectly Irish at the time!

No hassle walking the strip at all. Just ignore any panhandlers.

The monorail has a $12 all day unlimited ticket and goes up and down the Strip, albeit behind it!

maziemac

Corvo wrote: »

Heading over there on the 8th of November for five nights, so thanks for this.

Any other suggestions?

See my photo of breakfast at Denny's. Both plates were mine. Yum. About €14 including coffee. We went to see "O" at the bellagio. It was amazing. We sat in the row 104 and felt we could touch the stage. Joined the cirque de soleil website and got a 25% discount. Very expensive but well worth it. If you want to see a show but don't care which one go to Tix4tonight outside M and M store for discounted tickets.

Corvo

People, thanks for everything here.

I've never been to America, can you tell me about the tipping culture in general?

Also, how much to get my body from the MGM to Ireland?

ceadaoin.

Corvo wrote: »

People, thanks for everything here.

I've never been to America, can you tell me about the tipping culture in general?

Also, how much to get my body from the MGM to Ireland?

Make sure you have plenty of dollar bills on you at all times! You have to tip for drinks even when you get them yourself at the bar. A dollar a drink usually but if youre gambling on the casino floor and want to get served quicker next time give 2 or 3 dollars per drink, or ever a fiver per first drink if you're feeling flush. Guaranteed youll be served a lot quicker

In a restaurant at least 20% of the bill is expected.

You're supposed to throw a couple of dollars to the guy who gets you a taxi in the line outside the casino, but if you're using uber then you generally don't tip cash, you can set the app to automatically give an extra 20%

maziemac

Corvo wrote: »

People, thanks for everything here.

I've never been to America, can you tell me about the tipping culture in general?

Also, how much to get my body from the MGM to Ireland?

They expect between 15 to 20%. You tip the barman, waitress, the guy who operates the taxi rank outside your hotel. It's constant tipping so make sure you allow a couple of hundred euro extra for that purpose. I know we all say we don't want to go to an Irish bar but we met a guy you sent us to the bar in the New York Hotel and we danced the night away with people from Ireland, Scotland, England etc. Great laugh and reasonably priced. The night before we paid $46 for two bottles of Corona and two vodka and cokes. Also take out travel insurance, my sister needed the dentist and it cost $300 which she can claim back.

jme2010

ceadaoin. wrote: »

In a restaurant at least 20% of the bill is expected.

Not fond of the tipping culture in America.

I had a meal in Miami where the waiter tried to take my plate away while I was still eating. He lifted it up while I had a mouthful of food and I had to ask him to put it back down.

A while later we were enjoying our after dinner cocktails, not even half finished and they were bringing the bill and asking us to free up the table etc.

Long story short, the bill came with the tip at around 22% added into the total. Well I tore the waiter a new one and got the manager out. Told him it was disgraceful to expect a tip for the awful service we received.

I get mad again thinking about the cheek of it all :mad:

ceadaoin.

jme2010 wrote: »

Not fond of the tipping culture in America.

I had a meal in Miami where the waiter tried to take my plate away while I was still eating. He lifted it up while I had a mouthful of food and I had to ask him to put it back down.

A while later we were enjoying our after dinner cocktails, not even half finished and they were bringing the bill and asking us to free up the table etc.

Long story short, the bill came with the tip at around 22% added into the total. Well I tore the waiter a new one and got the manager out. Told him it was disgraceful to expect a tip for the awful service we received.

I get mad again thinking about the cheek of it all :mad:

It would be very unusual to get such bad service tbh. They do bring the check without you asking but there's normally no expectation that you leave immediately after paying. Whenever I'm back in Ireland I find the service pretty bad in comparison. Having said that a few days ago we went for breakfast and the waitress was so slow we didn't leave a tip. We won't be going back there so it's safe! I honestly think Americans still give a tip even if the service is ****ty though, they might just give a bit less than expected.

maziemac

ceadaoin. wrote: »

It would be very unusual to get such bad service tbh. They do bring the check without you asking but there's normally no expectation that you leave immediately after paying. Whenever I'm back in Ireland I find the service pretty bad in comparison. Having said that a few days ago we went for breakfast and the waitress was so slow we didn't leave a tip. We won't be going back there so it's safe! I honestly think Americans still give a tip even if the service is ****ty though, they might just give a bit less than expected.

I have a huge problem with the tipping culture in America. Tipping 20% all the time would be cost prohibitive. Should I eat in a cheaper restaurant unless able to afford and extra 20% on the bill? Also more importantly why should the public support an employer who fails to pay his staff a reasonable wage? To carify, I have no problem with tipping. I always tip my hairdresser, taxi driver, waiter/ waitress in pub and server in restaurants.

ceadaoin.

maziemac wrote: »

I have a huge problem with the tipping culture in America. Tipping 20% all the time would be cost prohibitive. Should I eat in a cheaper restaurant unless able to afford and extra 20% on the bill? Also more importantly why should the public support an employer who fails to pay his staff a reasonable wage? To carify, I have no problem with tipping. I always tip my hairdresser, taxi driver, waiter/ waitress in pub and server in restaurants.

Honestly, yes you factor the tip in to the cost of the meal and if you can't afford it then go elsewhere. That's just the way it is. If you don't want to tip then don't but be prepared to be interrogated as to why! If you're on holiday and didn't get good service then you won't be going back anyway.

It's not the employers, it's federal law that if a worker receives tips they are paid less than minimum wage, just over $2 an hour. If their wages and tips combined don't reach the level of the minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) then the employer has to raise their wage.

cactusgal

When I was a waitress back in the mid 90s (USA), I made $2.13/hr. And **all** of that went to tax. So my wage was 100% dependant on tips. Yes, it's crap that the cost of paying restaurant employees is shifted onto the customer, but if you've a problem with tipping culture in the USA, you should probably stick to McDonald's, etc in order to avoid having to tip.

cactusgal

maziemac wrote: »

I have a huge problem with the tipping culture in America. Tipping 20% all the time would be cost prohibitive. Should I eat in a cheaper restaurant unless able to afford and extra 20% on the bill?

Yes, in short. You should. It's a crap situation for the customer to foot the bill to pay the restaurant's employees (see my post above), but that's how the industry is, unfortunately. If you can't afford it, you should eat elsewhere.

Del2005

cactusgal wrote: »

When I was a waitress back in the mid 90s (USA), I made $2.13/hr. And **all** of that went to tax. So my wage was 100% dependant on tips. Yes, it's crap that the cost of paying restaurant employees is shifted onto the customer, but if you've a problem with tipping culture in the USA, you should probably stick to McDonald's, etc in order to avoid having to tip.

The customer always pays the employees wages in every company . In the USA the tip is like the local sales tax, not on the price tag just added to the bill and depends on the service, but since it's included in the employees tax liability it is expected and that's why you need to ad 20% to your plans. But as you said why do you have to tip in a bar or restaurant but not fast food places?

If you are in a bar it's always a better idea to run a tab then pay for individual drinks, the Dollar a beer quickly ads up.

Pete Moss

Del2005 wrote:

If you are in a bar it's always a better idea to run a tab then pay for individual drinks, the Dollar a beer quickly ads up.

If you're buying in rounds in a decent bar in the States and tipping, then the barman will usually give you one on the house. This has happened to me in any State I've visited.

In Vegas, depending on how much you're gambling, drinks are usually free. I couldn't sleep the night after I landed there, so took a wander down to the bar for a drink and put $20 into the video poker machine just out of interest. Got free drinks for hours and won a few bob on the back of that $20.

My tip would be to book all tickets to shows through your hotel's concierge. Our one got us amazing tickets for a few shows at great prices.

I had no issues with safety on the Strip whatsoever. It's always busy, hotel/casino security are always nearby as well as police. That's not to say that you can walk around counting your money, but I certainly wouldn't worry about being harassed or anything like it.

Also, do Freemont. It's not as glamorous as Caesars or anywhere on the Strip, but it's got a great charm off it and has more of a vintage Vegas vibe. I would take slightly more caution with your belongings on Freemont than on the Strip though.

ceadaoin.

Pete Moss wrote: »

If you're buying in rounds in a decent bar in the States and tipping, then the barman will usually give you one on the house. This has happened to me in any State I've visited.

In Vegas, depending on how much you're gambling, drinks are usually free. I couldn't sleep the night after I landed there, so took a wander down to the bar for a drink and put $20 into the video poker machine just out of interest. Got free drinks for hours and won a few bob on the back of that $20.

.

The days of unlimited free drinks are coming to an end unfortunately. All 9 Caesars entertainment properties have brought in new rules for what the bartender can give you when playing video poker. You have to put in at least $20 and play several hands at max bet. After that there will be a green light on the back that signals you are good for a free drink. If you stop playing max bet or play too slow the light goes red and you won't get any more. It probably won't be long until MGM follows suit

cactusgal

Del2005 wrote: »

But as you said why do you have to tip in a bar or restaurant but not fast food places?

Fast food employees get paid the minimum wage, as opposed to the $2 an hour that waitresses make.

Del2005

ceadaoin. wrote: »

The days of unlimited free drinks are coming to an end unfortunately. All 9 Caesars entertainment properties have brought in new rules for what the bartender can give you when playing video poker. You have to put in at least $20 and play several hands at max bet. After that there will be a green light on the back that signals you are good for a free drink. If you stop playing max bet or play too slow the light goes red and you won't get any more. It probably won't be long until MGM follows suit

The size of the tip is also a factor. Give a small tip and you'll be spitting feathers waiting for service, tip the price of a drink and you never have an empty glass.

Del2005

Pete Moss wrote: »

If you're buying in rounds in a decent bar in the States and tipping, then the barman will usually give you one on the house. This has happened to me in any State I've visited.

If you are tipping at a dollar a drink and have 3 or 4 then you've paid the price of the next one already as your tipping at over 30%, nothing is free. Have 5 and tip 20% and it'll be cheaper.

razorblunt

It's interesting you mention the buses, the general consensus is to avoid them.
I'm also surprised Uber picked up at the airport, in Boston and Chicago this isn't allowed, it's just drop off early.
I presume if the doorman told you about them they must be giving him tips too otherwise he'd tell them move on.

There's a really great bar on the strip, opposite Aria, called People's Republic, they offer steins of beer for $12, great selection on tap too. It's new so take advantage before it gets bought out.

The $20 for an upgrade works on check in too.

maziemac

cactusgal wrote: »

When I was a waitress back in the mid 90s (USA), I made $2.13/hr. And **all** of that went to tax. So my wage was 100% dependant on tips. Yes, it's crap that the cost of paying restaurant employees is shifted onto the customer, but if you've a problem with tipping culture in the USA, you should probably stick to McDonald's, etc in order to avoid having to tip.

It's the amount I have a problem with, not tipping in general. I always tip but 20% in my opinion is huge.

Atlantic Dawn

The tipping is a complete pain in the hole, it's like the employer has slaves and expects the consumer to pay towards their upkeep. You basically tip 15-25% whether it's absolute sheite or good service you have received, otherwise you will get pure agression.

Mountainsandh

Considering a road trip to the US with the kids next summer, and Las Vegas is on the way.
OH has been and says just having a quick look at the strip will be grand, but I'm wondering if there's anything else that could be fun for the kids without going into gambling places of course.

Anyone spotted anything ? Any mad/quirky museums or shops suitable for 9 and 11 yo kids ?

Thanks for any tips.

ceadaoin.

Mountainsandh wrote: »

Considering a road trip to the US with the kids next summer, and Las Vegas is on the way.
OH has been and says just having a quick look at the strip will be grand, but I'm wondering if there's anything else that could be fun for the kids without going into gambling places of course.

Anyone spotted anything ? Any mad/quirky museums or shops suitable for 9 and 11 yo kids ?

Thanks for any tips.

There's lots to do with kids

-shark reef aquarium at Mandalay bay
- adventuredome at circus circus
- cirque du soleil shows (my daughter loves the Beatles one)
- the high roller
- the fun dungeon at the Excalibur and tournament of kings is there too
-gondola ride
- dolphin habitat and secret garden at the mirage
- wet n wild water park (not near the strip but easy to reach by car)
- even just walking around the hotels and seeing the various themes can be entertaining
- bellagii fountains

There is a kids museum but I'd say your oldest might be a bit too old to enjoy that. They'd probably enjoy m&m world and the big Hershey's store.