Taylor Finn

Thanks for all the feedback guys! I really appreciate the warm reception, especially it being my first report! ^Thanks for all the little notes! The show really was exceptional, even to my girlfriend who wasn't a huge Beatles fan going in. We are seeing Paul later this year, so that should say something. And yeah, BLT Burger just wasn't up to snuff.. We did stick around for a good while, but ended up catching the sunset on the way back across the Lake Mead Recreational Area (the long way back into Vegas). This was probably almost as good. Absolutely! I had such a hard time finding pictures of people's travels to Vegas, so I thought it be smart to do just that! Considering just how long we stayed, just how full we were, and just how good it was, yeah... definitely worth every penny. Poor waiter had so many plates to take.

^Hey, my pleasure! I know there are not many long trip reports to Vegas on here and I hope to change that here! Also, I think if I didn't do this, I would kind of forget all what we did and I know I plan to go back so this will be a good way to remember that. Before I move on, I would like to just thank the people who helped me plan this trip here at TPR on the forums. I really got a lot of great advice and it came in handy! DAY 3: Hoover Dam, Valley of Fire, Bone Marrow, and a Hypnotist. So, we decided early on that we wanted to have a day away from the Strip to explore the surrounding areas. Had we done Red Rock and the Hoover Dam in the same day, we would have had to drive thorugh the Strip twice, as they are on opposite sides of one another. That was part of why we decided on Valley of Fire instead, although from what I had read online, people suggested VOF over Red Rock. So, we left home early with our rental car and arrived at the Hover Dam around 10 or so. We walked around for a little while (didn't pay for any of the tours) and then went back into Boulder City nearby for lunch at Southwest Diner. We stopped at a grovery story for some provisions and sped off toward Valley of Fire. It is important to note that we did not necessarily know there would be a $20 fee to travel up to Valley of Fire the scenic way through the Lake Mead Recreational Area (Lakeshore and Northshore Rd), but we are happy we paid it (the pass was valid for a week, so we were good to come back that way too). We arrived at Valley of Fire, did the driving loop and stopped at the Visitors Center, where I narrowly avoided an encounter with a large spider. We talked to the park ranger and figured out a couple easier hiking trails to do and set off for them. We spent a good four hours there and then returned to the Strip the same way we came for a big dinner at the Wicked Spoon Buffet at the Cosmopolitan. This buffet was something we had all been kinda psyched about. It really wasn't that much more expensive than the rest of the buffets in Vegas, but the quality and quantity seemed far and away better. Something spontaenous that happened the morning prior that I forgot to mention was me finding $15 tickets to see Mark Savard Comedy Hypnosis at Planet Hollywood. So we had our tickets bought for this night at 10 PM. The show turned out to be a blast and was definitely worth the price of admission. I am sorry to bore with all this text, I am not a capitvating writer, I know! Thanks for reading and following along and here are some pictures from our day (mostly) away from the Strip. Please let me know what you think! Oh, and if someone can tell me how I can link to each update that would be great so people don't have to scroll! Our lovely view for these mornings And we've arrived! At the sign. There was a kind, kind man here with a Welcome to Las Vegas jacket and large button on who was so generously offering to take everyone's pictures. He even ushered the line along and set people up in the poses that he thought were best. What a guy. He was totally legitimte. Hoover Dam is definitely a place you should stop at, but I would not necessaily think to pay for a bus tour out here just to do this. Anyone who has played Fallout: New Vegas will be very familiar with this whole area. Hoover did not do a lot of things well. But I guess he does have a dam named after him. More than 100 people died buiding this dam. And a FAQ section online made sure to clarify that none of them are buried inside the dam itself. Seems like a weird thing to even think about, but I guess we live in a sick world. I remember having a hard time discerning just how high the dam was, but there were a few cars and people down below that put things in perspective.. Afterwards, we backtracked like 10 minutes to Boulder City for lunch at a diner I had found. The food was excellent. I got Mexican food, but people had breakfast and dinner entrees and all enjoyed them. It was nice to be reacquainted with cheap prices. HEAVY THEMING We've arrived at VOF We did White Dome and Mouse's Tank... we weren't quite up for the more difficult ones.. The Driving Loop had a number of pull offs. Signs. Important Information. Throughout the whole trail, I worried that we would encounter a large spider. And luckily, we did not. We read that they are really most abundant September-November. They migrate down South after that. A stampede of large large spiders just casually ruining lives. Speaking of which.. there was a wedding going on along the rode. it would certainly be more cost effective than renting out a hall. Good thing they did this in March and not June. Colors. Petroglyphs. Never heard of the word before that day. Was excited the first time I heard it. Didn't know why. Pretty cool, though. I see a questionable one somewhere. So we parked our car at the Cosmo. And they had a little display that listed how many spots were available on each floor. Every spot had a green or red light over it to indicate if the spot was taken. You could easily look down a long row and determine if there was a spot. It was quite nice! Alright, here is the Wicked Spoon Buffet. We splurged and went for dinner. We arrived at 6:44 and didn't have to be at our show until like 9:30 or so.. I think we were all just a bit overwhelmed by the place. I took pics of pretty much everything that I ate (after I ate it, I went back up). In addition to these desserts, they had like 30 different homemade gelatos you could have. They had an asian station with sushi, and some more standard options. They honestly had something for everyone. If you were vegan, you might have a bit of a hard time along the way, but they certainly made every effort to accomodate people. Heaven. Not so good. I am happy I tried it.. just a gummy texture. Could not handle it. I think what made this place exceptional was the presentation. Most dishes were not something you scooped out of a container. It was all pre-portioned and presented in an appealing way. Probably the highlight of the meal. Duck Wings, I think? I dunno really but it was still tasty. That was just the kind of attitude we all had. It was kinda nice to just be able to try a bunch of things I've never had. They had some pre-split crab legs, just for good measure. And an expansive carving station. The place is actually not all that large.. Thanks for reading, guys. I hope I didn't bore you with all these food pics!

Hey guys! Thanks again for all the help! I've posted the first part of my report here! http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=71801

Hello guys! Right off the start, this is my first trip report, so comments and criticisms are appreciated! My girlfriend Kylie and I plus another couple, Eric and Corry, who we are great friends with, decided in late Fall of last year that we wanted to go somewhere over what would be Kylie's academic Spring Break. The rest of us are currently working, so we called off that week and once we decided on Vegas, I got to planning. Eric and Corry were mostly content to do whatever, so I was left in charge of the planning. I realized early on that you really shouldn't try to plan every detail, so instead of doing that, we settled on structuring our five days around a few hotels, activities, meals, or shows and went from there. A lot of the fun stuff that happened ended up being the unplanned things, though it certainly helped to have a game plan each of the five full days we had in Vegas. Some tips for any first time Vegas traveler. 1. Stay on the strip the first time. If budget ain't an issue or you are splitting the hotel four ways, stay at a nice hotel, but honestly, there are a solid number of reasonable but nice hotels on the strip, like the Luxor, or Monte Carlo. I wouldn't recommend staying at the Stratosphere, or Circus Circus the first time as they are just a bit too far off the strip, but most anything else can work, depending on your budget. We stayed at the MGM Signature and got a pretty good rate for a nice room (more on that later). 2. DO a show or two, especially try to hit one Cirque show. There are so many rotating around the hotels. It seems like Beatles Love, MJ The One, and O are the three top tier shows. From what I've heard (we did Beatles Love), the other two deserve the praise they receive. These three cost slightly more than the rest, but be on the lookout for deals. 3. Use My Vegas: If you got some time to burn, use this app. The four of us did and managed BOGO tickets for Beatles Love (paid $60 for quality seats), a BOGO Breakfast Buffet, some Free Play, and BOGO rides on the Big Apple Coaster at the NY NY. You can fairly easily get enough points in the early goings to get some decent stuff. 4. If you stay on MGM Property, sign up for mlife to get discounted hotel rates. It seems as if you honestly get chepaer rates this way than using a third party website. Also, you can have your room upgraded much easier if booked through the hotel direct (more on that later). 5. If time affords, rent a car and do some stuff outside Vegas. It was really nice to break up the trip on the third day by renting a car and exploring the Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire State Park. After all the noise, lights, and walking, this was a much more relaxing day and we got to escape Vegas prices for a bit. 6. Pace yourself. We may have been a bit overambitious, but we never felt terribly rushed, and honestly, now that we've done a lot of the major stuff, when we go back, we will have a much more concise plan of attack so that we can really enjoy the things we liked the most the first time. As an extension to this, use UBER and Lyft. We got most of our rides free or discounted through these two apps and ended up spending like $15 each for all of our rides (including to/from the airport and Old Vegas). Alright, let's get started with some pictures! Day 1: After checking in, we set out to explore some of the hotels near the MGM Grand (the Southern part of the Strip). We ended up checking out Mandalay Bay, Excalibur, and the Luxor, before heading back for the night. We flew from Pittsburgh to SF and then to Vegas. Our flight left around 7 am from Pittsburgh and I grabbed an ominous BK breakfast once we landed for our layover Landed at McCarran! Once we landed, we decided we were hungry and did not know when we would have a better chance to hit up an In-N-Out, so we Ubered our way to one that was about a mile from the MGM Grand. I've had it before, but honestly nothing compares (fast food-wise). Shame there are no real lions. Leo, you'll have to do. So here's a little funny story about how we ended up on the 37th floor with resort credit. So check in was supposed to be around 3 PM. We arrived a bit before aroun 2:30 and my girlfriend checked us in. She utilized the " trick," slipping the check-in lady a and asking if there were any complimentary upgrades. She eventually offered us a Penthouse (same room style) with a Balcony facing the strip. She graciously accepted and the lady said it would just be a few minutes and the room would be ready. We waited for about 45 minutes and then went up to check and see (she had said she would call us). It was not ready yet. Eventually, we called back and more than an hour after checking in, the room was ready. They offered us resort credit for our troubles. It really wasn't ahuge deal, but we appreciated the gesture. A quality vending machine, to be sure. In advance, I apologize. I am absolutely no photographer. I don't really spend time searching for the best angle, and all that. Plus its just an iPhone. Klassy as hell The Luxor has elevators that actually run diagnol, which was less thrilling than we anticipated. It was worth a shot. At this point, we split up and the guys did the Titanic Exhibit and the girls did the Bodies Exhbiit. We got discount tickets from Tix 4 Tonight (it was just barely worth the effort). They try to sell you on other things you aren't interested in. Very few things are actually hafl off like they advertise but a discount is a discount. We paid like for this and it was regularly (which would have been outrageous). They recreated some rooms on the ship, and supplemented the exhibit with many first hand accounts and artificats. This was the highlight, I guess this piece was only recently procured from the Ocean and has been on display in a few other places and will be moved from here once the exhibit moves in a few years. We had a coupon for Slice of Pizza at Mandalay Bay, so we got some food on the cheap One of three Signature Towers. I didn't really explain this, but you have to walk across a moving walkway from the MGM Grand to access your tower. From entering the MGM, its about 15 minutes to the far tower if you're walking briskly. This really isn't too bad, considering how expansive the MGM Grand is. That mostly wrapped up our first day. Day 2: We woke up and ate breakfast in our hotel room (we had a nice kitchenette with a fridge and silverware, plates, and glasses), which was rather nice. Hopped in an Uber to start our day up on the Northern part of the Strip at the Wynn and Encore. These two hotels are rather unique in that they are not owned by CET or MGM, and do not necessarily have any one particular thing to draw you in (whether it be a Cirque show, or the Fountains at Bellagio or the Volcano at the Mirage). In spite of that, this hotel wowed us. It wasn't over the top or pretentious. It was just the perfect amount of classy and overall felt unlike any other hotel on the strip. We spent some time exploring and gambling in both towers (Wynn and Encore) before leaving and heading to the Venetian. We spent some time there, ate lunch at the Grand Lux Cafe. We then left and went to the Flamingo, explored there, and enjoyed the Flamingo Exhibit (I suppose it was nice.. really, the place was a bit poorly kept to no one's surprise). We returned back to the Venetian and shopped some more before heading to the Mirage for the night. We ate dinner at BLT Burger and saw Beatles Love (9 PM showing) and then my girlfriend and I kinda worked our way back to the hotel by foot, stopping at a few places along the way. They do have some sort of show out on the lake every night.. Really wanted to hop on.. These next two art displays each cost somewhere around the $25 million mark. I suppose this is a small investment in the grand scheme of things.. I don't listen to EDM or anything, but I recognize these names, and find it just amazing how these large scale acts are all playing casually in one weekend. Here is Mr. Popeye. That bit of spinach alone probably cost a few million dollars. On our way to the Grand Canal Shoppes There is an "indoor" area and an "outdoor" area. They are both stunning and although the shops are genearlly far too expensive, it is quite a nice place to people watch and explore. They wanted like $70 for a private 15 minute Gondala ride or like $35 a couple if you were willing to share with two others. Neat that they have it, thankful people pay for it, happy I did not. Grand Lux Cafe for lunch.. This place reeked of the Cheesecake Factory from the second I saw it and looked through the expansive menu. If you are looking for some reasonable food at a nice hotel like this, look no further. The cheapest meal we ate on the strip all week, really. Leaving the Venetian. We'll see you later. Not you though. We have little interest in you. A quick stop to the Flamingo! Yeah, nothing much to see here. Let us move on. It's getting a little darker around here now.. Soon. And here we are! This show exceeded all expectations. I have never seen a Cirque Du Soleil show before.. I will say that if you are really into the actual acrobats of it all, this show might not be for you. There was enough of it for me, but I could see people wanting more. The soundtrack and the story that is told is just wonderful and is a really powerful way to remember their music. We checked out the Volcano show (I think it has like 2 viewings a night at 7 and 8 during the week and a few more on the weekends. It is worth seeing if you can make it work, though it really pales in comparison to the fountains. Free entertainment is good entertainment though.. Jumping around a bit, we ate dinner before Beatles Love at BLT Burger.. It was honestly pretty good, though absolutely not worth the price we paid. Before tip, it was $30 for a burger, fries, and shake. My girlfriend and I split, so we could save a bit of money. Also, the place was closed down (dunno if it is still) due to a health code violation the following week. So we really killed it with this selection. Yeah, no. Did a little exploring on the way back that night! We will see you later this week. We will see YOU later this week, too. The Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan was really beautiful. My girlfriend had really wanted to drink a Cosmo at the Cosmo; however, at like $16 for a cocktail, she decided against it. She got one later that week for free for gambling at the MGM Grand. Wrapping up day 2 with a shot down the strip. Thanks for reading so far. I wil post more here soon! Please comment and give feedback!

It looks like they have a more positive outlook than in years past. I dunno, I obviously am of the group that would like for it to succeed. I acknolwedge the park is nothing crazy awesome. But I will obviously be pleased if they can pull it together, just for the history.

This was such a great report, I love love love reading people's experiences about Knoebels. Taking my girlfriend there last summer for the first time was such a great time, because I could share in her excitement about the place. It truly is the kind of place that needs to actually be experienced to believe On paper, it just doesn't seem to be anything all that special.

I can definitely attest on a small level that there were some problem people on the New Hotness 2012 tour. It was an incredibly well-planned trip and it was very nice to actually be put up in nice hotels every night and not be crammed. I can totally appreciate and respect your decision to hold off on them for that reason. It would be incredibly frustrating to go through all of that effort to be critiqued by people. I could never plan a trip like that on my own, every detail was accounted for. I would obviously love to return to a trip at some point!

Hey, don't be discouraged by the lack of comments. I am sure you have plenty of lurkers that do appreciate what you are doing. I just caught myself up on all of this right now and I appreciate your ridiculous sense of humor. You have a knack for storytelling.

Okay, so as I mentioned, we booked the Signature for four nights for two people, though there are four of us. I assume we will have a taxy taking us in from the airport. Its a gated entrance and I read that they just ask for a name (I assume not a number of people in the group, or anything). Is there going to be an issue sneaking in the other two people? We planned to just pawn all our luggage onto two people and then the other two would go in a bit later. I dunno if anyone has specific experience with the place, I just don't want to be charged the extra $80/night.

Yeah, just gonna come here and echo the other folks; Knoebels, for at least a full day! Flyers are a must; I lost my hat in a tree like 30 feet up on that ride (though it did eventually fall down and either an employee or guest put it on the white fence that encircles the ride). Another example of the great people there. Hershey shouldn't really need 4 days, I guess you could spend 4 days at any park if you *wanted* to, but even with a waterpark, I would grow a bit weary of that. We never spent more than 2, 2.5 days at any of Disney World's parks...

I mean, certainly Knoebels lacks a bit in terms of volume and overall intensity of the coasters; but all five are good fun, and the park itself, while sedate, is the best of its kind. I would just offer that it would probably end up being a rather refreshing change of pace. There is so much to do there, regardless of the coaster count!

I am so grateful I was able to go on a tour before you guys stopped (New Hotness 2012). It was a real pleasure to join you guys. I looked back on the Trip forum and it is evident how much planning and care went into them, from the Q&A part of the forum to the guidebooks and flight help. Everything was covered and covered well. And then to be able to go on the trip and still have surprises waiting for us was the best part. It is the kind of experience I tell people about all the time, because it was truly once in a lifetime for me. Regardless of whether you go back to doing tours in the future, I hope you know that you guys did a killer job while you were at. It is a shame that there were people who didn't appreciate what you did. Thanks again!

When I was there two summers ago, Club TPR offered ticket discounts as well as a hefty discount on Santa's Lodge... it is a very average hotel, but the rate justified the experience. I imagine regular priced rooms there are not worth it.

I would also agree with the other people and focus in on the Eastern Part of the US as well. Do NOT miss Knoebels. It is an incredible park!

Although I count coasters, it is more for myself than anything. I don't find myself bragging about it or making a big deal over it. I am more of an Amusement Park Enthusiast anyway. Seeing new parks and how they are set up and everything about them (food options, dark rides, shows, etc.) is what gets me excited. Coasters are really just gravy. That said, I still have my fair share of kiddie coaster embarrassing moments.

Thanks guys for all your help. We went ahead with the Signature. It was too good a deal to pass up really. We don't mind the quick walk to the action at the Grand and on the Strip in general. I'm hoping my friends all realize that things are going to be pricey (especially food). I know that basically everything is going to be 50% more than what you would normally pay. I will definitely be referring back to this once we start actually planning out *some* details like the few shows we want to do, and maybe a general broad plan for each day.

Last little bit of help for me. I need to book a hotel ASAP here. My options are as follows: MGM Grand Grand Queen room (not $550 plus taxes, etc. etc) Mirage Deluxe Queen Strip View ($550 plus taxes, etc, etc.) MGM Signature Deluxe Balcony Suite ($515, plus taxes, etc. etc.). I am personally leaning toward the Signature. From what I've read, it doesn't seem to be too far from the actual MGM Grand (10 minutes to the Casino) and can actually be closer to the pool than some MGM Grand rooms. My questions though: 1. Because it is a smaller complex and each tower has its own check in, can we still pay for a room for two and easily get the rest of us in the hotel? Just have the two people check in and the rest go in 10 minutes later and just go straight to the elevator? 2. Can anyone shed light on the views? Which tower affords the best Strip View/ do any of them really offer good views? 3. How close am I to the Strip as opposed to the MGM Grand main property? 4. Is the Queen Sofa bed a viable option? We have four people, so we might just end up splitting time between the King and the Sofa Bed? 5. Which hotel would you pick? Thank you thank you thank you!

This has been a really awesome look at a park that doesn't get enough attention. They are doing so many things right it seems! Thank you!

This has always been one of my all time favorite TPR videos. One of the first things I can remember seeing about this park, and it definitely made me interested in making my way out there, which I have now done three or four times.

Yeah, it seems like the majority of opposition is very weak. I'm excited to hear. What is the timetable for a decision?

I read these and enjoy catching up on content for weeks where I am not actively searching the forum!

Thanks, guys!! I definitely want to have a great burger... I know Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsey both have burger places in Vegas, so I guess we'll see! I don't think any of us can really be prepared for how large it is going to be, but I think we are all going to be willing to accept that as part of the package! Also, well noted for the discount show tickets. I think we will probably make a decision based on what is most discounted that day. Any day gonna be cheaper than the rest between Monday-Thursday? I know some shows are off certain weekdays, so that's a thing. And no one in my group is really gun buffs, but thank you for the suggestion! IF, this is even a consideration, you can Priceline express deal a 4 star for downtown fremont street. the only 4 star is the Golden Nugget that is very nice. March during the week will most likely be really cheap. if going to adventuredome, when i last went, jan, i got a coupon for $5 off for unlimited rides at the gas station. probably Rebel gas, i forget. el loco is fun, i also like canyon blaster has a couple rough spots, but i love the first drop. do you have more ideas of what kind of stuff you want to do in vegas? if i can be a little judgy, i'm not sure we all know what a 21 year old from pa is expecting. lol over my lifetime, i've gone to vegas for many different reasons. sometimes it was clubs, shows, gaming, etc. you might have the time of you life walking down the strip and getting pranked on by the number of youtube pranksters. haha We probably won't stay over the way of the old strip! And I think we are going to really get the biggest kick out of exploring the hotels/casinos/attractions that some of the hotels entail (shopping, casinos, restaurants). So with that in mind, I know I've gotten some pretty good suggestions so far for some free things to do at these hotels, but any additional must do's for anything on the strip in that way, could be good!

Thank you guys for everything so far! This has all been super helpful. I think we're settling in on he MGM grand. Gonna book through Mlife and be on the lookout for a price drop. ^Its tough to really say what my group will enjoy. I know our price point is gonna be on the low-mid range for the meals we eat out. I've noticed a bunch of celebrity chef spots like burGR for Gordon Ramsey, etc. I guess we're probably going to avoid steakhouses and chains. Otherwise, we're fairly adventurous eaters. More likely, we'll be looking for stuff near MGM Grand, though I'm sure we'll be all over the strip at some point. With regards to everyone's show recommendations, I can see us doing one expensive show and maybe a lesser known afternoon show. Is it likely we can score deeply discounted tickets the day of? As I've said I'll be there for four full days Mon-Thur (though Thursday we would have to see the early show for most stuff). Also, I've read that the Aria has a great poker room. This true? Or is there a better one for an inexperienced player? I'm thinking Limit hold em is a safer, more sustainable option than no-limit, yeah? Should I pursue tournaments or $2/4 limit buy ins? I'm just looking to have a good time and get the most bang for my buck? Any tips for room selection/what not for MGM Grand would be welcomed as well! Thanks again!

Thanks for your help, guys. In looking at the rooms, both the Monte Carlo and MGM Grand seem to be our best option. I will continue to monitor prices and probably wait to book the hotel for a month or a bit more. Certainly not worth saving the money to stay at the Excalibur, I guess. Especially since it's all our first time. Any show recommendations? Also buffet and restaurant recommendations? Which casinos should we definitely make an effort to at least visit? I am really looking for any feedback at all from people's experiences there, so I can try to take the good and bad and make this great. I have been wanting to make a trip to Vegas for so long now. I obviously don't want to plan plan plan, but I want to go there with a good idea of some things we ought to consider doing!

Hello all! Three friends and I are in the process of planning a trip to Vegas over our Spring break. After looking into airfare, the cheapest option I could find was for a flight out of Pittsburgh on Sunday March 6th and a return trip on Friday at 1am. The plan would be to stay in a hotel Sunday night-Wednesday night (4 total). Will hotels hold our bags after check out until our flight? Is this a reasonable plan? Questions regarding this idea/our trip in general. 1. Can I book a room for two people (making certain there are two beds) and have four in the room? I assume this is dm feasible especially if you tip the housekeeping and are careful about it. This is very important to the hotel discussion, because rates online skyrocket when you add people. 2. We've looked at a lot of hotels. What we are looking for is sort of unclear, except that it has a good location and is a 'Vegas Hotel.' We are considering Excalibur (our value option), Monte Carlo, and MGM Grand (and Signature). Monte Carlo looks to have a pretty solid location. Any thoughts? Is it worth paying $65 a more for anything besides Excalibur. We are splitting the trip price down the middle, but I think our budget is like $150 or a bit more, inclusive of tax and resort fees. 3. Pools. Are they open/worth pursuing in early March? 4. Is it worth dragging myself all the way to circus circus for the Adventuredome? I'm not gonna waste my friends time with it but should I bother? 5. Must hit casinos/spots/attractions/restauraunts? I'm really just looking for any help! I'm a newbie to Vegas! Thanks for your help ya'll! If this needs to be relocated elsewhere, that's fine!