I’m working on planning a Las Vegas trip for my mom and myself. We’re looking at my spring break in early March. Here are my questions:
Is it better to try to book now, or in a few months when there are more things available?
Are there any better travel services for flying from Knoxville, TN, to Vegas than those offered through Expedia? (Expedia has been consistently cheaper than the other travel sites that I’ve looked at.)
Are there any places that you suggest going while we’re there, and why? Please keep in mind that my mom pretty much fits the stereotype of the 50-something schoolteacher that she is, and she refuses to let me go anywhere there by myself to keep me from being kidnapped (I’m 23).
Are there any websites or services that offer discount tickets for the shows, such as Celine Dion (for my mom) or any of the Cirque du Soleil shows (for me)?
You may want to check Vegas.com or CheapoVegas.com as a starting point for rooms and show tickets. I haven’t managed to find any places that have really cheap discounts, so one site is as good as another. My best success with hotel rooms has been going through Priceline.com, but there you have the whole you-have-no-idea-what-you’ll-get problem involved.
You may be interested in attending a showgirls show, just for the quintessential Vegas experience. Note that most of them tend to have topless gals, though; the only one I know of that has a family-friendly fully clothed early show (and is actually worth watching) is the one at the Tropicana.
Fun and free things to see include the water shows outside the Bellagio, the flower garden inside the Bellagio, shopping at Caesar’s Shops (the words incred-i-honkin-huge comes to mind), and general gawking at the Venetian. I hear the new Wynn hotel is really nice inside, but I haven’t been there firsthand to confirm it.
And as a geek, I’d recommend the Star Trek Experience at the Hilton (near the convention center), but they’re seldom open whenever I can sneak away, and might not suit your Mom very well.
You may also want to head over to The Rio and catch their free parade in the sky…it’s fairly entertaining. You can also pay (I think) $10 to actually ride in one of the sky floats during the show.
Savannah - that’s DEFINITELY already planned! I’m looking at a place that’s about a block from the strip to stay, so there won’t be too much walking from where we’ll be staying, but that doesn’t cut out a whole lot of the Vegas walking.
Asimovian - Do you know how often this show occurs? I’ll definitely have to look it up. It sounds like fun!