Thrifty Vegas for the family?

[spikerS]

Hey all,

Looking for tips and advice on Vegas and how to keep costs down. Looking to do 5 days in vegas with Baygirl and our 2 kids. Booze and gambling isn't a consideration as none of us really drink or gamble. We are looking forward to a nice swimming pool and taking in the sights like Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.

What is the best way to make the dollars stretch? Anything from booking flights, hotels, attractions, etc... Since we are already paying ~30% premium due to the dollar exchange rate, we are looking to find ways to make those dollars go that little bit further. For example, i seem to remember that flights are so much cheaper if you depart somewhere in Montana, but I don't recall where from...

any advice?

[Buster]

flights are cheap and easy from calgary.

ARe you going soon? It's not warm enough for pools there, and most of the outdoor ones will be closed.

[ThePenIsMightier]

Do not take children to Las Vegas.
/thread.

It's the drinking and gambling Mecca and your plan is to go there and do zero of those things. Guess what EVERYONE else will be doing? That and many many other things you do not want your kids to see.
Do not take children to Las Vegas.

[spikerS]

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flights are cheap and easy from calgary.

ARe you going soon? It's not warm enough for pools there, and most of the outdoor ones will be closed.

soon-ish. We are planning for the end of March. Shows how much I know, i thought Vegas was like +15c at night there at worst.

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Do not take children to Las Vegas.
/thread.

It's the drinking and gambling Mecca and your plan is to go there and do zero of those things. Guess what EVERYONE else will be doing? That and many many other things you do not want your kids to see.
Do not take children to Las Vegas.

Yes, it is the drinking and gambling hotspot of North America, but that isn't all it has to offer. There are a lot of activities there that are family oriented that don't involve drinking and gambling.

[Buster]

I'm sure there are heated pools in Vegas...I'm not a pool guy so I dont really know.

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I dont think the booze and gambling are the problem for kids in Vegas...its how far you have to walk to get place usually.

[ExtraSlow]

Package vacation, Expedia or westjet. Last I checked Mandalay bay and Golden nugget are the best large pools.

[ee2k]

Go to Palm Springs instead. Quieter. Very relaxed. Some fares lately as low as $280 roundtrip. Warm. Pool. 4.5 hour from Hoover Dam if you really want to, there's also Joshua Tree or if craving water LAX is 2.5 hours drive away for a beach day. Superior to Vegas for the kind of trip you're looking for. Oh, Vegas is 3 hours away also. Go for a week.

[ThePenIsMightier]

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soon-ish. We are planning for the end of March. Shows how much I know, i thought Vegas was like +15c at night there at worst.

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Yes, it is the drinking and gambling hotspot of North America, but that isn't all it has to offer. There are a lot of activities there that are family oriented that don't involve drinking and gambling.

By late March SOME of the pools may be open, but not all. It's low teens for highs right now and low single digits at night.

I know there's lots of other stuff to do. I've been many times. But trust me, don't bring kids. Like the other guy said, walking around on the strip is a terrible environment for kids.

Edit - oh and the place to leave cheap from USA is likely Minot you we thinking of. I think...

[KPHMPH]

Parents just got back from Vegas. Temps are MUCH lower than average right now. They said in the 2 weeks they were there average temps were around 8-15C

[ExtraSlow]

It sure can get cold in Vegas at that time of year. I was there when it snowed in March.

[benyl]

Having taken a kid to Vegas, I would never do it again.

[Clever]

My kids love Vegas, but we were there the summer of 2016, so we spent a lot of time in the pool. My kids were 13 and 7 at the time. I agree it was different trip with the kids but there are tons to see and do. Aquarium at Mandalay, displays at the Bellagio, free shows such as breakdancers and magicians on the strip. If the budget permits it definitely check out a cirque. Hoover Dam was cool as well, tour was meh. I know some pools are open all year, Just call ahead before you book. I was there in February a couple of years ago and the weather was in the 20’s.

[D'z Nutz]

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For example, i seem to remember that flights are so much cheaper if you depart somewhere in Montana, but I don't recall where from...

I think you're thinking of Kalispell.

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Having taken a kid to Vegas, I would never do it again.

Having gone to Vegas as a kid, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone either. But then again, Vegas when I was a kid and Vegas now are very different so there's more family things to do than before.


That said, if spikerS and baygirl are dead set on it...

- if you're wanting to save money on a hotel, you're looking to be staying off the strip and expecting to do a lot of walking

- stay somewhere in the middle of the action, like around E Flamingo Road. Two years ago we stayed at MGM and we never got beyond the Bellagio the whole trip cause by the time we got there, we were tired as fuck and had to turn back. Every. Single. Day. At least by staying in the middle of the strip, you can change up which direction you want to wander and see different things.

- go to maps.google.ca and search "las vegas hotels" and the map will display hotel prices.

- if there's anything wrong with your hotel room or stay, complain immediately and make sure they have a record of your complaints, and push for them to waive the resort fees. Don't wait until you're about to check out. Go to the front desk right away. Every time I've gone to Vegas with my friend, something happens to her and she bitches and gets her resort fees waived.

- the sports bars at Planet Hollywood have cheap as fuck breakfasts, though I'm not 100% certain kids are allowed in

- if neither of you have Uber accounts yet, wait until you get to Vegas before signing up. A lot of those hotels have $25 promo codes for new accounts and that's good enough to get you from the airport to your hotel or back. I think I still have a valid promo code too, if you need it.

- My friends play this myVegas app for a few months leading up to our trips and collect free dinners and things like that. Some tips on how it works and redeeming points:
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic...as_Nevada.html

- Don't go to Fremont with the kids at night.

- There's usually some live entertainment around NYNY about an hour before the start of a Knights game. While you're there, go catch a Knights game haha

[Misterman]

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Hey all,

Looking for tips and advice on Vegas and how to keep costs down. Looking to do 5 days in vegas with Baygirl and our 2 kids. Booze and gambling isn't a consideration as none of us really drink or gamble. We are looking forward to a nice swimming pool and taking in the sights like Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon.

What is the best way to make the dollars stretch? Anything from booking flights, hotels, attractions, etc... Since we are already paying ~30% premium due to the dollar exchange rate, we are looking to find ways to make those dollars go that little bit further. For example, i seem to remember that flights are so much cheaper if you depart somewhere in Montana, but I don't recall where from...

any advice?

If you're not planning to do the usual Vegas stuff, then you can book a seat sale for flights, and then just get an Airbnb place with a pool instead of staying at a strip hotel. Then just rent a cheap car for all your sight seeing.

If you're planning on being by the pool much, don't go until May.

[Tik-Tok]

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For example, i seem to remember that flights are so much cheaper if you depart somewhere in Montana, but I don't recall where from...

You're thinking of Allegiant Air, and it's no longer the deal it used to be. They've raised their fares over the past few years, and with our shitty dollar, plus gas to drive down, plus maybe a hotel for one night, it's virtually the same price as flying from here, only you have a lot more flight time options.

[mr2mike]

Only people at any pool in Palm Springs, Phoenix, Vegas at this time of year will be Canadians.
But a lot of pools are closed at any large hotel because it's too cold for most travellers.

AirBnB in Phoenix. Better plan with kids, IMO.

[BavarianBeast]

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Do not take children to Las Vegas.
/thread.

It's the drinking and gambling Mecca and your plan is to go there and do zero of those things. Guess what EVERYONE else will be doing? That and many many other things you do not want your kids to see.
Do not take children to Las Vegas.

Yeah the shit that goes on in Vegas is not what I would want to expose a child to. Even if your just walking down the strip or Fremont, your going to see some whacky shit between the homeless, freak shows and street performers.

[mzdspd]

You can fly from Edmonton to Vegas on Swoop on a direct flight for ~ 200$ return. Pretty tough to beat that pricing.

[blitz]

Vegas is super friendly for kids these days, you just need to treat it like a family vacation instead of a bender.

It's ok for kids to see things like homeless people and street performers, they're going to be more influenced by how you act there, not other people.

[Manhattan]

Vegas is fine with kids just avoid places like the strip and Fremont. It's basically like a shitty adult version of Disneyland. The more I go to Vegas the more I avoid the strip. Lots of nice places off the strip like at Hilton or Westin on Lake Las Vegas. There's the places you mentioned like Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, and also Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire. If you wanna extend the trip for a few more days both Bryce Canyon and Zion National Park are about 3 hr drive away. Kids will get a kick out of that.