Las vegas & Los angeles Questions

[nyck]

I'm thinking of getting married in las vegas in March 04 also including a week or so in Los angeles.
1)Whats the weather like in LA & Vegas in March
2)How long does take to go round DL/Six flags/Knotts berry and any others you think of.
3)how long to drive LA to Vegas

thanks nyck

[dcfromva]

nyck,
I am going to move this over to the Disneyland board....

Here we go!


-DC :ears:

[dcfromva]

nyck,

In regards to your question about sites in the LA. There are tons of things to see and do! In terms of amusement parks, in addition to Knotts Berry Farm and DL, don't forget Universal Studios and then there is 5 Flags Magic Mountain.

link to knotts berry farm (http://www.knotts.com/)

Universal Studios Hollywood (http://themeparks.universalstudios.com/hollywood/website/index.html?__source=RGMN)

link to six flags magic mountain (http://www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain/)

I think you will want to spend a minimum of two days at DL and 1 day at Knotts.

In terms of driving times, it's been awhile since we've made the trek between L.A. and Vegas, here is a link to a map program--you can plug in different addresses and it will tell you driving times and directions:

link to Yahoo maps (http://www.sixflags.com/parks/magicmountain)

Another thought is sometimes Southwest airlines (SWA) has very low airfares between LAS and the Los Angeles basin--sometimes as low as $19.00 each way. They publish their schedule about 4 months in advance and they have specials published every Tues.. If you were going to rent a car anyway, you could fly in SNA--(Orange County airport--the closest one to DL), ONT (Ontario airport), LAX of course or even BUR (Burbank)--LAX and BUR would be a bit of a haul to DL, though.

Will you be spending any time in San Diego?

Here is a link to City Pass--there are tickets for many attractions in Southern CA in this package (http://citypass.net/cgi-bin/citypass/city_fly?mv_arg=socal&rand=20865)


If I had one suggestion as to a place to stay while visiting DL--it would be the Grand Californian Hotel. This is my absolute favorite hotel anywhere. It is attached to Califoria Adventure Park and has it's own special entrance right into the park. It is a gorgeous hotel built in the Arts and Crafts style. It has lots of warm wood trim and beautiful marble. It would be a perfect place to stay on a honeymoon. Also, you can get special Disney Park tickets if you order them through a package in which you can get multiple fast passes. You can get a fast pass for every ride that has a fast pass without any waiting time (you have to wait until your come back time (or 2hours later whichever time is sooner) in order to get another fast pass for the same ride, though)...

-DC :ears:

[dcfromva]

nyck,
Here is a link to climate in Los Angeles

Link to climate data for Los Angeles (http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/research/cag3/Y5.html)

Link to Las Vegas climate (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/Lasvegas/lassum.shtml)

Another Las Vegas temp link (http://www.solitairhols.co.uk/usa_las_vegas_climate.html)

-DC :ears:

[PsychoAlice]

unless you are the luckiest person in the entire universe I have NEVER seen flights between LAX and Vegas for 19 bucks..Ive lived here except for 2 years all my life....I agree at the very least 2 dats at DLR (I can spend a week and not be bored but this is me) 1 day at Knotts, I would say 2 days at universal but I havent been in well over 15 years, MM in March is only open on weekends unless its during spring break..1 day very minimum for MM, but I would do 2...how often are you going to be able to get back to do these monster coasters..and if you arent into monster coasters I wouldnt do MM..there would be little for you to do..Climate from a locals point of view in March....nice mid 70's-low 80's...chilly to down right cold at night (OK so cold to me is anything below 50) the closer you go north in Cali (like towards MM which is 30 minutes away from me) the more the Santa Ana winds affect you...these can get very nasty but not too bad that time of year..now from me (80 miles north of LA) its about 4 hours drive..itll be warm during the day but youll need a sweatshirt at night..hope that helps

[dcfromva]

Originally posted by PsychoAlice
unless you are the luckiest person in the entire universe I have NEVER seen flights between LAX and Vegas for 19 bucks..s

PA,
Gosh, I see a fare between LAS and SNA right now that is as low as $29.00 each way-- on SWA (21days advance purchase) Link to SWA (http://www.iflyswa.com/) and I have seen specials for as low as $19.00 in the past few months (since I live in VA, it makes me absolutely crazy that I can't make a trip from LAS to SNA (or ONT) work! But, I have seriously thought of flying BWI-LAS RT with a side trip to SNA while staying in LAS....too many ideas, not enough time off! ).

Here is a current example:
Southwest Airlines Air Itinerary and Pricing
Air Itinerary
Trip Date Day Stops Routing Flight Routing Details
Depart Oct 07 Tue N/S LAS-SNA 1503 Depart Las Vegas (LAS) at 8:00 AM
Arrive in Orange County (SNA) at 9:00 AM
Return Oct 11 Sat N/S SNA-LAS 2193 Depart Orange County (SNA) at 8:15 PM
Arrive in Las Vegas (LAS) at 9:20 PM

Pricing
Trip Routing Type of Fare Base Fare U.S.
Taxes PFC Passenger(s) Total
Depart LAS-SNA Promotional Fare $26.98 $5.02 $3.00 1 $35.00
Return SNA-LAS Promotional Fare $26.98 $5.02 $0.00 1 $32.00
Total $53.96 $10.04 $3.00 $67.00
* Security Fee is the government-imposed September 11th Security Fee.


...The really good specials are published every Tuesday and last until Thursday evening before they bump the rates up again...SWA picks different city pairs probably based on the number of seats that have been filled previously to come up with their weekly specials...

-DC :ears:

[Cindernaenae]

We were married in Vegas!! It makes a really great story to tell. It's super easy too!!

Good luck.

[tajainaz]

nyck:

The drive from Las Vegas to Los Angeles (covers a wide area, so give or take 30 minutes) is six to seven hours, depending upon stops and driving conditions. In March you can run into some nasty sandstorms along open stretches of highway, which will remove the paint from a vehicle (usually just the front when you're driving into it! :D ). If you drive, be sure you have coverage for this sort of damage.

Burbank airport is about a one-hour drive from Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm, and 30 to 45 minutes from Magic Mountain. It's probably about 20 to 30 minutes from Universal Studios, depending upon traffic and time of day.

If you're renting a vehicle, I agree with everyone else in looking for inexpensive flights from Las Vegas to any of the smaller airports in the Los Angeles area. Avoid LAX if possible. It was a nightmare when I lived there 25 years ago and it hasn't improved since! Orange County (vicinity of Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm) and Burbank airports are very easy to navigate.

Ouch! You can tell I go back a ways! Knott's "Berry Farm"? I think they call it Knott's Theme Park now! When I was growing up, it consisted of a ghost town, berry farm and alligator "farm", with the chicken restaurant the only place to eat! It was a two hour stop on the way to Disneyland!

Oh, the weather. Both places can be very warm (70's to 80's) to downright hot in Las Vegas (90's to 100) during the day (either place can also be a bit nippy during the day if a cold front blows in!), with the temperatures dropping 30 to 40 degrees (occasionally more) at night. Keep an eye on the weather sites for a week or two before you leave and check long-term trends of El Nino and La Nina.

Hope this helps!


Taja :sun:

[nyck]

Thanks for the advice
Just booked the flights london to L.A end of march for 2 weeks.just need to book the hotels in LA and Vegas.may be the sahara in vegas
Would 4 days be long enough in vegas that would include getting married and get marrage leicence and having a look around.

nyck

[tajainaz]

nyck:

That depends on how you plan to spend your honeymoon! :hehe:

Check several websites for Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (something like that) is the official website, and you can get information about obtaining a marriage license (where, when and cost) and get a list of wedding chapels. They also have information on hotels, entertainment and transportation, with links to other sites.

Depending on your budget and what you want from your ceremony, you may want to consider having your ceremony at one of the hotels. I think a basic ceremony at one of the chapels is the least expensive, with the basic ceremonies at the hotels starting around $500 plus the officiant (spelling?). All of the major hotels have their own websites, so you and your fiancee can browse and dream as much as you like!

Unofficial websites include vegas.com, vegasfreedom.com (or lasvegasfreedom.com--can't remember) among others. Type Las Vegas, NV in your browser and see what appears.

Think of Las Vegas as WDW for adults, but not as conveniently packaged! In four days, you probably will spend most of your time on the "Strip" (a section of Las Vegas Boulevard from the Stratosphere in the north to Mandalay Bay in the south), with perhaps a brief foray to Fremont Street (downtown or "old" Las Vegas). What you see and do will depend on your interests and budget. Most of the hotels restrict their pool areas to registered guests (requiring a room key), but if they aren't busy you might be able to look around. Some of them are spectacular!

You can spend four days just hotel hopping and looking for the cost of trolley fare (the new monorail running from the Sahara to the MGM Grand may be operating by the time of your trip, but I'm not sure) and whatever you care to spend on food and other items! Check the locations map on the various websites so you can get a feel for where everything is (just like planning a WDW trip!). Keep in mind that while distances appear close, they are always ****her than they appear! Most of the resorts occupy a good half-mile of strip frontage, possibly more.

Some of my favorites:

MGM Grand. It's immense! Find a landmark and work your way around the casino. It has Rain Forest Cafe and Studio 54.

Aladdin. Desert Passages shopping center (it was a little ragged the last time I was there, but hopefully they've worked out leases since then). L'Occitaine, Erwin Pearl, Nestle cookies are just the beginning! Try to catch some of the acts in the plaza between the shops and the casino entrance (all inside). There also is a rain storm (but you don't have to get wet unless you want to!). Casino is nice, but not spectacular.

Paris: Look around the casino, then go to the shops (downstairs). As you follow them around, you will enter Bally's.

Bally's. Known for the Sterling Buffet Sunday Brunch. Expensive. About $60 per person when I was there last spring. I've never tried it, as I can't eat a lot of food at one time! This was the original MGM Grand, but it was gutted by a fire in the late 70's, then reopened as Bally's. As you can imagine, it now has fire sprinklers (they weren't required at the time).

Barbary Coast. It's an older property with a Victorian theme. It's related to the Sun Coast, Gold Coast and something else (it's on their website). Food is supposed to be excellent, but have never eaten there.

Flamingo Hilton. Bugsy Siegal's dream, although even his suite is gone now. The casino was being renovated when I was there last December, and I can't remember the theme. Check out the wildllife area (no charge, unless it's changed) and the pool area (patterned after a Hilton in Hawaii). It's spectacular! I have a soft spot for this property, as it was the first one I visited for a convention!

Harrah's. Not my favorite property, but you can catch a shuttle (no charge, just tip the driver) to it's sister property, The Rio. Usually runs 9:00 a.m. until midnight or so. Ask the driver.

The Venetian. Adult indulgence! Modeled on Venice with canals, gondolas, restaurants and shops leading into the casino. Try to visit on a weekend so you can see the performance artists and musicians in St. Mark's Square. The casino is very elegant. I actually do well here on the slots (keep in mind that $20 goes a very long way when I gamble!). Very nice restaurants. Fast food court in the shopping area along the canals (Krispy Kreme doughnuts!).

Treasure Island. Home to the battleship Britannia that sinks every night! Performance is free. Also home of Cirque de Soleil's Mystere. There is a tram between Treasure Island and The Mirage.

The Mirage. Sister property of Treasure Island. Home of the nightly volcano eruption, Siegried and Roy and their white tigers. Lush, tropical theme.

Ceasars. The Forum Shops are terrific. Keep an eye on the statuary. Casino was under renovation when I visited it in spring of 2002. Now home to Celine Dion.

Bellagio. More terrific shopping. Casino is gorgeous. I also do well on the slots here for some reason. Makes no sense! Check out the Dale Chihuly sculpture in the lobby. Home of Cirque de Soleil's "O". There is a monorail between the Bellagio and the Monte Carlo, which may not be open unless the one between the MGM Grand and Sahara is open. I think they are trying to avoid having everyone use this one!

Monte Carlo. A more adult atmosphere, and one of my favorite moderate hotels. The 24-hour cafe has good food (our server recommended passing on the pasta, but everything we tried was good), the buffet is good (not sensational, probably slightly better than Hollywood & Vine with more varied selection). They do (or did) permit non-guests to pay a fee to use their pools if they aren't heavily used by resort guests. There is a CVS pharmacy to the north and a Walgreen's across the street (just north of the MGM Grand) in case you need to purchase some things at more reasonable prices than the hotel gift shops.

Carrows Restaurant. IMHO, The best place on the strip for breakfast (although the Denny's across the street seems to do a lot of business, as well). It's sandwiched between the Monte Carlo and New York, New York.

New York, New York. The theme is obvious. It has been under renovation nearly every time I've been in it, so I'm not sure if I like it! It is interesting, though! It has the Manhattan Express roller coaster. A new (smaller) Cirque de Soleil show is due to open here. Rita Rudner is hillarious, if she is there (price is fairly reasonable, too).

Excalibur. Medieval theme, caters to families. Tends to be overrun by children, but is cute. Catch monorail from here to Mandalay Bay, then from Mandalay Bay back to the Luxor (pyramid hotel).

The Luxor. Home of Blue Man Group and the pyramid. The inclinators are fun to watch (for a little while!). Interesting design, buffet isn't terrific.

Mandalay Bay. The place for hard bodies to see and be seen. Lo's of middle-aged guys picking up younger women or showing off their trophies! Shark Reef and probably a few other attractions I don't recall. Also a dance club that's very popular and hard to get into.

The Rio. Theme is carnaval in Rio. Take the shuttle from Harrah's if you don't have a rental car. Masquerade in the Sky is terrific (and free!). First performance begins around 3:00 p.m. and last ends around 11:00 p.m. in the Masquerade Village. Carival Buffet is good, but quality has slipped in the past couple of years. Seafood Buffet was overhyped and overpriced when we tried it last spring.

The Palms. Within walking distance of The Rio. One of the newer casinos geared toward locals. Has a lot of slot machines. I taught myself to play video poker here on the nickel machines (hey, I said $20 goes a long way when I gamble!). The coffee shop is supposed to have good food at reasonable prices. Also has a food court and cinema. It's interesting too look around and compare it to other properties.

Circus Circus. Theme is obvious. Atmosphere can be fun, but tends to be elbow-to-elbow people. Expect to wait in line for just about everything. One of the family-oriented properties.

Las Vegas Hilton. Off the strip near the Convention Center (on the trolley route), it's 60's oppulance. Think Elvis. Crystal chandeliers over the casino tables. Entertainment tends to be fairly routine. Home of Star Trek: The Experience (haven't been on it, so I can't tell you anything about it!).

Stratosphere. Home of the highest thrill rides. Fee to access the observation platform where the rides are located, plus charge for the rides. Supposed to have single 0 roulette, may have single deck blackjack.

Sahara. Older, renovated property. When you book your room, be sure to get one with an individual thermostat control (some of the rooms do not have them). Check their website for location of the room types so you know what to look for if you book through a third party. I think they are about $10 per night more that the "standard" rooms without individual controls. Have been in it only once, but it looked like it had been well done. Smaller property with a friendly atmosphere.

Fremont Street. Go at night for the Fremont Street Experience. Take a taxi if not driving. If driving, park in well lighted casino lot.
Not a great part of town, but it's improving. Some of the oldest casinos (Binnions, Golden Nugget). Worth seeing.

Expect to tip just about everyone (trolley, taxi & shuttle drivers, housekeeping, servers, bell staff, etc.). It's a service economy that pays minimum wage at best and the employees depend on tips. But don't tip if the service is substandard! Use WDW as a guideline for amounts.

There's a lot more. This is off the top of my head, just to get you going. Feel free to PM me if you want more information. Sometimes I'm not on the boards for a week or so at a time, so don't panic if I don't respond quickly!

Have fun planning!


Taja :sun:

[tajainaz]

Oops! Forgot the Fountains of Bellagio! :blush:


Taja :sun:

[Cindernaenae]

Getting a marriage license in Vegas is super easy!! The office is also open very interesting hours. Open late during the week and 24 hours on weekends and holidays. We got ours at about 10 PM the night before our wedding.

Just make sure to check out what paperwork if any you might need.

Check out this link:http://www.co.clark.nv.us/clerk/marriage_information.htm

[tajainaz]

Good thinking, Renae! :)



Taja

[emily82]

Nyck - sorry to butt in on your thread - I also like the idea of going to Las Vegas (maybe next year). How long will you stay in Las Vegas?

I haven't been before and I wondered how many days is recommended to get a good look around? Also, regarding weather, when is the best time to go?

[PsychoAlice]

Just about anytime is a good time to visit Vegas..I like may its still warm out but not in the 120 degree range..and you can stay and have fun in Vegas as long as your money holds out!

[TeknoNurd]

"Treasure Island. Home to the battleship Britannia that sinks every night! Performance is free. Also home of Cirque de Soleil's Mystere. There is a tram between Treasure Island and The Mirage."

The Brittania sank for the last time a couple months ago. Although the ships are still there (as of 1 week ago), the water has been drained, and the ships have been auctioned off. The Treasure Island is slowly being renamed The T.I.

Walking the Strip is one of our passtimes, we do it about 3 times a week. The core of the strip is the 2 miles between The Excalibur and Treasure Island, and with no detours, can be walked in about 1 hour (each way). This walk would include TI, Mirage, Ceasars, Bellagio, Boardwalk, Monte Carlo, NYNY, Excalibur (plus tram or walk to Luxor and Mandalay Bay). Cross the street on the way back for Tropicana, MGM, Aladin, Paris, Bally's, Flamingo, Harrah's, Venetian (plus a couple of the small casinos). Obviously, spending time in the casinos and malls will add distance and time, but if you get tired, a taxi is easily had to take you back to your starting point or on to your next point of interest.

Star Trek: The experience at the Hilton is a tad pricey (about $35 pp), but it is a good time for anyone interested in such things (as we are). As you queue for the ride, there is a "Museum of Future History" with a bunch of memoribilia and a complete Star Trek timeline. The ride itself is pretty good. Not sure how it times out, but in a few months a new ride is being added involving the Borg. Quarks bar & Grill has good food, and visits from attending Borg, Ferrengi, and Klingon characters. Outside the attraction is also a 'space-themed' casino area.

Circus Circus also has the "Adventure Dome" theme park with about 20 rides ($3-5 per ride, or $14 for all ride pass).

If Motion Rides are an attraction for you, they can be found at Venetian, Excalibur, Luxor, Ceasars, and Hilton (STE). There is one more somewhere, but it escapes my mind ATM. We have been on the one at Excalibur, Luxor and Hilton (STE) and STE is by fare the best of the bunch, but is also the most expensive ($35 as opposed to less than $10 for the others).

If shopping is your thing, There is the Fashion Mall (Accross from TI), and Factory Outlet stores at either end of the strip. Other malls in the casinos have been previously mentioned, but the 'best' in our opinion is the Forum Shops at Ceasars.

If you are interested in shows, there is a 1/2 price same day ticket outlet in the "Coke Bottle" in front of the MGM (opens 2pm). Not a good choice for weekends or very poplular shows, but you can score a good deal here. For popular shows, you should make reservations as soon as your dates are firm. Oh, there is also a HUGE video game place in this same building, and an indoor climbing wall, M&M Store, and Coca Cola store.

Downtown (The Freemont Street Experience) is actually pretty nice now. We look at it as a Mall of Casinos. In the 4 Queens is "Hugos Cellar," where my parents took us for our wedding dinner, and we are taking our daughter for her wedding dinner in December (yeah, and her husband). Each woman gets a rose, the food is Gormet Steakhouse (and expensive), and the service is beyond compare.

Since you have 4 days, take your time seeing the casinos and malls. It's amazing how fast you can see them all.

Tek

[nyck]

Thanks for all the help everyone
Booked the chapel 31st march 2004
staying at circus circus
just got to book the LA hotels and disney tickets

nyck

[TeknoNurd]

An update on Treasure Island... The new show started on Friday, 24 October 2003. They changed the Ships (they, in fact, were not auctioned as reported), and the story line now has to do with Pirates encountering Sirens. There is singing and dancing (Hip-Hopish and LOUD). The show is designed to give a more 'adult' presentation, getting away from the previous 'family' show. Showtimes are at 6pm, 8pm, 10pm.

Fashion Show Mall - Blah. We finally walked over there (across from the TI). The stores were smaller than the same stores in other malls on the Strip. The only plus is there are Department Stores here like Neiman Marcus and Macy's.

Tek

[PsychoAlice]

With Sirens huh??

Maybe they should change the name from Treasure island to Pleasure Island hahahaha


Im on a roll today!