Strip buses

Out of the 2 busses that go up and down the strip, which is the best one to take to go hotel hopping that comes very often, or do they both have lots of buses and not long wait for either of them? Wish to buy a day pass or 4 hour pass or something.

 

I wish someone would have answered this one, I would like to know too. Anyone?

 

The Deuce makes more stops than the SDX so I'd recommend the Deuce for hotel hopping. Note that it still doesn't stop at every single hotel. In the time it takes to wait for the next bus, you could probably walk to the next hotel (unless you're dying from the heat). http://www.rtcsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/routes/2013/SDX%2807-07-13%29.pdf

 

Correct. The buses get so packed sometimes or run late that in the time it takes to squeeze on after waiting for 15min you could be to your destination.

I like using the Deuce to go downtown or from one end of the strip to the other during off peak times.

One Friday night my lazy ass buddies hopped on the deuce in front of Mirage. I walked to Cosmo faster than the bus got them there and I was going at a leisurely pace

 

If the OP was staying at MGM Grand they should have gotten a monorail pass.

From MGM Grand (or further down to Luxor or Mandalay Bay) The Deuce isn't that bad to get to Paris, but then its as others have described: it can spend 10-15+ minutes at each stop after that loading and unloading people... barring the heat most able bodied people can walk from MGM Grand to The Venetian a lot faster than The Deuce will get them there during a typical mid afternoon in the busy months.

 

The problem with the monorail is that you may walk a long, long way just to find your way back to the strip from the obscure places they stop.
That MGM stop is very far from the strip and generally a boring walk.
Also it is $12 a day compared with $8 and it does not go down the strip, so for the most part you see the backs of hotels on the East side of the strip while you are riding.
On the buses you will see the strip even when stuck in traffic and you will see small strip bits when walking between bus stops.


The real question if you stick to strip buses is how much walking do you want to do between hopping. Take a good look at the schedules and you can decide. Also, if you want to head out to some destination and then hop on the way back, take the SDX on the first leg, get to where you are going to do the hopping and then decide.
Here is the schedule for the Deuce and the SDX.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/wp-content/uploads/routes/2013/SDX(07-07-13).pdf
Take it with you , look at the crowds waiting for the buses, and then decide.
You can then mix and match the SDX with the Deuce and walking.


Here is another opportunity to throw into the mix and match. Note the particularly frustrating clogs in bus travel and use a free shuttle to bypass the crowded spots.
There is one free shuttle from Monte Carlo to Bellagio for example.

These are inside ( so air conditioned) the casinos and are not crowded.
http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/referenceguide-transportation.cfm?type=Free%20Shuttles

Another way to hop is to not just go strip casino to strip casino.
The 201 RTC bus to the Orleans is not crowded. You catch it at NYNY. From the Orleans you can hop to the Gold Coast on a free shuttle and that gives you an easy walk to the Rio or to the Palms.
From the Rio on free shuttles you can hop to Harrah's. That is a long stretch from Tropicana to Harrah's with no strip buses whatsoever.

Or from either the Orleans or the Gold Coast you can hop on free shuttle to the back end of Bally's and walk a bit to see Ellis Island and the steak special or Tuscany a bit farther. It is not far to the strip at LV Blvd and Flamingo.

It really is about planning the hop a bit to avoid the crowded Deuce whenever possible.
The SDX is rarely crowded.
Oh, and buy a day pass for $8. the $6 pass is not for hopping. It is for one way travel.

If you want more help in hopping, tell us where and at what time you will start, what you want to see, and how long you want to hop. Tell us the month. July and August are different than October. Tell us where you want to eat along the way and whether you want frugal or upscale meals. Each of us can suggest itineraries and you can pick.

 

Also, here is a great tool to plan the walking as it gives you the distances you have to cover. Pay attention to temperature, however. A mile in the heat is not the same as a mile in cooler months. In hot months I walk long after dark. It is a great adventure. Walking also lets you see some things you miss on buses.
https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/showthread.php?21475-Walking-Distances-on-Strip

 

It is... but the original poster was staying at MGM Grand, hence the recommendation to just use the monorail: the hotel elevators and most of everything else at MGM Grand is at the back of the property so thats where they would likely be starting their journey from. To get to the bus they would have to make that "long boring walk" just to get out to The Strip, whereas for the monorail they just go through the lobby and then down one escalator and then after a little bit up another.

Otherwise, we also don't mind working our way to our destination if we are taking a public transit option: if we started at MGM Grand and were going to Caesars we don't mind getting off at Flamingo or Bally's stations, going through the casino, stopping to gamble a little bit and then make our way to Caesars. If we were in a big rush to get there we'd instead have just taken a taxi.

 

I absolutely see how this meets your needs Auggie.
The OP needs to compare those needs to their definition of hopping.
I'm thinking that just between the MGM and Bally's they miss a good bit of the Vegas strip. Suppose they want to see Monte Carlo or the Cosmopolitan or the M and M spot?
And at the North end, forget the Fashion Show Mall, Circus Circus, Riviera. If say the Stratosphere tower is on the list of things to do and see or the largest souvenir shop in the world, well...that monorail Sahara stop is a good walk and at night a rather sketchy one.

Just one look at how far the monorail is from strip hopping should settle the issue for most folks.
http://www.lvmonorail.com/route-map/


Now on a hot day when you just have a few destinations in mind, the monorail might work fine. That is why I asked for them to provide more details so we could better direct them.

 

oops. Double post

 

These are all really good tips, thank you. I will be staying at Flamingo in July, Honestly we don't have a plan yet, we just want to see where the day takes us. We usually rent a car but decided this time to bus it, or monorail it so we are free to have drinks if we want. Still not sure what to do but I'm guessing the Duece is what we want. It may take awhile but in the heat I don't ;want to walk it.
Thanks again.