December in Vegas?

My wife and I spent last week in Vegas and our gambling budget didn't take much of a hit, so we decided we might give Vegas another chance to take the rest. LOL From a calendar standpoint, December 13-19 might work for us. We have only visited Vegas between April and September and have no clue what Vegas is like in December. What are the pros and cons of visiting Vegas in December? Do the resorts decorate for the holidays? Is the vibe/atmosphere the same? We embrace the freak show when we're there, and I hope December is no different than the rest of the year.

 

Dec. was hit and miss for me. There were lots of shows dark and restaurants closed. However, the crowds were sparse and rooms cheap and easy. Some of the Casinos such as Venetian and Bellagio did decorate. Some did not at all. We were there four nights and had three day/nights of terrible cold and rainy weather followed up by one gorgeous day in the 60's on the day we left.

It is def a whole different vibe than April or Sept.

 

Things are pretty subdued in Las Vegas in December, except for the obvious circus that is New Year's Eve. It's surprising how many of the major shows are still running. One of the benefits of the slower pace is the ability to get into many of "those" restaurants that are always too packed.

Frankly, I spend quite a bit of time at my place in Las Vegas in December because it's usually 20 degrees F warmer than it is at my place in Salt Lake City.

Bill

 

Years ago I spent the week before Xmas at the Trop. It was cold and windy. Rooms were cheap, easy to find open seats at table games, table minimums were relatively low. Many shows were dark, as noted above, and the usual go-go vibe was missing. It was ok but I'd rather go when everything is open and the weather is warmer.

 

I'm going in early December and prefer it many times over going in the summer, which is often for me. It's MUCH cooler and not nearly as busy. Vegas is always busy to me, but it's not nearly as busy in December as just about every other month. I like to walk the strip one end to the other and it's SO much more pleasant in the winter months. The locals crack me up cus they're all bundled up but I go around in shorts and t shirt....

 

I'm originally from Minnesota. Moved here end of January 2014, naturally we thought the weather was excellent. Come December 2015 my parents visited prior to Christmas and left shortly before New Years. The weather was in the 50's. Cloudy. Rainy (not pouring, but drizzle) and wind. They said it was much better than the snow and cold they came from. They had on a sweatshirt or light jacket. My girlfriend and I were freezing. Lol. It wasn't bad by any means but we had adjusted to the Vegas climate and didn't even realize it. We of course went downtown and to the strip. Mild crowds. Nothing was very busy. Decorations in various casinos and downtown. All the tourists seemed more laid back than in the warmer months. I'm 34 and there were people my age and younger of course, but it seemed like a little older crowd overall and more families taking in the sights.

 

General theme appears to be a little more laid back, not as crowded, good hotel deals, cooler, and clearly not as much external stimulation which for whatever reason we seem to embrace. LOL. Very insightful information, and many things to consider. The biggest plus so far is that Vegas in December still outweighs Maryland in December, but there are now a few factors to discuss with the wife. Thanks for all the comments....very helpful so far.

 

Yeah, my local LV friends get pretty tired of hearing me say how nice and warm it is in December. I'll have on a light jacket and they look like they're ready to go skiing.

Bill

 

If you're going to gamble primarily, or you want to spend time downtown then you won't notice much difference. For me though, it is lacking any buzz. A quiet summer September morning has more vibe than a busy late December one, in my opinion.

 

Love Vegas in the winter, cheap, an you have the whole place to yourself. Only complaint is its stifling hot in the casinos. Even a light jacket is too much.

 

Time after the rodeo and before New Years is the cheapest of the year for room rates. You will still have the NFL going on. Bellagio will have the holiday decorations which is worth the trip.

It is pretty much business as usual except for the items noted above.

 

We've gone in December a few times... it is a bit different than being there during the summer months, but it is still Las Vegas

The most important thing I would cover is temperature: though not pool weather, it can still get quite nice during the day. When the temperature is in the mid 50s you'll see locals all bundled up and walking around in huge heavy winter coats... and then people from traditionally colder climates out and about in shorts and a t-shirt. At night it can pretty cold and it is usually windy, adding to the cold feeling, however in the casinos they keep the temperature constant.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is packing along nothing but heavy winter clothes - thats fine when you are outside at night going from one place to the next, but once you get inside it will usually feel stifling and hot and you'll be wishing for lighter clothes. For clothes the best way to approach it is to think in terms of layers so that you can add or remove stuff as you need it.

It gets dark early: this threw us off our first few trips during the winter months because your brain works in patterns and when its used to (as a summer goer) seeing Las Vegas start to get dark and knowing its a wind down time and bedtime comes in a few hours... when the sun is setting around 4PM you can sometimes start getting that "ready for bed" feeling around 6-7PM.

Decorations: all hotels will have a Christmas tree or two up in their lobby but not much else beyond that. Bellagio will have a winter display set up in the conservatory and The Venetian/Palazzo usually have a few extra decorations as well, but for the rest of The Strip and Downtown don't expect much.

For people: places that are always busy and have lots of people walking around will always be busy with lots of people walking around. Places like Bellagio, Venetian and MGM Grand you won't hardly notice any reduction in the number of people for that time of year... but places that can quiet at off times, like Paris, Monte Carlo or Mandalay Bay, places like that seem totally dead when their is a reduction in number of visitors. Otherwise, weekends are always going to have people around: even during the holiday season people will still drive out on the weekend from California or Arizona to spend a couple of days in Las Vegas... its really the weeknights and later at night where it can get really quiet or get that "ghost town" feeling to it.

 

I love Vegas in December. I always go a few days in between Christmas and New Years. I kind of like that it is a little quieter. It is a good break for me from the Christmas madness. But to me it still doesn't seem like a ghost town by any means.

 

Thanks, Nuggithed...loving your trip report.

 

Auggie, all the replies have been appreciated, and I read each one of them to my wife last night before bed. I asked her afterwards if she still wanted to go forward with a December trip. Her response...."Hell yeah, it's still Vegas and there is no place like Vegas". That response brought a tear to my eye. LOL Needless to say, I appreciate your detailed thoughts of Vegas in December, and we're now leaning towards continuing to plan a December trip. Any other opinions/insight is welcomed and appreciated, and that's why I love this board...so many experiences and so many opinions.

 

Pros:

Less busy.
Lower rates.

Cons:

Most pools closed
Less busy
Gets pretty cool at night, and dark pretty early, so bringing layers is key.

 

Auggie, all the replies have been appreciated, and I read each one of them to my wife last night before bed. I asked her afterwards if she still wanted to go forward with a December trip. Her response...."Hell yeah, it's still Vegas and there is no place like Vegas". That response brought a tear to my eye. LOL Needless to say, I appreciate your detailed thoughts of Vegas in December, and we're now leaning towards continuing to plan a December trip. Any other opinions/insight is welcomed and appreciated, and that's why I love this board...so many experiences and so many opinions.

 

I love visiting in December... I prefer the sunny 60's weather. Everything about the shoulder season is perfect for my style.

The Christmas displays come and go but whatever I find helps me get in the spirit. Last year at the Linq was low-key but great - live music and performances, fake snow, cupcakes and mocha latte, great fun. I miss the over-the-top Winter Festival at the V/P but maybe they'll bring it back...

Purely by accident I got to hang out with the NFR Kickoff Party crowd in '13 at the Fremont St. Experience and had a great time. No ******s or bangers, just fun and music.

I'm mentally planning my own December 2015 visit right now. I want to see The Nutcracker at the Smith and get some exercise in Red Rocks or Mt. Charleston since the weather is perfect for it.

I wouldn't recommend staying at the Cosmo though, you wouldn't like it... *sarcasm*

 

We have been in November during Thanksgiving and it was really nice weather and not too crowded.
Going late December this year and based on the weather page, December is the coldest month for Vegas.
We have been to Vegas twice in February and it was very cold, windy and rain.
Being from Florida, not sure going in December will be a smart choice but will find out.

 

We live in Maryland now, but both my wife and I grew up in Palm Beach County and still have family there. We're moving back to Florida in two years when our son is out of College. For me, nothing like Florida weather year round, but Vegas weather even in December, still beats Maryland weather hands down. We're leaning towards booking 6 night from Dec. 13-19. Will decide in the next 30 days so we can get the best car/airfare rates.