What's the real reason you go to Vegas?

Since I've been going to Vegas since the early eighties as an adult I thought to myself:

Going to Vegas used to be cheap flights, inexpensive hotels, good cheap meals, nice shows and one of our favorite activities... Gambling

It has now become:

1. Expensive flights (for the obvious reasons, oil prices or whatever)

2. Hotel prices (and Resort Fees) are though the roof especially now that some of the big corporations are in financial trouble like CET filing for bankruptcy. 10 years ago, nobody ever heard of resort fees. It's a new way to bleed you for more money and since you're going anyway, what choice do you have?

3. Granted the food has got much better over the years but it has restaurants can now get VERY expensive and even buffets approaching $30 a person and more. Even eating a sandwich at the food court is pricey now.

4. The shows are still there but with tickets averaging over $100 pp it can also add up and is it worth it?

5. Gambling limits are way up and payouts are way down. Take BJ for example, what the chance of finding a 3:2 game for anything under $50 or $100?

6. Oh, and one more thing.. Vegas it seems is evolving into more of a party town, High end night clubs (for the younger crowd), Pool/Day parties where you have to spend thousands to hang out. Bottle service, Cabana's etc.

For some it's great and the "right" place to be, but for most of us "regular" tourists from across the country and other parts of the world, the trips to our beloved sin city are fast loosing their appeal.

You kind of have to ask yourself, why keep going?

 

If you're no longer enjoying it, then you should not go. I agree with most of the statements you're making (except hotel prices; compared to other cities I travel to, vegas is still a bargain for the quality you receive in return), but these things, for the most part, do not bother me. And its probably because I don't go to vegas for the same reasons you do. If I want to eat cheap, I stay at home. I don't think I have ever paid $100 for a show ticket because I seek out deals. And I don't consider the gambling limits to be "way up" and the payouts to be "way down". In fact, other than the increase in 6:5 BJ, I'm not aware of any other recent developments that have significantly reduced ambling payouts (admittedly, I primarily play table games; there could be a significant reduction in slot payouts and I would have no idea).

Clearly, you miss the vegas you experienced when you were younger. Heck, I miss the vegas of a decade ago when I first started vacationing there. But I found new things I like in the Vegas of today. Your question is a good one. If your trips are no longer fun, its time to find a new hobby or place to vacation. Either way, I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

I go to Vegas.....for the ENTIRE Vegas experience.
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I could gamble + stay at a Tribal casino ---
I have stayed at Atlantic City + gambled ---
NONE compares to the VEGAS EXPERIENCE.
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I agree w/ some over the posters statements.
Yeh......Vegas is not The Vegas I knew a decade ago.
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I haven't been to Vegas in over 3 yrs --
I might choke if I looked into airfares, nowadays ?

 

Your list of complaints about the "new" Vegas basically describes ANY touristy vacation place where you need to fly, from Disney World to Hawaii to Europe to Aruba etc.
Vacations where you have to fly somewhere are expensive.

Another perspective is to ask the inverse question: What alternatives to Vegas are there?
The answer is NONE, that combines gambling with food choices and shows and the sheer variety and number of people who are in vacation/party mode.

 

Ohhhh... here we go... another "I yearn for the good old days" thread. OK... I'll play along. I too have been going to Las Vegas since the mid-80's and have lived in Nevada even longer (I'm now 56). I prefer today's Las Vegas and all the changes and improvements that have come with it. I make a helluva lot more money than I did in the 80's as well, so I don't feel "priced-out". I enjoy a nice room... I'm not one of those who's pleased with a cot and toilet. I like good food and have the waistline to prove it and though I could eat off a kids menu in many places, I appreciate the quality food that most buffets now offer. I love today's complicated and often amazing shows over some old crooner singing with a cigarette in one hand and a glass of Jack in the other. I also LOVE the "party town" atmosphere and the energy the younger folks bring with them. A bunch of old-grinders congregated around a craps table swappin' stories about how rough they had it isn't a pleasant experience for me.

Now then... Vegas is many things to many people and I'm not for a second hoping the "pioneers" quit coming and enjoying time spent. There are still joints where I believe they'll find comfort, but it's true Las Vegas has changed... survival and consumer demand dictated it. Frankly, what in life hasn't changed?

 

I'm confident everyone here has something he/she laments no longer having -- be it hair, a more reasonable waistline, Vegas of old, Milli Vanilli touring, whatever.

As for Vegas, we're drawn, ironically, by gambling. We only gamble in Nevada. And though we don't gamble much and in fact have had many trips in the past where we didn't gamble at all, take away gambling and there goes Vegas; it ceases to exist, effectively. We love the food scene, golf, some of the outdoor activities, the heavily subsidized pricing structure giving up great hotels for a fraction of the cost elsewhere, as well, and our budget goes several times higher to those pursuits than to gambling. But there are places we travel that have a better food scene, a better outdoor aesthetic and adventures, better golf, and which we now choose more often than Vegas; you can pay through the nose for resorts in such places, which is why we do a lot of private residential booking. At the heart of the matter, for Vegas, it is the gambling.

Illogical, I know, given how much we gamble.

 

Why do I go?

To gamble!!

Sure I can bet sports on-line (and risk getting popped by Uncle Sam) or drive over to a local casino (2hrs away) but the ambiance of Las Vegas is what makes playing craps and betting on sports enjoyable to me. At the local casino's it can be fun but too many times it doesn't have that festive feeling.

If I may counter your list...

1. Flights have increased in prices pretty much everywhere. I live in Houston and fly back to Philadelphia frequently and I used to be able to buy a coach ticket for around $250-$300 or first class for $500ish. Those prices have increased. I can still get to Vegas for $400 in coach or $650 in first...that is just the way it is now with the airlines.

2. Like UK mentioned the hotel prices in Vegas are fairly cheap in comparison to other destinations. Hell, the Sheraton that is down the street from me here in Houston is going for at least $159 a night and if you get towards the city more then you'll be laying out close to $200 a night. I went to Peru in November and paid $159 per night. While comped rooms can be scored in Vegas, it obviously helps, but even paying out of pocket reasonable deals can be found.

3. Agreed on the food prices. I am NOT a foodie by any means...but do like to have a good steak. So depending on where you go it can lighten the wallet a bit. And even the casual dining like food courts or chain places are a bit more than at home but I write that off to being on vacation. I don't like paying $10 for a beer or $19 for a cheeseburger at all...

4. You can find pretty good deals on shows...if you go to the box office you'll pay full freight most of the time but the Tix4Tonight and Goldstar places usually have good deals.

5. Agreed on the gambling rules and this is my number one peeve about Vegas. They are milking the shit out of gamblers with poor rules and higher limits. I am mainly a craps player but will dabble in blackjack and you're totally right about finding a good rule game under a green chip.

6. That's the evolution of the city right there - because people will pay the outrageous bottle service prices and stand in long lines to pay the prices the properties are making a killing. Their profit margins on those are astronomical so they're going to focus on what makes them money.

The cool thing about Vegas is it has something for everyone. I am not a club goer at all. So I just don't get involved with that scene at all...I find what fits for me and make it work!

Like everything else - its what you make of it. Hopefully you'll be able to keep enjoying Vegas!

 

I'm sorry I cannot agree with your outlook.
Flights today are cheaper than they've been in 5 years. I can fly Jetblue JFK->LAS non stop for $122 each way incl/tax.
Hotels, for me anyway are comped as is the resort fee, but you can find downtown hotels that don't charge the fee and still pay $30 night, or a resort like the M still don't charge. And a place like Orleans has a resort fee for less than $15 that gets you wifi, and nice pool, which you could work off with play.
Food, still cheap if you know where to look and use 2 for 1 coupons like you find in American Casino Guide
Shows, same thing, you can get 2for1 coupons just about anywhere.
Gambling limits are still $5 in most places off strip, and still $5 at CET properties on the strip that are not Caesars and lower end Mlife props.
And I agree Vegas is evolving into more a party town, but Vegas has always catered to any individuals needs. You don't have to be part of that crowd if you don't want to. You could still just sit by the pool drinking a cocktail or go to a Casino Lounge with live music without a cover charge

It has changed and is more expensive, but if you work the system and deals it's still much cheaper than other destinations.

 

I disagree.

1. Airfare is not more I have been going to vegas since 1992 and the airfare has been cheaper than ever and less than 10 years ago. It was a little higher about 4 years ago because of raising fuel prices but have gone back down.

2. Hotels are still in line with the rest of the country. It is still cheaper for Hotels in Vegas then most places and you get a better room, or a better price.

3. Ok the 2.00 to 5.99 buffets are gone but there are still good low cost buffets. The high end buffets are higher but so has everything else gone up not just in Vegas but in other cities.

4. Show tickets are up there but still inline for the same show if you saw it in other cities.

5. Only change is the 6:5 blackjack. You can still find lower limits just do your homework on where to go.

6: Vegas has always been a party town.

?? You ask why do we keep going. It is cheaper and a fun place to go then any other place. Have you gone to Florida, Hawaii or New York or Califorina lately or anyplace for that matter. Even New Orleans or Dallas? Try to do what you do in Vegas for less in any other Vacation spot?

Vegas has not lost it appeal I think you have lost the idea of going to Vegas.

 

I guess what will keep me coming back will be the gambling. After all, that is what has always made me go. Sure there is gambling in a lot of other places but it's just not the same. The other stuff is what made the deals real sweet for me and I loved to go. In the old days, those were the extra incentives to go. I am not a High Roller by no means but the chance to make your trip cheaper (or free) by winning is another bonus for me in comparing it with any other destination. After all Vegas is not really much of a vacation for me. I don't get to relax a whole lot. Take for example a trip to a beach place like Cancun. There will be great food, partying (if you're into that), relaxing by the beach etc. BUT no gambling and all of your money takes a one-way trip out of your pocket. None is coming back in, lol, which in Vegas may never happen either. There is that chance however.

 

Ummmm, then what was the point of this thread? It sounds like you still like vegas, you just wish some stuff was different. Fair enough. But why not focus on the positive and emphasize what you like about Vegas or changes for the better? Not trying to attack you, so I hope it doesn't come off that way. I just don't understand the point of your original post

 

3B's
Booze
Broads
Betting

 

I thought the point was fairly obvious. Since the gambling was the main reason for going and even that is going down hill, there's nothing else to entice you anymore, at least not for me. Unfortunately I do not live in a major metropolitan area so the airfare is higher for me. I also cannot go during the week so way higher weekend pricing on hotel rooms and higher air fares. I am not a super high roller so no comps for me, and are comps really free anyway? Obviously if you are not in a similar situation than the whole topic of the thread does not apply to you. If you are loaded and have a private jet to take you there (OK, a bit of sarcasm) then never mind on the the question. After all this is a discussion board is it not? We do discuss various topics as from what I can plainly see.

 

I have to disagree with you.....like the other posters on this bandwagon.

I find a vacation in any other North American city to be considerably more. The cost of a European or Asian vacation is out of reach for most. The Vegas vacation is still a bargain compared to most destinations.

The cost of restaurants is no different than any other large city. Having said that, you certainly don't have to eat at high end restaurants everyday.

The cost of fuel is at the lowest level in years and airfare reflects that.

Places that have free parking ( both self and valet) are few and far between.

I see quite a few "shows" in my hometown..........broadway type theatre, concerts (Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Andrea Bocelli).......tickets are on par if not more than in Vegas.

I've been going to Vegas for about 30 years.......and no it's not the same.........but what is?
Las Vegas, like any other destination or business evolves to meet the expectation of it's target audience.

I love Vegas more than ever. I love almost everything about it. I love the gambling, the weather, the restaurants, shopping etc. I get more bang for my buck in Las Vegas than any other vacation destination.

 

Vegas is my Disney and my escape. I'm of the age where a lot of my friends and colleagues have kids that are now old enough to enjoy and get a lot out of a trip to Disney as well as a few friends who are just "big kids" and love Disney as adults. Those trips are EXPENSIVE! Anytime one of them say "You're going to Vegas AGAIN!?" Why yes I am and I'll be enjoying a nice bourbon from my balcony at the Cosmo. Even if I managed to blow 100% of my gambling budget, I'd probably barely hit what they spend in a week at Disney. So in the end it's really about the same.

Relatively speaking, hotels in Vegas are a deal compared to many other touristy cities. I have a couple of weddings to attend this Spring in New Orleans and it's putting a dent into my bank account. Just a few months ago I spent 4 nights in Memphis and spent about $800.

And like Rocky, I live about 2 hours from the same local casino, but it's not the same atmosphere. I'm much more conservative at the local places and usually only go when I go back to visit my parents which is 4 hours away.

 

Am I the only one who hears eeyore or some other down in the dumps, whoa is me cartoon character when reading this post?

Forgive me if this is too blunt, but you come across as someone who is very anti-change and Vegas is a city that reinvents itself every 5-10 years. The 'old days' are gone and will not be coming back anytime soon.

Adapt, open up your mind to new experiences, and remember the 'old days' BUT don't dwell on them and instead embrace the new ways of Las Vegas.

 

You are correct... and I do know, you're not alone in your feelings. Whether or not they choose to post on this thread, many VMBers have expressed similar sentiments.

 

There are plenty of 3/2 games at the $10. $5 if you go downtown. Would be nice if there were more, sure.

Flights are still cheap. Maybe not 80s cheap but I think I've been paying around $200 round trip for at least a decade. Probaby longer. And that's from two different cities (both serviced by Southwest however).

Agree that it would be nice if there were some cheaper food options that didn't suck.

Hotel prices aren't really that high. A hampton inn on a weeknight in BFE Iowa will run you $100. I can get Vegas rates cheaper than that if I want, or I can pay more and get an incredible room with a view. The resort fee is just a gimmick to show up first on hotel sites, I thought. Without it, the base rate would just be higher.

I don't mind the younger crowd. Lots of eye candy...

What I do hate is those stupid characters.

 

Have you ever tried Reno? It might have a look and feel closer to Vegas from the 80s. I don't really know, just a thought...

 

Why do I go to Vegas?


To visit my money.