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Circus Circus

Discussion in 'LV Strip Hotels' started by vegasvic, Apr 2, 2015.

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  1. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    You don't see many threads or posts about CC. I'm sure few, if any, of us stay there. I've never stayed there but I've been there a few times, most recently May of last year. It's ironic that the same guy who built Caesars (Jay Sarno) also built CC. He initially charged an admission to the place (because there were circus acts he figured it warranted an admission charge). There was some backlash from cab drivers. You could pay for cabs with chips and the cabbies didn't like having to pay to get in to cash in their chips. There was also no hotel at first, just the casino. Sarnos bio is a great read if you want the story behind the CC (and Caesars and his next big project that didn't happen before he died).

    With the Riv closing soon I hope the CC sticks around.
     
  2. Candy Apple

    Candy Apple VIP Whale

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    We stayed at CC last September in a casino tower room. It was a nice room, nothing wrong with it at all. We enjoyed our stay, and considered staying there again for this trip.
     
  3. UTE

    UTE Plastics

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    Circus Circus is one of those old LV casino/resorts people either love or hate. Yes, it's dated and showing the years - but it's still popular. It's been a consistent money-maker for MGM, even during the Recession. And, MGM has been (wisely) hesitant to mess with something that's working. Circus Circus remains a great value.

    My prediction is that when the faux Big Top finally comes down, the cries of, "What a dump!" will turn to, "How could they destroy another classic Las Vegas resort!"

    Bill
     
  4. BCMike

    BCMike VIP Whale

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    I almost always have a great time when I go there. Never stayed there but have done some small gambling. I actually get some sort of sick pleasure from gambling on the slot machines on the Carousel.
    The whole place did smell a little funkier than I remembered it to be but I may have been in Slots o'Fun for that part...drink service at Circus Circus was quite good..
     
  5. tweis

    tweis Tourist

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    We are total Vegas newbies and visited for the first time last May. While there, we visited CC and learned how to play blackjack from a wonderful dealer there. She was so patient and sweet to us and we did not find that at some of the other casinos. If I had took the offered drink every time the server came around, I would not have been able to walk out of CC. :drunk: We will be visiting again in May.
     
  6. CoveredinBeer

    CoveredinBeer Low-Roller

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    I stayed there unknowingly a few years ago. I won't be doing that again. There is a smell that permeates (the beast) everything. Too many kids running around (go figure) and the playing chips had some lovely grunge coating. But, with all that said, it is a novelty. It's history. And I think with some renovation it could and should be restored. The steak house is great, gambling is cheap and it's worth a visit. They've got to kill that beast somehow.
     
  7. robron

    robron Low-Roller

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    We went to the buffet the first time we were in Vegas. Big newbie mistake! We just wanted to get out after that and never checked out the casino. This year it is on my list of things to do...I want to play slots on a carousel!
     
  8. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    That end of the strip has been dead for a long time, especially since Stardust and Westward Ho closed. And now the Riv. But CC is still profitable. It will be interesting to see what happens once RW is finally done and open. If it's successful MGM may decide they can do better with that piece of land.
     
  9. Hobofrank

    Hobofrank Prime Minister of Idiocracy

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    the indoor amusement park is great for kids under 10, but I've never played there

    if it was still the way it was in Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas?, I might consider it
     
  10. FXT

    FXT VIP Whale

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    Stayed there for a night last year. It honestly felt like I never left San Jose. During the daytime, the crowd seemed to be predominantly low income hispanic families but at night every table was packed. Mins were low but the entire place felt like a giant El Cortez which isn't my cup of tea. I would go back to check out their steakhouse though. I've heard it's a diamond in the rough.
     
  11. 44inarow

    44inarow VIP Whale

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    I'd truly be surprised if that happens. MGM has plenty of undeveloped property they can build on, and CC is not just profitable, but is one of the most profitable resorts in the MGM family. It caters to a very, very specific niche that no other property has covered; the closest might be Excalibur, which has a certain degree of family appeal, but they've shifted away from being so family-centric and definitely attract a sizable majority of younger people who want a cheap room to crash in before and after they party. CC doesn't get that crowd, at least not to the same degree, precisely because it's not really within walking distance of anything else.
     
  12. wanker751

    wanker751 Dutch Rudder Enthusiast

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    I never stayed but I love the carnival games in the midway. I planned to visit that and the Riv this Jan from Downtown, but with our missed day I just stayed DT. I am sad now cause the Riv is going.

    I would make my way up there more often IF there were other places near by.
     
  13. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    Circus is not my fave by any means, but I sure hope it lasts! They are really on an island now! I hope that they can hold on until {whatever they are calling it this week} opens up on the old Stardust tract. Without the Riv, there's a major lack of "gravity" in the area.
     
  14. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    Read the book "Super Casino" to get the scoop on Sarno and CC. Back in its day, CC was a hoppin' joint with an excellent reputation. It was packed to the gills.
     
  15. BlacklabberMike

    BlacklabberMike MIA

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    stayed there one saturday night when i desperately needed a room... it was in the back tower?

    it was a bed, a toilet, and a shower that was needed...

    funny story... i was playing blackjack one afternoon and a Craps table was to my back...

    I hear a voice calling out "come on little joe"
    i said to myself, i know that voice, i heard it hundreds of times at floating crap games back home...
    sure enough, i get up from my seat and look at the table...
    it's a guy nicknamed "squirt" from my home town...
    he was a bookie that i did business with and worked for for a while,but i digress
    so as he's calling for little joe, i bark out, "you ain't made a little joe in years"

    he looks over and laughs....
    seems his sister in california had willed him a car and he was driving it back home to Mass and decided he of course had to stop in vegas..
    it is a small world after all. ;)


    seems his sister had willed him
     
  16. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    Super Casino is a great book. So is "Grandissimo: The First Emperor of Las Vegas: How Jay Sarno Won a Casino Empire, Lost It, and Inspired Modern Las Vegas"

    - - - Updated - - -

    When RW opens they will be.
     
  17. Grid

    Grid Well-Known Member

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    You never see much about CC posted on here since people like to dump on it. I popped in a few months back, after not visiting there in years. We had a great time and the slots seemed very fair. I made a thread on here looking for a host at CC and all people did was make fun of me or the place so I gave up.
    I get that its not Bellagio or Wynn but every now and then I want some lowbrow fun!
     
  18. vegasvic

    vegasvic VIP Whale

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    One of the great things about Vegas is the wide range of options it has. While I rarely frequent CC or the Riv Vegas needs places like that. Not everyone has a bankroll to get comps and there needs to be affordable options for those who want to stay on the strip. And hell, there are a LOT of people who could easily pay more for a room but don't. To them a room is a place to sleep and nothing more. You can still eat, drink and gamble in any casino without paying the high room rates. I get that.
     
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