First Timer, MGM Grand, tricks and Tips welcome

Hello all,
Traveling to Vegas April 17th - 20th 2017 and can't wait, this is our first trip to Vegas. I'm (33yr) bringing by father for his 70th birthday (no mobility issues, might get tired after walking a lot, but nimble enough for his age) to Vegas (his first time as well) and my sister (30yr) is coming along as well. To cut down on initial costs we booked a Staywell Gran Queen room. I will post my ideas below, please comment on anything or everything as I want to make sure this is the best trip ever for my father.
We arrive late on the Monday (10pm) to which I assume we will take a cab from the airport. I will learn the direct route to the hotel so we don't get scammed by the cab driver (going the long way).

At some point in these two days we are considering (in order of importance): Cirque du solei show(but which one, I know KA is at MGM but I also heard the O (water one) is really good), a gun range (any recommendations - are there cheaper ones?), and finally the classic car collection area (I think at the Linq - unless there is a better one/ is it worth going to?)
Obviously were not in Vegas that long (as we fly out on Thursday at noon) but will want to get some lazy river time in, some gambling and if I have time would like to take my dad and sister to one of the tutorial classes (for craps or blackjack) - anyone been to any of these, are they okay or complete waste of time ?

My loose plan was to See Cirque du Soleil Tuesday night @ 9:30pm (most likely KA due to being at MGM) and was looking at the Buffets of Buffets so we would go to diner at 5-6pm (Ceasars buffet) on Tuesday, then KA, take advantage of breakfast/brunch (somewhere on the buffet card) and then make sure to go to a buffet dinner (Paris buffet) before the card expires. Does that make sense ?

I believe it should be a pretty slow time during the week when I'm there and have been considering doing the $20.00 trick but in everyone's honest opinion, do you think I' better off throwing a $50.00 in there to see if they can really upgrade me ? Obviously I'd love to get a suite or get really lucky and get something really cool but I guess I'd be happy with the grand queen (executive) with a strip view. This way my dad and sister can have the beds and I can sleep on the couch / get a roll away bed.

All help and opinions welcome along with any other cool things to do on the strip. Way too many things already in such a short time.

Thanks in advance everyone.

Josh

 

Throwing $50 instead of a $20 is a total waste

 

Your dad will have to do a LOT of walking in MGM.

 

Welcome and hope you have fun in Vegas!
Skip the cab and take Uber/Lyft.
MGM alone is a lot of walking. If your father can, I would try and get him a mobility scooter. MGM is huge!.
What are your fine dining options aside from the buffets? Any restaurant preferences? Everyone here loves to talk about food!

 

They aren't kidding about MGM being huge. You can walk miles inside. It'd be tough to long haul you to MGM as it's close to the airport but it happens. Take Uber, look on McCarran's website to see the procedure for getting one. It's quite easy, parking garage above baggage claim.

Consider Beatle's Love for a Cirque show. It's at Mirage, but well worth it if you like the Beatles. Staying at MGM, you could take Monorail for $5 to Harrahs and cross the street.

 

The MGM is really close to the airport (almost right at the end of the runway). It would take an incredibly unscrupulous cab driver to tunnel you going there. But there probably are incredibly unscrupulous cab drivers in Vegas.

My suggestions:

1. Don't plan too much. It takes a lot of time to get between casinos and finding your way around inside casinos (they're really big). The best planned schedules in Vegas usually don't last the first day. Plan a show, plan a dinner but don't try and plan everything.
2. From the MGM you have direct access to the monorail which can be useful for getting to different casinos (but you have to pay to ride it). Also the stations are in the back of the casinos so you usually have a long walk to where you want to be.
3. There are bridges across the strip which give easy access to New York New York, the Tropicana, and Excalibur (avoid). From Excalibur there's another (free) tram that will take you down to the Mandalay Bay.
4. Of the Cirque du Soleil shows I've only seen O and Mystere. Personally, I preferred Mystere. Mystere plays in a smaller showroom and it has a live band on stage.
4. I've used Tix4Tonight to get discount show tickets (http://www.tix4tonight.com). There's one pretty close to the MGM. They can be very crowded first thing in the morning. If you go to their website they have a coupon for an additional discount.
5. I don't know if it's still there but the Sigma Derby game usually has the loudest crowd playing it and looks like a lot of fun.

 

Ka show at MGM is good...but since this is going to be your first time try O show at bellagio it's probably the best one cirque show and try uber/lyft instead of taxi as well. Regards to using $20 trick, I would also tell them this your very first family trip to Vegas along w $20 - my experience just simplying telling them it's your first time "particular hotel" they usually will try to work w you. Good luck friend... btw, I remember April weather being decent 70s for sure but it was very windy but warm.

 

I was at MGM last week, the 6th through 9th. I booked a regular 2 queen room on a 3-night comp offer, and did the $20 tip at check-in. I was upgraded to a 2 queen executive suite with decent view for $50/night (as opposed to the $80/night it would've been or something) and he tossed in a mini fridge. I don't know if it's the same for all the excutive suites, but the couch in my room had a fold-out bed in it. The lower the room number, the closer you are to the elevators... something to consider. The executive suite was #103 and was a quick walk, I also had a terrace suite #437 and that was a loooong walk to the end of that hall.

Everything we read said Battlefield Vegas was the place to go to shoot guns these days. No one actually ended up going on this trip, but we'd done The Gun Store in the past a couple times and had fun. All the pricing seems to be pretty on par with each other now. Maybe there's some groupon deals out there?

I did the auto collection at linq some years ago (Imperial Palace at the time) and loved it, but I'm a car nerd. I always mean to go again but always get sidetracked and forget. They used to give away free passes on their website, but I guess now they just do a buy-one-get-one deal... http://www.autocollections.com/index.cfm?action=free

If you make it to the Linq, depending on how it fits into your meal plans (and how much y'all can eat), Hash House a Go Go has some good food in massive portions.

Sigma Derby's still at MGM, in a new spot called Level Up.. where Rainforest Cafe used to be. It's a cool little area with some video games and pool tables and stuff. The drink service is nothing like when the game was mixed in with the slots, but they still do comp drinks while playing.

 

Thanks everyone,
- So I will try the $20 trick and politely ask if I could have a room close to the elevators (hopefully its a grand queen executive as that would be perfect for our situation)
- Other than the buffet 24hr card thing, we aren't picky for food and would try and recommendations close to the MGM (possibly NYNY /the Tropicana). Any must do snacks or small meals etc ?
- I will suggest to my dad to get a motorized scooter but I highly doubt he will consider this (even if it would help).
- I'll look to use Uber/Lyft where possible and I will look into Tix4Tonigh.
thanks again guys for the great advise

 

I agree - if they don't give you an upgrade for 20$, they won't give you one for 50$.

I have been to Battlefield Vegas and I loved it - I highly recommend them.

 

Not too far north east of the MGM is Ellis Island. Take the fam to get prime rib meals for under $15 per person

 

sign up for uber lyft and you should get a 20 dollar promo code for each.. That should get you guys to and from the airport for free..

 

Hear, hear.

And agree with Uber too. I broke my Uber virginity in Vegas and would never consider a taxi again. Very easy from the airport.

 

Sorry for the slight hijack but it might help the OP.

I've never tried the $20 trick on account of a bit of shyness but also the lingering question in my head: do they often just take the $20 and say, 'Sorry; we've not nothing else for you'? Or there is an unwritten rule?

 

A few notes from my most previous trip. The "level up" area is mostly 20 somethings which I did not mind.

The fridge comp is 100% free, just say there's a "medical reason" for the fridge (like needing to keep diabetes medicine cold and it's free no matter what.)

As far as the rest. Rock on. I love MGM The Luxor, NY NY, Mandalay Bay and others on the south end of the strip.

 

I will tell you that MGM is huge. I know just walking in it one day was enough for me.

Typically if they cant give you an upgrade they will slide it back.

 

If you're looking for cheap eats, there's an entire mall-style food court just north of MGM, in the M&M World plaza. But just a bit further, in Planet Hollywood, is the Earl of Sandwich quick service restaurant. It's immediately inside the casino on the south end of Planet Hollywood, so it's not much of an extra walk from MGM, and it's so worth it.

 

Shake Shack is right across the street on the north end of NYNY. It's one of my favorite quick/cheap meals when I'm in Vegas.

 

I visited Battlefield Vegas last summer with 3 friends. They pick you up in a military/open top hummer! Really cool experience driving down the Strip in a hummer. You can be picked up anywhere, so we called while eating at a buffet and were picked up in the Valet area of that hotel. Drop off to the hotel afterwards was free and quick too. Many different packages to choose from for shooting. I believe I spent ~150 on the WWII package. It was my first time shooting any gun so shooting those was great. They also have a bunch of old helicopters and tanks they restored from multiple eras, very cool to climb into them and take pictures.

 

Tell them it's your visit time to Vegas...AND tell them it's your father's birthday. You are almost 100% certain to get a nice room upgrade when you do that. Better than a $50 trick.