1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Scotland - First time in Vegas!

Discussion in 'Misc. Vegas Chat' started by Anton2k, Jun 8, 2018.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Anton2k

    Anton2k Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2018
    Messages:
    10
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    Hi all,

    I will be traveling from Scotland with friends to Vegas at the end of this month - it's a wedding, they are getting married. The holiday clothes have been purchased and the excitement has well and truly setting in! It's the first time me and my gf have visited the states, so I am just looking for some inside local knowledge and recommendations / advice.

    We are staying at the Luxor and will be there for 11 nights! - Is there anything I should be aware of before we visit any tips / tricks? we already know about the resort fees and have accounted for these.

    With regards to spending cash I think we are looking at taking $4600 with us, does this sound like enough for 11 nights? (looking into getting a revolt card for the best currency conversion).

    We plan to go out and have dinner every night and get some drinks. We also have 3 nights already accounted / partly paid for (Going to see a DJ at the Hakkasan, a pool party at Wet Republic and the main event the wedding! :D!!) I would like to hit the casinos maybe every 3rd night or something like that, penny slots! I also like my Texas holdem! We are also booked into the steakhouse at Bellagio! looking forward to that! I think we are also looking at hit up the sky lounge and we are deffo going to check out Fremont street!

    With regards fashion, with clubs like Hakkasan can you get away with jeans / chinos and a shirt with some smart shoes or do you have to be wearing smart suite like trousers.

    Tipping here in Scotland is a bit of a weird one, I would always tip when going for a meal! in pubs / bars / clubs though - not so much. I get the whole waitress tipping for drinks etc but is the tipping etiquette the same for bars clubs etc? also! what about tipping dealers? over here (Glasgow) in casinos I can't say for sure If it's a thing or not cause I don't go often enough, but I can't say that I have ever seen it - think it might be deal policy over here to where they can't accept tips.

    Thanks for taking the time to read! if you have any advice / recommendations or what else we can see and do please reply! :)

    Thanks,
    -Anton
     
    • Like Like x 2
  2. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

    Joined:
    May 4, 2009
    Messages:
    23,220
    Location:
    TN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Advice?

    Biggest one is to read through LOTS of posts here
    .

    Hotels - they are all great. If you are on a deal for all 11 mights at Luxor - that will be fine. If not, consider at least one change of hotels - just for some variety.

    Money? Very hard to say how much you will go through and how much you will charge back via your credit card.

    Dress - only time to worry about that is the wedding of course, and night clubs. Restaurants and bars could care less.

    Tipping? There are some good threads here - but 20% on meals, drinks is norm. Some might do a little less.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  3. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2012
    Messages:
    7,883
    Location:
    Fort Worth
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    1. Get 'Player's Cards' wherever you gamble & use them. Points can add up before you know it & some of your room charges might be able to be comped at the end of your trip.
    2. Tipping. @nostresshere is correct...there are a ton of threads here on that subject, While playing, tip $1 for any single beverage delivery. At a bar where you are being served? Same as restaurants - figure on about 20% of your total tab. At a casino bar playing VP? My policy would be the same as at the tables - $1 or $2 per delivered comped drink. Tipping dealers? Well, I tip about $10 an hour of table play, (in the form of bets-for-the-dealer with my hands) plus any $1 chips I still have at the end of my session. Playing craps, I usually end up making about $5-$10 in hardway bets for the dealers during the course of a session.
    3. Bankroll. That's a tough one. You're budgeting about $400 a day....and if 100% of that is for gambling, you'll be ok. But if that includes your food, your club visits, bars, Uber-rides & any other entertainment/shopping, you may find that it's a little light. Your food, drinks & tips alone could easily hit $200/day for you & the GF.
    4. Luxor. For 11 nights? I would also suggest a change of scenery at the half-way point... perhaps Harrah's, Bally's, Mirage or TI to get you more "center-strip", and they would be priced close to what the Luxor is charging you.
    Good luck & have fun!
    :beer:
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
    • Like Like x 2
  4. WelshBlonde

    WelshBlonde Wishing I was in Vegas

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    Messages:
    1,964
    Location:
    Wales UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3
    Hiya! Fellow Brit here :) first off - you are going to LOVE it!!! Infact it may spoil all other holidays from now on haha.

    Ok, there are a few things you can do to save money or tricks. Heres a couple:

    Sign up for a players card - This is a members club for the hotel/chain you are staying in. If you gamble you insert this card into the machines and accumilate points, this can lead to comps off the end bill or future offers such as free nights.

    MyVegas - theres a game on facebook that you can play and build up coins to get free stuff, free buffets, free rooms, free shows.

    This board - do lots of research theres honestly so much to learn it can seem crazy but read the board and you will soon find out about things like the $20 trick, and coupons, comp drinks etc.

    Sorry to sound vauge but this is really subjective so I will try to help... food, especially dinner, is more expensive in Vegas. For a steak you are looking at $40-$60 as opposed to the UK £15 - £20 (we must have alot of cows). So it really does depend on where you plan on eating. Also gambling, some people spend $20 a night on the slots and some spend $10k and up so just enjoy yourself :).

    Tips are probably the other consideration for brit, you need to tip, like..... all the time. Unless the service is crappy. So if you spend $100 on a meal then at 20% tip add on another $20. If you get a free drink from a cocktail waitress, tip $1-$2. Tip the taxi man, tip the bellman, tip house cleaning. I mean, you dont HAVe too and it can be a sensitive subject, but thats whats usual in Vegas.

    Each club has its own dresscode, usualy its simple like no shorts and trainers but sometimes it can be more indepth like no short sleves or shirts without a collar etc. Check the websites :)


    There so so much more I could say but don't want to overload you haha!
     
  5. WelshBlonde

    WelshBlonde Wishing I was in Vegas

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    Messages:
    1,964
    Location:
    Wales UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3
    Oh and one other thing I have seen people get caught out on as not usual in the UK is the hotel hold fees.

    For each night the hotel holds an amount on your credit card in order to charge incase of damages. Think its about $50 a night. So remember to have a credit card ready for that. They obviously cancel the hold at your trips end and it goes back into available balance within a few days.
     
  6. Anton2k

    Anton2k Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2018
    Messages:
    10
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    Thanks for the replies guys! much appreciated! some good information!

    I should also have mentioned this is a pre-paid holiday, we will be staying at the 1 hotel for the whole 11 nights. With regards to gambling I would want to limit it to $100 a day so every 3 days, about $400 dollars to gamble with, it could go over that though who knows! I am just trying to guesstimate.

    This hold fee is news to me, the resort fees I knew about but the hold fees? do you need to pay them, or is it an optional thing? since I read your post I've done some digging and it appears that it's almost like a security deposit just encase anything happens to the room? it looks like some people have paid them and some haven't though, might be worth contacting the Luxor to confirm?

    Thanks,
     
  7. Corinne

    Corinne Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2012
    Messages:
    811
    Location:
    Bucks, UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    The hold is just a security deposit but you may like to enquirehow much it will be as it’s per night. A quick tip, sit at the front of the plane. Nothing worse than getting to Vegas and being in a long queue for passport control. It can be bad if you’re going to T3. Well worth the money for extra leg room too on that flight.
     
  8. WelshBlonde

    WelshBlonde Wishing I was in Vegas

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    Messages:
    1,964
    Location:
    Wales UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3

    Yep thats exactly what they are. They aren't optional I'm afraid. Feel free to mail Luxor but they allways take a hold fee as far as I'm aware.
     
  9. bshowell

    bshowell VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2004
    Messages:
    4,308
    Location:
    DMV
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    Directly from the Luxor website on incidental fees:

    upload_2018-6-8_13-18-1.png
     
  10. Tarstarkas

    Tarstarkas High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Messages:
    706
    Location:
    moved to Maine
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    A minor thing....you say you like Texas holdem....a good way to stretch your gambling dollar is to play 2-4 at the Flamingo.
     
  11. Tarstarkas

    Tarstarkas High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2017
    Messages:
    706
    Location:
    moved to Maine
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    If you are interested in any shows..check out tix4tonite...day of show tickets can usually be had 50% off. Also check out their dinner passes...can save up to 50%.
     
  12. budroux2w

    budroux2w Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 15, 2010
    Messages:
    156
    Location:
    Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    I'm going to toss this out there but I'm sure you're aware. Drink plenty of water and dress for the heat.
     
  13. Dearns

    Dearns Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2013
    Messages:
    197
    Location:
    Wigan, UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5
    Top tip for me would be to look around the board for all the little nuggets of info that are contained here. I'm still learning things 5 years or so after joining.

    Travelling from the UK I would say we have found that the best thing to do when you get to your room is shower and head out. First year there we 'had an hour' and it made us feel worse! We tend to land 12-2pm and we start flagging around 9-10pm on our first day. If you're staying at Luxor you can explore 3 different places without going outside and be close to your bed if you need to crash. Word of warning about immigration - we landed at the same time as another overseas flight and it took 40 minutes to get through to the luggage but once through you will soon be out.

    Moneywise, we just came back from a 4 night stay and we averaged $425 per day for everything - gambling, food, drink and visiting the outlet malls plus all the little bits you spend money on while there. We didn't really hit any bars, we just drank at the machines every night! If you play slots you can bet anything from 40c per spin up to $6 per spin. Start where you are comfortable and see how it goes. Our first trips we started by putting $20 into a machine and betting 40c per spin. Our last trip we probably averaged $2 per spin after putting $100 in.

    With regards to tipping, when eating out they will often put percentages of your total bill at the bottom so you can decide what to leave. My guide is $2 tip for every $10 spent (20%) if service etc was great. One thing I always remember from my first trip in 2010 was being in Studio 54 at MGM where bottles of Bud were $9 each. My friend gave the barman a $1 note and waited for his $1 change. The barman looked proper pissy at that!

    The ultimate tip would be to go explore and see what you like. There are a lot of different resorts that have different vibes. As you are there for 11 nights you should be able to see most of the offerings and take it all in. It's a magical place to us - my wife was adamant that she didn't want to ever go until I got to choose where we went for my birthday. 5 years and 3 trips later every year it's "can we afford Vegas this year?" and if we can't we'll 'settle' for a week in the sun somewhere! Only been back a week and it's already can we get back within a year! Hope you enjoy!
     
  14. Castmember

    Castmember Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2018
    Messages:
    96
    Location:
    Scotland
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5
    Hello from a fellow Scotsman in Ayrshire

    Regarding CC / DB holds, just tell them at check in that you don't want to charge anything to the room. You might still have to pay a small ( I think Luxor took $50 -$100 when I stayed Nov 2016) refundable security deposit but that is total and not per night.


    Can confirm that I have done this myself numerous times at different hotels. Not so much now as I like to charge to the room so I can potentially get some of the charges comped at checkout.
     
    • Informative Informative x 1
  15. majoro

    majoro Tourist

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2014
    Messages:
    99
    Location:
    Calgary
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    A few thoughts:

    Agree with Dearns- stay awake as best you can but don't go crazy. We always end up waking up at 4-5am the next day and rather than fight it, go down into the casino floor at its quietest and play the 'are they an early riser or still on it from last night' game and take your pick from all the machines for a quick game.

    Depending on your CC limit, a $550 hold should still leave you plenty of room for other expenditure, and with Luxor being an MGM property having room charging capabilities is really handy as you can pay for meals / drinks at pretty much any MGM venue and charge it back to your room at Luxor. As you are staying a while, I'm sure you will want to explore different properties.

    Tipping can be quite stressful when you're not used to it being so discretionary. As a result I always find myself over-tipping so as to not to commit the cardinal sin of potentially causing offence to a complete stranger. But there are plenty of rules of thumb out there and there are a few detailed lists on tripadvisor- just beware some are a few years old now.

    Try to learn a bit of Video Poker- it's an easy way to get comped drinks while playing at the bar, perfect strategy is hard to master but you can get close with some simple rules and if you choose your machine well it shouldn't cost you too much in the long run. $400 playing quarters should keep you busy for a few hours at a time. However I'd be impressed if you limit yourself to every third day- not like most of us degenerates!

    If the World Cup is of interest, you can park up at a decent sportsbook and watch the games on the big screens (they will be morning Vegas time). If you're not betting on the game, drinks will be expensive (last time I was at Aria a Corona cost me $10), but you can make them last, while being in a comfy seat for the games!
     
  16. merlin

    merlin MIA

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2009
    Messages:
    3,755
    Location:
    mn
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    It sounds like you're bringing plenty of money considering you say you wont gamble every day, I would only add that you dont need to fancy it up every meal, try some smaller places, places slightly offstrip and your money will go much farther.. Same with the clubs, you could blow a bundle in there trying to show off, you dont have to get table service and pay for $500 bottles of liquor.
     
  17. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    Messages:
    8,343
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    Across the street from the Luxor is an Arco gas station with an AM/PM mini market. They sell beer and snacks so you can pre game in the room. Or, since you’re staying for 11 days, you might want to visit a grocery store for snacks, beer, a case of water. Von’s, Smith’s, or Whole Foods are close, but you’ll need to make the trip worthwhile to offset the cost for an Uber or a Lyft. Maybe ask for a refrigerator in the room to hold leftovers or keep juice cold.
     
  18. Anton2k

    Anton2k Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2018
    Messages:
    10
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    Wow! can't thank you guy's enough for the replies! I wasn't expecting that many!

    With regards to the HOLD amount place on the card, we booked through virgin holidays and I have them a call on Friday. They said that on arrival a HOLD of $100 will be required but that covers the full stay, so I don't know if virgin and the hotels have some kind of different arrangement setup over the HOLD? Looking at what bshowell posted you would think that a HOLD of $50 a day (even if you don't use room service or damage the property) is placed on your card, but it looks like my situation is a bit different as I'm going through a travel agent and possibly because I am staying for so long?

    With regards drinking plenty of water and dressing to the heat, got that! I will be wearing short almost my full trip apart from in the fancy places! got chinos and trousers for those occasions.

    That game sounds like fun! and the refrigerator in the room would be amazing for some pre-room cold beers before heading out!

    Another question I have is how the casinos feel about you playing using the martingale method in their cations? is it a frowned upon practice? I usually have a not too bad success rate using it when I play roulette.

    Is there an area where I can check and read more about slots and how their jackpots work? I'm not clued up in slot or puggys as we call them here in Scotland. I'm sure there is a website that shows the jackpots and games somewhere, do the machines work like bingo halls? do they link up and stuff? sorry if this info has been posted I'm just unsure what terms to search for.

    Nice to see other Scots and people form the UK on here as well! thanks again for all the replies! I appreciate them all! Thanks again!! :)
     
  19. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2006
    Messages:
    8,343
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    I will let other more seasoned roulette players chime in, but I think any casino would welcome your roulette play. Just save it for the last couple of days of your trip. Nothing worse than walking around vegas with your pockets turned out.
     
  20. dannyg1001

    dannyg1001 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 21, 2009
    Messages:
    147
    Location:
    UK
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    15
    I use martingale method on video roulette. I have found a few machines that allow $0.25 minimum on red or black. I dont win much money but its a hell of a way to get free drinks!

    You really need to call Luxor about the hold. Virgin Holidays (or any travel agent) has no control over the hotel policy. However, saying that, my mate is flying in tomorrow from the UK and staying at MGM Grand (Luxor is also an MGM hotel) and they charge $100 per night hold! My mate is there 10 days and was stressing out when I told him about it, he called the hotel and they agreed to only take the first 4 days, so $400 deposit instead of $1000. Seriously, call them and put your mind at ease. You dont want anything spoiling what is sure to be a brilliant holiday.

    Me and the Mrs usually average spend about $300 - $500 a day. We drink (too much) and gamble quite a bit. Enough to get free rooms to come back! We usually do a nice restaraunt every other night and also see a couple of shows. I think your budget will be OK if you have a few days when you do it a bit cheaper. Check out Stage Door for $1 beers, or Casino Royale for $2 beers. Avoid getting drinks from the casino bars... remember you can walk around anywhere with your drinks, even in and out of different casinos.... lots of convenience stores are scattered arond where you can buy booze for a fraction of the cost at a bar.

    You can honestly do Vegas as cheap or expensive as you want and still have a great time!
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.