father and son Denmark-phx.tuc-las-laughlin

HI!!
I have just about come over jet lag now so it is about time i write a trip report on my sons and
i trip to the U.S. from march12-april 1.
My 12 year old son and i flew copenhagen-frankfurt-phoenix.it is the shortest travel time
from copenhagen to that area of the u.s but it is a long tiering trip anyway.We flew with lufthansa
avoid that airline if you can.crummy food and everyone assumes one can speak german weather or not one can.
We were picked up in sunny phoenix by my good friend todd from tucson.He drove us to his house in tucson where we passed out after the long trip.After a couple of days of having some good times in tucson my son and i drove to flagstaff az
we used flagstaff as a base to see the meteor crater,grand canyon,monument valley.After seeing
those fine works of nature we drove to LAS VEGAS!!!!!!!!checked in to the I.P. around 13:00 on a sunday.A lot of people were checking in at the same time.I tried the 20dollar trick but i think the boss was watching the check in people like a hawk and i did not get any response from our check in woman.I decided to spend the difference from our 25dollar back room to a 39dollar room high up with a balcony and a great strip view.We were warned about a band playing in
an outdoor bar downstairs at harrahs but we were so tired in the evening that we couyld have slept through a hurricane.the view and balcony were worth it.As i said i was with my 12 yeay oil son so we did a lot of kid things.We went to race for
atlantis in caesars,we saw the bellagio fountains,
the pirate battle,In the MGM Grand we reviewed some terrible t.v. show and got 20dollars to use in the cbs tv shop and tokens to play games in mgm
grand game place.We saw the free aternoon bird show at the tropicana and went directly to the rio to see ronn lucas(What a great show for 7bucks each!)WE saw mac king (my kid liked ronn lucas better)I think they both are good.
I did some gambling at the riveara.I did that in the late evening when my son was safe in our hotel room.I went to that casino to gamble because i did not see anyone winning in the i.p.
I played a dollar wheel of fortune machine for a little while and i won ar0und 200 dollars!!I blew some of it but i was up 150 dollars.then i weny back to the i.p.to sleep.After a few days in vegas we drove to laughlin.I like laughlin better
then vegas.I think vegas has gotten a little too
crowed and where are all the cheap buffets there used to be?WE ate at goldcoast which i have to say is the best buffet value i found in vegas.great food at a good price.sahara buffet was cheaper but what a load of crap.had lunch at mirage on our last day.good but not great.give me gold coast anytime.
Anyway laughlin.as i wrote i like it better then vegas.not as crowed and friendlier.My kid likes vegas better.We stayed at the flamingo for 25 dollars a night.no 20dollar upgrade necessary
here.after a friendly chat with the check in woman
she upgraded us to a riverview room at no extra cost!!I played tennis with my son on a fine tennis
court then jumped in the swimming pool after.Hey
by the way when i mention swimming pool we went swimming in the tropicana pool in vegas what a great pool.No one asked for our room key.
Again in the late evening when my son was safe in the room i went down to the casino played 3 spins on a 5 dollar slot and won 200dollars.I blew about 60 of these dollars bu i was still up.
after a couple of days in laughlin we drove back
to tucson to spend the last few days of our vacation before flying back to denmark from phoenix.
I know this report does not do uor trip justice
but it is the best i can do in a short report.you should have been there.We had a great time.
A special thanks to brupat from canada for all those great coupons you sent to me.they were a great help and saved us a lot of money.It seems like there is a coupon for just about everything in las vegas!!
Back in denmark now wishing for some nice temperatures like we had in vegas and az.
Regards from Denmark,Larry and son

 

p.s:
a BIG thank you to travel2vegas for making this trip more affordable and easier.please feel free to ask me anything about denmark or scandinavia!!
Larry

 

Sounds like a great trip. Hopefully my Daughter will enjoy Denmark as well.

 

Good trip report. Thanks. I have flown Lufthansa before (22 years ago though) and that is the ONLY airline my family would fly with over to Europe. I enjoyed it! We didn't speak German (though my mother does) but they spoke to us in English and we thought the food was good. Of course, like I said, it was 22 years ago. Sorry you had a bad experience with them.

 

I flew Lufthansa in 1993 from Brussels to Almaty Kazakhstan. Since my only alternative was Aeroflot, I thought it was a good trip!! I seem to recall announcements in English & German, and possibly russian. Of course, we popped our front tire on the runway after landing and had to sit on the runway for 3 hours waiting for a tow.....

 

HI!!
Yes they speak english on lufthansa but they always start in german even though they already knew that most of the passengers perfered english
since most were americans.The security personnel
in frankfurt were rude and would only speak german
even thaugh the security was for flights bound for the u.s. only.Of course i would fly lufthansa
anytime compared to any east european airline because you can count on lufthansa for flight safety but if i have a choice i would fly another
air line.BY the way what do you guys think about my comments about las vegas getting too big and crowded and about laughlin being a lot friendlier
and laid back.
Larry

 

Larry, great report. How far is Laughlin from Vegas, I would like to go there sometime in the near future. Thanks, Jane

 

I have grandparents who spend their winters in Laughlin (they live in Illinois--very cold ) and they love it. Because they like it so much, I got the impression it was friendlier for an older crowd.....But I've never been. I love the excitement and crowds of Vegas (and I hate crowds!!) because that's part of the fun for me. When I go to Vegas, I seem to detach from what I normally do or don't like, and just enjoy the experience for what it is. Also, whenever my husband and I have gone to a casino anywhere but Las Vegas, we've hated it, so we decided to save all our gambling trips for Vegas only....But that's just my opinion....

 

larryfromdk -

Great trip report!

My parents go to Nevada every year (just about) and they've only been to Vegas a handful of times (one day trips, they've never stayed there). They always spend most of their time in Laughlin. My grandparents are from Michigan and they spend their winters in Texas, except for the month they spend in Laughlin. Billy and I have never been, but one of these days we plan to (we just never seem to have time to book the free day trip that's offered)

 

Jane:
Laughlin is a little over a hundred miles south of Las Vegas. I didn't care for it and felt it a wasted day. After the Colorado River trip there wasn't much to do/see. The "River Run" was that weekend so it was interesting to look at the bikes/bikers but it just happens once a year. The gambling was not that player friendly and drink service at the Edgewater and Belle was all but non-existant. The free buffet at the Edgewater was very good for dinner even if I woulda had to pay for it. It looked like some nice camping was to be found in Bullhead City (Arizona-across the river) if that is your thing. As mentioned, it could be a good spot to lay back and relax (if that's what you go to Nevada for) but not in the kind of luxury to be found in Vegas. Just my opinion but if you've gotta day and want to check it out for yourself click on the "Book A Tour" or "Grand Canyon Tours" button above and you can book a free trip from your hotel in Vegas and back.

[ April 09, 2002: Message edited by: Andsen ]</p>

 

HI!!
Yes laughlin is laid back but that is what i liked about it.About being player friendly i won
200 dollars after 3 spins on a 5 dollar slot.I call that player friendly.That was at the flimingo,laughlin.Cocktail waitresses came around often enough.I know this because i said no thanks
a number of times.I do not like to drink much and gamble because then i start blowing money.Laughlin
is definetly friendlier then vegas(EX:My river view upgrade just from a friendly chat with the check in woman)Yes you cannot see pirate battles
dancing fountains,or ride roller coasters but you can eat well and cheap,gamble,play tennis,swim,get drunk,see a show or two and if you are so inclined enjoy the nearby nature.You can even see first run movies every tuesday for
3.50 all day at the cinema in the factory outlet
shopping mall.I am not working for the laughlin turism department but mayby i should be.
Larry
P.S.I thought the hotel room i had was fine.What a view.But then again i do not care if i have a suite or not.BY the way i was told a suite at the flamingo costed 45dollars a night midweek.

 

Andesen:
Thanks for the information, I get the feeling I know what Laughlin would be like after reading your posting. We live in Georgia and can go to gulfport MS for laid back gambling, have only been once. We need the Vegas fix at least once a year or once every two years, I love the energy and excitement you get just from being there. I have only been to New York City once but gosh I loved the energy, people were full of life. Thanks again. Jane