Staying at the Excalibur

Hello,
My boyfriend and I, and several friends, will be going to Vegas for the UFC fights in July. We are staying at the Excalibur. Pro's or Con's? any tips for us? this is my 2nd trip to vegas. any advice about the UFC fights there or advice in general would be awesome!!

MsFlowerPotts

 

I know drinks are easy to come by in casinos but I've got 5 free drink coupons at any of the bars at Luxor/Excalibur expiring 7/15/12 from one of my last trips there if anyone wants em postage is on me. And no, I will not be sending compromising pictures of myself for jollies.

 

Haven't stayed at Excalibur, but have stayed at Luxor. It is nice to have a tram that runs from Between Luxor/Excalibur/Mandalay Bay. I wasn't to thrilled with playing Blackjack at Excalibur, probably because we lost a lot in a few minutes, but that's the way it goes sometimes. Dealers weren't real friendly. The casino feels rundown to me compared to the others nearby (Mandalay Bay, NYNY, MGM, etc). Cannot comment on the rooms. There is a nice food court if you're looking for some quick/fairly cheap food. Bring your walking shoes if you want to do sight seeing as you're on the south end of the strip. Have fun!

 

I stayed for 3 night about a year ago. The casino is nice and all but I just feel like I'm a single step about Circus Circus. The room was clean and everything is nice and all but it lacks charm. The hotel does have some cheat eats upstairs I.e. fast food. There was this really good Italian place somewhere there. I don't recall the name but it's hard to miss, up the escalators on the left.

It's a classic Vegas institution but it's time for some work.

 

Based on the pictures on Oyster (http://www.oyster.com/las-vegas/hotels/excalibur-hotel-and-casino/photos/), I'd try to $20 tip my way up to a Widescreen Room if I were you. Seems like a night & day difference. Other than that I haven't stayed there, but it should be fine.

 

There are quite a few negative reviews on this site about Excalibur. It is a lower end hotel and go in with those expectations. I've stayed there half a dozen times and rooms have always been clean and that is all I can expect from any hotel room. I do like the shower stall in the bathrooms rather than the small bathtubs, but that is a personal preference.


I would agree that $20 is worth an upgrade to the widescreen room if available. NOT $20/night, just the $20 trick. It isn't amazing, but it certainly is nicer.


If you are looking for nicer restaurants I would avoid anything in Excalibur. You have NYNY, MGM Grand and Mandalay Bay on all sides.(I haven't been impressed with anything I've tried in Luxor). If you want fast food, there is plenty in Excalibur up the escalator, or even for something quick in the morning.




Excal/Luxor/Man Bay Tram. To me this is ONLY useful if you are walking into excalibur and are intending to go to Mandalay Bay, or if you are at Mandalay Bay and are heading down the strip. It is quicker just to walk inside if you are going to Luxor.



Make sure to get a players card if you don't have one already. Use it where you can. At the end of your trip when you check out simply give them your card and ask them to apply your express comps to your bill. Even if it only takes off $20, it is still $20 off the bill.

 

If you were standing in the middle of the Excalibur casino its kind of shaped like a big + sign.

One way leads out to parking, the opposite of that out to the main entrance/exit and the other two ways go to the hotel towers.

If you go to Tower I at the very bottom by the escalators is an exit that leads out to a small parking area. You can go down the sidewalk a little bit and there is a crosswalk right there that will take you to the AM/PM if you want to load up on cheap drinks, snacks, beer and beer-like beverages for the room. Much more convenient than going out the front and walking down the sidewalk and back, and a lot cheaper than buying similar stuff from the gift shop.


There is a store upstairs by the food court called The Spirit Shoppe and although they have prices jacked up on water, pop and beer, they have some of the best prices on liquor of all the casinos on The Strip and you can usually find an OK selection of fresh fruit there.


If you want to go to Luxor and you've never been to this end of The Strip there is a walkway on the upper level of Excalibur that leads Luxor, you don't have to walk outside or take the tram. This sounds painfully obvious but I know a few people that have even stayed at Excalibur or Luxor and didn't know the walkway was there.


If you want to buy some logo MGM resorts merchandise (shirts, pens, cups, hats, etc) if you take the indoor walkway to Luxor on the Luxor side there is an MGM discount outlet store with cheap stuff from all the resorts.
* not 100% sure this is still there, its been about two years since I went there, but I presume its still there.


If you like to do buffets you can buy a one day pass that is good for both the Luxor and Excalibur buffets, as many times as you want to go in and out for the day. NOTE: this isn't like the 24 hour pass when you have 24 hours from the time you buy it, it is until the end of the day and good only on the day you bought it.

 

Absolutely do this.

 

I stayed at Excal once a few years ago. I had a room on the ground floor. Yes, the actual ground floor. No elevator necessary. The window opened, which I like, but it did not lock. I felt uneasy about it because I was on the ground floor. There were ants in the room as well. On a table that had a sticky ring from some kind of drink. It was horrible. I would never stay there again. I stayed one night and high tailed it out of there. Didn't bother checking out either. Just left that place as fast as I could.

 

I would have asked for a higher floor.

 

Fortunately, every room does not have a sticky ring on the table and ants crawling around. That would be a fluke. I have stayed at the castle a couple of times and both times got a clean hotel room to lay me weary head. The common areas were always clean too. I have never had a problem there. Too many people go there with Palazzo dreams on a Excalibur budget.

 

So if you have stayed there couple of times, and both times you had clean room, why would you say that was a fluke? I stayed at Mandalay and at CP and got clean rooms both times. . ..but not a fluke. . just happened to be what I expected. I have stayed at Excalibur and also got clean rooms, and that is what I expected. I would stay there again in a heartbeat, and would expect nothing other than a clean room.

The location is great, the widescreen rooms are great, the casino is usually packed and fun, . .has a liquor store in it, fast food for when it is required. . .. I don't really see any downside to the place.. .. .

 

And if you wish to continue to Mandalay Bay without going outside to the street, you can continue walking through the Luxor casino floor and up the steps into the Mandalay Place shoppes. Proceed through the shopping area (past RM Seafood on the right and the Minus 5 Ice Bar on the left) and down the stairs/escalator into Mandalay Bay. You enter Mandalay Bay near the sportsbook. Make a right turn before the sportsbook (by the margarita place "Evening Call"), continue past the theatre and you're at the entrance to MIX and THEHotel.

When we've walked from MB to Excalibur using this route it takes less than 10 minutes.

Enjoy your trip!

 

Please read my post again.

 

Ya . . . That's the problem with starting to read a thread fom page 2 . . . Sometimes some critical info could be missed . . . . Sorry

I do stand by my point that i like the ex and have always enjoyed it . . . I did read somewhere once though about rooms on the first floor being broken into. The idea of ground floor rooms existing in any of these places makes me shudder . . Are there any other strip hotels with ground floor rooms ??

 

Been more than a few years since i stayed there..but when I was in the neighborhood last month I walked through several times.. my issue back then was it felt like "Wally World"... They've come a long ways since then... well..a ways anyway...I'd consider a return stay.

 

Never had a problem at this Hotel--Just might see some kids with parents but hey everyone needs a fun vacation..I will be stayin again for 2 nights in Sept then down to my second home the Fremont..Anyways for the price and service you won't beat it anywhere..We enjoyed the pools and always had poolside service when i needed a refill..Enjoy

 

Some of the mgm west wing rooms are ground floor with a door leading straight to the strip a few feet away.

Also I heard the Venetian has 2nd and possibly 1st floor rooms for people during a certain Jewish holiday that doesn't allow the use of electronics (elevators), with the entrance keys being actual keys and not electronic cards.

 

Luxor Pyramid has ground floors and i was to check in, saw the room and closed the door. Immediately went back check in for a different. It was a mess, smoke filled, filthy dark. They moved us to the tower room and it was very nice. But haven't stayed there since.

 

I have never stayed at the Castle, but it is what it is. The walkways to Luxor and MB are a good way to get to MB (in particular theHotel which is right by the escalators).

Also, I have always enjoyed the casino....

But, for anyone to say the food court is enjoyable must have gone at different times than me. It is crowded, the trash is not picked up, and reminds me of the food court in the Southwest terminal (not sure which one exactly) at LAS.