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Cab vs. Shuttle

Discussion in 'Getting There & Getting Around' started by BPGJan2013, Jan 7, 2013.

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  1. BPGJan2013

    BPGJan2013 Tourist

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    Good afternoon, experts, I need some help.

    I've got a crew of 12-14 people headed to Vegas in a couple weeks. This will be my first time there and for some reason they've put me in charge.

    Are cabs pretty brutal in Vegas? We'll be doing stuff together (riding to and from the airport, casinos, "clubs" etc.) and I was forwarded information from the PH for a private shuttle service they use. They'll bus us around but they essentially charge an hourly minimum of like $65 for point-to-point service. Is that worth it? Close enough? Or should we use cabs? Thanks.
     
  2. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    Do you know which casino's/clubs you'll be going to. There are a number of ways to get around in Vegas, depending on where you are going.

    Cabs in Vegas are fine. And with 12-14 people you'll be splitting the fares multiple ways.

    I don't like the shuttle idea much, but again it depends what you are doing. One other thing to keep in mind. In charge tends to be an honourary thing, and Vegas is a town where plans change. And DIVERGE. I guess what I'm saying is a shuttle works when you all want to go to the same place at the same time. And that may not happen as often as you might think.
     
  3. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    Shuttle from airport to your hotel, only like 16 bucks round trip per person.
    Limo's are always hanging around for people at the hotels.
     
  4. UTE

    UTE Plastics

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    I used to use shuttles but have been cabbing it for the past year. With multiple people, cabs are the best value. And, I got tired of waiting up to 30 minutes for shuttles I'd reserved but weren't there. It also gets old getting stuck on a shuttle that hits 3 or 4 hotels before it gets to yours.

    Bill
     
  5. gpenguins67

    gpenguins67 High-Roller

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    airport to the hotel: take a cab- if you put 3-4 people in a cab and split the fair it will be less than $10 a person. and you go directly to the hotel.

    going out / clubs, etc: you can either cab it or if you all want to stay together setup a limo or go to the valet and they can get a limo for you. The limo will cost a little more but if you are cutting it 12 ways it still wont be that bad. For the limo you usually pay for it by the hour. So if you just go from one hotel to the other or take it for the whole hour you pay the same rate. I think on average a smaller stretch limo is gonna be ~$65 an hour and a 10-14 passenger SUV limo will be in the $120 per hour range. So expect around $10 a guy plus tip for a limo (really not that bad) It will cost you a few more bucks per guy vs taking a taxi but its really not that bad.
    A peice of advice for the limo.....Collect the money from everyone before you get out of the limo and bump it up a buck or two to cover tip. i did a bachelor party this summer and there were some really cheap guys. We were told at the beginning of the ride it was $7 a person. So we get dropped off, Everyone throws me and my buddy a bunch of $1s and $5s then run off. Somehow were were $20 short and there was no tip so me and my friend had to throw in an extra $20 each on top of our $7. Not so bad if it happens one time but being short on tabs seemed to be a reoccuring thing on that trip.

    Strip club: if you are going to the strip club, do not take a cab or take a limo at the hotel-- unless the limo says they will not charge you for the ride and/or cover charge. If you call the strip club they will send you a limo for free and usually not charge you cover (but you may need to purchase 1 or 2 drinks)

    I would say don't take a cab/limo everywhere.... if you are going one or 2 hotels over just walk... stop and grab a beer and keep going to the next destination. If you are going from one end of the strip to the other, then spend the money on the ride. Like i said overall you probably will not spend more than $5-10 each on the cab ride, but that same $10 can buy you 3 drinks on your walk. Cab rides will add up over time.
     
  6. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    For what most cab rides would probably end up costing to move that many people around, that $65 quoted by Planet Hollywood actually sounds like a decent rate.

    But that said: if your group is flying together I would probably think about how you are getting from the airport to your hotel and then at the end of your trip from the hotel back to the airport

    Beyond that you might be thinking too much about this and should maybe just play it by ear and see how it goes and just remember that $65 price in the back of your head.

    I say that because it sounds like you might be envisioning your trip going something like all dozen of you get up in the morning, go for breakfast together, hang out for the day together, maybe later that night all go over to one of the other casinos for some drinking and clubbing or something, then you all go somewhere else, then maybe you all go to the strip club...

    With a group that big the reality is that you should maybe think about a couple of things the group can do as a whole and arrange things around that, and then pretty much just wait and see what happens with the rest of the trip...

    Whats probably going to end up happening is just different diversions are going to strike people's fancy, where maybe one or two of you want to go to the strip club, a couple more want to go to the bar, some might want to go to a club, some might want to just hang out and gamble... its just hard to find something that everybody is going to want to do together and in Vegas it can even be hard to find something everybody can afford to do together (or can afford, and be willing to spend money on - like going clubbing where the drinks can be $15-30 each or the strip club where you can burn through money super fast).
     
  7. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Few questions and comments.

    Do you all arrive on the same flight? If not, trying to group up could be a pain.

    Many of the limo services can provide a van or large limo if needed.

    Do NOT plan on doing too many things as a group. 14 people is a crowd. Hard to get any decent service when 14 people hit something all at once. Plan lots of free time where people go where or how they want. I would try to do as many things within walking distance of your hotel to make life much easier. Why cab why down to Mirage for example when you have 4-5 hotels right there and 50 restaurants and bars?

    Cabs are not impossible, but depending on the day or event, they can be really busy.
     
  8. Sklem211

    Sklem211 High-Roller

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    If it's your first trip and and the first trip of many others in the group...you can forget about cabs. This is because there is so much to see in such short of a distance that you'll be doing a lot of walking anyway, and each casino is only a short walk from the next.
     
  9. GVR

    GVR Tourist

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    If you split your group in two, it will be pretty easy to get a nice sized limo to cart you around in and the cost would be about the same as getting 4 cabs.

    The added bonus would be that you can usually skip the taxi cab line at most hotels and the ride will be more comfortable. Like someone else said, if you plan on going to "gentlemen's clubs", follow their advice!
     
  10. Nevyn

    Nevyn VIP Whale

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    Its an hourly rate, so how good a deal it is depends on one's itinerary and whether you pay the rate all night to keep the shuttle available, or whether they just charge you a new hour when theres a new pick up/drop off. Im assuming its the former.
     
  11. Jimbo338

    Jimbo338 VIP Whale

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    There are a lot of variables to conisider and I think they have been covered well in the replies above. If you are flying and arriving all together a cab may be quicker and more cost effective than paying per person for a shuttle. If you are together I would get 2 limos, and since you pay for the hour, have him or her drive and give you a mini tour of the strip leaving you at your hotel at the end. It may be a bit more but it's fun, not to mention comfortable. I doubt that all 14 are going to want to see everything at the same time and together so formulate plans ahead of time but be flexible. Some folks may decide to walk and find that it is a lot more than they anticipated.

    The advice I like best above is to collect ahead of time for costs of transportagion, or, it's like 14 people having dinner together and getting a single bill. Some want to just split it 14 ways when they had steak and you had macaroni and cheese! I would call Las Vegas Limo and Presidential Limo and get some prices on limos, vans etc so you know what your options are and the actual costs; then there are no surprises. And, congratulations on being the one stuck with all the work; it must be your talent for organization! Have fun and enjoy your trip!

    Jimbo338
     
  12. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    Guess I'm not up to date, don't use cabs much. So it's cheaper to cab for 14 people to say Bally's from the airport then 8 bucks one way for a shuttle?
     
  13. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Three people at $8 is $24.

    Cab would be well under that - in the $15 range.

    Really though, if and ONLY if they are all on the same flight, getting a private shuttle would be a good idea.

    (personally, I would not do the shuttle even if $2. I would wind up at the hotel after multiple stops feeling like crap)
     
  14. Jimbo338

    Jimbo338 VIP Whale

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    I believe the minivan cabs will take 5 people so if you all arrive at the same time that would be 3 cabs and let's say $15 each = $45 + tips. 14 people at $8 for shuttle = $112.

    I am usually solo in LV for a trade show and I now take the WAX from the airport to downtown for $1.00 (Old guy pass), but all the other times I took the shuttle round trip. I constantly hear how long everyone has to wait til the shuttle fills in and how frustrated they are stopping at so many hotels. I used to time the shuttle from when I gave the driver my luggage til we started rolling and it was usually 8-11 minutes. We often left with just a half dozen people in it, and they had Strip buses and downtown buses. I don't think I ever stopped at more than 2 or 3 hotels. Now, that's not to say, it doesn't happen, but I have arrived during the week and on weekends, sometimes in the morning and other times in the afternoon. I fly from the east coast and sometimes have logged over 7 hours in 2 planes, and I never found waiting in a shuttle or dropping a couple of people off much of a hassle, and I've done 18 trips so far.

    jimbo338
     
  15. shokhead

    shokhead No big spender unless eating drinking having fun!

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    We always use the shuttle and agree with you, it's not like you stand around for an hour and then another hour till you get to your hotel. Not even. I'd say the longest I've waited once seated is 10 minutes and maybe 20 minutes after leaving to my hotel. It's just to easy. We always use executive.
     
  16. BPGJan2013

    BPGJan2013 Tourist

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    Thanks for the help guys.

    We are all arriving on the same flight and we are all leaving on the same flight. I think I'm going to arrange for the PH shuttle to pick us up from the airport and take us back to the airport when we leave. Otherwise we can just cab it around.

    Some of the comments were long and varied but I think the difference will be nominal, so, based on what many of you said, even if we're paying more for the shuttle, it won't be much per person.

    I agree that our plans are going to be up in the air once we get there, so I'm not planning any transportation beyond the airport.

    Thanks again, all.
     
  17. trooth

    trooth Low-Roller

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    Cab from airport to Planet Hollywood is $16-$18. If you get 3 in the cab and pay 8 a piece that covers ride and tip. Get 4 in a cab and give a nicer tip. Shuttles are uncomfortable and don't provide the value. For that rate get a limo and experience Vegas in style. Run up the strip to Wynn and back down to planet Hollywood for a mini tour and to get everyone excited.

    Once you are at Planet Hollywood you are in the middle of the strip. North strip and south strip are in walking distance from PHo. You might want to plan a group trip to Fremont street that requires transportation or if you are going to hoover, get a tour bus that includes the transportation. Like I said everything strip related is in walking distance. If anyone has issues with walking the monorail is next door at ballys and is an option to go north or south. Honestly though for a first trip your plans will go out the door day two.
     
  18. Gutzy

    Gutzy Low-Roller

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    I'm assuming there are not any cabs that hold 6 people? Therefore if that is the case is it best to take 2 cabs? (going to Bally's)
     
  19. Auggie

    Auggie Dovahkiin

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    There are cabs that "WOULD" hold 6... but the law is that they can only take 5 passengers maximum.

    For 6 you can get a limo though.

    Two cabs from airport to Bally's you might be looking at around $20 each, so $40 total. You can get a limo for not that much more and ride in style (could even hire a limo for an hour so you can also use it to stop off on the way at a liquor or grocery store to stock up for the room).
     
  20. Chrisby

    Chrisby Tourist

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    With a large group and two cabs we have had them "race" each other. We did this from Rio to Excalibur once. They each went different ways and arrived 20 seconds apart (and we left second). Everybody had a good time including the drivers, my cab won and I won the $10 bet ( i tipped to our driver). I suppose it is a good way to keep your fares down ;)
    -Chrisby
     
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