How bad is the Monte Carlo with construction? FEB trip

I am planning a trip over SuperBowl weekend 2017 Feb 2-6 and have a pretty decent price I can get on a room at the Monte Carlo ($81 for run of the house). I am trying to keep the trip as reasonable as possible but right now I have the Signature booked for $112 per night. It's a much nicer room I know, but I am not taking my wife. I will be there with my brother and we probably won't have as much of a need for luxurious accommodations. I am leaning toward changing my reservation to the Monte Carlo and maybe hoping for an upgrade (I have MLife Gold tier) to at least a decent room. Monte Carlo is probably in a better location for us, closer to the action and a nice enough room.

Of the options below... what would you choose and why for a guys SuperBowl weekend trip?

Excalibur ($62 per night Run of the house room)
Monte Carlo ($81 per night Run of the house room)
Luxor ($86 per night Run of the house room)

Or keep what I have

Signature MGM ($112 per night Deluxe Studio Suite)

There are a bunch of Total Rewards properties and MLife properties that I'd also like to stay at, but for the price I would hands down keep my current room at the Signature as they are significantly more than I am currently booked there for there.

Has anyone been past the Monte Carlo lately? Is it a total nightmare with the construction? Is it likely to be in February?

Thanks!

 

Are you going to gamble or watch the game? If you're gambling MGM has better casino and sports book. The pub and all the shops to aria have been dry walled, so now it's just a long white hallway. No noticeable construction that I saw other than the pool area a couple weeks ago.

 

This. I walked by and through Monte Carlo multiple times this week while staying at Aria. (Both in front of it, on the Strip, and to it via this long white hallway). No noticeable construction annoyances, but that hallway is a blah, very non-Vegasy buzzkill.

That said, of those options my choice would be Monte Carlo, but I'm a center Strip guy.

 

I of course want to watch the superbowl and going out in a big way for the game if my team makes it will be a must. otherwise , we are not big gamblers... maybe a small amount here or there, but there won't be hours on end lengths of time spent on gambling.

Thanks a bunch for the replies . .

Keep 'em coming

 

I was just there to gamble and watch sports at the book...there was the closed off hallway so some of the bars/shops aren't there but nothing noticeable...I would 100% book monte carlo because if you want more options you can just take the tram to Aria/Bellagio and get anywere easily from there...you're looking at a long walk from signature...and like you said it would be worth it if you were going with your wife instead of another guy

 

I'd stay where you are, and it's not even close. For a "guys trip" Signature is great since they have the in-room kitchenettes so you can do snacks and drinks with ease. Then for the game you can't do much better than the Grand's sports book, or Mandalay Bay's is pretty close too. Lux and Ex and MC are really a major step down on room quality, plus all the construction at MC limits your options for food/bev. $112 for Super Bowl week is a great deal for Signature.

 

I played the Myvegas game and got 2 comp rooms at Monte carlo, just have to pay taxes for Feb visit.

 

taxes and resort fees!

 

i spent some time there last week... for lunch & minus5

i honestly didn't even see any construction going on and i drove there.

there is some stuff blocked off for upcoming eateries or stores but that was about it.

drove to the parking garage and didn't see any construction either

 

So I went completely out in left field and scored a deal on hotwire that wound up being the SLS. It was $42 a night with guarantee of a room of 2 beds. I am pretty satisfied with the deal and the property seems nice enough. I know the location is not ideal, but it does have a monorail stop and we are also renting a car. I am really hoping I didn't make a big mistake but we are saving about $350 total over what we were going to be spending before at Signature.

 

Renting a car you will be fine. Just watch out for the "other" guy. He drives erratically. But room guarantees.....just for grins, what does it say they will do if you arrive and there are no rooms per your request available?
Many tales of woe are on the board over this issue. Your reservation usually is just for a room itself it is reported.

 

The reservation specifically says "your room type us guaranteed" and they charged me a couple of extra dollars to choose 2 beds. Trust me when I say if I don't get what was guaranteed. I am not the type to accept it without putting up a serious fight. I hope there are no issues. I guess I will see.

You are right about drivers in Vegas being something to watch out for. I have driven there before. Although I don't know that anything tops Miami when it comes to bad pr aggressive drivers!

 

have since upgraded the MC reward to Aria 2 night

 

SLS used to be Sahara. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere (the empty Fontainebleau to the south, Resorts World construction at the old Stardust site across the street, along with the empty Frontier and Westward Ho lots, even Riviera is now gone) except for Circus CIrcus and Slots A Fun across the street.

I've rented cars while in Las Vegas and found them to be more of a nuisance than a convenience UNLESS you're making some long off-strip trips like Red Rock Canyon, Valley of Fire, Lake Mead. You can ride the monorail to Bally's for center strip access and to MGM for south strip access. Parking also isn't free everywhere anymore. http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-the-new-las-vegas-parking-fee-20160120-column.html

 

We are planning on taking some off-strip trips to VOF and possibly over to Hoover Dam. Definitely a big highlight for my brother to see since he has never been out west and is interested in seeing some nature. I also have MLife Gold and can snag free Valet at all MGM properties. I think I will be outta luck at others. I am not thrilled with the location. My wife and I went to Stratosphere once in 2014 just to see it at night, we got off the Deuce and I immediately felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. in that section of the strip. Hoping it isn't so bad with a monorail pass and the car for a trip downtown one night.

Does anyone know if I can take a big drink to walk with on the monorail? I know it's a no-no on the bus.

 

The north end of the strip (past Encore) is definitely weird, I've walked that stretch many times. It used to be all budget properties before Wynn was built. There was Stratosphere, Sahara, Circus Circus, Slots A Fun, Westward Ho, Stardust, Frontier and Riviera. Three of those places remain, the others are empty lots or under construction. Fontainebleau finished construction 3 or 4 years ago but has always been empty. Panhandlers and homeless troublemakers have crept south close to Encore whereas they used to stay north of Sahara Ave.

The monorail is fully automated and privately owned, it isn't a "city of" or government agency thing, so I expect you can bring drinks with you. You buy your ticket from a vending machine, the monorail car itself is computer controlled, there isn't a driver. This page http://www.urbanphotos.net/images/LVCD3/index29.html of my web site has three photos I shot of the monorail about 10 years ago, which was the only time I've ridden it. It's a fairly long walk from the monorail stations to the Las Vegas Blvd. sidewalk so I wouldn't use it for short trips like from Harrah's to Flamingo or Flamingo to Bally's.

 

Are they shutting down the pub at MC for good? That would be a bummer it's my favorite beer place.

 

Yes. It's gone for good.

I miss it too.

 

I'll third that.

It was a great place with a huge selection of draft beers. My only complaint about the place was the weird hours. It was closed on most days by 11; which shouldn't be in Vegas during peak seasons.

 

Was there a week ago and nothing much has chaneed since my last report. They have made the walkway to Aria much wider with more permanent walls and benches. If your didn't know the place before you'd barely know any construction was going on... for now at least.