My husband and I had the most amazing, budget friendly weekend in Las Vegas! Preparing for my upcoming 30th birthday, we went to celebrate and reconnect. It was so much fun! I found many great activities that were cheap or FREE that we really enjoyed!
Some good friends of ours, Jenn and BJ, met up with us and it was the best time I've had in ages! The weather was not what we expected, but luckily I brought a coat! :)
If you have plans to check out Las Vegas soon, here are some suggestions and ideas that might help keep it in your budget, while still allowing for a lot of fun!
The Mirage hotel and casino offers a fantastic Volcano eruption every half hour. Get your place early!!! It is a pyrotechnic extravaganza, set to exciting music. We could literally feel the heat on our faces of the flames shooting up and out!
There is also a FREE pirate show available at Treasure Island. We missed it because of high winds. **Warning: it is no longer a kid friendly show. It now features "Sirens," scantily clad performers. Grown up time only!**
Beautiful fountains and various water features make for great Kodak moments and most provide seating areas. A nice place to sit and rest from all the walking and enjoy some people watching. You see all kinds of people in Vegas! :)
At the Forum Shoppes (Ceaser's Palace) FREE light and water shows are featured at their water fountains. Check their website for details.
Dining options and deals abound in Vegas! Most hotels offer special discounts to guests, so be sure to check that out! There are also special times during the day when you can better deals on food. If you don't mind an early dinner, hit up the restaurant during "lunch time," aim for that very end of it, fill up (the portions are enormous!), take your time, and only pay the discounted lunch price! Then if you're still hungry at dinner time, that's a great time to munch on the snacks you should have brought along with you! :) **Get a room with a mini fridge if possible. You can stock up on snacks at a grocery store, even cook for yourself if there is a kitchenette (which ours had) and save lots of money!**
Don't forget to look online before you go to scout the best deals on the food you love, that way you'll be wandering around at lunch time and end up wasting money on the first thing you find! The money you save can be put toward entertainment! The options are of course endless!!!
A little something for everyone and every taste! And I really mean that! I recommend you check out the details of any show you plan to see, just to be sure it's your cup of tea. It may look kid friendly, but....... you don't want to have to explain weird things to the kids or your grandparents when you show up to something that wasn't quite what you planned on seeing! Now of course, if it's just you and your squeeze and you're into that kind of thing, there are plenty of options! Look online for the best deals. **Lots of shows will charge a service fee for over the phone payment. Be aware of added fees and find the most convenient, inexpensive way to secure your seat.**
We chose the Tournament of Kings at Excaliber hotel for our big splurge. With taxes and fees, we payed $137 for both of us to be entertained and dine medieval style. This show was lots of fun and at the low end of show prices in Las Vegas. You can pay up to $200 or more for just one ticket to some of the other shows.
We were well fed, with each of us receiving a complete Cornish hen, two potatoes, large spears of broccoli, a roll, some delicious soup, and a fabulous pastry for dessert. We had plenty of Pepsi to keep us awake and our thirst quenched. Plenty of other drink options were available. **Alcohol is available but not included in the original price.**
The service was fabulous, with friendly people and plenty of refills. They were very accommodating to my physical restrictions and we felt well treated. The entertainment was lovely, with bright lights, authentic jousting matches and plenty of pyrotechnics!
We only lost $3 to the slots, sticking with just the penny games. I made my first dollar last almost half an hour. Pretty proud of that. My second one went pretty quick. :( My hubby's dollar went in less than a minute. He didn't care to try again, but preferred to just watch me and share my excitement. **I highly recommend setting a limit for what you will gamble!! And bring it in cash! Leave the atm card elsewhere!!!!** It is fun entertainment. See it as that and you won't feel bad when the money is gone. Make sure someone else knows your budget that can help you stick to it.
We didn't even use most of our playtime money. We chose to spend it elsewhere and were totally content with that.
Some good friends of ours, Jenn and BJ, met up with us and it was the best time I've had in ages! The weather was not what we expected, but luckily I brought a coat! :)
If you have plans to check out Las Vegas soon, here are some suggestions and ideas that might help keep it in your budget, while still allowing for a lot of fun!
FREEBIES!
Circus Circus has several FREE shows in their Midway family area. Every 30 minutes, a different show is offered, ranging from acrobatics and trapeze, to clowns and magic. We thoroughly enjoyed this! While waiting in between shows, we enjoyed the many carnival games available in the Midway. I recommend the ones where it promises a winner every time. Most games cost $1 and there are several that are pretty easy. We enjoyed the races, balloon pop, and water smurf. It was nice to bring home all of our prizes for the kids.
**There is a seating area for the FREE shows available. It fills up really fast! You'll want to take your seat at least 20 minutes prior to show time!**
There is also a FREE pirate show available at Treasure Island. We missed it because of high winds. **Warning: it is no longer a kid friendly show. It now features "Sirens," scantily clad performers. Grown up time only!**
Beautiful fountains and various water features make for great Kodak moments and most provide seating areas. A nice place to sit and rest from all the walking and enjoy some people watching. You see all kinds of people in Vegas! :)
At the Forum Shoppes (Ceaser's Palace) FREE light and water shows are featured at their water fountains. Check their website for details.
Dining options and deals abound in Vegas! Most hotels offer special discounts to guests, so be sure to check that out! There are also special times during the day when you can better deals on food. If you don't mind an early dinner, hit up the restaurant during "lunch time," aim for that very end of it, fill up (the portions are enormous!), take your time, and only pay the discounted lunch price! Then if you're still hungry at dinner time, that's a great time to munch on the snacks you should have brought along with you! :) **Get a room with a mini fridge if possible. You can stock up on snacks at a grocery store, even cook for yourself if there is a kitchenette (which ours had) and save lots of money!**
Don't forget to look online before you go to scout the best deals on the food you love, that way you'll be wandering around at lunch time and end up wasting money on the first thing you find! The money you save can be put toward entertainment! The options are of course endless!!!
A little something for everyone and every taste! And I really mean that! I recommend you check out the details of any show you plan to see, just to be sure it's your cup of tea. It may look kid friendly, but....... you don't want to have to explain weird things to the kids or your grandparents when you show up to something that wasn't quite what you planned on seeing! Now of course, if it's just you and your squeeze and you're into that kind of thing, there are plenty of options! Look online for the best deals. **Lots of shows will charge a service fee for over the phone payment. Be aware of added fees and find the most convenient, inexpensive way to secure your seat.**
We chose the Tournament of Kings at Excaliber hotel for our big splurge. With taxes and fees, we payed $137 for both of us to be entertained and dine medieval style. This show was lots of fun and at the low end of show prices in Las Vegas. You can pay up to $200 or more for just one ticket to some of the other shows.
We were well fed, with each of us receiving a complete Cornish hen, two potatoes, large spears of broccoli, a roll, some delicious soup, and a fabulous pastry for dessert. We had plenty of Pepsi to keep us awake and our thirst quenched. Plenty of other drink options were available. **Alcohol is available but not included in the original price.**
The service was fabulous, with friendly people and plenty of refills. They were very accommodating to my physical restrictions and we felt well treated. The entertainment was lovely, with bright lights, authentic jousting matches and plenty of pyrotechnics!
We only lost $3 to the slots, sticking with just the penny games. I made my first dollar last almost half an hour. Pretty proud of that. My second one went pretty quick. :( My hubby's dollar went in less than a minute. He didn't care to try again, but preferred to just watch me and share my excitement. **I highly recommend setting a limit for what you will gamble!! And bring it in cash! Leave the atm card elsewhere!!!!** It is fun entertainment. See it as that and you won't feel bad when the money is gone. Make sure someone else knows your budget that can help you stick to it.
We didn't even use most of our playtime money. We chose to spend it elsewhere and were totally content with that.
To sum up, this was a much needed,
very much enjoyed,
fabulous and slightly frugal,
amazing weekend in
Las Vegas!
I am now ready to turn 30! ;)
Ok, so I am very jelous. I am also impressed with your planning and finding good deals! I am so horrible at planning and then we always end up spending way to much. The Excaliber looks way fun! I'm very happy you guys got some time away.
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