I've never seen or bought them there, but that's all I got

Update: Olde Skool phone call to the Mirage box office worked to get the tickets I wanted. Yay phone!

"Valet" it with the bellhop.

Going back to Vegas in just a few days, can't wait! It will be my second trip and I have a question regarding food. Can anyone recommend some places on the strip where I can grab a good healthy cheapish lunch? Same goes for dinner actually, any recommondations for a low budget dinner?

Yeah, read the Casual Dining thread.

How many days/weeks in advance should one book hotel rooms in vegas to get a good price?

I've been considering going for the first time in mid september but since last week all the prices have gone up significantly. should i book ASAP because it will only go up?

right near the day of your stay (like 96 hours or less), i have found that on high volume/demand days, especially weekends, prices tend to go up . On low volume days, they just tend to stay the same. It is almost always worthwhile to book a week or so in advance because of this. It is quite uncommon for prices on a room for a specific day to go down in the last week before that day.

farther out than that, its hard to tell... the price could go up or down or both before the time of your stay. Of course, you could use something like travelocity that has a price match guarantee. the only exception to this would be super high volume days like july 4 or new years... just go ahead and book them as far out in advance as you can -- theyre not going to get cheaper.

It's basically a moot point, since all you have to do is book and then monitor. If the price drops, rebook. Just be careful of third-party sites and read the rules about cancellations.

All of them.

Like eco says, book it directly with the hotel far in advance to lock in price. They'll charge you first night on your CC but you get it back if you cancel. Then check for better deals every couple weeks until a couple weeks prior to the trip, then check more often. Rebook however often if the price drops. Sometimes prices plummet the week prior when the hotels figure out they aren't going to be full, sometimes they skyrocket when they figure out they're going to sell out.

ok thank you guys, wasn't really aware that you can always cancel without charge. so i have been doing it wrong...

I am going to LV with a friend of mine. We want to stay for 11 days and I just checked Totalrewards and I have 5 nights for free (first three and last two).

We are playing semi-low stakes I guess (I am platinum though). Does it make sense to book all 11 nights in advance or should we only book like first 5 nights and then ask for free rooms for the last few days when they see that we are gambling here and there?

Last time I stayed at IP for 16 days (beat) I just asked at the Planet Hollywood desk if I can get a free room there for the last 6 days and it was no problem...

If your play warrants it, its just as easy to ask for an adjustment at the end of the stay as it is to ask for free rooms in advance. And my feeling is youll be more successful with the former strategy (this only applies tpo asking for **** that the computer system isnt automatically giving you).

That said, did you put your buddies TR number in for the stay too? (theres a place to do that when you book)... even if he has very little play, it might be enough to get you a slightly better deal.

Ok cool, didn´t know that you could ask for better room rates at checkout. Last time I only asked them if they could delete my internet fee (I think) from the bill.

My friend doesn´t have a TR number, he has never been to the US at all.

Wrong wrong wrong. After youve already stayed and paid its much harder to get charges taken off. Believe me.

Ugh ok... just booked for 11 days through the TR site

So the best play now is to go to the desk after 2-3 days and ask for more comped nights/better rates or free buffets?

When do they take the money from the creditcard btw? They didn´t charge anything as of now...

edit: Just read that they charge at check-in...

If your play warrants it, they will comp/adjust when you check out.

If your play may not warrant it, your only shot at getting comped is asking in advance.

Still a pretty good chance that when you ask, they'll tell you to bill everything you can to the room and ask again when you check out.

Is the MAGIC show worth crashing? Would I be able to score some free clothing?

All other things being equal, its worthwhile to at least try before hand to get more of the nights comped.

However, all other things are not equal since waiting to try to get more free nights would involve waiting to book your room until you are actually there. CET properties especially tend to be hair trigger pricewise as a date approaches. Trying to book the non-free nights only a day or two in advance versus now might well double their price.

With no host and a moderate amount of play, OP has practically a zero shot at getting his rate adjusted more than the computer has already done it at a CET property prior to his stay. Even if waiting until after his stay/booking means that slim chance goes to zero, its still not worth it to risk the extra he would be paying in the likely event that CET had already given him as much as they were willing to.

Hey Guys,

I’m planning on living in Vegas for 6 months starting in January.

I’m planning on staying at Holiday royale and grinding 2/5 (maybe higher if I run well).

My BR is approx. 10k but I was wondering, how safe is it to be walking to and from Holiday royale with 1k+ in your pocket?

How safe am I keeping money in my room? Can I open a bank account when I’m there?
I bank with TD Canada trust which is a sister company of TD Ameritrade. Can I go to Ameritrade and deposit/withdrawal from them?

How hard will it be to bring back 30k+? Can I wire it? Should I just carry it back over the border and declare it and tell them I won playing poker in Vegas?

There was a very detailed thread about Holiday Royale in this forum that had a lot of the info you're looking for from people who had stayed there long term. It actually sounded a lot better than I would have guessed. You should be able to find that thread with the search. Should be a fun 6 months, good luck!

I think there should be no problem opening a bank account. I understand You could also get a box at your favorite Casino. I have no idea what Ameritrade is but I found that there is one in Sumerlin thats a suburb a long way from where you will be staying. Try Wells Fargo see what they can with TD Canada. Maybe set up an account with one of the major Canadian banks like HSBC. There is a limit on the amount you can bring across the boarder without declaring it. I think its around 25K (but maybe 50K). Just declare it and you will probably be fine. To be certain just keep good records of your winnings. As you know winnings by gambling are not taxable in Canada so I would definitely keep good records should boarder patrol become interested and you need proof that it was from winnings. If I were you I would become familiar with Canadian laws and not take mine or others word on this.

BMO has a branch thats kind of on your way to the strip (its on howard hughes parkway). I am not sure if you can still withdrawal from your canada BMO account in a us bmo branch, but I am 100% sure that it won't work with TD. You can do basically nothing with a TD account at an ameritrade branch. That said, i would go for a box... theyre relatively easy to get this time of year.

I would not keep a significant amount of cash in my room at HR. The walk isnt incredibly unsafe to the HR, but doing it with your whole roll sems to be tempting fate.

re declaring cash at the border -- its 10K at least on our side and you have to declare it coming and going.. even if youre not quite there, declare it. Or potentially enjoy trying to get it back from uncle sam for the next 6 months.

Its easier to carry it accross than it is to wire it. Just declare, you don't have to pay taxes on it or anything. If youre sweating getting it confiscated, buy travelers checks. You still have to declare them, but if they get taken by customs you can get them replaced for free.

Any recommendations for best bum hunting (i.e which casinos) the pool players in town atm?

Thanks for this, I appreciate it.

Would it make sense to go to BMO or some bank, buy Travelers Cheques, and then mail them to my home address? That way I wouldn’t have to declare anything at the border. I understand I’m probably good to go with just declaring it. But as you said, I’m sweating the possibility of confiscation.

I only had trouble one time crossing the border from Las Vegas into Canada, but I only lived in Canada for 6 months. The trouble I had was that I kept my money in a neck bag under my shirt. The border cops noticed the bulge and took me to a side room, where I was obliged to hand them the bag and watched them count the money. It was returned and on I went. So declare it and don't hide anything ad you'll be fine. I wouldn't sweat the possibility of confiscation. For after all .... all Canadians are honest.