I plan to casino hop - playing a shoe or two and moving on to the next casino - what's the best way to move around? Rental car? Taxi? Free shuttles? Last time I was in AC I started walking because I got tired of paying for parking everywhere...
I plan to casino hop - playing a shoe or two and moving on to the next casino - what's the best way to move around? Rental car? Taxi? Free shuttles? Last time I was in AC I started walking because I got tired of paying for parking everywhere...
> I plan to casino hop - playing a shoe or two and
> moving on to the next casino - what's the best way to
> move around? Rental car? Taxi? Free shuttles? Last
> time I was in AC I started walking because I got tired
> of paying for parking everywhere...
You absolutely want a rental car in Las Vegas. They are cheap (I rarely pay much over $20/day for a midsize), and there is a brand-new rental car center at McCarran airport that makes getting in and out a breeze.
None of the strip or outlying casinos charge for parking, and the downtown joints are free with validation (get your ticket stamped, usually at a machine near the cashier). Even valet parking is free, although the valets expect a tip.
Cabs are expensive and the drivers are a bunch of crooks. Shuttles and buses just eat up too much time that could otherwise be spent at the tables.
I am constantly torn between whether to spend the dough on a car or not.
Some trips I just decide ahead of time to focus on the strip. I take one of the $6 "limos" (Grey Line, etc.) to my hotel and I walk or use the (gasp!) monorail with an occasional $10 cab at the end of a long night when I end up far from my hotel. I check all the limo stands to see which one is the soonest to depart for my casino of choice, then pray that I will not need to stop off at a dozen joints before reaching mine.
When I do plan for strip-trip, I usually stay at one end of the strip (like LVH or MGM) that has easy access to the monorail. I plan a morning loop from 8-noonish then repeat after the second shift arrives. I casino hop a LOT, playing only a few, (sometimes only one!) shoe or DD shuffle so can bet more aggressively. There are enough good games at the MGM end that I can play several hours this way. Sometimes I take the monorail to Harrah's, to play the games in that neighborhood including the Wynn.
At the end of my trip, I usually take a cab back to McCarron. For $15, I get dropped right at the front door. Cabs can be tough to find, though at certain busy times (late pm) and at certain busy hotels. My first trip to Vegas, I found myself in an hour long cab line, panicking that I would be late (I wasn't).
Alternately, sometimes I take the plunge and rent a car. On these trips, I make more of a conscious effort to go off strip, but I find that I may only do that once on a 3-4 day trip. There are lots of good games within 15 minutes. Heading off-strip is very enjoyable. There is a whole different vibe off-strip, but I find I stick out as a suspicious visitor a lot more. There seem to be a LOT of regulars (locals) at the off-strip stores, and my play seems to get a lot more scrutiny from the floor. It is worse for me because I can no longer use my players card at one of the off-strip chains, so the heat level is even more at those locations. I never go downtown, anymore. Lousy games, low stakes. Too bad.
I disagree with just about everyone on the convenience of the new rental center. I found it to be a very long ride from the airport and LESS convenient than the old system. As I recall, I had to drag my bags up 4-5 stairs, with I thought was ridiculous for a newly designed state of the art rental center.
Having a car gives you 100% freedom to go where you want, obviously. Parking is easy--I particularly like NYNY and Wynn. Venetian is not bad. All free, of course. I rarely ever valet. It is nice to have a car to leave a few personal effects (players cards, CBJN, etc.) hidden in the trunk or or glove box--things I would rather not have on my person if ever hassled.
Traffic is an issue. If you are going to be playing on a weekend evening, you probably won't be driving. And if you like to drink even a little bit, well, need I say more. Otherwise, you can get around OK. I do like having a car so I can get to In-N-Out Burger at least once(when are they going to open one on the strip?!). I also have GPS which simplifies getting from one place to the next. If you don't have one of these, you will probably spend time backtracking after taking a wrong turn unless you know the roads really well-and since you are asking about it, I assume you don't.
I have never found a car for $20/day, but I would say that is about the most I spend when I DON'T have a car, so maybe the cost is a wash.
Bottom line for me:
1. If you are going off-strip, get a car (duh!).
2. If you are renting a car, be sure to go off strip at least once!
3. If you are staying on the strip, you don't need a car, in my opinion, but if you take 3-4 cabs a day, it would be cheaper to rent.
Have you ever compared your hours of play for a trip with a car and without?
Parking in Las Vegas (self park or valet) often involves quit a bit of walking to get to desirable games. If you are concentrating on a particular area (the south Strip for instance) walking with the free trams and possibly the monorail may not cost you much time over driving. On a weekend night you can often walk faster than the traffic on the Strip. Walking outside can clear your mind between games.
> I have never found a car for $20/day, but I would say
> that is about the most I spend when I DON'T have a
> car, so maybe the cost is a wash.
Get yourself to priceline.com. I have never paid more than $15 (excluding taxes) for a rental car in Las Vegas. There are often specials to be had on the rental car companies' web sites.
> Have you ever compared your hours of play for a trip
> with a car and without?
No hard data, but the comparison is a little bit apples-oranges. When I have a car, I end up going off-strip more. After driving 15-20 minutes to get to a casino, I usually try to play in a way that I can camp out there for at least a couple of hours. So I end up spreading less, but playing longer.
With no car, I hit and run a lot--playing less per store, but still getting lots of hours on the strip (I don't backcount much) and spreading a lot more.
I think my win rate ($/day) is actually better on the strip, but there are so many factors to consider--heat, comps, game quality, time of day--I guess if this were easy, everyone would be doing it!
> Get yourself to priceline.com. I have never paid more
> than $15 (excluding taxes) for a rental car in Las
> Vegas. There are often specials to be had on the
> rental car companies' web sites.
Great tip--I have never used Priceline, but will give that t a shot!
> Have you ever compared your hours of play for a trip
> with a car and without?
> Parking in Las Vegas (self park or valet) often
> involves quit a bit of walking to get to desirable
> games. If you are concentrating on a particular area
> (the south Strip for instance) walking with the free
> trams and possibly the monorail may not cost you much
> time over driving. On a weekend night you can often
> walk faster than the traffic on the Strip. Walking
> outside can clear your mind between games.
> Get yourself to priceline.com. I have never paid more
> than $15 (excluding taxes) for a rental car in Las
> Vegas. There are often specials to be had on the
> rental car companies' web sites.
1. I notice that Priceline has Payless Rental cars for $16/day at the airport. Are these cars reliable?
2. If the rental car pickup location is not at the airport, do they have a shuttle to get you there?
Thanks.
> 1. I notice that Priceline has Payless Rental cars for
> $16/day at the airport. Are these cars reliable?
Yes, I use Payless every time I go to LV. I don't understand how they can undercut all the other companies by so much, but they're as good as anyone else and are the cheapest.
> 2. If the rental car pickup location is not at the
> airport,
It's not; it's off-site, in a brand-new building and location, a few miles away.
>Do they have a shuttle to get you there?
A million of them lined up outside the door, downstairs.
Don
I've never used Payless. I use the bid feature on priceline and I have received Alamo rentals on my last two trips for $14 or $15 a day. Prices can vary quite a bit with Priceline. It looks like Payless might be a good option. I believe all the major rental companies are at the rental car center and, as Don wrote, there are frequent shuttles.
I have used Payless several times and was quite satisfied. Their cars seem to be a year or two older and a little higher mileage than the other rentals, but still clean and perfectly serviceable.
I love the new rental car center at McCarran. There is a single facility for all the major rental agencies a few miles from the airport, and a single shuttle service for all the agencies. This means that a shuttle leaves the terminal about every 5 minutes.
It also means that you do not have to fight the airport traffic when returning the rental car.
Hopefully, other airports are paying attention.
Either I was not paying attention or they changed the rules recently. I rent a car about 4-5 times per year and recently 'Budget' told me that yes, my full coverage insurance pays for any damages all right BUT if/when the car is in the body shop, I'm still liable for the rental days it's out of service. Of course with their per diem insurance, I'm not.
Is that universaly true?
Thanks.
You should check with your full insurance provider. If you rent with a visa card with CDW coverage, you should be covered for charges when the vehicle is in the shop or at least that is my reading of the rules. This is from the Visa site.
"Subject to the terms and conditions in this Guide to Benefit, Visa Auto Rental CDW reimburses you for covered damage or theft to a rental vehicle while it is your responsibility as well as valid administrative and loss-of-use charges imposed by the auto rental company and reasonable towing charges."
My local auto insurance covers the use of rental cars and specifically includes "payment for claims made by rental companies for loss of rental income".
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