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Ten Things You Should NOT Do In Las Vegas

June 10, 2009 at 2:44 PM | by juliana | 13 Comments

You often hear of travel guides telling you about things that you must do or see when you are in Vegas but we're taking a different track here. Riffing off a list our friends at Concierge.com made about NY, we've put together a list of Ten Things You Should NOT DO in Vegas.

Yes, Vegas is the one last place in the free world where you can be drunk, provocative, loud, careless, lewd and possibly adulterous and yet your secrets are kept safe by the widely-shared promise that "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." But mistakes that either cost you a lot of money or a lot of your dignity are never fun.

Hopefully, our tips--garnered from personal experience--will help you on your next trip to Sin City. No need to thank us, we just want you to party with respect.

1. Use The Casino ATMs: Most casino ATMs charge anywhere from $2 - $6 (plus what ever your bank tacks on) for the pleasure of spitting out more money for you to lose.
Instead: Do yourself a favor and either bring plenty of cash, or hit the BofA and WaMu-Chase machines off the Strip.

2. Dress Slutty: Do not take your vacation in Vegas to wear the sluttiest outfit you owned 10 years ago or as an incentive to buy a new hoochie outfit from Forever 21 that doesn't quite cover all your bits and pieces. You will feel and look uncomfortable and thus end up drinking more to stifle the insecurity. And God knows what that could lead to.
Instead: Dress sexy (there's a difference) in something special. Maybe even get your hair did but don't wear anything that could get you mistaken for an escort. Also, if you plan on wearing something short just remember that when you're dancing atop the go-go boxes, people will take pictures.

3. Wear Painful Shoes: Do not wear your six-inch stilettos or brand new Italian leather loafers for a night out on the town. Vegas casinos are bigger than they appear and just walking from the Venetian to The Wynn can give you painful blisters.
Instead: Try to stick with 3-inches or shoes that you've worn before. Also, we live in an age where flat sandals are cute again. The only exception might be if you wear those dangerous shoes directly from your room to the nightclub inside your hotel.

4. Get Married at The Chapel of Love: The divorce rate in America is hovering at 50 percent and if you treat your wedding day like an order of burger and fries at drive-thru, then the odds of failure have to go through the roof.
Instead: While Vegas quickies are cheap (starting at $49) we say hit the craps table, make yourself 500 bucks and elope in Vegas with dignity at one of the many new or classic wedding spots like the Mandalay Bay or the famous Little White Wedding Chapel.

5. Choose the Cheapest Buffet in Town: Full Las Vegas buffet for $11 with over 50 items sounds almost too good to be true right? Well it is. How is the food? Here is the opinion of one web reviewer:

The "scrambled eggs" seemed to be made of water and reconstituted egg yoke which had separated after sitting in the bin.

And that's not all. This buffet serves thousands of people a day, which means not only can it get crowded, but it also can be teaming with kids. Kids are awesome and all, but a room full of hungry kids on vacation and a bit of a hangover don't always mix.
Instead: The Wynn Buffet is incredible. Or if you want classic yet cheap try the Flamingo. Another option? Denny's is right across the street.

6. Log-On In-room: Do not pay in-room internet charges. They are often too expensive (starting at $12.95) and the connection is never very good. Also, wireless is rare in-rooms meaning you have to use an ethernet cable.
Instead: Try to hit up these free WiFi spots.

7. Drink Before Your Massage: Sure, it sounds fun to spend the day by the pool drinking frozen daiquiris before heading off to an afternoon of relaxation at the spa but massages are not good for drunk people. The rub-downs release toxins from your body and take it from us, you WILL throw up.
Instead: Book a massage for mid-morning (provided you aren't too hungover from last night) which will loosen you up for the long day of drinking ahead.

8. See Criss Angel's Believe: You will want your money back and there's no way you can get it. Also, evil bunnies are scary.
Instead: If you want a Cirque experience, you can't go wrong with LOVE which is set to The Beatles music. For a more classic Broadway show experience with a little bit of goth, try The Phantom of The Opera.

9. Arrive at the Airport 30 Minutes Before Your Flight: Ok, maybe if you are a veteran you can pull this off. However, security lines in Vegas a legendarily long. Furthermore, once you check your bags and clear security there is a good chance you are going to have to hop on the monorail to get to your gate.
Instead: While the Strip is only about five minutes from the airport, allot yourself 1.5 hours to be assured you make your flight. Don't worry there are plenty of Wheel of Fortune slots in the terminal if you happen to breeze through the security and monorail hurdles.

10. Stay Up All Night Then Catch Your Flight: Don't party all night with the excuse that your flight is at 8am so you might as well stay up through the night. There is nothing worse than a crowded McCarran airport experience on a Sunday with a severe hangover. Not even the Oxygen bar in the Southwest terminal can revive you.
Instead: Book a night flight. That way you can continue the party on the plane.

Got your own list of things to not do in Las Vegas? Put 'em in comments below.

13 Comments

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  1. philadelphiaguy

    VegasChatter Member

    ha, great list!

    altho you forgot "wake up on someone's lawn five miles from the strip with nothing but your room key and a few wicked hickeys" :-/
    June 10, 2009 at 3:06 PM
  1. juliana

    VegasChatter Editor

    yowza

    that's pretty crazy! did the person who give you hickeys wake up next to you? i would also say anything that happened in The Hangover could be on this list.
    June 10, 2009 at 3:09 PM
  1. babysistah

    VegasChatter Member

    Don't buy a guitar-hero filled frozen drink

    Sure, 100 ounces for like $30 sounds like a GREAT deal...until you get brain freeze, nauseous, and end up throwing away 60 ounces worth of warmish blue slush.

    The only reason I would recommend this touristy gimmick is if you are planning on splitting it with five people and promise to take LOTS of pictures.

    Even then, be prepared to spend an hour (or however long it takes you to drink this concoction) away from the nice hotels.

    June 11, 2009 at 3:00 AM
  1. dlmarti

    VegasChatter Member

    Legal matters, inside Casinos

    If you have a legal matter inside a Casino, DO NOT contact Casino security.  Go directly to a phone and dial 911.

    Casino security is for the security and reputation of the Casino, and will do.... lets just say "bad things", in order to protect the Casino.

    Contact the police, and get out of there.

    June 11, 2009 at 7:23 PM
  1. TalGreywolf

    VegasChatter Member

    A totally true list

    On the ATMs issue - The 7-11 located between Planet Hollywood and the MGM Grand is probably the least expensive.  If you're on the Co-Op network, your withdraw fee is free.  Also, the Walgreen stores will sometimes allow you to withdraw up to $100 with a purchase, again with no fee.

    Internet services - The Imperial Palace has a weekly rate of $49 for wireless access the last time I stayed there.  The connectivity was very good, and given the weekly rate it's much better than the per-day rates.

    Cheap eats - Chipotle is by far the best place if you want something cheap and good for lunch.  And if you don't mind going off strip, there's plenty of nice places along Flamingo towards UNLV including Paymon's (a regular stop when I visit the city.)

    Avoid the slots in the airport.  The payouts are worse than Terrible's.  chuckle

    Avoid most all of the "small" places, like O'Shea's and Casino Royale.  Bill's Gamblin' Hall (formerly the Barbary Coast) isn't bad, but if you want to have a good time gambling, you want the relative peace and quiet of the larger places.  Also the small places play music far too loudly for my taste.

    June 11, 2009 at 7:34 PM
  1. shelby

    VegasChatter Member

    My 2 cents

    I cant say I fully agree with the Airport issue.  I have traveled in and out of Vegas many times before moving here and still continue to travel out of Vegas and have never had any lines that bad.  I honestly can say the airport security lines in Detroit or in Los Angeles are 10x worse than here in Vegas.

    BTW I saw Beatles Love a few weeks ago, great show and worth the money

    June 11, 2009 at 7:58 PM
  1. RedisGreeninVegas

    VegasChatter Member

    Great Tips

    Was in Vegas few weeks back and can definitely vouch for a lot of these.
    June 11, 2009 at 9:54 PM
  1. OgreMHDW

    VegasChatter Member

    Other Things Include...

    Going to the Las Vegas Zoo
    Running across Las Vegas Boulevard
    Finding a non-smoking casino
    June 13, 2009 at 7:15 PM
  1. tnsauerkraut

    VegasChatter Member

    flying out

    I strongly disagree with Number 10.  I have seen many, many people get denied boarding because they are drunk and could potentially be a safety risk on board a flight.  If you drink heavily before your flight, be prepared to be denied boarding.  And trying to continue the party on board the plane is just plain stupid.  When was the last time you saw a flight attendant allow that kind of behavior on a flight?
    September 18, 2009 at 5:20 AM
  1. Lord Lucan

    VegasChatter Member

    Other things include....

    • Believe the advertising cards that Pedro hands you outside the Flamingo...Consider the possibility that "Chantelle" and "Stephanie" will charge more than $49.99.

    • Try to explain that you'd accidentally put a $25 chip down instead of a $1 chip...as the croupier sweeps all of the losing bets off the Roulette table.
    September 28, 2009 at 11:06 AM
  1. Engbunny

    VegasChatter Member

    Don't eat at Diego in the MGM

    That was the WORST food I have ever had in my life.  Best food was at Emeril's Fish House, Delmonico's and Mesa Grill.  
    December 8, 2009 at 2:57 PM
  1. crashmld

    VegasChatter Member

    Monorail

    avoid the monorail unless u are staying in a hotel that has a station in it. it is almost cheaper to take a taxi from hotel to hotel than the monorail unless you want to walk a lot. i do agree with #8. i did not see Chris Angel but I did see Phantom and it was awsome.
    December 9, 2009 at 1:52 AM
  1. lu0911

    VegasChatter Member

    Don't Assume...

    bought a combination dinner/show ticket (dinner at the Mirage and Blue Man Group).  It was a good price and dinner was fine.  However, I assumed that non-alcoholic beverages were included with dinner. Way wrong!  $49 for beverages (water and coffee).

    What I learned:  ASK!

    December 17, 2009 at 11:34 AM

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