I received the following question from a forum member and thought that my answer may benefit others with children of a similar age. Please feel free to chime in if you have something beneficial to the topic.
"I read your post on Vegas trip...do you mind breaking down on a personal level for me more about circus circus, the places you ate at, things to do for my boy to keep him entertained, best time to go, prices of stuff, car rental...I like the mcdonalds you mentioned as he likes to go to the indoor playground now and eats chicken nuggets
I'll also like to take him to grand canyon if possible for photo ops
In otherwords....your personal review / suggestions pros and cons is what am looking for please."
1-Circus Circus:
If you've got young children anchored to you and decide to come to LV, CC is a good option for you. Those that are budget concious may also consider staying here. However, if you are an adult and crave a more up scale and sophisticated experience, then I'd suggest staying somewhere mid Strip. Since CC is family oriented, you will find kids everywhere except in the gaming areas. Note that children must stay on the walkways and keep moving while walking through the casinos and they are not even allowed to watch.
After you land and pick up the rental car, you may want to go to Walmart or Target to pick up a case of bottled water if you are going to be in town when it is hot. Walgreens, ABC and CVC stores on the strip also sell water by the case as well.
There are a few room categories to consider ranging from the motel style manor to their top of the line rooms in the main casino tower. We opted to stay in the main casino tower rooms since they have been renovated and the price differential per night between it and the one lower tier west tower rooms was about the price of a large Frappacino. We went in August, which is usually a cheaper time to go as it is as hot as hell, and paid about $39 per night before taxes. We would have preferred going in early summer but my wife's work schedule did not permit this. For reference, the lowest category manor rooms were about $25 per night but I would suggest not staying in those rooms since they are not as nice and in a separate building away from the casino and kid's areas. The pool, however, is very close to the manor rooms. At times, you can see families crossing the road that separates the main building from the manor/pool area. Personally, we have not experienced the pool here.
Our main casino tower room was spacious and refurbished and was well worth the price paid. The view was nothing too spectacular and we had a view mainly to the west. The bathroom was not luxurious but functional and the water pressure from the shower head was excellent. Noise isolation was good in the room area but in the bathroom, you could hear the toilet flush in the adjacent room. As a bonus, no screaming kids or babies were heard for the duration of our stay and the wait times for elevators were usually less than a minute. During peak times, elevator waits were also minimal. The only issue was Wifi as it was good one day and then horrible the next.
The food choices vary. There is a Krispy Kreme, their famous steak house, and a their infamous buffet in the same walkway area off the main casino elevators. Kids and pizza usually go together and there is a pizzeria hidden off the main walkway to your left if you are walking towards the front of the hotel. I've eaten at their upscale steakhouse in the past and would do it again. The food here was excellent with prices reflecting the quality and nothing like the other food available at this property. If the decision is made to eat here, look to spend at least US$130 per couple.
Their buffet is a mixed bag, very basic but not as bad as some of the reviews say it is. Don't come here if you are used to dining at Wynn, Cosmo, or Bacchanal quality. We only had breakfast here this time around but did enjoy the made to order omelette station and other basic breakfast items like eggs, ham, waffles, sausage, egg varieties, etc. In the hot food section, they also featured a Mexican and Chinese station for those of you who like more international flare at breakfast. Salads, deserts, fresh fruit and other cold food items were also present. A kids section with pizza, fries, mac and cheese, and corn dogs, etc was also available . Drinks here are self service and there is a good selection of juices, soft drinks, and hot beverages. Kids under 4 eat free. Prices for adults are $14.99 and $8.99 for kids over 4.
On the promenade level up the escalators from the main walkway you will find the Adventure Dome, various casual eating establishments as well as shops for souvenirs. We were going to eat at the Garden Grill but it was closed so we opted to drive about 10 min to In and Out burger on W.Sahara Ave instead. 2 double double combos animal style with fries and drink was around $13 including 8.1% sales tax.
The Adventure Dome is basically an indoor amusement park. Check out the height restrictions before purchasing tickets or all day ride passes. There are 2 categories for their all day pass based on heights over and under 48 inches. We also had a coupon for a few dollars off the price for an all day pass. Coupons may be given at check in, found in your room, or in various tourist magazines. Games of skill with the prospect of winning a prize averaged from $1 to $2 per transaction.
Above the casino near the front of the complex is where you will find the midway and free circus acts. The midway is mostly like a giant video arcade and games area like a cross between a Gameworks and a Chuck E Cheese. There are also "win a prize" type games mostly for $1 per play. Other games of skill like skee ball, mini basketball, and throw a ball and hit a target type games will dispense tickets based on your results. You can then claim these tickets for prizes.
Depending on the time, free circus acts will also be performing. There is a seating area or you can just stand around to view the show. We were treated to a Cirque de Soleil like performance featuring an acrobat doing tricks on a long floor to ceiling piece of fabric.
There are 2 McDonalds nearby with one onsite in the midway and the other one next door. I opted to go to the one next door to the hotel and brought breakfast for the family back to the room. To minimize your exposure to the heat, walk out the door that leads you to Slots of Fun and go through that casino, turn right, and you are at McD. It's quite busy in the morning but you shouldn't have to wait very long.
If you have a stroller, you may want to park on the ground level in the under covered area. The parkades at CC are a bit run down and have large speed bumps and pot holes that may make navigating with a stroller more difficult. Their parkade elevators are also a bit dirty, and slow moving. If you enter on the ground floor from the parking lot, it will take you into the lobby and you can get to anywhere from that point.
While you are in the lobby, have a look at the Tix 4 Tonight discount ticket counter to see if any shows interest you. Tournament of Kings at the Excalibur may suit your needs or one of the afternoon shows like Mac King (magic), or Jeff Civillico (comedy. stunts). My boy wanted to see Blue Man Group or a Cirque show like Mystere, but we didn't have enough time because of our side trip to the Grand Canyon.
2- Car Rental
We rented from Dollar and they are located the consolidated rental facility. To get to your rental car, hop onto a marked shuttle bus just outside the baggage claim area. Note that some of the lesser known companies like Fox Rent a Car are not found inside the consolidate rental facility and that you will have to take another shuttle from the rental building to their depot. The base rate to rent a car may be low, but there are many other fees and taxes that are tacked onto your rental agreement as shown.
Currency: U.S. DOLLAR
Rate Code: WEBD3
Your Rate: 4 Days at $12.00 per day. Unlimited mileage. 2 Extra Hours at $2.04 per hour.
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Base Rate: $52.08
Charges:
Airport Access Fee: $5.96
Facility Charge: $18.75
Rental Tax: $10.11
State Tax: $6.83
Vehicle License Fee: $7.50
I reserved a mid sized car directly from their website - Dodge Avenger or similar and drove away in a Kia Sportage. The people in charge of the cars in the garage will have the power to give you whatever vehicle they have available if there are not enough cars. I once reserved a compact car and came out of the lot with a mini van. Most of the time, I don't get the category of car I reserved and get upgraded to whatever else they have. No matter the category of vehicle you get, always look around the car for any damage and tell the attendant if needed. It's dark in the car area but it may also be a good idea to take a few pictures of the vehicle while still at the facility just in case.
The rental agents are always looking for extra commissions so make sure you check your home auto insurance or credit card to see if it will cover rentals. If they see you are with a family, they will always try to upsell you on a larger car, GPS, fuel, or extra insurance. They also ask you if it is your first time and if so, they try to scare you into buying extra insurance for theft, flat tires, etc. With insurance, do what makes you feel comfortable, but I never buy any of their coverage.
Milage is unlimited and we drove the SUV all the way to the Grand Canyon and back. On one tank of gas, we drove from LV to Seligman, Az for a pit stop, then to Williams, Az to drop off our bags at the hotel. The tank was not empty, but I filled up in Williams before driving another hour north to the Grand Canyon.
After returning your rental car with a full tank of gas, make sure to get on the correct bus. Busses go to Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 depending on your airline. There is no longer a Terminal 2 as of this posting.
3-Food
My boy isn't a picky eater so we had the freedom to go anywhere we wanted as long as kids were welcomed.
We ate at the following restaurants in Las Vegas:
--McDonalds for breakfast as mentioned
--Circus Circus breakfast buffet as mentioned
--In and Out burger (dinner) as mentioned
--Bacchanal buffet: (late lunch) expensive even with TotalRewards card at $35 per adult, $20 per child, $116.15 after tax($7.29) and automatic tip ($18.89); went at 3pm, ate slowly, and waited for the change over to dinner; basically paid the lunch price for dinner.
--Aria buffet (lunch): good variety and quality, not as lavish as Paris, Bellagio, Wynn, Bacchanal, etc.
--Bellagio buffet (dinner): this was a bit of a disappointment as the quality does not match the price. Our meals were comped but I would be very disappointed if I was actually paying. I would not eat here again until they improve the quality. They did have steak tartar and raw tuna cones here though.
--Lotus of Siam (dinner): Thai food, make a reservation a week before coming to ensure getting a table during peak times; 4 dishes, 2 Thai iced teas was about $88 before tip, left completely stuffed
4-Grand Canyon, Seligman, Williams, Bearizona
Our drive to the Grand Canyon had a couple of rest stops along the way in Seligman and Williams. The total drive time to the Grand Canyon with lunch and rest stops factored in was about 6 hours. Of note was the dropping temperatures as we drove east. Las Vegas was about 105 F when we left and only in the mid 70's for most of the journey to the Grand Canyon. August is also what a local called "their monsoon season". While driving to the Grand Canyon, we experienced light rain, occasional thunder and lightening but the weather was good for most of the time while in Arizona.
The first leg was Las Vegas to Seligman, Az. My boy was getting hungry again so we made a pit stop at the local A&W, which was located inside a massive convenience store/gas station along Route 66. It sold Route 66 souvenirs, food, and other items road trippers would require. The town of Radiator Springs from the Disney movie Cars was also partly inspired by Seligman as it suffered a downturn in visitors and business due to the construction of the I-40 replacing Route 66 as the main road in and out of town. In the dining area of the A&W, the Cars theme is reflected in character decals decorating the walls that my boy enjoyed while eating there. As a huge fan of the movie, Cars, he was very excited to see this relationship between the movie and real life.
The second leg took us from Seligman to Williams, the self proclaimed "Gateway to the Grand Canyon". We stayed at the Ramada just off the I-40 freeway thanks to a steep discount from Priceline. It's walking distance to a Jack in the Box, Pizza Hut, KFC, Taco Bell (same lot as the hotel) and across the street from a gas station. About a mile south of the hotel, the main business area of Williams is centered on both the east bound and west bound lanes of old Route 66. Williams historic significance stems from the fact that it was the last town to be bypassed by the I-40 freeway before Route 66 was decommissioned. You will find diners, motels, souvenir shops and other businesses celebrating it's association with Route 66 and it's history. Those looking to take a train to the Grand Canyon can also start their journey here.
The final leg to the Grand Canyon carried us from Williams to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the drive was about an hour. The freeway is mostly one lane with passing lanes every few miles or so. About 10 minutes or so before you hit the main entrance to the park, you will drive through the town of Tusayan, where the regional airport is located. There is a dusty old looking Flintstones park and a plane museum you may want to visit in this town along with various places to eat. There is also an Imax movie theatre in town. We only grabbed a snack on the run at Burger King and didn't stop here for anything else. The lightening strikes on route from Williams were quite spectacular and it also started to rain. Luckily, the clouds parted when we got to the entrance. Admission was free that day as it was National Parks Day. $25 saved!! Being a long standing member of RFD, free admission was no coincidence as we had planned to hit the park on that day.
Visiting the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is quite easy as it is connected by a bus system. Strollers, however, have to be folded up before the bus starts moving. In non peak times during other parts of the year, you can also drive your own vehicle along some parts of the bus route but during the busy season, it was buses only for some of the roads. Different areas/routes of the park have different bus colour codes. From the visitor's center, we had to transfer on to 2 lines in order to get to the farther viewing areas. There is no standing permitted on the buses so there might be a wait in order to get on your desired bus. This was the situation at the transfer point from the blue line (Village Route) to the red line (Hermit's Rest Route), which took you out to the more distant viewpoints. Remember to bring a water bottle and fill it up at the many water stations as bottled water is not sold at the Grand Canyon since they want to eliminate another form of potential garbage.
With children in tow, it is important to know where they are at all times while visiting the Grand Canyon (especially at the farther viewing areas) as there are no safety railings in some parts along the walking paths.
Food is available in many places along the blue route (Village Route). We had a reasonably priced dinner at the cafeteria style restaurant at Maswik Lodge. I had the meatloaf dinner with bun, potatoes, veggies, and gravy for around $10. Wifey had 2 slices of pizza for $5 and the kid's mac and cheese was less than $4. Drinks were about $2 to $3 per person depending on the beverage. Soft drinks had unlimited self service refills and there were take out boxes for your leftovers.
Make sure you bring a flashlight with you just in case you need light. For a major attraction, I'm surprised it wasn't lit better in the parking lots and main walking trails. It was pitch black when we got back to the visitor's center parking lot and you could not see anything infront of you without a flashlight. Luckily, our car was parked in the first row near the bus stop and we used our cell phone's as flashlights. The bus stop area by the visitor's center was lit but as you walked towards parking lots A, B and C, it just got completely dark.
I would have liked to stay the night at the Grand Canyon, but all the hotels were full except a few high end rooms and suits that were in excess of $350 a night so Williams, Az with a deal from Priceline was more to my liking. I waited too long to book a room here so I was penalized by having to find a discounted room in Williams. Also of note is that many of the rooms at the Grand Canyon do not have air conditioning but since it is cooler at such a high elevation, A/C is usually not needed according to those I spoke to. Weather is a bit unpredictable here, so bring a jacket since it can get cold and breezy even in the summer months. As mentioned earlier, August is their "monsoon" season and there will be the possibility of rain and thunder storms.
For those of you into photography, a small lightweight tripod may help when there are not may people around to help you take a family photo. The farther out you go, the fewer people are around so in our case it was really helpful. With a tripod, I could compose the shot to my liking before I took the picture via remote control. Since I was lacking a portable solution, I ordered a carbon fibre Manfrotto BeFree tripod from Amazon and had it delivered to the UPS store at the Flamingo hotel in LV. They charge whopping $8 to receive it.
Grand Canyon Summary of Things to Bring:
1-jacket
2-sunscreen
3-water bottle
4-flashlight
5-hat (optional)
6-tripod (optional)
After breakfast at the local Jack in the Box and checking out of the Ramada the next morning, we went to Bearizona, a wildlife/bear viewing park on the outskirts of Williams: it's a 2 part experience. After paying your admission, remain in your car and they give you this GPS enabled talking box that narrates your journey though the wildlife areas. Each section will feature different types of animals. Think of this as a self guided North American safari in your rental car. You can open your window in certain areas but you must close them when you are in the bear and wolf enclosures. After your car safari, you can do part 2 of the Bearizona experience which involves parking your car and visiting their zoo, where you will find different types of bears in open viewing/living areas, a petting zoo, and other assorted animals. The bear cubs are the most interesting to see here since they like to run up and down the trees. The bear cubs also huddle together, which made it easier to take photos of them in the background. There was also a "birds of prey" show but we didn't see that. Low on energy once more, we had lunch here where hot dogs, chips, soda and juice made their way into our bodies.
Now a 4 hour drive back to LV.
5- Other kid friendly or free activities in LV
--Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
--Volcano eruption at Mirage
--Bellagio Fountains
--Secret Garden of Siegfried and Roy ($)
--Children's Museum ($)
--M&M World ($ if you buy something)