Planning trip to Las Vegas

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Everydaymatters said:
I think I could overnight in Kingston and Greyhound from there to Las Vegas.
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You could overnight it in Flagstaff, AZ to see the Canyon and then Greyhound it from there to Las Vegas, NV. It's about a six hour trip from there on the Dog and they offer a few trips with more convenient hours than the lone Amtrak connection from Flagstaff to Vegas via Kingman.
 
GG-1 said:
Why not combine your desire to see the grand canyon with a connection at Williams and ride the Grand Cayon train.
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Here's a little tidbit I wrote on this forum in the past regarding my thoughts on the Grand Canyon Railway:

The Grand Canyon Railway leaves Williams, AZ at 10:00am and arrives at the Grand Canyon at 12:15p. It then leaves the Canyon at 3:30p and arrives back into Williams at 5:45p.
After being used to Amtrak I found the steam train to be annoyingly slow and the ride was not all that scenic. The staff on the train was superb but the train was crowded and overpriced. The GC Railway will sell you a bus tour w/ lunch to take up your time once you're up at the Canyon; it is okay but nothing special.

I think Open Road Tours' own tour directly from Flagstaff is the best bargain and will allow you to see more and better parts of the canyon. However, if you choose to try the GC Railway steam train, Open Road tours has a shuttle that will take you from Flagstaff to Williams to catch the train (a 30 minute ride scheduled specifically to meet the train there) and has a convenient return shuttle from Williams Depot back to Flagstaff's downtown at the Amtrak Station.
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Aloha

jccollins has given an understandable reason to not like the Grand canyon RR but if you want to check them out here is there site

I needed to get home to look up the address.
 
Thanks to all!

Yes, I do want to see the Grand Canyon. I had planned to take a tour there from LasVegas, but in reading yours posts, it would probably be better to take it before I go to Vegas.

The birthday party in Las Vegas is on a Saturday evening, so that's the only rigid thing on the calendar. Any other days are open to whatever.

The hotel rates in Vegas are higher on Fridays and Saturdays.

Because I'm semi-retired, I try to save money any way I can. This trip will take place in October. I have found in the past that by booking ahead I can get better rates for Amtrak, airlines, cruise ships, hotels, etc. That's why I'm planning so far in advance.

Gosh, my brain is fried trying to think of the best, and cheapest, way to do this. I wish I could just give this problem to someone else and let them figure it out. :(
 
Everydaycounts,

I read your posts with interest, and realise that I have a similar habit when trying to get a bargain, of loosing sight of the original objective, and trying to cram too much in for the price!

I advise you to decide a) do you realy want to go on this trip, B) how much are you prepared to spend on the basic trip, c) do you want to afford extra for side trips, etc.

It will cost you $110 to $125 a (weekend) night to stay in a reasonable Vegas hotel in October, you know your own budget, it might be better to simply stick to plan 1 and pay the extra for friday night!

Ed.
 
You're right, Ed. It always works best for me if I stick to the original plan. I always try to change it and get so bogged down in details that I can't see the forest through the trees!

I do want to go to LasVegas.

I do want to go to the Grand Canyon.

I do have train reservations to LasVegas via Kingman.

I'll arrive in LV 3 a.m. Saturday morning.

I'll leave LV 10 p.m. Monday night.

I'll stick with what I have and try to work it all out from there.
 
My friend and I, just returned from this backward trip last week.

As recommended by an Albuquerque Amtrak ticket agent,we took the Southwest chief as far Kingman.We decided at his suggestion not to take the shuttle but to book a night at the Quality Inn ($63) and rent a car from Hertz the next day solving both our early check in problem and the

Vegas transportation one.

The #3 arrived a little late but as soon as we stepped off the train the nice hotel van driver was right there to pick us up.

After staying the night, resting and having a full breakfast included in the price, the lady who runs the Hertz at the airport came and picked us up

and we drove the rest of the way (a little less then 2 hours)

to Vegas ,in time for check in.

On the way back,we stopped in Laughlin.Laughlin is only about 40 mins from Vegas so we turned the car in mid day and went back to the Quality Inn to wait for the #4s 2am arrival.

Since we would not be staying for breakfast this time the rate was cheaper.Allowing us to enjoy one last day of vacation in a retro style route 66 motel with a beautiful desert view,a huge pool ,hot tub,sauna, laundry and the main freight lines right behind.

This hotel staff works closely with the train crews so there was no guessing or waiting in the dark for a late train.

The train was running about 45 mins late so we rested until about 30 minutes prior to our departure when the van driver called us and picked up us up at our room.After about a 5 minute drive we were at the station and about 8 minutes later the train was there to .

It was totally simple and I will be doing it again really soon
 
Have just been reading various replies. I work at Grand Canyon Village. You could get off the train at Flagstaff and take Open Road Tours up to the Canyon for a sidetrip and then return to Flagstaff and then continue from Las Vegas to Flagstaff via Greyhound, perhaps arranging to arrive at a more convenient time. ( Amtrak stops at Flagstaff, Williams, and Kingman. Open Roads also stops at Williams enroute to GC. Greyhound does not stop at Williams anymore. ) Hope this is a tad bit useful.
 
This trip keeps getting more and more complex.

I called my neice, who lives in L.V., and asked for a recommendation for a hotel. She wants me to stay with her. So now there's a whole new aspect to this trip. If she doesn't have stairs in her house, I'll stay with her and get to know her kids. (I can't do stairs and I forgot to ask if she was on 1 or 2 levels).

While staying with her would be a happy thing, it makes it more complex as far as working around her schedule.

I'm glad I have plenty of time to plan this as it keeps changing on a daily basis :eek:
 
I would vote to spend at least 24 hours at the Grand Canyon. We spent several days and were never bored. We UPS'd the souvenirs home so we didn't have to carry them (we flew in on a Cessna 172). As the light changes throughout the day, it looks very different, and this would also give you a lot more photo opportunities with the different lighting. It is a magnificent place to visit and deserves WAY more than just a couple of hours. And take lots of pictures. It is breathtaking. The film or memory card is a whole lot cheaper than going back because you missed that one shot.
 
I talked to my neice and she has two levels in her house, so I'll be staying at a hotel. She was disappointed until I asked her to stay with me. Now she's all excited.

I know that if someone I knew was coming to Chicago and asked if I'd like to stay with them, I'd be thrilled. I've lived near Chicago pretty much my entire life, but have never spent a night there.

I changed my reservation to stay an extra day so I can go and see the Grand Canyon. I'll do that via GrayLine Bus Tours as my neice doesn't care to go and see it.

My neice asked what I'd like to do while there. Does anyone have any ideas, other than Hoover Dam? Things that don't cost much would be nice. She mentioned possibly going to Mt. Charleston. Does anyone know anything about that?
 
Everydaymatters,

Remember, there are stairs on the Superliners and they're quite snug. Also, have you ever thought of looking at staying at a hostel during your travels? Do you know what a hostel is? A hostel is a bare bones bunk or small room. And I MEAN BARE BONES! They have small kitchens and refrigerators and they are real popular in Europe and here in the US with the "younger generation". My girlfriend and I are in our early '40's and have stayed in hostels twice in the last 3 months. In Hollywood we had a private room for $60.00. Everything else was in that area was $150.00 and up. It was also so close to Hollywood Blvd that we could walk to it and not pay an additional $20.00 to park. We stayed at a hostel in Glenwood Springs CO. Its about 6 blocks from the depot and paid $28.00 for a room. All the hotels in GSC was wanting a two night stay since it was Memorial Day and the cheapest available room that we could find was $100.00 per night. So do the math: $200 minimum or two nights at the hostel for $56.00 for a private room! A bunk at the hostel was $14.00 in a shared dormitory. For a traveller on a budget this is what I have to say about hostels: DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Some are filthy some are quite nice. But a hotels/hostels look exactly the same with the lights off and your eyes closed. The hostel in Las Vegas didn't get much of a good review in my hostels book. But why don't you look it up and see what a hostel looks like and then you would know if you ever could do a hostel instead of a hotel. Go with your neice and get her perspective.
 
I forgot this tidbit. When we were at the hostel in GSC, there was a girl scout troop staying there, there was some women in the early '50s staying there too. But.....a person drove into GSC at midnight and couldn't find a room and was finally referred to the hostel. The hostel manager showed her around and she chose to "sleep in her car", which my girlfriend and I thought was crazy. The idea of a bunk bed shared in a dormitory with others gave her the willies. All the private rooms had been rented out. I'll take almost ANY hostel over sleeping in the car any day. You can get books on hostels at the big book stores around the US.
 
Everydaymatters, I sent you a Personal Message. Not for sure if I did it correctly or not. I haven't hardly used PM here. Theres some more info for you that I thought would be good for you and your trip.
 
Stairs shouldn't be a problem for sleeper car passengers, if you book a room on the lower level. The attendant will bring you your meals to your room, and there are restrooms and shower at that level also.

Mr Guest
 
I always have a hard time sleeping in a room. I can fall asleep better in a coach chair with my feet up and the chair back. Also, it cost a lot less.

I haven't seen my neice in a number of years and I'm looking forward to that. She asked where I'd like to go, but I don't know what to tell her since I'm sure the Las Vegas area has changed a lot since I was last there.

She doesn't like shopping, so that would be out.

Any recommendations?
 
Try Stratosphere with those roller coasters. It's much taller than Space Needle and the elevator speed is pretty fast, and safer than those roller coasters on "top of the world"! I don't have guts to ride open-air on top of it!

How about the Titanic musuem? It's pretty but some scenes are pretty somber. I don't know if it is still there or not.
 
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