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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 356
 
| k.maddocks24 - 2014-12-17 1:41 PM
I've been there twice - once as MRSD Lady-in-Waiting and once as MRSD to compete at the MRA pageant!
We stayed at the MGM both times. I thought the rooms were very nice, and it was great that the monorail stopped there. If I were to go back I'd probably stay at the Excalibur - very close to the MGM and cheaper! The live feed at the MGM Theater is awesome, and the shuttle to the T & M is really convenient. If you do decide to stay at the MGM, get ahold of a copy of the PSN late summer/early fall and there is usually an ad with special NFR rates. MRA also posts special rates for both the MGM and the Excalibur at missrodeoamerica.com around that time.
I would also love to stay at the South Point. The only drawback there is it's a little more out of the way if you're wanting the experience of the Strip, but if you're looking for something away from there it's perfect! There's tons of events there throughout the week - the bucking stock sale, permit challenge, etc. I've been there for the NBHA Super Show once and it's an absolutely beautiful facility.
I would agree with whoever said the Treasure Island is really smoky. I've never stayed there, but have gone to Gilley's to listen to a friend's band play while we were there, and I could tell the next day! If you're looking for a fun night and like to dance (not club-style dance, but jitterbug/two step) I would definitely go on a night that Chancey Williams & the Younger Brothers Band is playing.
The shopping is awesome. If you're hoping for deals I would go the last weekend, as the vendors don't want to haul EVERYTHING back with them - but keep in mind some things will be starting to get rather picked over.
Also agree with whoever mentioned buying cheap booze at Walgreen's and keeping it in your room. You can take it anywhere on the strip! I would also grab some food there as well. I always at least kept a granola bar in my purse, because I was not about to pay $10+ every time I got a little hungry! If I were to go back, I'd keep stuff to make sandwiches in the room and breakfast as well. I'd rather spend my money on other things. That being said, it was fun to treat ourselves to a few meals that were unlike anything we could find at home - usually did that for supper.
As far as the rodeo goes, the plaza seats are totally worth it. The balcony seats definitely aren't bad, but if your main focus is getting to see the actual rodeo, the plaza seats will put you right in the middle of it!
When the rodeo gets out, the lines for the shuttles/taxis are an absolute nightmare. We would go back to the Pavilion area and hang out back there. They always have a band playing back there after the rodeo, and a bar set up as well as a dance floor.
The buckle ceremony at the South Point is awesome - I would definitely recommend going!
Forgot to add...the RodeoVegas afterparty at the Mirage is SO FUN! Tons of rodeo folks, they replay the rodeo all night, and there's a band and a dance floor! | |
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Veteran
Posts: 203
Location: kansas | It's funny how different people are, I really enjoyed the MGM. At nights in the casino it did get a little smokey, but that is coming from a person who is very very sensitive to smoke. And when I am talking at night, I am talking after midnight, but the next morning for breakfast I never noticed it at all.
As far as breakfast, the first day we were sticker shocked by the price of breakfast at the MGM's Avenue Cafe, but after seeing the amount of food we got, plus how good it was we never went anywhere nor did we want to. Our husbands got bigger breakfasts ($20) and us wives got smaller ($10-13) split a liter of OJ ($10ish) and none of us ever got hungry before 7 at night, so it was well worth having a big breakfast and not needing lunch or even any snacks throughout the day.
The MGM's shuttle to the rodeo is wonderful too, they run big buses to and from like every 15 or so minutes (I think they were running 3), but we got there right when another bus filled up so we were like 5 deep in line for the next shuttle and everyone that was waiting for the shuttle we got on was able to fit. So that was very nice, especially getting back to the hotel as well.
The only place we didn't make it out to was South Point, and I hate that we didn't but we just ran out of time....
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Veteran
Posts: 203
Location: kansas | LMS - 2014-12-17 10:58 AM This was my first year to the NFR and Las Vegas. WE stayed at the MGM and IMO, I don't think I will ever stay there again. I would imagine most of the hotels on the strip are big BUT, you will easily put on a couple miles just looking for breakfast! Drinks are $11! Bottled beer 7 or 8. If you stay on the strip the walgreens has cheap booze and you can carry it wherever you go :) The live feed at the MGM is in a theater and very comfy but you have to stand in line to get a ticket to get seats. Lots of time wasted there. I would highly recommend walking the strip some night, it was beautiful and we only saw 1/8 of it :)
We went to all of the trade shows, the Sands was big and lots of stuff, I don't think we would go back to the convention center and I wished we would have had another day at the South Point. If you think you're going to find great deals, probably not BUT you can put your hands on things you normally wouldn't be able to touch.
If I were to go back, for the NFR I would stay at the South Point and take a cab to the strip one night. The hotel was made for cowboys, there is a viewing room for the rodeo every night, they even supply some snacks. There is events going on in the equestrian center all day long with comfy seats and a bar close if you want to just chill out for awhile and the trade show was the BEST I had been to this year. (but keep in mind we rope at our house too) The buckle presentation is something everyone should go see and I would go everynight if I could. you get the "family" aspect of each of the competitors and a little bit of their real personality.
We bought tickets for the 6th round (YAY Britany Diaz won) we were about 20 seats up from the bucking chutes and second barrel, they were worth the $262 each, we bought through ticket city which was cheaper than the trading group at the Convention Center by about $100. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me BUT being the weirdo I am, I expected to hear Joe B commentate at the rodeo and he isn't involved there at all OR on the live feed.
If I forgot something, just ask! I am financially frugal (aka cheap) and we won't be going very often but I would like to go to Vegas sometime when the rodeo isn't around, because there is so many things Vegas has to offer.
ALSO, I forgot to mention... At the MGM if you want cheap booze there is a little hidden convienent store that we would have never had seen had we not have used the shuttles getting to and from the T&M, but the booze there was very reasonably priced as well as food and water.
So we stocked up on water and snacks there to last us our trip. | |
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 I Prefer to Live in Fantasy Land
Posts: 64864
  
Location: In the Hills of Texas | We are going to make it happen and go next year. While it is fresh in your minds or if you have gone before...please answer a few questions for my oh-so-scientific survey! :
- Where did you stay and did it meet expectations?
This is our annual mother/daughter trip and next year will be the 10th year. We love South Point as it feels like home and we feel very safe there and have no problems going in separate directions if we decide to gamble or if I decide to go to the room to go to bed. We stayed at a resort the first year and then the South Point. We tried the New Orleans and Flamingo and hated both and ended up back at the South Point. I already have our reservations for next year. You can get cheaper rooms but the peace of mind is priceless.
-What rounds do you recommend getting tickets for if you can only do 2? and why?
I prefer going and watching on the big screen as I really don't like crowds. The seats in the casino's are more comfortable then the seats at the T&M but I do think everyone should experience a live show at least once as the electricity excitement at the T&M is pretty cool plus the light show at the beginning gets you pumped.
-Where do you recommend buying the tickets to get good seats (we are gonna do it up as right as we can)
Our niece has a rancher friend that has season tickets and he goes to the last 5 rounds and we go the first half of the rodeo.
-WHEN do you recommend booking hotel and buying those tickets?
We are already booked since South Point sells out early because of the roping that is there. We did do a package deal one year with the New Orleans that was a good deal. All the Boyd gaming hotels offer and they do offer the nosebleeds and the good seats if you want to pay the price for them.
-What do you wish you had known before you went?
We always rent a car and found out this year, since we leave early, we pulled up to SouthWest and got rid of our luggage with the skycap so we didn't have to drag all that luggage after dropping off the rental car.
The first thing we do after getting the rental car, is to stop at Whole Foods and we buy a case of water, fruit and other snacks. We usually eat off the strip.
The parking for the Cowboy Christmas is $10.00 and this year you had to park across the street for Mandalay Bay's shopping and they shuttled you over and from there you could get on another free shuttle to take you to another shopping venue. I'm not sure if it was for Cowboy Christmas and Fan Fest or for the Sands..I'm thinking the Sands.
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 Ms. Elvis
Posts: 9606
Location: Running barrels or watching nascar | LMS - 2014-12-17 8:58 AM
This was my first year to the NFR and Las Vegas. WE stayed at the MGM and IMO, I don't think I will ever stay there again. I would imagine most of the hotels on the strip are big BUT, you will easily put on a couple miles just looking for breakfast! Drinks are $11! Bottled beer 7 or 8. If you stay on the strip the walgreens has cheap booze and you can carry it wherever you go :) The live feed at the MGM is in a theater and very comfy but you have to stand in line to get a ticket to get seats. Lots of time wasted there. I would highly recommend walking the strip some night, it was beautiful and we only saw 1/8 of it :)
We went to all of the trade shows, the Sands was big and lots of stuff, I don't think we would go back to the convention center and I wished we would have had another day at the South Point. If you think you're going to find great deals, probably not BUT you can put your hands on things you normally wouldn't be able to touch.
If I were to go back, for the NFR I would stay at the South Point and take a cab to the strip one night. The hotel was made for cowboys, there is a viewing room for the rodeo every night, they even supply some snacks. There is events going on in the equestrian center all day long with comfy seats and a bar close if you want to just chill out for awhile and the trade show was the BEST I had been to this year. (but keep in mind we rope at our house too) The buckle presentation is something everyone should go see and I would go everynight if I could. you get the "family" aspect of each of the competitors and a little bit of their real personality.
We bought tickets for the 6th round (YAY Britany Diaz won) we were about 20 seats up from the bucking chutes and second barrel, they were worth the $262 each, we bought through ticket city which was cheaper than the trading group at the Convention Center by about $100. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me BUT being the weirdo I am, I expected to hear Joe B commentate at the rodeo and he isn't involved there at all OR on the live feed.
If I forgot something, just ask! I am financially frugal (aka cheap) and we won't be going very often but I would like to go to Vegas sometime when the rodeo isn't around, because there is so many things Vegas has to offer.
I've been down there during NASCAR weekend but never to the rodeo. Drove down the whole strip from the SP where we stayed, throught the ghetto area, to the race track. Very interesting to say the least. | |
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10D Crack Champion
| Take some water with you so you can dump it in the arena. | |
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  New Word Inventor
Posts: 1506
Location: Who knows | Good breakfast place is Hash House A Go Go near the Flamingo. Typical price was 13.50-13.99 with large portions, and they had a basic breakfast for $10, which isn't too far off the mark from a regular breakfast eatery. | |
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Porta Potty Pants
Posts: 2600
| We stayed at MGM - the Signature. We booked through NRSWorld. Weeknights were about $90 and weekends $150 plus taxes and resort fees. The rooms were suites - not the penthouse, but super nice. Met and exceeded expectations. Our rooms had a small refrigerator, toaster, blender, microwave and even a small range. So if you were frugal, you could buy some food for breakfast or snacks and save money there. The rooms are away from the main hotel, so it's a hike to get to the MGM Grand, but you don't get the smoke from the casino. The food is expensive … $80 for breakfast for 3 people at the "cafe"! However, if you sign up for an MLife card, (rewards card), you get a discount at the gift shop and at other places. The MLife card can be used at other properties as well. My husband is super picky and he said he would stay there again.
I've stayed at Mandalay Bay at "the Hotel" when it was called that several years ago .. the signature beat that.
We will probably stay there again. Alternatively, we might book an extended stay at the time share near there, I think it Wyndym (spelling). I know someone who did and they cooked all their meals.
If you want to shop, I suggest you hold out and stay through Sunday after the last performance. NRS has a big sale on Sunday. This year, I got 50% off of all wrangler apparel and got for pairs of jeans and a jacket for $150. Stetson was having a buy one pair of boots get the second free. Hubby bought a pair of ostrich boots and I got a pair free. They don't want to haul the stuff home.
I went to rounds 1&2 live and watched 3 at the MGM. The further you get into the finals go rounds, the longer the line gets. I also watch round 9 live and round 10 at the MGM. Plaza seats.
It can get crowded and that's one of my anxiety issues, but I would do it again. | |
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Veteran
Posts: 165
| We've gone twice, stayed at NY NY both times. No complaints there except that they don't cater to the rodeo at all. Next time we will likely stay at the MGM which is right across the street. We only go to one rodeo performance and watch the other nights in hotels or bars, we watched one night in Gilly's pub at Treasure Is. which was a lot of fun and one night at the MGM. Make sure you take good walking shoes or boots. Trust me, it's not a great place to break in a new pair of boots. Lol. I think we walked about 100 miles in 4 days. The strip is beautiful at night and a nice walk although you will also see some crazy things that us farm girls wouldn't believe if we hadn't seen it ourselves, the Bellagio Fountains, the volcano at the Mirage are must sees... and if you get a chance to walk through some of the hotels you will be so impressed with the architecture. Meals and drinks are rather expensive, but like some of the other girls said, if you go to Walgreens you can buy cheaper snacks, water, alcohol... for your room. The trade shows are all really great and you'll pretty much need a full day to get through each one. I keep wanting to get to the Southpoint and Fremont St. but never seem to have time. Our flight got cancelled on the way down and we lost a night down there so that was disappointing. One thing I have to say is that for such a big city, it is a very friendly place, we were treated very well everywhere we went, even the street people were friendly and polite. and they seem to have a lot of pride in keeping the streets clean, at least on the strip where we were. | |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 349
| TrailGirl - 2014-12-17 7:58 AM
We are going to make it happen and go next year. While it is fresh in your minds or if you have gone before...please answer a few questions for my oh-so-scientific survey! :
- Where did you stay and did it meet expectations?
-What rounds do you recommend getting tickets for if you can only do 2? and why?
-Where do you recommend buying the tickets to get good seats (we are gonna do it up as right as we can)
-WHEN do you recommend booking hotel and buying those tickets?
-What do you wish you had known before you went?
Thank you so so much!! I've wanted to see it in person for-ev-ah!! So we really want to set ourselves up for fun! (I'm a planner...if we get the main things nailed down like hotel and tickets...I can relax!)
Ok this year we stayed at West Gate which was great because we could walk down to the convention center in a mater of minutes. The only disapointment I had there was food....but I love food way too much so that might be one problem.
We used to get tickets when I was young but this year we watched it via live stream at different casinos. If you can get good tickets go for it! It was out of our budget this year and the TM arena is so small if you dont have tickets it makes for difficult watching.
We booked Mid Summer to be safebut changed to West Gate do to a family member with a booth promotion rate.
I wish I knew that Vegas was going to exceed my expectations. I turned 21 this year but traveled with a friends family and little kids and there really is something for everyone in vegas! Have fun!! | |
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