a little travel help

[duhtroll]

Hey all you travel buffs -

We're going to Vegas over spring break in March. I am thinking of renting a car rather than take cabs - it could probably be cheaper, depending, but I am more interested in convenience so I'm asking those from Vegas or those who frequent:

1) Will it be cheaper? (Mustang notwithstanding) We plan on being out on the strip a lot and trying to divide our days between different areas to minimize the walking out in the heat (and I know there will still be plenty of walking, but we're used to that) I just heard traffic is backed up and cabs can be horrendous since you sit a lot.

2) I have never rented a car before. Which company do you recommend? I am dropping some cash on this trip so if I can get ahold of one of those new Mustangs I might try it.

3) Should I get the car at the airport or have Enterprise drop it at the hotel? (We are staying at the Luxor) I see benefits to both. Not waiting in the shuttle line would be nice, but I'd pay for one less day since we are staying around the hotel the first night, and there is probably a rental car line too, so it's about 6 of one.

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

[TAF]

Unless you're planning on heading away from your hotel for any significant distance (Hoover Dam, outside the city to play golf, etc.) Don't waste your $ on a car.

1) There are TONS of cabs, shuttles etc. available.
2) The resorts (including the Luxor) has everything/anything you need right there
3) Gamble and win some big $ and the resort will take you anywhere you want to go

and....

4) We might be able to see you on "Taxi Cab Confessions" :P ;)

[duhtroll]

I'm planning on making one of those racy backseat cab videos. Strangely enough the network that contacted me wasn't the Spice channel, but SciFi.

:dunno:


Unless you're planning on heading away from your hotel for any significant distance (Hoover Dam, outside the city to play golf, etc.) Don't waste your $ on a car.

1) There are TONS of cabs, shuttles etc. available.
2) The resorts (including the Luxor) has everything/anything you need right there
3) Gamble and win some big $ and the resort will take you anywhere you want to go

and....

4) We might be able to see you on "Taxi Cab Confessions" :P ;)

[LordVader]

Unless your hotel is away from the strip then have to agree with TAF, don't bother with rental. All you will do is drive it to one of the casinos and let the valet parking have it, and then pick it up when you go back to your hotel. Hertz will be the one with the Mustangs, from my experience and go with the on-site rental agencies.

[Bluerauder]

2) I have never rented a car before. Which company do you recommend?
I travel quite a bit in my job and use National almost exclusively (in the past 15 years). And I always pick them up at the airport. Many airports have on site rentals or a shuttle service for their nearby off-airport lots. Can't speak to specific experience with Las Vagas (that is one of the A/Ps that I haven't passed through).

Thrifty and Budget tend to be somewhat cheaper; but I have never had a problem with National Rentals.

As others have said, use of a car or picking it up at the hotel vs. the airport are really personal preferences. Only get a car if you plan on moving around the city or taking some side trips. Then you'll have the convenience of a car. If not, it might be best to just use available shuttles or cabs.

[duhtroll]

I guess I kinda expected it to go the other way. I had some friends who came back from LV just a few weeks ago telling me to get a car because you pay for sitting in backed-up traffic in a cab. They said it would have been much cheaper if they had paid $20/day vs. $10-$15 per cab ride.

Granted, I'm the noob here so I'll do what I'm told by those who know.

We are there for three days and nights. I figure we will need cabs at least 6-8 times while there - basically whenever we need to go to the other end of the strip (or even the middle so I am told as the Luxor is on one end). I'm just doing math in my head here. Maybe the cabs aren't as expensive as they said?


Thanks

[SID210SA]

And if your gonna drop some coin....go to the Bunny Ranch....Seen it on t.v. looks nice!!!

[2003 MIB]

Monorail!! It was easy and fast.

[SID210SA]

I dont know if there is a difference between daytime and night time activities but when we went we would go at night instead of during the day to avoid the heat....wasn't much traffic at all...we did get up early enough to see the shows and have the buffetts....

[duhtroll]

Sure! Me and the wife'll . . .


And if your gonna drop some coin....go to the Bunny Ranch....Seen it on t.v. looks nice!!!

[Breadfan]

Renting even a V6 'stang will probably run you atleast $50/day not to mention the add on fees and insurance which can make it $60+/day. I certainly hope cab fares wouldn't exceed that!

But then again you do get the freedom of having a car and can use it as much as you'd like for the price of gas. Oh and make sure you return it with the same amount of gas in the tank you rented it with...don't let them fill it for you or they'll charge $6-$7/gallon.

I've used both Budget and Hertz, Budget had Fords and Chevys, Hertz I got a Subaru Outback (in Dearbor). It was slow and had a pointless "auto stick".

I did rent for a week from Budget and was getting a midsize, they had nothing so I got a free double upgrade to a Ford Explorer, not bad for $39/day.

[2003 MIB]

Monorail!! It was easy and fast.

No car, no taxi- Monorail- safe, clean, fastest way up and down the strip you can by passes that allow for unlimited usage during your stay. It's the way to go, Andrew...:beer:

[duhtroll]

sounds like a plan - thanks!

[fastblackmerc]

If you were planning on renting one of the new GT500-H Hertz Stangs this is the deal.....

$124.00 - $139.00 per day + additional insurance.
75 miles free per day, $0.39 per additional mile.
The Hertz manager will inspect the car with you before and after the rental.

Nice car but not worth the extra hassles....

[junior]

If you were planning on renting one of the new GT500-H Hertz Stangs this is the deal.....

$124.00 - $139.00 per day + additional insurance.
75 miles free per day, $0.39 per additional mile.
The Hertz manager will inspect the car with you before and after the rental.

Nice car but not worth the extra hassles....


This doesn't include the insane Las Vegas airport taxes. they hover around $20+ per day. :eek: