Lido Loop Podcast
Lido Loop is a podcast dedicated to the joy of cruising, theme parks and travel. Hosted by Jack and Jesse, these two blend travel insight, industry news and personal stories to inspire your next adventure.
Lido Loop Podcast
The Lido Loop: Las Vegas Trips and Tricks For First Time Visitors.
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This week on the Lido Loop Podcast, we’re diving into the latest cruise, theme park, and travel news!
In cruise news, is Carnival’s famous Elegant Night starting to disappear on some sailings? Princess Cruises is making changes to its deposit requirements and final payment dates, and we’ll talk about a cruise ship that had to make a last-second maneuver to avoid trouble.
Over in the theme park world, Six Flags announces a lineup of horror-themed attractions, including one inspired by Final Destination—which feels pretty fitting! Plus, a man is suing Six Flags Darien Lake after losing his sandals, and there’s a wild new rumor that Disneyland Abu Dhabi could feature a massive indoor theme park.
Then in travel news, Google makes a surprising move involving Spirit Airlines.
And finally, we’re heading to Las Vegas! If you’re visiting Vegas for the first time, we’re sharing some of our biggest pieces of advice, from staying on the Strip and skipping the rental car to booking shows ahead of time, avoiding scammers and “show girls,” and most importantly, sticking to your budget.
All that and more on this week’s episode of the Lido Loop Podcast!
Welcome to this week's episode of The Leto Loop. I'm your host, Jack McCraw. With me as always, my good friend, Jesse Barboza, who is about to have two more companions join him on the Carnival Jubilee. You want to tell the audience who that is? Yeah, so I mean, we travel in a group.
SPEAKER_01We love to travel as many people as possible because we love it. Uh, but yeah, uh, my brother Jacob and his uh wife, uh the famous Maddie, is coming with us.
SPEAKER_00Maddie is making her grand return on a carnival ship, and believe me, she's gonna have stacks on stacks and stacks of cash to go play her Huff and Puff, her buffalo, and that, of course, Dragon Link. Lose, probably lose, but you know. Now here's the real question: can you get her to play on the tables? No, they no way. I I she's she's too quiet for the tables, I feel like. I feel like she would be scared to split a hand. Like yeah, like or double down, like no, just she would try to take away her bet at that point.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I I definitely agree. But yeah, I'm like you said, she's definitely gonna be playing the Buffalo uh Huff and Puff and what's the other one she play?
SPEAKER_00She loves Dragon Link, you know.
SPEAKER_01I think she liked the fishbowl one too, didn't she?
SPEAKER_00I think so. I think I'm the one who showed her that one because you know, friend of the show Patty, remember she put $2 in and won $50 on like two spins. Crazy. But that'll be exciting to have both Jacob and Maddie join you on the Jubilee. And hopefully, you know, I'll be there on the next time that you go on the cruise, maybe the MSc next year. And speaking of cruises, what's the latest and greatest in the cruise news?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so the first thing is uh elegant night seems to be going away on some carnival sellings. Uh another carnival company, Princess Cruise Lines, they changed the deposit amount and the last payment date. And also a cruise ship had to make a last second maneuver.
SPEAKER_00Oh goodness. Oh, well, I can't wait to hear about that story on the theme park side of things. Six Flags announces new horror-themed attractions coming to their parks, with one being final destination. We'll talk about if that's appropriate or not. A man is also suing a Six Flags park for losing his shoes. And in a Disney rumor, the rumored new Disneyland Abu Dhabi park is actually could be an indoor theme park. And just now break that all down as to how and why that would be the case. Travel news, Google has bought Spirits data. We'll explain what that means. And a fun news segment we're going to talk about is Vegas, first timer's advice. So all the mistakes that we made when we first went to Vegas, we're going to tell you what to do and what not to do. And don't follow our first timer advice when we went the first time, but follow us now that we have the good advice. That and much more on this week's episode of the Lido Loop. So, for those of you new to the show, welcome. We are the Leto Loop where we like to talk about all things cruising, theme park, traveling, casinos, and just any other fun vacation aspect to help you plan your better vacation or just stay informed and what's going on in that side of the world. Now, we always like to start the show with the cruise news. Now, Jesse, I'm not the biggest fan of elegant nights when we go on cruise ships. I feel like you know, bringing a whole suit is kind of a waste of space in the suitcase, or you need to have like separate for it. So I usually just wear like Apollo and jeans at minimum. But I'm hearing that some of these new ships are getting rid of elegant nights, or is it just pretty much all Carnival ships?
SPEAKER_01No, yeah, it's just some sellings. So apparently, so Carnival has started replacing elegant night on some of the shorter sellings, uh, particularly certain sellings of five nights or fewer, with a white hot night slash white night instead. Uh Carnival updated the dress code information now says six night cruises, generally two cruise elegant evenings, five night or fewer, they still have the one elegant. And short cruises that don't have elegant night, Carnival says they will instead have a white hot night. So I and I'm kind of the same way with you, Jack. I'm not a big fan of elegant. I hate getting dressed up for something. Honestly, the whole reason they have elegant night is so that people get pictures and what happens when they take the pictures. Oh, they can try to sell it to you. I mean, hey, look how nice you look. Don't you want to keep this as a keepsake? Yeah, exactly. So I mean, I'm sure they're still gonna do something with the white knight, but I did look at some of the menus. Like, you know how the menu does look different, it has like these little diamonds on it and stuff like that. It's they still have that same menu, but it's no longer says elegant nights considered cruise casual. And let's be real though, Carnival never really enforced their dress code to begin with.
SPEAKER_00I've seen people in shorts and t-shirts still go in on fancy night. I I remember one time there was a girl still in her swimsuit there, like, oh, yeah, what are they gonna do? Like say, no, you can't eat here because you're not dressed up.
SPEAKER_01There was actually uh a uh a TikToker, they went to Elegant Night in a bathrobe, and they just wanted to see if anyone said anything, and no one said anything. So like they it's just elegant night isn't it's like it's encouraged, but it's not enforced. Exactly. It's not like you know, you know, kind of like Norwegian, you know, they're supposed to do the same thing, and then they went back and were like, oh no, we're gonna make her dress go stricker, and then they flip-flopped again, and it yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, see, that's why I cancel my own Norwegian, you know. I'd that's I'm sorry to the inconsistencies. But yeah, it's you know, like it's I understand why they do it, and you know, I think it is fun to dress up. It's just personally, you know, I never really saw the need nor want to do it.
SPEAKER_01So there the ship so far that I've seen it so far, I've I've heard people talking about so far. It's actually the ship we've been on, Carnival Glory. Uh, the four night sellings, they actually went away with it completely. So this is actually the first time I've seen Carnival actually do like a white night, because like MSc is really big on, I think even Royal Caribbean. This is the first time I've actually seen it on Carnival, though, which is kind of crazy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, because I've seen MSc and you know, some of this stuff that you've showed me and what I've seen online, those white nights are a lot of fun. And it's like it's a big party, and I'm surprised Carnival hasn't adapted this. I just assume that that was more of a European thing, that's why MSc does it. But if it's popular enough, I mean Carnival will definitely want to replicate that and you know, replicate that success.
SPEAKER_01One thing for sure though is like I definitely would not be wearing my white knight outfit to dinner. I that's just asking, no, especially you, Jack.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, no, no. Like by the time I get the bread, the butter will be on my shirt. Like before the entree is even there. Yeah, spill the Dr. Pepper on me too. Um, yeah, no, I'm curious to see like what carnival will do, you know, like how the white knights will go. And I'm sure if people want to, they can still dress up and in their finest attires and go eat in the carnival. I mean, no one's stopping you from doing that in the buffet.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you can do that every single night if you want to, honestly. And you do that and go to the pizza place.
SPEAKER_00I feel like that's something your son would do. Just dress up all nice, get his, you know, cheese pizza and head back. Uh, so how about on the Princess Cruise line side of things? So they are changing their deposit amount and last payment date. And I hear it could be upsetting a few people, right, Jesse?
SPEAKER_01Yes. So Princess Cruise is making a significant change to its final payment policy, and it will affect people's booking of future cruises. So Princess is moving final payment to 120 days beginning September 2nd, 2026. Princess will change its rules for new bookings made for cruises departing January 1st, 2027, or later. The big change is uh cruises under 14 days it will change from 90 days, which it currently is, and pretty much every cruise line is the same. They got 90 days to 120 days. Uh Princess confirms that the changes apply to all voyage length and trades, including world cruises and circle Pacific segments. And also, deposits are also going up as well. So Princess is is changing the standard deposit at the same time. For example, in many uh standard cabins inside ocean balcony, mini suites, they're usually between $250 and $300 a person, and the suites are five to six hundred dollars now. So I don't know. Do you feel like it's I mean the reason I know the reason why they have final dates because they want to see like where the booking's at, see if they need it to kind of reduce prices and and they also need the money ahead of time to purchase, you know, like the food and the they gotta look at the demographic. I'm sure cruise lines look at the demographic, like you know, during the summer months, I'm sure they definitely have more kids readily of food. I know it's Princess Cruise line, so they probably don't expect a lot of food and like kids in general, but they definitely will get more kids in the summer, regardless, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it doesn't matter really what cruise line, unless you're a ver virgin cruise. Yeah, kids are to be expected more in the summertime. Um I I see why they do this, and I can see why people are frustrated in regards to that's you know, 30 less days that you had to pay for you know to be to fully book out your cruise, because I mean that is paying four months in advance, and like and not everyone's like you where you know you book your cruise a year in advance and like oh we're going you know heck or high water. Yeah, exactly. So yeah, it does uh I I I kind of see both sides to it, so that's why I'm kind of teetered on it. Because from a business perspective, it makes perfect sense. Hey, if you want to go on this cruise, you just gotta pay out and you know adjust the price accordingly if you know two months out from the ship that there's a bunch or ship sailing, that there's a bunch of empty rooms, try to lower the price, get as many people on board as possible. So and then from the consumer side, it's not as economically friendly, especially if you need to pay everything four months out. Yeah, exactly.
SPEAKER_01So I mean, like it just means one extra month that you break down your payments, because if you book it eight months out, that means you just gonna break it down to four months now. So your payments are gonna be four equal payments up until that 120 day mark. And then I what I'm thinking is what they're hoping it is gonna happen is that oh, you hit that 120 days out, you already paid for your cruise, they give you 120 days to try to book excursions or drink packages, trying to get extra stuff added to your cart, you know, so you have more onboard experience so they get more money.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and just coming from like my booking experience with NCL, that's kind of what they were trying to do as well, because ours was actually going to be due here in the next few weeks in the middle of September for the entire crews, and then they already started like sending stuff for excursions and the photo pass and Wi-Fi and all that. So, yes, it does suck for the consumer, but I understand it from a business perspective. Alright, Jesse. Carnival is back in the news, and for a last second maneuver. Now, you haven't told me uh anything about this, you just put it on our notes. So, what did Carnival have to do and why did they have to do this quote maneuver at the very last second?
SPEAKER_01To give it to Carnival, it really wasn't Carnival's fault in a way. No, it never is, you know. You know, sometimes you know, trouble just finds Carnival, it seems like. But yeah, so apparently, so this was actually out of New Orleans, so a lot of people don't realize that New Orleans is up in the Mississippi River, it's not like right on the coast. It's actually you have to travel through the Mississippi River to get to New Orleans, and uh where their cruise terminal actually is. And while they're heading back from a four-night uh voile voyage from they went to, I think, Cozumel that one night, they were going up the Mississippi River, and apparently there was a cargo ship that comp lost power completely. They had no lights on at all, and they didn't I guess they were pretty close to it, and they had to veer right really fast. I did see a bunch of videos of like the water in the pool, like in the tides pool area, it was all like over next to the bar and stuff like that, and it was like pretty bad. Apparently, this happened at four o'clock in the morning, which I don't know why people were up at four o'clock in the morning. Hey, some people it's a carnival cruise.
SPEAKER_00I you're surprised that people are out drinking. Yeah, this is the night before they get off the ship, though. That's the thing. That's a crazy thing. I mean, you that's is it not a cruise if you that's a rite of passage to be hung over once you get off the ship? It's your last night out. Yeah, go on that bender.
SPEAKER_01It it is this was happen happened on Carnival Valor 2. Uh, so it's a shorter selling, and let's be honest, it's a booze cruise. You know, the shorter ones uh are definitely you know booze cruises, but hey, they're those are fun. I've I've been on them too. Uh we spent too much money in the casino for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Carnival Glory in good times. But so you could actually see people on the ship, and could you see like their reactions to when it moved?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, they were kind of freaking out. It seemed like the bartenders, like, oh, we're used to this. I I saw the bartenders, there was like, yeah, but there was a couple things knocked down, like nothing like I didn't see a bunch of like dishes fall, I didn't see any of that. I'm sure that did happen because they had a beer, but is it is kind of weird seeing all the water in the pool like going out next to the bar, and like man, I'm sure there were people complaining and taking those tips off.
SPEAKER_00Uh I mean, yeah, wouldn't you? Because you got disrupted at four o'clock in the morning because some cargo ship had to, you know, lose their power. So was the cargo ship was it drifting towards it, so that's why it had to move, or was Carnival on course and just didn't notice it or yeah, they didn't notice it until right up because I mean, of course, you know, when you're traveling down the Mississippi at night, it's dark.
SPEAKER_01You can't see it. Yeah, there's no lights.
SPEAKER_00There's not street lights on the Mississippi River. As far as I know.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, exactly. So I know like the in the bridge, I know they got a bunch of people that are actually like looking through binoculars at all times to making sure that but I mean if it's dark, dark, you can't see anything until you're pretty close to it. And so it really, like I said, it wasn't really Carnival's fault, but you know, like you said, like I said from at the beginning, like seems like just trouble finds Carnival sometimes.
SPEAKER_00Hey man, you just gotta be careful when you're navigating the Mississippi River, maybe install some headlights on those cruise ships. But luckily, no one was hurt in this situation, except for you know, a few people might have been upset at the minor inconvenience, which you know, you'll take that over a ship crashing into another ship.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so that kind of covers all their cruise news that we have. So going switching over to theme park news. So, Jack, first time you when you sent me this, I thought this was a joke, I'm not gonna lie. But apparently, Six Flags has announced the horror-themed attractions, and one of the themed is Final Destination.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I don't know how befitting this is, considering for those of you that don't know, Final Destination is a movie where everyone escapes death and then death finds a way to come back and haunts them and kills them one by one. In Final Destination 3, it took place on a roller coaster, and so I don't know, so I think I haven't seen the movie in you know nearly like two decades, but I think they he they got off the roller coaster and you know, because some guy saw a vision. That's usually how these movies work. But yes, no, there is two intellectual properties coming to the Six Flags parks, and they include the one is the Blair Witch project, which that one's kind of cool. Imagine going through a haunted house and seeing the witch at the end and Final Destination, which I I don't know how I understand people have a fear of roller coasters. This is not gonna help it. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I I was just thinking, I was like, I I can just see like like a roller coaster stopping all suddenly, and then it starts going again, then everyone's gonna be thinking, oh crap, that was my final destination moment right there.
SPEAKER_00It I'm gonna die this week sometime. I'm sure it's like there is a lot of other horror properties that they could choose from. So already some stuff that's gonna be returning for throughout the parks is the conjuring universe and the Saw franchise and the strangers, and also Trick or Treat. Those are all you know horror classics that you know you could use the intellectual property, and I like that we talked about this last week with SeaWorld when they added stuff like Anaconda, I know what you did last summer. Horror theming is being more prevalent in theme parks around the world or around the country, not just at Universal.
SPEAKER_01It it definitely does seem like the Six Flags is more going for the adult like horror movies instead of like uh um like Universal and Disney. It seems like they're kind of going to the general crowd or more for the kids.
SPEAKER_00Isn't that right? Yeah, and I think that they're trying to appeal to that demographic as well, because I don't know. To me, if you're a little kid, you kind of want to go to Disney more than anything else. And you know, Universal Sea World and Six Flags, they do have stuff for little kids, but they have more of a thrilling aspect of it where it's for little kids and you know older kids and then even young adults. So it is nice that they're going to you know kind of blend in, like not exactly copy Universal because I think they're the kings of the Halloween horror nights, you know, and incredibly themed like attractions that they have. But uh, you know, it's nice that Six Log is putting their hat in the ring, and I feel like they're doing better since they got rid of some of their other parks and they're only focusing on their you know bigger branded parks so that way they have this more money to spend on the properties. And so uh the final destination franchise will offer at Fright Fest in Great Adventure, which is one in New Jersey, and Magic Mountain, so the one in Los Angeles. So the two biggest Six Flags parks are getting that one. So if you're afraid of roller coasters, don't go to that one because that's where the final destination house will be.
SPEAKER_01So another Six Flags news I just saw, uh, I'm sure this guy's definitely not going to uh any of the horror nights. I mean, I'm sure he had a horror night, but so Six Flags and what Darren Lake? Is that who you say it? Yeah, Darien Lake, it's the one in Buffalo.
SPEAKER_00Okay, so he is suing over losing his sandals, is that right? Yeah, so what happened was he was riding one of the roller coasters up there, and you know you've been on plenty of Six Flags coasters. There's little cubbies where you put, you know, if you have a little backpack, you put it there, you put your hat and sunglasses there, or I guess if it's a water ride, you can put your shoes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00So this man wore loose-fitting sandals, which I'm assuming to believe are either flip-flops or crocs. Flippy floppies. Yeah. First off, what are you doing wearing flip-flops to a theme park? That's just diabolical behavior. And secondly, he was forced to take the take them off because I believe it was one of those B and M, you know, stret um flyers where you your feet dangle. So you don't want your shoe coming off.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, yeah. That makes sense.
SPEAKER_00So, you know, he and you know, we've done that when we were kids too, back when you used to be able to take your shoes off on roller coasters and they'd be right there. So what happened was this man returned to the station, found out his shoes were not there. Now that is a fear of mine, too, of like, oh no, someone stole my hat or someone stole Somebody, you leave your keys, you're like, oh crap. Yeah, I mean, I I honestly I try to keep my phone and wallet on me on roller coasters. I wear cargo shorts to theme parks. Like, it doesn't get in the way of the lap bar and it's just right there on the side with either buttons or velcro. But anyway, so yeah, you know, that is a fear that everyone has. Apparently, this did happen to this guy, and he is suing Six Flags for damages and pain and suffering because he was forced to walk around the hot concrete and not get a new pair of shoes from Six Flags. Now, I know for a fact Six Flags doesn't sell shoes, they sell flip-flops, but you know, it'd kind of be replacing one thing with another. So, I mean, yeah, I understand this guy's point because it's not exactly, you know, he left his shoes there and they were stolen, but at the end of the day, it's not really his responsibility. Yeah, exactly. It's not exactly Six Flags' fault that someone went and stole his you know pair of shoes. So we'll try to keep you updated as far as the court rulings, but I feel like it's gonna get thrown out, me personally. To be honest, I think it would cost more money to file this than to actually replace the shoes. Now I understand he's suing for pain and suffering, so he might try to get a little bit more, but yeah, I don't know too many you know judges that are gonna want to take that. Was there like amount that he's suing for? Did it did you say? It didn't disclose that information. Uh, you know, I imagine it's a couple thousand dollars because apparently he had burns on his feet that he was treated at Six Flags, which I don't know, they just probably have little burn wipes that they put on him or aloe vera. I think it just kind of hurt his ego more than anything. I think so too. So, you know, for those of you listening, don't wear flip-flops to a theme park. Or steal flip-flops. Yeah, don't steal flip-flops. Let's so this next story is more so a rumor than actual any sort of news, but it did come out recently that according to People Magazine, Disney's brand new park in Abu Dhabi, which is in the United Arab Emirates, could potentially be an indoor theme park. Now, Dubai already has plenty of indoor, you know, theme parks with Ferrari World, Warner Brothers World, which essentially is an indoor Six Flags park. Yeah, they still have roller coasters, and I do believe that some of them do go outside, but it's heavily themed to Justice League and the Looney Tunes. So the same kind of intellectual properties you would see in uh Six Flags. And I think Scooby-Doo is also another thing that's pretty prevalent there. Uh, but they also have a sea world that is almost completely indoors, with the exception of some riots that go outside the parks. Now, I'm sure everyone does know this, but Dubai and the Middle East, it's a desert. It gets very hot there. There already is a Six Flags in Saudi Arabia that is mostly outdoors, and I'm not sure how they're maintaining that park, but it kind of makes sense to have a lot of indoor stuff. To do as far as the Disney goes, because Disney is great at dark rides, but also at the same time, you know, keeping the guests comfortable is probably their number one priority, wouldn't you say?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I th I can definitely see that if they do not make it indoor, it would be like most be probably at least half of them be dark rides, I'm sure. Uh, I mean, they could they got the money, they can should be able to invest in it so that they're able to make it still fun. I don't see definitely don't see any big roller coasters, is that right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, maybe Tron, because I think Tron is mostly indoors with the exception of it launching outside. But I think that they're more so worried about guests waiting outside in the heat for these long attractions. And because you know, if you're briefly outside on a roller coaster, I think that would be fine. Uh, you know, I you could put the jungle crews like inside of a house or something. I mean, Pirates of the Caribbean, that's super easy to make. Uh name any card sort of Peter Pan, Snow White, Winnie the Pooh, those could all be easily indoor dark rides. I just I think Disney will be creative how they design some of these elements. And actually, you know, kind of going a little off topic, in Tokyo Disneyland, their main street is actually covered. So because it does rain in Tokyo fairly often, compared to well, the rains of Florida too, but you know, it rains there enough, or and it gets colder there, so they actually have a good chunk of their main street indoors, or at least covered from the elements that way people could still enjoy the castle and main street atmosphere. So I could see them doing something similar to that to Abu Dhabi. Now, there is no timetable for when this park could officially open. Uh, it's it's definitely, I don't even think they have shovels in the ground. This is all conceptual, but it does make me believe that Disney, now that they're trying to revamp everything here in the States and then work on stuff in Paris and the China parks in Japan, that Abu Dhabi is obviously next, and then who knows where else could be next. But you know, one place it won't be Las Vegas. I mean, actually, that'd be kind of cool if there was a well, technically you can meet Mickey Mouse in Las Vegas. Did you know that, Jessie? Yeah, and and they also do have roller coasters there on New York, New York, is that right? Yes, there is. Well, that's a little tease, but before we get to Vegas, because our main topic is going to be things, what to do, what not to do in Las Vegas. Uh, I do have one more story, and that is in the travel aspect side of things. Spirit was bought by Google, but not in the way you think. So Google has purchased Spirit's data for $10 million. What this includes is about 10 million emails, all of their Teams chats, and you know, different messaging aspects of it, and just the raw data that Spirit has, Google just obtained. Uh I thought when I first read this that Google was trying to revive Spirit, which I thought that would be great, unless they had used you know their like Google AI to fly the planes or something crazy like that. One day, one day. I I think we honestly we're getting closer to that day. But yeah, so Spirit is not coming back. Sorry to disappoint everybody, but apparently that they are buying it to improve their AI products because and they're gonna gain insights into how a real company operates and can help train AI to handle complex business tasks. So, Jesse, what do you think that means? It's to me, it seems like this is what not to do.
SPEAKER_01They're you're trying to AI boss to be like, hey, we're not gonna do what spirit did because they didn't last. Um I mean, I mean, I I don't know the whole story, but ten million dollars for spirit data. I feel like that's I don't know.
SPEAKER_00I feel like that is a lot of money for data. You're right. I mean, I don't know how much data actually costs nowadays. I mean, I apparently dollar email, is that right? That's what it says because they're roughly getting actually no, it's a little cheaper than that. It's a hundred million emails. Oh, okay. So yeah, a little a little less than a dollar. But yeah, 50 and 50 or 500 million Microsoft Teams chat, spreadsheets, calendars, software, operational records. So I guess it's just learning itself how to quote manage a business without running it into the ground aspect of it. Which, you know, I'm we're all still pretty saddened by spirits, you know, loss because I do wish that I could still get a $50 flight from here to Miami or Orlando or Chicago. Or the next topic, Vegas. Las Vegas, baby. So this is something Jesse and I have been talking about for a while, and you know, we've been to Vegas a couple of times, and I think that it would be fun to share one, some of our experiences, and give a little advice as to what to do and what not to do when you go for to Vegas for your first time. So for me, the first thing I always like to say is stay on resorted property. I'm an MGM guy. So the first time I ever went to Vegas, I stayed at the Excalibur. And I've stayed at the Excalibur all but a handful of times just because one, I like the location. The casino's great there, too. I mean, if you are and restaurants. So, yes, I am a less frills traveler. So, you know, the to those of you out there listening who have a little higher budget, by all means, stay at the Grant, MGM Grants, stay at the Bellagio, New York, New York, Caesars Palace, any of those places. If you want to have a quote, better experience, more luxury experience, there. But the fun fact, Jack, we found us out last time we were there. Caesar actually did not leave at live at Caesar's. No, he does not, and the pay his hotel is not a uh pager friendly. It it's very sad to know this information. So I'm glad that we are sharing this information with our audience out there.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so a lot of people don't know that, yeah, like you said, you can you can go to Vegas and afford there's different hotels. Uh the two that like the cheapest one, the cheapest one, like resort, it'd be Luxor, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Luxor and Excalibur have are essentially the same price. Uh for when I'm looking to go in November, for two nights on weekdays, they're about $50 a night before the resort fees, which resort fees now range between $30 to $50, just depending on the days. And that's another thing I kind of wanted to talk about was expect resorts fees if you're not already a member of any sort of MGM or Caesars class. And all hotels in Vegas, even if you stay at the Marriott or if you stay at like an extended stay off the strip, they're gonna have resort fees just because it's Vegas, that's what they do. So, I mean, uh but if you really think about the math, if let's just say you go throw a random city out there, Chicago, we paid about $80 a night to stay at uh a I think it was a Hawthorne Suites or something when I went to go see some baseball games. I can stay cheaper in Vegas than that, and depending on when I go. And because I'm an MGM rewards member, resort fees get waived, so you know you're looking at maybe like 50 bucks a night. So if you and that's another thing I kind of want to talk about is uh become a member, it's free. You just have to go to the uh the kiosk, uh give them your ID and they'll give you a card, and you use that card to put in the machine, you can earn points. And those points could be used for free credits in the hotels and or even like free comp nights, you know, depending on how much you want to gamble. So and the more you gamble, of course, the better like um comps you would get. Is that correct? Yes, that is correct. I have friends that you know, when they go, because they're MGM remembers as well, they they can essentially stay for free, they get one comp dinner, and you know, they get they can get discounted tickets to shows. So there are a lot of ways to make Vegas affordable. I would say the most expensive thing about going to Vegas is the food. Now, how about uh when we tried Fat Burger, Jesse? Okay, so y'all hyped this up so much. Actually, I think it was Jacob and Maddie. Yeah, it was them. I wasn't there that time, but it was in my defense, it was good like five years ago.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So they hyped it up so much. I went there and I was like, this was like the worst to okayest burger I've ever eaten. It wasn't worth uh, I think $25 and it didn't even come with fries. I think it was just like a drink, and that was like $25. It was ridiculous. Uh, but there's I mean, like what you're saying, there's plenty of places to eat. And like, of course, in the Excalibur, they have the Dick's Last Resort, which is always fun to go to. Especially if you go with a group of people like we did, and the uh they write funny stuff on your hats.
SPEAKER_00We you got that's what you gotta put. You gotta put some of those on our Facebook page. Oh my goodness, yeah. So we yeah, we get demonetized for sure. But yeah, I think that in the Excalibur and I think Luxor as well, they have like food courts. New York, New York does as well. So if you want to get like a slice of pizza and a drink, sometimes they'll have a $10 deal. Um, but there are off other times where you are paying higher prices just because you're on the strip. So so show-wise, Jack, so where where's the good shows at and what type of shows can you expect? It just depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a cirque-like show, those are going to be a little bit more expensive, probably the most expensive shows starting around 150 and onward. Uh, you can see a lot of comedians for cheap. I know that there's a Jimmy Kimmel has his own comedy club that you usually can get in for about $20. And they also have, you know, let's just call them Vegas style shows where you can see uh girls for a pretty reasonable price. And the what Thunder Down Under? Oh yeah. Yeah, can't forget the guys too. Yeah, the Thunder Down Under. Man, those guys can they're they can really put on a show too. Yeah, it seems like makes it seem like he's been to this, Jack. I I can neither confirm nor deny. No, but yeah, there's a lot of different there's something for everybody, that's what I always say about Vegas.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think like me and you, I went to uh Carrot Top and you went to uh what the pub. It was Piff the Magic Dragon.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, yeah, he's a sarcastic British, you know, comedian who dresses like a dragon with his little sidekick dog. And you know, afterwards you can meet him, take photos. It was a fun experience. I would do it again. And Jacob and I also saw a magician for only $20. His name was Nathan Burton. You know, you're not paying the same price for someone like David Copperfield or uh Shimli, uh Shimli, I think is his name, where he he's actually one of the better magicians in Las Vegas. So if you want magic, they have that. And of course, there are always year-round concerts and sporting events, especially now with the Raiders and the Golden Knights in town and with the A's coming you know in the future as well. So do you feel like you need to rent a car when traveling to Vegas? I've only rented a car one time, and that was actually for business because I went to a conference in Summerlin, which is about 30 minutes west of Las Vegas. So but in any other aspect, no. Just because there's taxi, Uber, and Lyft are so prevalent throughout the city that there's they're pretty much on standby 24 hours. Now, here's one tip that I will recommend everyone trying out. Getting from the airport to your resort will probably be the most expensive ride that you do just because the times that are allowed, or you know, especially if there's like a big surge of people coming in at a certain time, Ubers and Lyfts are gonna skyrocket. I've literally seen $50 ride for a five-minute ride from the airport to Excalibur. Yeah, you can literally when you land, you can see all you can see the whole strip right when you're right from the airport. So here's one thing I recommend. Well, one, you you honestly could walk. I wouldn't recommend that. Like if you had no other option and you just really didn't want to pay the money, by all means just go walk from the airport to the strip. I mean, it is right next to each other. Uh, the other thing I do recommend though is once you land and get to the car uh rideshare area, taxis are a flat fee. So you can expect to pay about $25. This is you know when I went two years ago, so the number might be increased a little bit by now. But let's just say $25 to $30 as a fixed rate for you to go from the airport to your hotel, depending on where it is. And you know, the farther away your hotel is from the airport, the more expensive it gets. Like, I think it's close to $40 if you go all the way to like the strat or resource world or you're going to Fremont Street. So if you booked a hotel really close to the airport, try getting a taxi first instead of seeing what's available on Lyft or Uber. Now you can still see if, like, oh hey, I can get a $20 ride and it'd be cheaper than paying the taxi. Yeah, by all means do that. Now that's for the airport. Now, once you get to your hotel and you want to go to a different hotel, a lot of them are connected in a way you don't have to get the transportation. So, for example, if let's just say you're staying at Excalibur or Mandalay Bay, there is a free tram that runs in between those two. And it used to stop at Luxor, I don't think it does anymore because Luxor is in between them. But all three of those hotels are connected via indoor walkways. If you want to go to New York, New York, or MGM Grand, they're literally right across the bridge from it. And there are other trams. I believe there's one from Aria that connects you to, I believe, uh the Cosmo. And other and then of course there's the Las Vegas Monorail. Now, that one you do have to pay for, but I think you can get an all-day pass for like $20. And it takes you all the way from MGM Grand all the way to the Sahara, which is at the end of the strip. And it, you know, it does make a bunch of different stops. So there are ways to travel that one are free and two are could be a little cheaper than renting either renting a car, drive uh taxi, Uber, or Lyft. And the other the cheap option, which I don't really recommend unless you just have a lot of time to kill, is you can take this thing called the Deuce. It's a bus. I mean it it smells like that too. But no, it literally will take you all the way from Mandalay Bay, the south end of the strip, to Fremont Street, but it stops at every resort. It took almost an hour just to get from the it took an hour to get us from Fremont Street just to the Cosmo, and it was just quick, it would have been quicker if we just walked. So we just got off of the Cosmo and walked back to the Excalibur when last time we did it. But it's like eight dollars for an all-day pass. So some free stuff. What is some free stuff that you can do in Vegas? Uh so for me, I like Fremont Street. There is a lot of free performances, sometimes they even have free concerts. I saw that, you know, I think Jimmy Eat World did a pop-up show there. So did you know Day to Remember? But anyway, that's they have free schedules or schedules out there to show when they do big concerts there. Uh seeing the lights is a lot of fun. The Bellagio. Yeah. Oh, yeah, absolutely.
SPEAKER_01That's actually I love that. Honestly, that was like amazing, especially like if you're with your wife or your girlfriend or whatever. Uh it is definitely fun. They got some song. I think when I was there, it was like Lady Gaga was was singing, like not singing, but it was the Lady Gaga music, and then had the fountains going with the music. It was pretty cool.
SPEAKER_00So, yeah, I do like the fountains. I just feel like I haven't done them since my first couple times. You know, the first time you go, that's definitely a bucket list item to do because that that is the most quintessentially vague thing is the Bellagio fountains. Um, you know, a lot of them they have free atriums. I believe the Bellagio does have like them that change every single season.
SPEAKER_01Does Circus Circus still do like pre-shows? I think so. I used to do like pre like circus performances.
SPEAKER_00I think so. I think I know that they perform upstairs, and I do believe that we walked into them one time. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a Circus Circus fan. It's cool. The novelty concept of it, it's old Las Vegas, and there is that's the only theme park in Las Vegas is the Adventure Dome. So maybe one day. But yeah, I try to stay away from that place, just like I try to stay away from uh scammers, which Jesse I unfortunately have experience with in Las Vegas. And the funny thing is you actually told us to watch out for it. Is that correct? Yeah, I don't know. That something about that girl was just so convincing.
SPEAKER_01There's probably two different things.
SPEAKER_00How dare you! She's a nice lady. Apparently not. She scammed me out of my money. Uh no, so if you see any sort of street performers, we brought up Mickey Mouse earlier.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It's like if you go to New York. Like if you see someone dressed in a costume, don't approach them. They're gonna want money. Even if you just even if you just try to take a picture from far away, if they see you, they're gonna ask for money. And they're gonna follow you. They're going to, you know, almost interrogate you to try to get you to get them their money. And I think the worst worst are the show girls, because they'll just come right up to you. Uh, there's been instances where like they'll just put their arm around you, like, let's smile for the picture. And you want to be nice and say no. I think what in that instance, you know, they start a conversation. I was like, Yeah, I'll take a photo. And I did agree. I said, I only have a few dollars, is that okay? I'm like, yeah. And they're like, okay, well, actually, it's $20. Actually, $20 each. I was like, I don't got that kind of money. Because I mean, at that time it Cash App and Vimma wasn't as prevalent. So I was like, I just said I have $30 cash, that's it. And they're like, Well, what about that $50? I was like, I'll give you $30, and I'll go away. So, yes, and the the girls and the people in costumes, they will follow you. Another one is the monks.
SPEAKER_01I I have seen that. I've seen the other again. What do they call like little bracelets? And then they say it's free, or you know, or they're like it's a gift, and but then they try to get money from you, is that correct?
SPEAKER_00Yes, and you know, if you don't pay them, then they get very mean in your face about it. So they pretty much do away with all their you know monk temple teachings. Like, yeah, they're they're just a bunch of scam artists. Another one I haven't seen as recently, but they used to be people that would sell their music on the side, and you know, hey, if you even touch that CD, it's like, oh, you touched it, I can't resell it, so you have to buy it, or they'll be very confrontational with you and saying, like, I'm gonna fight you right now. And then one of your friends fell for scam too, is that correct? Yes. Um there is a table game where it's it's just it's three-card Monty, and they just play it in the streets, but they have actors pretending like they have a set amount of money that they're you know getting and they're betting on these things, so they want to encourage other people to do so as well. Yeah, he fell for that, he put money down. The ball the cup actually showed the ball and he didn't get paid out. So it's definitely a scam, and I don't know how it's not reported. I just think that there is little there is things in Vegas that just uh I guess you can get away with, and that's gambling on the streets. So yeah, it just be and honestly, and this one more thing Vegas isn't necessarily a dangerous place. Uh if you do go off the strip, uh you are subjecting yourself to more dangerous environments.
SPEAKER_01So would you I mean this might be common sense, but would you say kids are okay there or no? On the strip or on the strip, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, there are kid-friendly things to do in Las Vegas. I think the Excalibur with a tournament of kings. Uh, you know, they a lot of these big resorts do have, you know, family-friendly pools, like Mandalay Bay has a lazy river. You know, there there are a lot of cool exhibits and museums like at Luxor. So you can take kids to Las Vegas. I think that they can find things to do, but I think it's definitely more tailor-made for adults.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, I definitely agree. I think the I mean, if you're gonna take your kids somewhere, take them a lot uh other places. There's a lot more, they'll have a lot more fun in other places compared to Vegas.
SPEAKER_00I mean, if you have to take them, and yeah, you you drop them off at Circus Circus. I think they'll have a good time. There's a that's where a really big arcade is. Also, take them to the actual Disney Castle, not the Las Vegas Excalibur Castle. You can take them to Paris, though. You can. You can actually go on top of the Eiffel Tower for a fee. Actually, one of the most expensive dinings I've ever seen was right next to the Eiffel Tower, and it's like, wow, we look at the Eiffel Tower, but you look over and just you see Vegas. Um, but yeah, no, Vegas does have a lot of different things to do besides gambling, and that's kind of a notion that people uh get confused with just because like you go to Vegas for gambling, yes, but the shows, like the the entertainment aspect is so there's so much to do as far as just like shows and you know, just even people watching in Vegas is hilarious.
SPEAKER_01I I do admit that the best gambling ever is the best casinos are definitely in Vegas. Would you agree? Yes, 100%. I mean, some of the free options though that you got like not free options, but other stuff you can do is like the Coke, the Coke place. Uh they did have a Stranger Things exhibit set up there. I don't know if it's still there, it's probably gone by now.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think that came and went, and there's definitely a lot of good places to eat as well in Las Vegas, like even the cheaper side, like my favorite places to go, Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bell. Hey, you can get married there, is that crazy? You can. Uh, the person I went with did not want to get married at Taco Bell, you know, shame on her. And you actually get like a 24 pack of tacos with it.
SPEAKER_01It's like a club, it's like club Taco Bell there, man. It's like it's literally like club music playing. You can get margaritas.
SPEAKER_00Can you get Baja Blast Margaritas? Yes, you can. And it's I'm telling you right now, it's amazing. I would highly recommend checking it out. And honestly, with that Taco Bell, you are actually still paying like normal prices. Yeah. I I I ate there twice because I'm like, dude, these are normal prices. I got a I Got a seven dollar box, and you know, I was like, dang, I don't need to eat the rest of the day. I can save this money. Uh, one thing I would say, unless you just absolutely want to eat at a celebrity and style celebrity-inspired restaurant, you're gonna pay an arm and a leg. Gordon Ramsay's Steakhouse, I think their burgers are around 60 to 70 dollars just because you're paying for Gordon Ramsay's name. Yeah, you'd be paying coming out with two people, bare minimum, 200 bucks, probably. Maybe it's a good experience, but to me, I don't see the the worthwhile of doing that. You know, yeah, when I first started going to Vegas, I was like, yeah, I want to go to Hell's Kitchen just to say that I've done it. I've never done it, and I don't regret not spending that kind of money. And of course, you got Vanderpump, you got even Salt Bay has his own steakhouse where he has like a golden steak. I'm not even joking, that's over a thousand dollars.
SPEAKER_01I have seen a lot of videos on that, but like I said, I've never been. I never I don't think I ever would either. That's a little uh out of my price range.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I'll be fine eating, you know, pizza at New York, New York, which hot take is the best pizza. Better than Pizza Pirate.
SPEAKER_01On Carnival Cruise Line.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. So if those are, you know, your your favorite, my favorite pizza, we'll we'll we'll blind taste us some somehow, somehow. We will agree to disagree about that. Yeah, and um, yeah, so I I would say if you've never been to Vegas, try it out. Like it's you don't have to necessarily and Vegas is uh never do more than a few days. Because if you do a week in Vegas, you are gonna be sick by day two. And out of money. Yes. I would say the perfect Vegas trip would be two to three days, like a weekend.
SPEAKER_01So for gambling purposes, Jack, what is your favorite casino to gamble in?
SPEAKER_00I like New York, New York. I think that they have the most variety. Now, I try to only gamble at MGM properties just because that's how I get the rewards. I do like Excalibur a lot because there are days where they do have $10 blackjack, and I've even seen people post that they're sometimes do $5 blackjack. Um, other than that, I actually like to gamble. If it's not MGM, I like to gamble on Fremont just because the prices are a lot cheaper. There is this one place where you can actually play $1 blackjack. Oh, that's pretty cool. Yeah, $20 lasted me almost an hour. That that is pretty cool.
SPEAKER_01So is there any games that you like to play in New York? I mean uh in Las Vegas that you only see in Vegas that you like to play?
SPEAKER_00To be honest, I kind of stick with what I know. And how do you know if you don't play? Well, you know, that's kind of the in one hand out the other, but so the Buffaloes, the Dragon Lynx, the I do have the one game, me personally, the horses. Oh, yes. See, that one's going away, so you have to go to MGM Grand. Yeah, when I was there, it was at MGM Grand last, like I think I was there what, is it two, three years ago?
SPEAKER_01I was there.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I think it was 2024, so about a little more than two years ago, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, when I went, it was at M MGM Grand. The first time I went to Vegas, it was at New York, New York.
SPEAKER_00It was right next to right next to the sports book there. They used to have one in Excalibur, kind of by the escalators to go upstairs. Right by like a Hershey store right there. Yeah, I think that they're just not as profitable as people would think, and that's why maybe they're going away. Now, kind of going back to Fremont Street, there is an actual old school horse racing game where you actually bet quarters. Oh, wow. Yeah, I mean, this thing has stayed the test of time, and it still works perfectly well like a little robot horse just going up and down like this. Yeah, and you know, like I said, you know, if you have any questions about Vegas, you can always reach out to us, you know, shoot us, you know, the fan mail on where you can get our podcasts, or on Facebook, you know, leave us a comment, anything like that, or on the YouTube channel. We definitely appreciate it and we try to get back with you on those. And for those of you new to the show, you can always find us on Facebook, or like you said, the Facebook page as well, but you can always find our podcasts on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon, wherever you get your podcast. I'm Jack, that's Jesse, and we will see you on the Lido Day or at the MGM Grand Betting on Horses.