Flying in to Vegas (Rent a car or Cab it)

[freekobe]

[ QUOTE ]
Well its my first trip to Vegas and I'll be flying in solo. Should I rent a car or take a cab?

If I cab it how much will I expect to spend for a cab from LV Airport to Excalibur (*cough*) stupid poor college kids with no money.

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If you're worried about a $15 cab and possibly saving a dollar or two over the course of a weekend by renting a car or taking a shuttle(which you won't), you should consider staying at home.

[McMelchior]

I would never visit Vegas without renting a car.

You basically confine yourself to the (tourist-trappy) Strip, and you miss out on the Mohave Desert & the Red Rock Canyon. After a couple of days in casino-hell nothing invigorates like a hike in the beautiful desert or mountains.

And, you might save money by walking or cabbing, but if your time in Vegas is limited you'll find yourself spending a substantial part of it on transportation ... take a look at this equation:

True cost of transportation> = <Price of transportation> + (<Time wasted transporting yourself> / <total time awake in Vegas> * <gross Cost of trip&gt.

Or in other words, not wasting 10% of your time awake in Vegas walking the same crowded and (after the 4th time) boring two (2) miles of sidewalk from West Tropicana to Spring Mountain Rd. over and over again might be worth more than the cost of a car.

Alternatively, bring a bicycle or a kick-scooter!

Best,

McMelchior (Johan)

[afish]

You should not rent a car. I've been to LV five times, never rented a car, and never regretted it.

The cheapest way to get to a hotel for a single person is to buy a ticket on one of the airport shuttles. I think the ticket is around $5.00. There are a couple of companies; I think one is Bell Trans. You'll have to wait, and you might end up making multiple stops on the way, but it is the cheapest way.

I would not get a round trip shuttle ticket, both because I wouldn't want to wait for the return shuttle, and because cabs to the airport are cheaper than cabs from the airport (based on the traffic pattern).

If you get a cab, be sure to tell the driver not to take the tunnel (a common long-hauling tactic). A cab to Excalibur should cost around $12.00.

[Budget Boy]

Shuttle is $5. You can catch the monorail across the street at the MGM and get 10 rides for $20. That's how I got around last trip and it worked out well.

[freekobe]

[ QUOTE ]
I would never visit Vegas without renting a car.

You basically confine yourself to the (tourist-trappy) Strip, and you miss out on the Mohave Desert & the Red Rock Canyon. After a couple of days in casino-hell nothing invigorates like a hike in the beautiful desert or mountains.


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99% of people who go to Vegas have zero interest in anything other than the Strip. If someone wanted to go to Red Rock Canyon, they'd rent a car. If someone wanted to get from the airport to the strip, they'd take a cab.

Recommending that someone rent a car in Vegas bc they might go an hour outside the city is like recommending someone rent a car in NYC because they might want to go to the Hamptons. Cross that bridge when you get there. In the meantime, take a cab. You're on vacation. Dont worry about refilling the gas tank and returning the car.

[SamIAm]

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If you get a cab, be sure to tell the driver not to take the tunnel (a common long-hauling tactic).

[/ QUOTE ]I was thinking about this on my last trip to Vegas. I mean, I know to tell drivers that, and they ALWAYS react sort of awkwardly, with a forced laugh. I assume this means they were about to long-haul me.

But what would happen if they did? What would happen if the cabbie said "That'll be $23, buddy." (cab drivers always say 'buddy') and I got out of the car, got my bag, and then told him that I wasn't going to pay the long-haul. He's welcome to call the cops, or I'll do it myself, if he'd prefer. I know the fee for long-hauling has got to be more than my fare. Would he let me go?

It seems that, by telling him to avoid the tunnel, I'm guaranteeing a fair fare. However, by NOT telling him, would I pay the same or less?
-Sam

What a great thread. Everybody has their opinion about cabs/rentals. I personally prefer cabs.



[/ QUOTE ]If you get a cab, be sure to tell the driver not to take the tunnel (a common long-hauling tactic). A cab to Excalibur should cost around $12.00.

[/ QUOTE ]

Please elaborate. I thought I was getting the runaround when we went thru the tunnel to get to the Mandalay Bay.

How do you tackfully say "dont take the tunnel"? Do you just say "please take Tropicana"? What if they whine about the traffic?

Dont mean to sound cheap, I'm not worried about $3 in vegas...I just dont like getting "f"ed around.

[tyler_cracker]

[ QUOTE ]
But what would happen if they did? What would happen if the cabbie said "That'll be $23, buddy." (cab drivers always say 'buddy') and I got out of the car, got my bag, and then told him that I wasn't going to pay the long-haul. He's welcome to call the cops, or I'll do it myself, if he'd prefer. I know the fee for long-hauling has got to be more than my fare. Would he let me go?

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Let's say the price for a non "long haul" cab ride is $12.

60% of the time, the cabbie takes you the fast way, and you pay $12.

40% of the time, the cabbie takes you on the "long haul".

When you get long-hauled, your gambit works 40% of the time and you pay nothing. 10% of the time the cabbie is bigger than you and kicks your ass and takes $60 from your wallet. 50% of the time you guys scream at each other and an Excalibur Court Bellhop intervenes and you compromise and pay $12.

(.6 * 12) + .4 * ( (.4 * 0) + (.1 * 60) + (.5 * 12) ) = 12.

Your gambit is neutral EV, give or take a black eye and a bruised rib.

[tyler_cracker]

[ QUOTE ]
You basically confine yourself to the (tourist-trappy) Strip, and you miss out on the Mohave Desert & the Red Rock Canyon. After a couple of days in casino-hell nothing invigorates like a hike in the beautiful desert or mountains.

[/ QUOTE ]

While the desert and Red Rock are, indeed, beautiful, August isn't really the time to check them out. Unless you like heat stroke, in which case, go for it.

Now that i've contributed two posts to this thread with no value whatsoever, i'll vote for *not* renting a car. If all you're going to do is play cards, a car is going to be far more trouble than it's worth. Everyone here -- locals and tourists alike -- is a terrible driver, especially on Las Vegas Blvd, and it isn't worth it for you to learn all the convoluted, super-secret shortcuts to avoid the traffic.

The monorail, inter-casino shuttles (because there's nothing quite like Barbary Coast unless it's... Gold Coast!), the occasional cab, and the occasional walk will get you everywhere you want to go.

[StevieG]

[ QUOTE ]
But what would happen if they did? What would happen if the cabbie said "That'll be $23, buddy." (cab drivers always say 'buddy') and I got out of the car, got my bag, and then told him that I wasn't going to pay the long-haul. He's welcome to call the cops, or I'll do it myself, if he'd prefer. I know the fee for long-hauling has got to be more than my fare. Would he let me go?


[/ QUOTE ]

Two trips ago a cabbie took the tunnel to go to the Flamingo. I was on the phone, and the guy I split the cab ride with was talking to him, aso I did not notice what happened until we were on the interstate. Then I asked him what he was doing and why we were not on Paradise.

He claimed lots of traffic, I claimed otherwise. He grew extremely defensive, saying he did not need to do that for a couple extra bucks. I told him not to treat me like it's my first time in this city.

When we arrived, though, he backed down and said to pay what I think he deserved.