This was one of those questions that should have had a simple answer, but turned out not to, hence the postponement in running this answer that several readers have queried us about. The fly in the ointment this time around turned out to be the Stratosphere, but we hope we finally go to the bottom of the discrepancies we kept running into after having spoken with speaking with the buffet (twice), the players club (twice), the concierge, and the front desk. So, here's the lay of the land, to the very best of our knowledge (which apparently often supersedes that of a property's own staff).
There are four five [see "Update" below] different buffet passes in town that we're aware of, the most high-profile of which is Caesars Entertainment's 24-hour "Buffet of Buffets" pass. What debuted in 2010 at the bargain price of $29.99 for Total Rewards members (the casino group's free-to-join players club) has since escalated to a base rate of $54.99 (or $59.99, if you don't have a players card) during the week, rising to $69.99/$74.99 on the weekend, and allows for as many meals as you can squeeze into the 24-hour period following your purchase, at the buffets at: Caesars Palace, Flamingo, Harrah's, Paris, Planet Hollywood, and the Rio.
In part the price hike stems from the arrival on the CET-buffet scene of the $17 million Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace (and not, as you may have thought, because of the disappearance of the buffet at Imperial Palace from the line-up, which once informed us, in a classic moment of candor, that the "champagne" served for their Sunday Brunch was "the cheapest stuff you can get - you know, it comes in a keg.") However, the addition of Las Vegas' most-expensive buffet ever, and the introduction of the (previously excluded) Village Seafood Buffet at the Rio, does not really explain the massive escalation in pricing over the years, since both of these require the payment of a significant up-charge, should you wish to include them in your 24-hour unlimited-gorging binge. For the Village Seafood Buffet, add another $20 on to the base price; for Caesars, it's an extra $15 for breakfast, $25 for lunch/brunch, or $30 for dinner.
The second pass we know of is the reciprocal deal between the buffets at sister properties and neighbors, Luxor and Excalibur, (the latter which underwent an upgrade awhile back, and not before time). Here, the all-day pass (which, like those to follow, is good for one calendar day, unlike the flexible 24-hour pass from CET), allows you to dine at will at either property's buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, at a set price of $35 during the week and $39 on weekends (plus tax). For children, it's $25.
The other MGM Resorts International buffet to offer an all-day pass is Monte Carlo, where the all-day-pass option will set you back $38 Mon-Thurs, or $46 Fri-Sun. This lone wolf in the group also offers a "Buffet-to-Go" take-out option, for $17.99/person (as does the Mirage, for $16 per container, but there's no pass option at Cravings).
As to the Stratosphere, the all-day pass here is available only to members of the players club, and it took a conversation with the manager of the buffet to pin down the price. We're now pretty confident that it's $29.99 (plus the usual taxes) during the week and $34.99 on Sat./Sun. If you're a member of their players club but don't wish to indulge in an all-day buffet pass, you can still receive 10 percent off any single buffet meal at the Strat.
