My wife and I will be arriving in Vegas on Sunday Dec 7th. We will be staying at the Rio on the 7 & 8, and then staying at the Palazzo until we leave on Friday the 12th. What would be avaliable for a medical scooter at both casinos? What charges will there be?

We are planning our yearly trip to Vegas and have decided to try a new hotel. I reviewed the hotel ratings posted on your Web site and am somewhat confused. The previous hotel we stayed only received a 3-1/2 star rating, yet had real good comments, while the new hotel we are looking at although rated at 4-1/2 stars, without near the same amount of good comments. In fact, most were negative comments. Can you please explain your hotel rating method for this Web site. There must be more to it than just customer comments. Thanks.

The famous Welcome to Las Vegas sign is such a symbol and easily recognized as an icon of the city. Has it (or its less famous Welcome to Downtown sign) ever been involved in any type of accident or damaged? I know when I visited at the beginning of October they were working on a parking lot to keep picture takers safe, but I just wonder about the possibilty of crime involving the sign.

In a casino, a good tipper is called "George." Where did this come from? And is there a word (you can print) for someone who wins a lot, but doesn't tip?

Every time a casino is about to open, I hear about a "soft" opening. What is the difference between a soft opening and a grand opening?

In your answer for QoD 11/12/08 you used the term 86'd. What does that mean and were did it originate?

On my last trip to Vegas, I lost my driver's license on the first day. I soon learned that it's extremely difficult to survive in Vegas without picture ID. I needed it to check into the hotel, to do any transaction at the player's club, to use my credit card anywhere, etc. Luckily, I had a scan of it on my computer and I printed it out. For the most part, it was accepted by people once I explained that I lost my driver's license. But I was cautioned more than once that if I hit a jackpot, the casino would only accept a real ID as proof. So if this ever happens to me again, what are my alternatives? By the way, on my last night, someone turned in my driver's license to casino security and I got it back. It would have been nicer to get it back a few days earlier, but at least I got it back.

Do the car rental companies in Vegas cover valet parking your car?

Can I combine the excitement of gambling and the thrill of skiing during the the Xmas holidays? Is there a ski lodge near Las Vegas you can recommend?

I have seen several posters on the message boards reference the "Christmas Tree Pass" route from Vegas to Laughlin. One poster even mentioned a waterfall. Can you shed some light on this route?