Category: Entertainment

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Rooms for NYE 2025

This year’s rate check was conducted on Dec. 1 and turned up 84 casinos that have rooms available for New Year’s Eve, compared to 86 last year. The number of nights is the minimum required stay; the dollar amount is the total cost; resort fees aren’t included. 

1 night: Primm $35, Westgate $100, Longhorn $108, Cannery $111, Sam’s Town $139, Railroad Pass $145, Westin Lake $152, Hotel Jefe $159, Skyline $175, Suncoast $179, Hilton Lake $180, Golden Gate $189, Az. Charlie – Boulder $198, Silver Sevens $214, Circus Circus $219, Boulder Station $229, Oasis at Gold Spike $229, Santa Fe $229, South Point $245, The Lexi $250, Four Queens $255, The D $269, Westin $278, Sunset Station $289, Gold Coast $293, Az. Charlie – Decatur $298, El Cortez $299, Hotel Apache $305, Orleans $308, Tuscany $329, Palace Station $339, Strat $349, English Hotel $352, M Resort $369, Serene $378, Sahara $403, California $418, JW Marriott $424, Aliante $426, Downtown Grand $443, Casino Royale $446, Virgin $559, Mandalay $599, Four Seasons $610, Red Rock $644, Ahern $649, Planet Hollywood $680, Trump $799, Fontainebleau $800.

2 nights: Treasure Island $427, Plaza $504, Excalibur $589, Harrah’s $599,  Golden Nugget $618, Luxor $619, Palms Place $624, Palms $644, Resorts World $650, Circa $688, Rio $706, Horseshoe $733, Linq $748, Flamingo $751, Elara $815, MGM Grand $878, NYNY $878, GVR $888, MGM Signature $908, Cromwell $942, Aria $997, Delano $998, Park MGM $1018, Durango $1088, Paris $1129, Venetian $1278, Vdara $1298, Palazzo $1308, Waldorf Astoria $1351, Caesars $1555, Cosmopolitan $1670, Nobu $1991, Bellagio $1998.

3 nights: Encore $1797 and Wynn $4114.

Sold Out or N/A: Ellis Island, Fremont, Main Street, NoMad, OYO, Platinum, and Silverton. 

Resort Fees are not included in totals.

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Wizard of Oz at Sphere

Like everyone else, I’d heard all the amazing things about Sphere over the last two years. I’d been wanting to experience it firsthand, but none of the bands that have played there so far have interested me enough to go and certainly not enough to pay Sphere prices to see them.

So I was excited when I realized that my next scheduled Vegas trip was only a few weeks after Sphere’s debut of the remake of The Wizard of Oz. I grabbed tickets early and was glad I did; demand has only gotten stronger after all the word of mouth about the show.

Two caveats. This review contains spoilers and is from the perspective of someone who hadn’t yet experienced the largest screen on Earth. If you’ve already seen a concert or movie there, some of this will be old territory for you.

I went to a 10 a.m. show and arrived a little before 9. There were plenty of kids and families at that hour and a handful of people (kids and adults alike) were dressed up in character; Sphere is encouraging people to don Oz costumes for their Halloween-weekend screenings. Doors opened between 9 and 9:15 and entry/security checkpoints went more smoothly than I expected. You don’t need to arrive as early as I did, but do give yourself some extra time. Merchandise lines are long and there are a few fun things to see in the lobby.

My seat was in Section 307, row 11, which was ideal: dead center and not too high up. I would have had a better view from one of the lower rows of my section, but I wouldn’t have wanted to be in the 200s; in the rear rows of the 200s, your view is partially blocked by the overhang from the 300 sections.

You have to climb down some very steep stairs from the concourse to the 300-level seats; if you’re prone to veritgo or dizziness, keep your head down, focus on the stairs, and wait to look around the theater until you’re in place. And no one, vertigo or not, should navigate the stairs without hanging onto the handrail for dear life.

The show itself was absolutely amazing all around. You felt like you were inside the movie. The best comparison I can make is that it’s like riding Soarin’ at Disney World for an hour-plus. At certain points, you feel like the theater is actually moving (it’s not, but again, if you’re prone to vertigo, maybe close your eyes for a few seconds during these sequences). The film is so high def that you can count individual pieces of straw during the Scarecrow’s scenes. The sound is impressive (though I did spot some minor lip-sync issues in one or two spots — barely noticable and not surprising, considering all the work they did to transform the original film).

And the effects … man! I can’t overstate how impressive they are. There’s not a lot of Disney/Vegas crossover in general, but this really was Disney-level Imagineering, like you’d get on a ride such as Remy or Rise of the Resistance: Apples fall from the sky during the forest scene, actual flying monkeys in the theater supplement the ones on screen, and the tornado scene causes the audience to break into spontaneous applause. I won’t completely spoil it for you. Suffice it to say, you’ll be very impressed.

Runtime is 75 minutes (the movie has been edited down slightly, though what’s missing isn’t particularly discernible), but budget some time to take in the post-show theatrics in the lobby.

Tickets are expensive (and dynamic — check the website for your preferred show and seat location), but I paid $150 to a company owned by someone I find distasteful to see a movie I own on video and definitely felt it was worth it.

Sphere’s website claims to have strict no-bag and no-photo/video policies, but I saw both violated with abandon and no apparent consequences, but your mileage may vary.

If you’re on the fence about this, don’t be. The Wizard of Oz lives up to all the hype.

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Golden Gate Open Bar

In one of the more creative promos in some time, the Golden Gate offers an open bar every day from 6 to 7 p.m. They call it “The Night Starts Here” and it’s intended to ease the transition from live tables and dancing dealers to electronic table games. As such, the deal includes free-play for those new games. Here are the details.

Drinks

You can get beer, wine, and well drinks. No top-shelf pours, but beer in the bottle. We got a cold Bud.

Crowds

It’s been busy the two times we checked, but the promo is new and it remains to be seen if the crowds persist. The center bar goes from being crowded to suddenly having gaps where you can pop in to order a drink. While it would seem like an opportunity that the downtown “street people” might relish, there was none of that when we visited (possibly because of the next point).

ID

You must show ID to even get into the casino, at least during the promo. This now makes Golden Gate and Circa the only Las Vegas casinos that card customers at the door.

Wristbands

Once you’re inside, go to the players club booth to be processed. This entails showing your ID again and a Circa group players card (they’ll sign you up if you don’t have one). The wristband clears you to get the free drinks. You’ll also be given an envelope with a free-play voucher inside. If you’ve parked in the Golden Gate parking lot where you get two free hours with validation, you should get the ticket validated while you’re at the booth.

Free-Play

The amount of free-play reportedly varies between $5 and $1,000, but expect $5. That’s what we got. This is interesting, because the FP vouchers state that they can be redeemed at the cage (read the second sentence in the rules). They can’t. You have to play them and you have to do so before 7:14 pm (yes, 14 minutes) the same day. No problem, except ours wasn’t accepted by several of the new games on the floor. It worked at the bar.

Overall, this is a cool promotion. Credit is due the booth personnel, who work fast to process the line, which was steady, but not overwhelming during our observation. Get a few drinks and shoot your free-play for a good start to your evening.

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Casino Collectibles Show

This year’s was the 32nd annual Casino Collectibles Convention. The show is open to everyone, free at certain times, and we’ve been meaning to attend since it arrived in Las Vegas, debuting at the Aladdin in 1993; for five years prior to that, it was an adjunct to the American Numismatic Association Convention. We finally made it to South Point in June and took lots of photos.

The convention runs for four days and includes such special events as celebrity meet and greets, a silent auction, raffles, educational seminars, ladies luncheon, members-only tradeshow, and banquet.

But the heart of the event is the show floor, where all the action takes place between buyers and sellers.

This room on the second floor of the South Point meeting wing is the promised land for collectors of casino memorabilia: casino chips, poker chips, commemorative chips, antique chips, plaques, and silver strikes, along with playing cards, players cards, dice, matchbooks, ashtrays, postcards, hotel-room keys, and soap, even shoe-shine cloths. We also saw interesting table-game layouts, movie posters, T-shirts, caps, and educational exhibits.

The show returns to South Point next year June 18-20.

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“Amplified”

Illuminarium at Area15

noon, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 p.m.

$39.99 general, $29.99 local, for the Dual Pass (two shows)

The latest digital show at Illuminarium, in a building adjacent to Area15, is Rolling Stone Presents Amplified — The Immersive Rock Experience. This is our third show at Illuminarium, along with Space and Lite Brite, and being rock fans for more than 60 years, we were excited to see what kind of justice this huge room, with its floor-to-ceiling Panasonic 50K laser projections and 3-D audio technology, could do with our favorite music.

This immersive attraction features 1,332 Rolling Stone covers from 1967 to 2024, 1,000 photographs, 200 videos, 300 iconic artists, exclusive portraits, album art, concert posters, live performances, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Actor and musician Kevin Bacon narrates the 50-minute presentation, interspersed with all kinds of music: “We Don’t Get Fooled Again” (the Who), “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” (Joan Jett), “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart” (Janis Joplin), “One Way or Another” (Blondie), “Low Rider” (War), “Paved Paradise, Put up a Parking Lot” (Joni Mitchell), “In My Room” (Beach Boys, especially poignant, as we saw the show a few days after the death of Brian Wilson), “Shining Star” (Earth, Wind & Fire), “I Wanna Be Sedated” (Ramones), “Something in the Air” (Thunderclap Newman), “Fame” (David Bowie), and our favorite and the ostensible theme song of Amplified, “God Gave Rock n Roll To You” (Argent).

The rock story is told in eight “chapters:” Concerts, Artists, Message, Hair, Fans, Cars, Studio, and Rolling Stone itself. The show makes the point that rock is more, much more, than just the music. It’s been a cultural phenomenon, a revolutionary upheaval, more than just a lifestyle or style — a statement.

It’s all well and good, as far as it goes. We enjoyed it for sure; many of the images are amazing and the sound is unparalleled. But compared to the other digital “museums” we’ve seen and reviewed, particularly VanGogh and Arte Museum, this format is linear and static — mostly photographs, with perhaps a little too much narration. Only the Cars sequence infuses the kind of motion that the other experiences do so well.

Also, running through 1,000-plus photographs (the photo credits at the end take five minutes to scroll ), the show is extremely fast-paced, even overwhelming at times. In addition, none of the images are identified; you recognize some, but captions are sorely lacking. And of course, it’s a monster ad for Rolling Stone, now owned by Penske Media Corporation.

One more objection comes from having seen the other two shows here. You buy what’s called a “Dual Pass,” which allows you to see two shows (Amplified and Lite Brite or Space) for the price of one. This is new; when we saw the other two, they ran continuously, so you could come in at any point and stay through the end and you didn’t have to leave until you reached the point where you entered. But with the Dual Pass, the second show comes on afterwards, so you have to sit through Lite Brite or Space before you can start start at the beginning of Amplified or see it again. If you haven’t seen the other two shows (we recommend Space), it’s not a bad deal. But to us, it felt like a drawback.

If you love rock ‘n’ roll like we do and especially if you aren’t a digital immersive connoisseur, these are mostly minor quibbles. There’s nothing quite like Amplified out there, so it’s worth doing to worship at the altar of counterculture history.

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Princess Diana & the Royals: The Exhibition

If you’re a fan of the British royals (or even just the Netflix series “The Crown”), you’ll probably want to check out the Princess Diana exhibit at The Shops at Crystals. Located on the third floor next to the Immersive Van Gogh exhibit, this is an worthwhile daytime activity (open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) if you’re looking to take a break from the crowds and noise of the casinos.

The exhibit occupies more than 10,000 square feet and boasts 700-plus artifacts related to Diana and the royal family. It’s organized into three main collections: “Wedding of the Century,” “Fashion Icon,” and “Royal Obsession.” It traces her life from her own family’s background of nobility through her school days, her whirlwind courtship with Charles, her life as princess, and her tragic death. The exhibit also follows her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, into adulthood; like most modern media accounts, the exhibit tends to subtly favor William.

Artifacts include her school papers, some memorabilia from her 1981 wedding (a piece of wedding cake, a seating chart from the wedding reception, an official pass to Clarence House where Diana prepared for her wedding day), historic royal textiles, and seven evening gowns, reportedly the largest collection on display anywhere. You can also get glimpses of her less serious side, such as store-bought birthday cards she sent to friends (including one to pop star George Michael).

My wife, a former archivist, had some technical criticisms. For example, many of the labels were either missing, difficult to read, or crooked and most of the gowns, tiaras, and Diana’s wedding dress on display are re-creations (which wasn’t clearly indicated).

We purchased the timed-entry tickets, which required a little advance planning, but it wasn’t at all crowded when we went (10 a.m. on a Friday morning), so I can’t imagine that walk-up tickets weren’t available. A VIP ticketing option is available, with all-day entry and an audio headset, but we found that wasn’t necessary. Some visitors might like the context of and untold stories behind the artifacts that the audio provides.

Tickets are $32.95 base and just a $2.50 booking fee, $35.45 total, with discounts for 55+, military, locals, and children (6-12). Photography and videography are allowed without flash and you can use the hashtag #vegaslovesdiana for a 10% discount in the gift shop.

All in all, we enjoyed the exhibit and were glad that we went. It’s definitely worth an hour of your time if you’re at all interested in Diana, British royalty, or a distinctly non-Vegas experience.

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The Empire Strips Back—A Burlesque Parody (Rio)

The Empire Strips Back is the new show at the Rio. ESB began as a small production in Sydney, Australia, and grew to a point where it has played in 40 cities, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and now Vegas.

While it’s based on the original Star Wars trilogy, it’s a jiggle show first and foremost, with nine female dancers, two males, and an emcee. Like all shows of this type, it’s one vignette after another and you have to marvel at where they get the ideas to make them different enough, but that’s where the Star Wars theme works, as the segments play off the oh-so-well-known characters — Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi, R2-D2, CYoda, Jabba the Hutt, Chewbacca, and on and on. Of course a strip show has to have familiar music and this one delivers, featuring licks by Run DMC, Backstreet Boys, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, and Guns N’ Roses, among many others.

Sexy Quotient

Make no mistake, the SQ (sexy quotient) is high, but there’s almost no nudity. Other than some flashing topless moments, the rest is pretty much everything butt. We have to admit, watching the Storm Troopers strip down to their Under Wars is titillating, but that doesn’t have a thing on the moment when it becomes clear that Darth Vader is a girl!

Speaking of girls, the ladies in the audience get their turn when Luke does his thing to “Smooth Criminal,” with a few more performances by the guys throughout (after all, this was the former Chippendales stage). The highlight of the show is a romp by Chewbacca, who, thankfully, doesn’t disrobe (in part because he doesn’t have any clothes to take off). The entire cast comes out to tie a bow on it in the cool finale.

Intermission

This is one of the only shows in town that has an intermission. It’s 20 minutes, which stretches the run time to almost two hours. Some like it, some don’t. We didn’t mind, if only for an easy bathroom break (see “Pro Tips”).

Pro Tips

Here are two. During the intermission, the closest restroom is mobbed. Go down the escalator and walk back toward the casino to access an easier bathroom play. And seating is tight, uncomfortably almost, especially if you want to move while the row is seated. The showroom is small, so there’s no sightline penalty for sitting in the back where it’s less cramped. If you’re not seated there to start, those seats open up after the intermission.

The Verdict

This is a good Vegas show. Whimsical, appropriately raunchy, definitely sexy, funny enough, and the dancing is impressive. The price is right (given today’s standards) starting at $76. Before and after the show there are ample good choices for dinner, then some 9/6 Jacks or Better video poker. As we’ve been pointing out since the Rio came under new ownership, it keeps getting better over there and this show is a worthy addition to the mix.

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Flamingo Go Pool Reopens

The pool complex at the Flamingo, which opened in the mid-’90s after the original four-story Oregon Building was demolished, has reopened following a $20 million overhaul. Given the status of the work in May, we made the over/under June 20 for completion, but credit to CET for getting it done well before that date. The following report comes from Conrad Stanley.

The adults-only Go Pool added two new pools to bring the total to five, with a “wet deck” (shallow pool where sunbathers can lounge on chaises in the water), a cenote-like cave area with a small infinity pool and skylight, plenty of mature palm trees, a wraparound bar, a swim-up bar, and a DJ spinning tunes nonstop. The Family (all ages) Pool remains pretty much the same.

Food is available from the poolside restaurant: granola and yogurt bowl $15, breakfast croissant or burrito $20, chicken Caesar $20, loaded fries or nachos $23, burger $24, and family platters (nachos, tenders, or sliders) $90.

Beers $12.99 each or a bucket of six for $76.99. Most are 16-ounce cans or aluminum bottles, though Corona, Modelo, Pacifica, and a handful of craft beers and seltzers don’t produce 16 ouncers, so the 12 ouncers go for the same price. The best play is Heineken 16-ounce aluminum bottles. Cocktails are $23.99 for a small and $39.99 for a large.

You can reserve daybeds (basically, double chaise lounges under umbrellas) and cabanas at both the Go and Family pools, starting at $65 for a weekday-morning daybed (9-11:30 a.m., four guests) at the Family Pool and going up to $750 for a weekend full-day super cabana (11 a.m.-6 p.m., 10 guests) at VIP pools #2 and #3.

GO Pool joins the Palms pool as the two at major resorts that are free and open to the public; you don’t have to be a Flamingo guest to get in. But definitely show up as early as you can (it opens at 9 a.m.) to secure a free lounge chair, but don’t expect a relaxing afternoon. It’s more of a pool party than a quiet swim. And don’t forget that unless you walk in (or take public or private transportation), you’ll have to pay for parking.

We suspect that these pools will be busier than ever this summer, hitting the maximum according to the fire code very early, then hotel guests at the Flamingo and other Caesars properties will have priority. We’ll keep you posted on those details when or if they develop.

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DiscoShow


LINQ
Wed.-Sun. 7 and 9:30 p.m.
$117.62

You enter the Discoshow bilevel sanctum through a door off the casino and pass through a mirrored anteroom.

Out the back door is 99 Prince, the first-floor bar that’s as dark and sinister as a New York subway station. You walk up the stairs, down a long hall, and wait in the lounge outside the showroom. The Disco (drag) Queen, Mother, regales you for 10 minutes or so from a book of disco fairy tales, then the doors open.

You show the wristband you’re given upon checking in and file into Glitterloft, the theater, such as it is: a square space with no seats, a catwalk above and around the perimeter, and huge video panels encircling the room with non-stop scenes from ’70s Manhattan and Chicago. The Gloria Gaynor tune “I Will Survive” is playing — and you hope you’re not supposed to take it literally.


Looking around, you’ll note that a goodly portion of the audience is dressed in Vegas-disco outfits, ready to rock ’em and sock ’em.

And it’s hard not to rock at this $40 million show, especially if you were into the disco music and scene 40-50 years ago. You stand throughout the performance, which consists of a six-segment dance lesson from Ake (“Okay”) Blomqvist, modeled and named after a Finnish actor and dance instructor — bright white suit, Scandinavian accent, fun moves, and all.


The 10 dancers gyrate, luxate, and roller skate on the catwalk, backed by the intense videos.

At several points during the show, they come down to the dance floor and climb atop “dumpsters” rolled in and out to get up close and sweaty with the audience. The floor lights up with X-mark-the-spots rectangles and crowd managers with small paddles prod the audience out of the way of the portable stages.

It’s all as highly choreographed and produced and risqué as you’d expect from Spiegelworld, especially if you’ve seen Absinthe or Atomic Saloon. Also, it’s nothing if not high energy, revving up the crowd to a soundtrack of Chic’s “Le Freak,” “Good Times,” and “Everybody Dance,” The Trammps’ “Disco Inferno,” and the finale, “We Are Family,” the disco anthem from Sister Sledge, accompanied by — what else? — a strobe effect.

Then DiscoShow slams shut, the doors fling open, and you shuffle out after 70 minutes of standing, dancing, shoving, and swiveling to take it all in.

If this sounds kind of chaotic and a bit indiscriminate, that’s because it is. DiscoShow isn’t your grandfather’s Vegas entertainment. It’s immersive, participatory, and strenuous, so it’s not for everyone. But if you’re up for more of a party than any other Las Vegas production show in recent memory, this is an experience you won’t soon forget.

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Yachtley Crew at the Palms

Great show!. Who knew? Actually, we should have. We’ve been around long enough to know that a place like the Palms doesn’t book a ticketed show if it doesn’t have something good going for it. And does this one ever.

Yacht rock? It’s probably not what you think. It certainly wasn’t what we thought. Maybe some Seals & Crofts, Christopher Cross, and Lionel Richie. Well, actually, yes. But also ELO, Elton John, and Toto. Not watered down renditions, but hard driving covers behind a rocking 7-piece band. One of those pieces is a saxophone, and if you’ve ever seen a good rock sax live, you know what that can mean. In this case, it stole the show with an amazing cover of Gerry Rafferty’s “Baker Street.” There’s no warm-up band and no break. The show ran for an hour and a half, plus another 15-minute encore

The Venue

The Palms has the intimate Pearl concert venue, but this show plays—when not out by the pool—in the even more intimate Kaos nightclub. It’s $25 for standing room, or you can pay more for seats at tables.

The Crowd

It’s all age groups. Mostly a 40-and-up crowd, but many younger, and even some kids with their parents. It’s a thing to dress up like a yachtsman (or even a pirate for some), so you’ll see a lot of sailor hats and such. To each his own. One thing’s for sure, the crowd knows the songs. They sing and dance and party all the way through. It’s a truly electric atmosphere.

Free for LVAers

The reason we were there in the first place is the Palms comped two tickets to LVA members as part of its participation in our Member Rewards program (which also includes the BOGO for the buffet). This is an arrangement we hope to continue, both with the Palms and other casinos.

The Verdict

Yachtley isn’t an ongoing show; they play the Palms sporadically. Next time they play, go. Honestly, we came away thinking we’d happily pay to see them again, only we’d do it with a group and probably spring for an extra ten bucks per seat to get a table. Beers are $13, so make sure to do your pre-gaming with comped drinks while playing video poker before the show. This is a Vegas gem. Who knew?