Upon check-in at the hotel, we requested a room on a high floor and with a view of the Strip. We wer

Choosing a hotel in Las Vegas is not an easy task. With so many options on offer, it all comes down to price, amenities, location and the style of the hotel when making this decision. Being my first trip to Las Vegas, I chose the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino with a few of these options in mind. With a casino as well as hotel, convention centre, nightclubs, lounges and a resort feeling to it, the Mandalay is a good choice for a well-rounded venue.
Located at the end of the Strip, next to the Luxor and in close proximity to the “Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas” cruise lines going to panama canal sign, the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino has arguably the best view of all the hotels and casinos on the Strip. cruise lines going to panama canal The Resort comprises three hotels; the Mandalay Bay, THEhotel cruise lines going to panama canal (soon to be called Delano) and the Four Seasons.
Unfortunately, at the Foundation Room, no camera equipment is allowed, as the “view is subject to copyright”. This is probably the craziest load of hogwash I have ever heard of… how can a view be copyrighted? And you have to pay a cover charge just to go up there! Needless to say, the Foundation Room was given a skip. Judging by the clientele queuing up to go to the Foundation Room, I was probably way too old and under-dressed anyway.
Upon check-in at the hotel, we requested a room on a high floor and with a view of the Strip. We were provided with a room on floor 33 (of 62), which had a really nice view of the Strip and out to the side of the airport so we could see the planes taking off and landing. Check-out was a relatively painless procedure. It took a total of 3 minutes and the front desk staff member was incredibly friendly, polite and customer service oriented.
What we were not told upon check-in was that the “pre-authorisation” of $600 that normally goes towards cruise lines going to panama canal incidentals as just an authorisation on your credit card, would actually be taken off as a “hold” on the credit card, and be released upon check-out. Not a problem if you have credit available and no debits coming off the card during your stay at the hotel, but this is something that the front desk staff should be communicating to their guests.
The room is quite spacious, with 2 queen size beds (or a single king size), a TV cabinet with drawers and a mini bar fridge, and a desk and chair. The separate bathroom comprised of a his / hers basin area with loads of space for toiletries and a TV in the corner (?? for why?), nice sized bath and shower, and a separate toilet. Two built-in cupboards provide cruise lines going to panama canal adequate clothing hanging space (one with an extra shelf), and an in-room safe and iron / ironing board. Every floor also has an ice machine and a vending machine with cold drinks. This is a bonus when you don’t feel like heading down to the store after a late night out.
Although the shower is big enough to fit 2 people, cruise lines going to panama canal the water pressure is extremely low, so it was difficult to wash your hair. The plug in the one basin also made drainage sounds all day and night whenever another room flushed their toilet or used their shower. cruise lines going to panama canal The beds were comfortable, although a bit too soft, so if you slept for longer than 6 hours, you would wake up with an aching body. The safe is quite small, so not all valuables could be locked away in the safe. The carpets in the corridors look a bit old and tired, and could really do with a shampoo. The air conditioner is situated in the far corner of the room, blowing straight toward the desk, and not covering the beds or the rest of the room. It would need to be set onto the coldest setting in order to cool the room down, and then would make the room freezing cold in the middle of the night.
The wi-fi in the hotel is extremely temperamental and a bit slow. It would connect and then disconnect after a few minutes, requiring you to connect and sign in again (sign in requires surname and room number). However, it is free, so beggars can t be choosers I guess.
After a late night out (as you do in Vegas!), it is not fun to be woken up by two housekeeping staff members shouting to each other down the corridor at 11am in the morning. We also had to request a linen change after 6 days, even though the information booklet states that the linen and towels are changed every 3 days.
Upon finding that my credit card had been charged for “incidentals”, and the fact that I had been waiting a week for a mail delivery that I had organised to be sent to the hotel for me (in true fashion of a mystery cruise lines going to panama canal shopper, I tried all aspects of the stay), I went to see the Concierge, cruise lines going to panama canal Bell Desk, FedEx Desk and Front Desk. The former are mentioned below in the negatives, but I did get to speak to the “M Life and VIP Guest” services desk. The lady I spoke to was so genuine and customer service-oriented, and we ended up having cruise lines going to panama canal a chat about the photography display behind the counter, which is from a well-known Australian photographer that I have connected with. She arranged for my linen change, and sent me in the right direction in getting my mail delivery sorted out. The staff at the Rangoon Newsstand were also always cruise lines going to panama canal full of smiles and provided exceptional customer service. None of the staff, however, could outshine the valet and taxi attendant staff. Always happy, singing, dancing and having fun, the boys at the face of it all were always the people you were happy to see when leaving or entering the hotel.
I had arranged for a mail delivery to be sent to the hotel from the US, instead of being posted to my home in Australia, to save on postage costs. The mail was sent on the Monday and every day from Wednesday onwards, I would go down to the lobby to enquire as to its arrival. The first day I encountered the Concierge. Now, in my experience, the Concierge is the person who knows everything and can help with anything, cruise lines going to panama canal from information regarding the property, to where to go eat, to the best ticket prices cruise lines going to panama canal and restaurants…. Not so at the Mandalay. The Concierge are glorified ticket salespeople. They are only there to sell you tickets to shows and tours, and cannot assist you with anything cruise lines going to panama canal else. The lady I spoke to was bordering on rude and abrupt, and told me to go see the Front Desk, Bell Desk or FedEx desk. Not one of them, but either of them. So, I went to the Bell Desk first, as it was closest. Unfortunately, the lovely guy at the Bell Desk, as helpful as he was, could not assist me. He did do a search, but he couldn’t find anything listed. Nobody available at the FedEx desk for the next 3 days. Eventually, on the following Monday (thank goodness I was staying cruise lines going to panama canal long enough), I found someone at the FedEx desk, who informed me that, yes, my mail had arrived, but it was not kept at this desk, but rather at the main FedEx “post office” on the OTHER side of the hotel at the convention centre, which is quite a far walk. Anyway, I get to the FedEx office, and get told that there is a $7 release cruise lines going to panama canal fee for the mail. I groan, and say yea whatever, I just want my mail now. It only cost $0.70 to send to me, and I have to pay ten times that to receive it, but at this point I don’t really cruise lines going to panama canal care…. Everything in Vegas costs a fortune. At the same time as the guy is going to the back to fetch my envelope, I see a “please give us feedback” card, which I pick up, with the full intention of asking FedEx why they charge so much to get an envelope…. And the guy comes back just as I pick it up. He sees me scanning the piece of paper he is holding, saying that the mail arrived cruise lines going to panama canal on Wednesday morning, 2 days after it was posted, 5 days ago when I was told no mail had arrived, and me holding the feedback card, and he says “don’t worry miss, no charge today”. Oh, he’s so lucky, because I’m fuming at this point. I smile and say thank you, and head off to start my day with a really bad coffee from the coffee cruise lines going to panama canal cart, because Starbucks has closed for renovations, conveniently just as the conference that was going on when we arrived, had finished. It’s not a good start to my day.
The Mandalay Bay Resort Casino has an amazing pool area, comprising of a wave pool, lazy river, lagoon pool and private cabana rentals. The Moorea Beach Club has a “Toptional” policy, and is obviously an adults-only pool with a European vibe, and there is also a cardio room and amazing spa. The Daylight Beach Club holds concerts, bringing cruise lines going to panama canal in entertainers such as Dirty Heads, Pepper, Jake Owen and the Counting Crows. cruise lines going to panama canal There’s even a beachside casino for those who just can’t get away from the tables and machines.
For the lady who needs a bit of pampering, you can’t miss the Spa Mandalay and ARC: A Robert Cromeans Salon. If you’re afraid to let go of your fitness routine, there’s also a cardio cruise lines going to panama canal room and a jogging path.
The two main attractions at the Mandalay Bay Resort Casino are the “Michael Jackson ONE” by Cirque du Soleil , and the Shark Reef Aquarium (no dolphins thank goodness). Tickets for the “Smooth Criminal” tribute show range from $69 $180 and are held in the Michael Jackson ONE Theatre, situated between the Mandalay and THEhotel. A store next to the theatre sells replica attire cruise lines going to panama canal as worn by Michael Jackson, and a display case holds his famous red jacket.
The Shark Reef Aquarium is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Walking in to the display, you go past a gorgeous (if sleepy) Komodo Dragon, a few fish displays including African Cichlids, Lion Fish, Piranha, Rays (that you can touch!) and Squid, as well as a ginormous Giant Pacific Octopus!! Then you arrive at the shark tunnel, where the hammerheads, black tip reef sharks and ragged-tooth sand tiger sharks swim past and over you, either lazily, or at breakneck speed. The sand tiger sharks tend to swim a lot slower, but look more menacing, than the quicker black tip reef sharks, who buzz past you, going around and around so fast, it’s difficult to get a photo (considering it’s through cruise lines going to panama canal glass and water, even more difficult!). The hammerhead sharks tends to be inquisitive, and will swim in circles, coming back to check you out, and they are so cute, you just want to pet them!