After seeing the responses from yesterday...

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:56:29 GMT

I've got to ask what everyone's opinions on the matter are. After talking to a bunch of folks (Eddie, both Robs, Matt, Travis and Jasmine) it seems that the current situation is not very favorable at all for a trip to Vegas in June. So I've gotta ask...

What should we do regarding our plans for Vegas?
1. Let's still go in June 2008. There's still plenty of time for various issues (including money) to be resolved by then.
2. Postpone it 'til later in 2008 (after con season). This will give folks time to save money and help fill in the vacant autumn months, and the weather's nicer.
3. Postpone 'til 2009. People will be better situated then and it will be a lot easier for everyone to save.
4. Cancel entirely. It's too much of a strain financially to go to Vegas and we're better off planning something else.

Dates and Rates

Wed, 07 Nov 2007 22:03:40 GMT

I'm strongly leaning toward June 12th-17th as the days of our Vegas trip for a number of reasons - first, the poll results favored May/June (so I reckoned late May or early June would be the target time) and of course looking at the rates. This is the cheapest time for a Thursday to Tuesday stay from the start of May to the end of July. I haven't checked airfares yet, but Thursday to Tuesday should be very close to optimal for fares.

Second, I took a look at the rates for hotels around the center of the Strip. I opted for northern Strip, but that was to make it more affordable for others and not myself (I got the money to burn for a really nice hotel, but I understand others may not have that luxury). Anyhow, I checked out many of the hotels Matt listed (MGM, Luxor, NYNY) and also looked for other hotels:

Rates (Total with 9% Tax in Parens) for a 5-night stay, June 12th-June 17th:
Imperial Palace: $445.00 ($485.05)
Excalibur: $465.00 ($506.85)
Harrah's: $530.00 ($577.70)
Luxor: $669.95 ($730.25)
Hilton Grand Las Vegas Strip: $755.00 ($822.95)
New York New York: $849.95 ($926.45)
MGM Grand: $899.95 ($980.95)

I'm wary of the lowest bidder, though IP does claim that it has done some extensive renovations, and I can't recall where it is exactly. Harrah's and Excalibur are right in the thick of things, and not bad from what I recall. Luxor is a nice middle-of-the-road pick (plus, it's a really fucking cool having a room in a pyramid), and the Hilton isn't bad either (though it didn't seem to indicate if it had dual queens for its available rooms). NYNY and MGM seem a bit pricey for me.

So, from this list, what would be your pick?

View Poll: Hotel and Room Poll

Nobracon '08: Fear and Loathing

After seeing the responses from yesterday...

Dates and Rates