February 3, 2021
Arrived in Vegas.
Not the usual hustle and bustle scene we’re used to at this airport. Still took our obligatory selfie in front of the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign before riding the tram over to baggage claim.
After getting our luggages, we rode the shuttle bus to the Car Rental building, which is about 10 minutes away from the airport. The shuttles are allowing only 10 people at a time, so wait time is longer.
On our drive to the hotel, we noticed that the streets were pretty empty. Pre-pandemic, the Las Vegas Blvd. strip was always filled with people drinking and partying no matter what time of day it was.
Checked-in at Bally’s
They had thermal scanners to check our temperatures before we were allowed to proceed to the guest kiosks to check-in. Pretty much a contactless process. Daily room cleaning options were also offered, but we declined. The rooms were clean, but we still disinfected everything with our own Lysol spray. Can’t be too careful. After all, this is the sin city!
Our room had a great view of the strip and the Bellagio Fountain show across the street. The fountain displays occur every 30 minutes from 3pm to 7pm. Then every 15 minutes from 7pm to midnight. Was surprised to see that this was still happening as I assumed it would have been decreased to save money.
Are the Casinos safe?
We arrived on a Wednesday, so the casinos weren’t too busy. By the weekend, the crowd definitely picked up. Still not as congested as normal. Most were adhering to the mandatory face masks and social distancing requirements inside the casinos, but outside on the strip was a different story. People were outside without masks smoking and some with drinks in tow. Check out our pictures below.
Safety Measures in the Casinos
- Casinos are at 50% max capacity
- 4 players maximum per table
- Social distancing markers inside the casinos and popular attractions outside
- Multiple Hand Sanitizing stations
- Free face masks stations
- Slot machines were spaced out
- Constant cleaning and disinfecting by casino workers
- Spectators around the game tables were not allowed
Tips
- Flights: We flew on United Airlines from EWR to LAS. Flights that are normally $350 were only $150. Choose your seats in advance. Airlines are still booking full flights.
- Food: There’s plenty of places to eat on the strip, but most require advance reservations. If you drive about 10-15 minutes away from the strip towards Maryland Parkway, you’ll have more places to choose from that are cheaper and don’t require advance reservations.
- Lodging: Hotels on the strip are about $90 per night (inclusive of resort fees and taxes), which is awesome as they are normally $250+. We like staying at Bally’s, Paris, or Flamingo when we’re with the kids.
- Car Rental: Economy size cars are usually $25 per day, whereas minivans are $45.