To start, check-in wasn't too terrible. Everyone always complains about waiting hours and hours to check-in, but as long as you know about this in advance and plan for the worst, you'll be pleasantly surprised if it only takes an hour!
Our room was great! It was decorated in a classy, yet comfortable way. The bathroom was HUGE and included a toilet, bath, separate shower, and a large sink. The room itself had 2 queens beds, a chair and side table, dresser with a TV on top, desk with chair, and 2 closets. We had more than enough room for the 4 of us (myself, husband, son, and mother-in-law). We definitely made sure not to even bump the mini fridge. We definitely didn't want to end up paying for something we didn't use.
The casino was fun! Since we had our 7yo son with us, we gambled in pairs. There were times when we were up and times when we were down. But we didn't come to Vegas to make money. That's for sure. During one trip to the casino, we started with $50, played for 3 hours, and ended with $50. And during that time, we had a couple drinks, joked around a lot, and had a TON of fun! So I would say that we were up even though we didn't technically make any money. As for the smoke, I thought it was pretty nice in there. The only time I noticed a smokey smell at all was when I was sitting directly next to someone that was smoking.
We went to a couple different restaurants while we were in Vegas. The ones we visited at Mandalay Bay include:
Bayside Buffet: I know that Vegas boasts their buffets and you have to try at least one while you're there, but this one just really didn't impress me, especially for the exorbitant cost!
Citizens Kitchen & Bar: We ate breakfast here and it was fabulous! The crab cake bendict was delicious! In fact, everything was delicious! They have a great selection for breakfast including a large bloody mary that boasts shrimp, crab leg, and beef jerky!
We also had takeout here for dinner one night. We got sandwiches and chicken fingers and disco fries and mac and cheese and everything was pretty good. It wasn't amazing, but it hit the spot. So if you only get to eat one meal here, make it breakfast!
Orchid Lounge: We ate breakfast here one day. They have a small selection of breakfast pastries and specialty coffees. It was a nice little place to stop, nothing extraordinary, but fine.
Seabreeze Cafe: We ate here for lunch and enjoyed it. The décor is simple and elegant. The food is decent and not too overly priced (which is nice in Vegas). I wouldn't say it was anything too special, but it was fine. We had sandwiches, soup, and mac and cheese. And in case you were wondering, yes, apparently we do eat a lot of the same foods on repeat! I didn't even realize that until I was writing this.
There are a bunch of places to shop along your route to the Luxor in the shoppes at Mandalay Place. Most of them sell a lot of the same stuff that you'll find in other shops at other resorts on the strip. We were able to get a couple small souvenirs. My son's favorite “store” by far was Lick! It's a candy store towards the beginning of the shoppes. They have just about every candy you could want. How fun!
Remember how I said we gambled in pairs? Well, I hope that you didn't think my son and whoever was with him just sat around waiting for the other two people to get back. For example, while my mother-in-law and husband gambled, my son and I decided to visit the aquarium! It was a blast! If all 4 of us had gone, I would have said it was a little pricey. But since it was just the two of us (the only two that really would have enjoyed it anyway), it wasn't too bad. Plus, we had a coupon for Owen's ticket to be discounted (which we received from one of the restaurants on property).
So once you buy your ticket and enter, they take a couple pictures that they clearly want you to buy afterward (we chose not to). Then, you get to see all the cool underwater animals that are showcased. You start with the alligator and end with a HUGE tank of sharks. Plus, there are jellyfish, a touch tank full of rays, lots of specialty fish, a walk-through tunnel, and tons of other things in between. I definitely recommend taking a little trip through here if you have the time, especially if you have a coupon!
One of the things that makes Mandalay Bay such a family-friendly resort is the pool/beach area. It's a blast! We only visited this area once while we were there because we planned so many things during our trip, but it was well worth it and we ended up spending about 3 hours there. We would have spent more, but the kid and grandma got hungry!
We spent most of our time in 2 areas: the wave pool and the lazy river.
Here are my tips:
1. Crowds are sometimes unpredictable. Don't stress about it. I read in so many places that the pool area was busy all the time and during any time of year and that if you wanted a lounge chair, you needed to get there early to put your stuff on one. Well, we got there at 11am on a Sunday and there were PLENTY of chairs available so I was stressed out for nothing!
2. Get a tube for the lazy river, especially if you have kids. We just brought a tiny one we had at home for our son and that was good enough for us. But if you can't bring one from home, you will probably want to get one from the resort. I think they run around $25. There are so many people WITH tubes that if you're small and you don't have a tube, you might just get run over so it almost becomes dangerous, especially since most people don't care about anyone but themselves so they tend to not care if you drown.
3. Know that the waves aren't like your average wave pool! One wave only comes about every 3-5 minutes (I can't remember the exact amount of time). It's weird, but also fun!
4. There are plenty of towels at the pool. It's easy to grab some on your way into the pool area and drop them off before you leave.
Overall, we had a great time while we were at the pool/beach area. And you should definitely visit it if you stay at Mandalay Bay.
We absolutely loved our time at Mandalay Bay and we would definitely consider staying here again if and when we come back to Las Vegas. It was so much fun!
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