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A1A BOUND wrote:

dean_siu wrote:

land_shark3 wrote:

A1A BOUND wrote:and these guys get mad if you dont take them.

Don't take them? I was going through to see which ones I already had!

You don't want to call any of them.....those agency girls are way too expensive....the "independents" put on a "better show" and ask for less of a "donation"........at least thats what friends of mine tell me!

yeah, we all know why you like vegas so much.

It's all because of my sidejob as a pimp!

It all depends on your kids, but I disagree with most of the people who have posted here. When I graudated from high school, my parents flew me to Vegas to see Buffett for my graduation present. I wasn't old enough to gamble, but it was okay. We were there for three days. We took a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon and the Hoover d*m, and one night, we went down to see the Freemont Experience where they had the light show, which was awesome. We spent one afternoon just walking around going to the various casinos. Even though I couldn't play, I really enjoyed seeing them all, especially Casesar's Palace.

One afternoon, I spent most of the day in the room while my parents gambled. But, that was okay with me. I am the kind of person who doesn't really mind being by myself for a little while. I spent most of the day watching TV.

We did enough stuff together that kept us occupied most of the time we were there. The little time that I spent in the room while they gambled was a small price to pay for an awesome trip and a great concert.

Hey Gypsy....glad to see I'm not the only dissenting opinion.....it all comes down to what the parents want to do while in Vegas. If you want to gamble and hit strip clubs.....than don't bring kids to town. But if you really plan to make this a family vacation, than the kids will have a blast and its a fine place to bring them.

As I understand your question, you want to know if it is a good idea to take your kids to a Vegas Buffett show, as opposed to wanting to know if it is a good idea to take your kids to Vegas in general. If that's the question, I would say that the shows are a little more rowdy than most, but I think you would be safe. The MGM security was very tight. I had an aisle seat, and every time I floated into the aisle, a security person asked me to stay by my seat. There were lots of ushers keeping an eye on the crowd. There were also metal detectors and they would only sell you two beers at a time. I would not get floor seats, but the other seats are safe enough.

I will warn you that the Vegas crowds do seem hardcore. Once the concert started, no one in my section ever sat down. If your kids can handle standing up the whole time and few people that are overserved, I think your kids will be fine. In fact, it's probably the best atmosphere I have experienced (I have seen him in several different states). Good luck. I hope you have fun.

Gypsy In The Palace wrote:When I graudated from high school, my parents flew me to Vegas to see Buffett for my graduation present.

The difference is that you were probably 18, while Pyr8's keets are 10 & 14.

land_shark3 wrote:

Gypsy In The Palace wrote:When I graudated from high school, my parents flew me to Vegas to see Buffett for my graduation present.

The difference is that you were probably 18, while Pyr8's keets are 10 & 14.

I know parents who bring a 6 and a 7 year old here every year and they have a great time......it's an affordable family vacation for them because there's so much you can do here for free. It just all depends on the agenda desired by the parents.

Our agenda while in Vegas would be to go to the Canyon/Hoover D., eat lunch at Margaritaville (gotta check that one off the list), and see our boy, Buffett....as for standing, our kids are becoming fine Parrotheads...they know all the words to the songs, and we would probably have a hard time having them sit down....we are not gamblers (although I would like to drop a quarter in a slot), but that stripper/hooker flyer/billboard thing has me a little concerned now.....We would not even hope to take in any nightlife, but would like to see the dancing water at the Ballagio (?sp) and simply see the lights. I think we can handle the town in general, mostly sightseeing before too late in the evening, but I was concerned about the crowd at the show since Vegas is primarily an adult destination (Charlotte last April could give any show a run for its money, and we just steered the kids in other directions occasionally). I like the fact that the security is pretty tight especially with keets along....Thanks folks for all the advice....ya'll are a great sounding board!!!

Pyr8swyf wrote:Our agenda while in Vegas would be to go to the Canyon/Hoover D., eat lunch at Margaritaville (gotta check that one off the list), and see our boy, Buffett....as for standing, our kids are becoming fine Parrotheads...they know all the words to the songs, and we would probably have a hard time having them sit down....we are not gamblers (although I would like to drop a quarter in a slot), but that stripper/hooker flyer/billboard thing has me a little concerned now.....We would not even hope to take in any nightlife, but would like to see the dancing water at the Ballagio (?sp) and simply see the lights. I think we can handle the town in general, mostly sightseeing before too late in the evening, but I was concerned about the crowd at the show since Vegas is primarily an adult destination (Charlotte last April could give any show a run for its money, and we just steered the kids in other directions occasionally). I like the fact that the security is pretty tight especially with keets along....Thanks folks for all the advice....ya'll are a great sounding board!!!

If thats the case, I think you'd be fine and the kids would have a blast. My suggestion would be to book a tour bus for the Hoover d*m / Grand Canyon tour (or take a helicopter if your budget allows). It will get you into the right places and you won't have to worry about directions, car rental, etc. Margaritaville opens at 11am and I believe the fountains at Bellagio start at 2pm. The malls are incredible (Caesars, Venetian, Aladdin) and shopping them can be a lot of fun during the day. There's also the Advenure Dome at Circus Circus as well as rollercoasters at the Sahara, New York New York, and the Stratosphere. Definitely check out Fremont Street Experience....but try to do that early evening (8 or 9pm) as you'll sometimes see a little less desirable crowd down there late at night. As for Jimmy's show here, I don't think it's any more wild than many of the other venues I've been to....your boys may see a pair of boobs or two just like any other venue (but I'm guessing they'd like that!) but nothing more extreme. If you decide to come, I think you'll have a blast!

land_shark3 wrote:

Gypsy In The Palace wrote:When I graudated from high school, my parents flew me to Vegas to see Buffett for my graduation present.

The difference is that you were probably 18, while Pyr8's keets are 10 & 14.

That was gonna by my comment too, J.

Another thing I'd like to add...kids love to hang out at pools. Be advised that there is gonna be raunchy stuff going on poolside at many of the hotels frequented by parrotheads, so if you bring your children ya better be prepared for that. Sadly, not all PHs (or others for that matter) are considerate of other guests, especially if they've been drankin. You might want to consider a hotel away from the PH activities, that way you might have less chance of that happening.

My other concern would be their exposure to all that smoke. That is truly the one thing I hate about Vegas...I always smell like an ashtray.

A1A BOUND wrote:

land_shark3 wrote:

A1A BOUND wrote:and these guys get mad if you dont take them.

Don't take them? I was going through to see which ones I already had!

they are great souvenirs.

I brought home a huge stack of cards but I always passed on the bulky catalogs.

Jamie just couldn't say NO

and do not talk about the girls next door either..

I guess what it comes down to for me is that going to Vegas is a way for my husband and me to escape from the everyday. I love my kids more than life itself. One is 7. The other is just under a year. I don't get a lot of "me" time. When I think of going to Vegas, I think of being able to do what I want, when I want, where I want, with whomever I want. Not necessarily the behavior I want my children to witness...and I don't want to force myself to hold back because they are there. There are not many chances I have in life to be selfish...but Vegas is one of them.

I will bring my older to keet to just about any other show. Just not Vegas.

But, it also sounds like you have a plan that would work for you. If you really think they would enjoy it...then do it! You know your kids and your parenting style better than anyone else.

My daughter, who is 11, has seen Jimmy Buffett in 6 times in Las Vegas and loves it, although she was really disappointed in the Parrotheads in Paradise at the MGM this last time. As several other people have pointed out there are lots of other things to do in Las Vegas besides gambling and partying. There's the Lied Childrens Musuem, The Lost City Musuem, Valley of Fire, Sunset Mountain Natural Area, Clark County hertiage Museum, Red Rock Canyon Nation Conservation Area, the Shark Reef at the Mandalay Bay, the Lion Habiat at the MGM, the Bird Show at the Tropicana, Scandia minature gold, Guiness World Record Musuem, the perfomances at Circus Circus, King Tut's Tomb and Museum at the Luxor, the Las Vegas Art Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Ripley's Belive it or Not and of course the Effiel Tower at the Paris. These are just a few of things we've done while in Las Vegas. Most are affordable, if not free and easy to get to.

We do the trip to Margaritaville everytime we pass through town which is at least twice a year. We've been in at all hours and never had any problem, except on December 17th when they were playing Disco! She didn't want to stay for that and neither did I.

I agree that if you want to go and gamble, drink and run around then Vegas isn't the place to take a keet, anytime. But if you want to have some fun with your keet it's a great place.

I have to say I've seen more bad poolside behavior at DisneyWorld when teenagers get loose then I've seen at the MGM pool or at the Mandalay Bay.