Holiday Review: Las Vegas
For our summer holiday review, join SIA’s support network manager Gary Dawson and his brother, Mark, on their adventures in fun-filled Las Vegas!
I’ve never been one to celebrate my birthday but when my brother suggested we go to see the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas for my 40th it was an immediate yes! The Virgin flight from Manchester to Atlanta was smooth. The onboard aisle chair fitted nicely into the larger accessible toilet and the staff were more than happy to assist me to the toilet every couple of hours, which meant I was able to enjoy the complimentary drinks.
I was frustrated on landing when they had taken my chair to baggage claim despite the many times I’d let them know I’d need it at the gate. Our second flight of the day was a short 4-hour flight from Atlanta to Delta but there was no on-board chair, so I had to limit my fluid intake a little more.
TIP! … There’s no need to book accessible transfers if you are staying on or near the Strip as accessible taxis are available from the taxi rank at the airport.
For our flights home we flew from Vegas to Amsterdam with KLM. Like the Virgin flight they had an onboard aisle chair for me to use. However, they refused to help me due to them not being “trained”. Thank God I had my brother with me who was able to push me to the toilet.
Hotel
After over 24 hours of travelling, we finally arrived at the illustrious Bellagio Hotel & Casio. The sheer grandeur of the hotel highlights just why the Bellagio is the place to be.
At check-in we hit our first hurdle. The accessible room I had repeatedly confirmed with Virgin was not available. Tired and cranky, this is not what I wanted to hear. However, they upgraded us to a fully accessible spacious suite with walk-in shower with shower seat and a view overlooking the famous fountains.
Old Vegas
It rained constantly for the first two days of our trip. Knowing that “Old Vegas” was under cover, we headed down to Freemont Street which has lots of bars and places to eat, live music and overhead zip lines whizzing past every couple of minutes. We headed to the Mob Museum for a lesson is Vegas’s sordid past. It was wheelchair friendly and easy to manoeuvre around despite it being very busy. It had lots of interesting artifacts and gruesome mob shenanigans, finishing off with an incredible presentation from a former mobster Frank Calabrese Jr, Son of infamous feared Mob hitman Frank Calabrese Sr.
The Strip
Evenings on the Strip had plenty of entertainment on offer. We took in a Billy Joel and Elton John tribute show before hitting the tables in our bid to win big. I found some of the games quite confusing, but the croupiers were very friendly and happy to talk me though the rules.
The latest attraction on the Strip was the Sphere. A giant orb where fully interactive AI robots demonstrate some of the worlds most advanced technology. The Sphere show itself is a marvellous display of immersive graphics on the largest screen I could imagine. However, their wheelchair area was behind the atmosphere and I didn’t feel like I was part of the immersive experience. The show was still good but not quite what I was hoping for. Staff, although not very receptive, did eventually offer to refund my ticket. The Strip is six miles long and almost all places along it are wheelchair friendly and have accessible toilets. I used my freewheel which made exploring the length of it really easy.
Days out
We decided to hire a car and explore the surrounding area. Adapted cars can be reserved but it’s best to pre-book them. Our first stop was the Hoover Dam, an incredible feat of engineering. You can stop at a bridge that spans the Colorado River and gives you a fantastic view of the Dam. There is an accessible ramp all the way up to the top and plenty of accessible parking in the car park.
We also explored the West Rim of the Grand Canyon. You park at the welcome centre before boarding an accessible coach that takes you to the viewing platform on the edge. A semicircular glass walkway 4000 feet above the ground overlooking the red rock gorge is a spectacular sight to behold, but definitely not for the faint hearted!
America’s tipping culture is a strange one and almost every interaction with a working person can lead to a tip. Knowing who to tip and how much takes a while to get used to.
Overall, I would highly recommend Vegas – it was great! If you are planning a trip, definitely do your research first. There is so much to see and do, it’s best to go with a plan to make sure you can fit it all in and I’d recommend buying tickets for shows in advance to get the best deals.
This story featured in Forward Magazine
