Originally Posted by
Boraxo
About a year ago I rented a vehicle at LAS because I was staying at Green Valley and needed to schlep my child around to soccer games. But on reflection the better course would be to simply use rideshare, as the cost of the car plus parking fees was absurd (not to mention time saved). And Vegas wonders why tourism numbers are falling...
For the purpose of a non-gambling vacation (eg kids soccer tournament, pilgrimage to the Mormon camp that founded Las Vegas, etc) you are right -- with parking fees and the bus-schlep, using the apps can very likely be cheaper. Taking a taxi straight from the terminal is also way more convenient than stupid bus, and it's same price as using an app or cheaper during a silicon valley surge.
For the purpose of gambling, parking+resort fee are comp'd (unless at a yuan-pinching Resorts World or Caesars property) with just $25/hand BJ for an hour or two per night at a 4*. At 3* or 2* downtown property they still have free parking for guests. This is why I made the choice to rent a car to drive my boy around for his soccer tournament. And best of all when he's there 2.5 hours early for stupid warm ups I can just drive to a nearby casino or video poker bar instead of worrying about surge pricing or the app or waiting.
The pre-2009 era of Vegas had high concentration of lizard gamblers therefore the cheap buffet, rooms, entertainment etc. Because lizards don't eat or take entertainment. As we saw in Vegas Vacation, families could sneak in on that arbitrage while their kids pursue a life of degeneracy and the wife emotionally cheats on the husband. Today in 2025 A.D. there are soccer tournaments for children of non-felons and youth-appropriate PG-rated things to do like Area15. Times have changed but at least us degenerates don't have to pay for parking.