Mrp Alert

The Strip entrance was closed when I was at the Aladdin on Thursday morning.

I recommend following the same directions as above through turning on to Harmon. Then turn right at the driveway after Audrie but before Las Vegas Blvd. I believe the street sign says Aladdin Entrance. You can easily see it on maps.google.com hybrid map or the maps.yahoo.com beta version.

infy9001

Thanks for the responses! I knew there were other great forums out there besides the AC one ^ Perhaps i need to lurk here more often.

robb

Listen, I'm all good with the idea of not getting cheated, but I generally ask for the freeway route. Sure, it's egregious to try to take someone to MGM/NYNY via the freeway and those guys should get all heat in the world, but I mostly play (or at least start) at the Palms and it really is quicker.

Is the extra $5-$10 really worth the extra couple of hands of blackjack you'll miss out on by sitting at stop lights?

I just don't understand why so many people here who claim to bet $100 - $250 per hand suddenly start clutching at their wallets when it comes to the fastest way to their hotel.

kaukau

Wow, there is much to discuss and digest about taxi's to/from LAS McCarran to your casino/hotel! It's practically a hobby of mine! Traffic and taxi's can have a big impact on one's Las Vegas experience. So much so, in fact, that we decided to design our entire Las Vegas itinerary around the "best" ways to enjoy travel by taxi in Las Vegas. FWIW, here's it is: We travel Sun. - Thurs. only, never on weekends, with carry-on only (even these days), and fly HA, arriving at Terminal 2 at 11pm. We are first to the taxi stand because of our carry-on luggage only. Rarely any wait!. We hate Terminal 1 for getting a cab. If you MUST arrive at Terminal 1, use the Porter to take your bags and hail a cab if the line is daunting. $5 - $10 tip. It is so worth it! Prior to departure, we've checked the on-line Las Vegas Review Journal www.lvrj.com for traffic alerts in the valley. We've studied www.mapquest.com to pre select our route. We ask the driver to exit the airport via Swenson, please do not take the tunnel, take Swenson to Naples, make a right onto Paradise etc, etc. The driver will ask you "On vacation?" or "First time in Las Vegas?". You will answer "No. I live here." He's just trying to size you up for tunnelling! Even with those instructions, unlawful cabbies have STILL exited the airport via the tunnel. In that case, when we arrive at the casino, I get my bag and hand him $10 less than the meter and say "Here's the fare. I asked you not to tunnel me." They just take it and leave fast. They don't say one word! When leaving for the airport we are on the red-eye, not the mid-day flight, and get our cab back to McCarran Airport at 1:30am! Plenty of cabs, and the streets are deserted! We get to the airport in 9 minutes!!! Seriously, we designed the whole itinerary around the often hateful Las Vegas traffic and taxi situation!

Mrp Alert

^ loved the post, kaukau! A word of warning to all is that the Fruit Loop corridor - the square area between Naples and Harmon intersecting Paradise and Swenson which contains several gay bars is undergoing construction right now to speed up the traffic flow from the airport. I do not know when it is scheduled for completion.

trekwars2000

I've never heard that called the fruit loop cooridor... LOL

kaukau

I was told by an honest cabbie that unlawful cabbies who "tunnel" pax also cheat HIM out of better shifts because they ring more on the meter.

nrr

I personally don't like using taxis. From personal experience and notes in this thread, the taxi lines at McCarren airport (main terminal) are usually huge (also at some of the strip hotels, they are equally long.)
Shuttle busses charge around $5 to strip hotels, but usually have to fill up before departing (or wait a set number of minutes); most of these service hotels by "group": south strip, mid strip etc.--the bad feature is that one can be the last drop off of 5 hotels.
If you have only carry-on luggage the CAT bus system can be fairly efficient (these are located on level ZERO): (1) 109 North goes to the downtown trans. center (good for downtown hotels); 109 South goes to the South TC and connects with the "deuce", a double deck strip bus--up to ballys, timewise, these can be as fast as the shuttles; beyond this point, the northbound traffic generally causes long delays.
On the return, i've had reserved shuttle's never showing up; the cat busses run on a regular schedule--no reserverations needed.

N674UW

One other line I got from my cabbie at the airport when I got in (headed to Mirage, was around 8 pm on a Friday night) was "Traffic or no traffic?"...I dodged and said, "Whichever is cheaper", and he took me the correct way, I think, down the surface streets near the Thomas and Mack Center and then over to Mirage...

However, coming back on Sunday, we had a cabbie with a bit of an attitude...our party of 4 headed back to the airport from Mirage, and the fare was something like 13 bucks, so we gave him 16 bucks, and he was actually offended by the 3 dollar tip, didn't think it was enough , so he gave it back and just took 13 dollars...very bizarre incident...did he expect to be tipped on a per person basis or what??

kaukau

Some cabbies want more on the meter and don't care about the tip because more desirable shifts are assigned by meter totals. So I'm told. I've asked the nice cabbies: "What's up with the mean cabbies?"

opus17

Traffic was awful on Swenson last Thursday, due to the construction on Paradise (we drove). Northbound Paradise is closed at the spot where the 2-way traffic normally starts.

If you're taking a taxi, the "tunnel" route might be a lot faster while this is going on.

uncertaintraveler

Portions of the post that previously appeared in this space have been deleted. I would provide you with a reason why, but doing so would likely be against the TOS.

kingalien

IMO the time of day makes no significant difference in the fare as the good cabbies will take the side streets, cut through parking lots, etc. and get you to your destination. They will also know where construction is at and bypass. It is whether or not the driver will take you through the "tunnel" which adds to the cost of the fare.

Dr_wanderlust

this may have been pointed out, but if you're staying south strip such as MB it may be cheaper and faster to take the I-215 via the tunnel.

Dr_wanderlust

I concur. I have to drive through Harmon and Swensen daily for work. Avoid harmon swesen to paradise for the next month or so.