Viva Las Vegas

It used to be Las Vegas was about 25 cent shrimp cocktails and going there with a pocket full of quarters in hopes that you would double or even triple your investment. Those days are long gone and now are the days of luxury, high rollers, lush, and anything else sinful by nature. However, this is not always true either. Las Vegas has done a rather good job at marketing themselves as a family city. Casinos offer roller coasters, movie theaters, food courts, and arcades to keep the kids at bay so the parents can gamble. Las Vegas is truly a city where anyone can find something to do and be happy.

Even the penny pinchers (i.e. me) can find solace as there is a load of free stuff offered on and off the strip in Las Vegas. Some of my favorites are:

On the Strip:

The Bellagio Atrium: I love the atrium and it changes for each season and holiday, so it is something you can visit every time you go and it will always be different. It’s a family favorite.

MGM Grand Lions Habitat: In the middle of the casino there is a special habitat made and maintained just for lions! Usually during the day there are about two adult lions. They also have a lion expert there to talk to you about the lions, their likes and dislikes, and some educational facts. It’s really actually cool. And in the morning you can go and they have baby cubs you can get your picture taken with (not free).

M&M World: I have been there a lot and while walking around the shop is fun and they have some cool products, not very many people know they also offer a free 3-D show! It’s on the top floor and you have to be there at the right time to experience it (ask someone about it).

CBS Television City at MGM: a place where you can watch and rate upcoming shows on CBS. It’s a little time consuming (about an hour) but it’s a different and can be fun- depending on the show.

The Volcano at the Mirage is kind of fun as well as the pirate show, Sirens at Treasure Island (although not to sure if the pirate show is for kids), or you could check out the Fremont Street Experience (a great place to find the deep fried twinkie). If you do go down to Fremont don’t forget to look up and see the cool LCD screen shows.

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A long time ago…before I started training for a marathon, before thebabytravels learned how to projectile vomit and before the Alaskan cruise, I was in Minneapolis for a few days. I was just in town for work and it wasn’t the typical vacation, but I did manage to experience a few things unique to MSP even though time and transportation was limited. Here are a few things to check out when you’re in town.

Twins Game:

I used to live in MN, in fact I grew up there. Claiming that you are a Minnesotan means something. It means you’re able to survive falling through the ice on frozen ponds, you can treat 7 kinds of poison ivy and you’re a Twins fan. I grew up watching the Twins on TV with my grandpa and we frequently went to games at the Metrodome. When I found out that work was taking me to the Twin Cities the first thing I did was arrange to see a Twins game with my pal Chris. The brand new Target Field is a spectacular place to see a game and I was grateful to be able to catch a game in its inaugural season.

Target Field, Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Well stocked buffets, spotless state rooms, flawless dinner service- these are all the things you see and expirience while aboard a cruise ship on vacation. But unbeknownst to most behind those service doors is a well oiled machine of crew members and maintanence organizing everything from laundry and room service, to keeping the ship running smoothly and of course steering it in the right direction. Celebrity Cruises was kind enough to let us take a peek behind the scenes of what most cruisers don’t get to see and share with you some things you may not know about your floating vacation.

Officers at the Bridge

This is the Bridge where the Captain spends most of his time. The bridge serves as the navigational, command and control center of the ship.

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Don’t do it! Of course I’m totally joking, I loved having BabyTravels with us on our Alaskan Adventure. I would repeat it over and over again. Although there were many challenges and it did take some insightful packing. But I’m not going to list it all here- I did a guest post over at Vacation Gals so you can check it out there. Enjoy!

BabyTravels "whale watching" on our Alaskan cruise

SkyMall Madness is an ongoing series where we review different products offered in the Sky Mall Magazine found in most seat back pockets on airplanes. We are not affiliated with Sky Mall Magazine in any way. See other posts in the series here and here.

Do you misplace your cell phone constantly? How many times have you narrowly avoided dropping your mobile in a garbage disposal, toilet or off of a cliff? Do you find yourself wondering if there is a better alternative to putting your phone in your pocket or purse?

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