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| - Not a wonderful experience, but not a terrible one either. Personally, a bit mediocre, nothing breathtaking or particularly memorable -- we saw a bunch of the hotels and they were all lit up. Yet it was not as bright and flashy as I had envisioned in my head. That could be my fault, hyping it up from what others have said. It was a lot brighter and more energetic on the ground than in the air.
Overall, it was quiet in our little pod cause it was around Christmas/a weeknight around 11PM. It was only my husband and I, plus a dad and his three daughters. The music playing was lively and energetic, maybe a way to inject more fun in the experience. The young girls were dancing around and it was cute. Actually found that a bit more entertaining than the view.
I think a lot of the 5 star reviews involve the packages that come with unlimited booze. Because, anything is super fun while drunk. However, my husband and I aren't drinkers so opted for just the regular ticket.
Pricey for what the experience really is: 30 minutes long, some songs blasting. Regular night time ticket --no booze -- $37. I got discounted vouchers and paid $29 per ticket instead and I still kind of think it was a rip- off. Also the ascent was super slow, and I thought it would be a bit faster. The slow ascent was good though, because it seemed very gradual and any faster might make some people nervous or nauseous.
The staff is also very friendly from every interaction I had -- before entering the box for the ticket line, the guy manning the entrance was helpful in directing me where to go. I had never been here and had a voucher and was unsure where to go. The girl assisting us with tickets was nice. Bag check girl was sweet, commenting on how she liked my bag, saying you're welcome as we thanked them.
Once you go upstairs, there's a bar and bathrooms. I'm guessing you could buy some alcoholic beverages and take it with you? Then we pass through another area where they make us take pictures in front of a green screen, no doubt to try to sell us when we leave. It was actually very cute in terms of the background shot, but we didn't like how we looked and opted not to get it. Finally, we get to the last line area, but quickly run into the open pod as it's moving, and then we made our way up! No lines anywhere, but this was obviously not peak season in Las Vegas. At other times of the year, especially Spring/Summer, I can foresee the lines being long.
I'm not sure how many people they permit inside one pod, but hopefully they do not over pack everyone inside and have a strict limit. It would be hard to get a good view, and it might feel a bit claustrophobic. I also wonder if the pods differ in size. The non-open bar ones are small, and have less people inside. The open bar pods must accommodate a bar/staff, and a lot more people.
While mostly everyone stands, there are some seats that you can sit down if you need a little rest.
Also, the gift shop was super cute and fun to look through. I normally never buy stuff in gift shops because the mark-ups are insane, but I saw an adorable "Sad Panda" shirt (panda looking bummed that their mug of (presumably) beer had tipped and spilled on the ground) and could not resist the purchase. Again, those cashiers were friendly and joking around with customers behind me. For working in a quiet store at midnight, that's some good energy and customer service.
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