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| - What an amazing experience! Was staying in Vegas and surprised the hubby with a helicopter ride. Got the Grand Celebration package, which includes the landing on the floor of the Grand Canyon and the picnic lunch and champagne.
Be sure to reconfirm your reservations at least 24 hours in advance. It's just a quick phone call. We were picked up from our hotel's tour lobby right on time. Warning: you cannot bring coffee on the shuttle, so if you have an early pick-up, drink up ahead of time. We were then brought to the small airport (not the main Vegas airport) about a 1/2 hour away. We waited in a brief line where we checked in, were weighed in for weight on flight and seating purposes, and we then watched a brief safety video. Not long after, we were at the gate and ready to board the copter! There are restrooms available to use before and after, as well as a gift store which also sells some food/drinks. No food/drinks on the copter, though.
Our pilot was Lauren, who was excellent! We really liked her a lot. She was very friendly and gave us our life vests and all that. I upgraded our seats to sit up front with the pilot, and I'm so glad we did. I highly recommend the upgrade, if you are able to. I think it ultimately depends on weight, for the seating assignments. But the views are amazing (probably amazing from the back seats as well, but I think slightly better up front). Lauren told us some interesting facts about what we were seeing, and gave us a little history. It was cool to see the Hoover Dam, and then the Grand Canyon. It was only about a 1/2 hour away.
One thing I hadn't considered or seen other reviewers mention, was the nausea factor... we both felt a little motion sickness. It wasn't too bad, and we didn't actually come close to getting sick or anything, but you definitely do get that motion sickness feeling, just a little bit. There are sick bags, just in case. But if you are prone to that kind of thing, perhaps take a non drowsy Dramamine or something like that before your flight.
I'm really glad that I got the Grand Celebration package that included the landing because I think some of the other packages are just fly-overs. While the helicopter ride alone is a fantastic experience, it was surreal to land IN the Grand Canyon and take fabulous pictures (thanks again to Lauren for taking the shots!). We had a short picnic lunch and champagne. I only wish that our time spent in the canyon could have been longer (it's only about 25-30). I would have been cool to have a full hour to be able to walk around a little more, take it all in... just be sure to really soak it in while you're there! Then we took off and headed back for Vegas. The flight back is a little shorter. Once returned, you simply check-in with the shuttle people and they get you on a shuttle back to your hotel. Easy breezy.
Overall, this was an amazing experience I'll never forget. I have always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and am SO happy I experienced it in this way. Not only did we get the vantage points from the flight up above and then landing inside it, but it also saved us a very long and boring drive, since it's in the middle of nowhere! It's great to take a quick flight, experience it, and not have to deal with the nothingness that surrounds it. Also, the helicopter ride itself is very cool and exciting. If you're going to be in Vegas, I highly recommend this!
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