Hotels and Flights

[nuts2you]

Going to be booking my flights soon, found a really go deal on Southwest, for $320, from the 12th -18th of March.. Finally some LOW Fares, No matter what celine desides to do on the 12th of March , I be there for sure.

[Bralo20]

Stijn, isn't Jet Blue also fly from LV to NYC directly? I'm sure Vic took that flight.

 

There are plenty of airlines flying between NYC and LAS but only 1 is flying from EWR (Newark)

[BLM]

Not so sure I'd want to stay at this hotel

 

Swanky new Vegas hotel’s ‘death ray’ proves inconvenient for some guests

By Brett Michael Dykes brett Michael Dykes – Wed Sep 29, 12:00 pm EThttp://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100...for-some-guests

 

And here you thought bedbugs were the biggest source of anxiety for hotel guests.

Yes, guests at Vdara hotel in Las Vegas now have something else to worry about: being burned alive by the glare of the building's "death ray."

What the heck's a "death ray," you ask? Well, first off, it's not as deadly as it sounds, since no one has actually died from it -- at least not yet. But according to the U.K. Daily Mail, the powerful beams of Nevada sunlight reflecting off the glass hotel onto sections of the hotel's swimming pool area have burned some guests and have melted plastic bags.

The building's concave design creates a sort of magnifying-glass effect. The hotel's designers reportedly anticipated that ill-situated humans might experience some discomfort courtesy of the building's blinding glare, so they placed a film over the glass panes of its many windows. Obviously that didn't quite do the trick. So for now the hotel is placing larger umbrellas in the pool area while designers try to come up with another remedy.

Edited September 29, 2010 at 10:39 PM by Bubba

[ladylindsey]

oh my. They need to put up a screen or something!

[nuts2you]

I just saw that on the news,hotel is going to fix it.

 

I just booked my flight thought Southwest,

I will coming in on the 12-18,

great price BTW

[Claudette]

Wonder if somebody can help me. I heard that when you fly via ''Heathrow'' that you have to have a visa for England. Is that true?

[J-Man]

No that wouldn't be necessary, you're not even staying in London. Your passport would be enough. Visas would only be required if you were planning on living in the U.K. for a few months but check out exactly what you do need to do to make your connections as easy as possible. Heathrow is a big airport!

Make sure you give yourself enough time etc. Especially when you are not an E.U. citizen.

[Claudette]

That is what I thought too. I mean when you fly via Dubai (which I don't want to do because 32 hours is enough, 42 will kill me), you don't need one. I think I'll just need one for the US, but I'll make sure just in case.

[J-Man]

Is there a list being created of which flights people will be on so that we can see if anyone else from here is going to be on that plane?

[Claudette]

That is actually a good idea. Chances are good that some of us might be on the same flights, especially since a lot of people will be flying between the 10th and 14th.

 

I think a lot of people are waiting to see what is gonna happen on the 12th before they finalize their plans.

Edited October 1, 2010 at 11:16 AM by Claudette

[Cheerfuljane]

Since 1 July 2009, nationals of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland need a visa to enter or transit through the UK.

 

It's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Even though you are not leaving the airport, or even going out of the security area, you still need a visa.

[Claudette]

Since 1 July 2009, nationals of South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland need a visa to enter or transit through the UK.

 

It's the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Even though you are not leaving the airport, or even going out of the security area, you still need a visa.

 

Ugh! That is extra money I could have spent on something else. How stupid is that?! I'm not even gonna leave the airport. My other choice is to fly with SAA, but they fly directly to L.A and then to Las Vegas. It is about a 23 hour flight to L.A. I don't know if I'm gonna survive that...

[J-Man]

Geez, what did ye guys do to pss off the Brits so much? Wonder why it's just these three countries?

Major bummer, 2 visas even though you're only going to one country really.

 

Okay you definatley need to find out what your requirements and costs are from an official source. Is there a British Consulate in Sth Africa (I imagine there still is, considering all the Brits living there)

Edited October 1, 2010 at 06:40 PM by J-Man

[Claudette]

Geez, what did ye guys do to pss off the Brits so much? Wonder why it's just these three countries?

Major bummer, 2 visas even though you're only going to one country really.

 

Okay you definatley need to find out what your requirements and costs are from an official source. Is there a British Consulate in Sth Africa (I imagine there still is, considering all the Brits living there)

 

I have no clue why they are not happy with us. I'm not that into politics and history. But it really sucks! But I'll just have to pay it, because I don't want to sit on a plane for 23 hours. I'm really nervous as it is about the flying thing and I think it would be better for me to split it in two flights with the break between the flights.

 

We do have a British Consulate in SA. We are gonna found out next week how it works and what it is gonna cost us, but I think it is gonna be around R2000 (R1000 for each visa). That is about $300. I could have bought a ticket for the show with that!

Edited October 1, 2010 at 07:49 PM by Claudette

[Davey84]

I doubt you'll have to pay so much for that!

[Claudette]

Well, a visa for the USA costs me about a R1000, so I assume the British one will be more or less the same. It is absolutely rediculus.

[Davey84]

I guess you saw this site?

 

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/doineedvisa/

 

It's so stupid you need a visa with transit!

[Claudette]

I think that is where Jane got the quote from. My dad says it has something to do with our idiotic president Thabo Mbeki. Apparantly he said something that pissed the Brits off. Don't know whether or not it is true.

 

Maybe I should just get some sleeping pills or ''Rescue'' or something and fly with SAA. The last flight I was on was 40 minutes long and I got so sick, so how the heck am I gonna cope with a 23 hour flight?

[Bralo20]

My other choice is to fly with SAA, but they fly directly to L.A and then to Las Vegas. It is about a 23 hour flight to L.A. I don't know if I'm gonna survive that...

 

SAA doesn't fly to Los Angeles. They only fly to IAD (Washington) and JFK (New York) in the USA...

 

The JNB-IAD flight is a long flight (18 hours) but SAA's A340-300 planes have a comfortable seatpitch in economy, at least 33 inches which is 2 inches more then average. The second part of the flight (The flight from IAD to LAS) will be operated by United Airlines and they are quite decent (though average seatpicht in economy). The second flight will take about a bit more then 5 hours.

 

If I needed to fly from South Africa to the USA I'll definately choose SAA above other airlines like British AIrways for example, while I like British Airways as an airlines I hate transferring in Heatrow. LHR is one of the worst airports in the world to transfer (at least IMHO)

[Bralo20]

OK, just to be complete, here are the VISA requirements for travelling from as a South African through the UK to the USA:

 

[KVS Availability Tool 5.7.8/Diamond - TIMATIC: Visa/Entry Requirements]

02OCT10 / 2014 UTC
National South Africa (ZA)	  /Embarkation South Africa (ZA)
Transit United Kingdom (Great Britain) (GB)
Destination U.S.A. (US)		 
ALSO CHECK DESTINATION INFORMATION BELOW

[Visa Information - Transit] United Kingdom (Great Britain) (GB)

[Information For Normal Passports]
Admission and Transit Restrictions:
- Temporary Passports issued by South Africa are not
 recognised.

TWOV (Transit Without Visa):
Visa required, except for Passengers who may be granted
permission by the Immigration authorities to enter the United
Kingdom, for a stay not exceeding 24 hours.
The following conditions must be complied with:
- passengers hold confirmed reservations for an onward flight
within 24 hours; and
- continue to a third country; and
- have no purpose in entering the United Kingdom other than to
pass through in transit; and
- hold all documents required for the next destination.
- ***Warning*** Nationals of South Africa may only use this
  administrative concession (TWOV) above if holding:
  - a visa which allows entry into (or transit through)
  either Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA; and
  - holding a valid ticket for travel from a third country or
  territory via the UK as part of a journey TO (or through)
  Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA, whichever the
  visa is applicable to (e.g.: DEL-LHR-JFK, DEL-CDG-LHR-JFK,
  DEL-LHR-CDG-JFK or DEL-LHR-JFK-MEX).
  OR:
  - a valid visa for entry into Australia, Canada, New
  Zealand or the USA; and 
  - a valid airline ticket for travel via the UK as part of a
  journey FROM the country in respect of which the visa is
  held to another country or territory. 
  OR: 
  travelling as part of a journey FROM either Australia,
  Canada, New Zealand or the USA, provided transiting the UK
  less than 6 months after the date they last entered
  Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA with a valid visa
  for the respective country, even  though the visa may have
  expired at time of transit through the UK (e.g.:
  JFK-LHR-DEL, JFK-CDG-LHR-DEL or JFK-LHR-CDG-DEL).
  OR: 
  holding a valid common format Category D visa for entry
  into an EEA Member State [[TIRGL/EEA]] or Switzerland.
  NOTE: this DATV exemption is not applicable if holding a US
  Visa Foil type "YY" or "ZZ" endorsed "Not a visa. Foil
  prepared at DHS request" nor the US Adit stamp worded
  "Processed for I-551" (temporary form I-551).
Warning:
- There is no passport control on traffic between "Great
 Britain & Northern Ireland" and "Ireland (Rep. of)".
 [[TIDFT/GB/PA/WA/ID14102]]
- Non-compliance with entry/transit requirements (incl. forged
 documents) [[TIDFT/GB/VI/WA/ID26140]] 



United Kingdom (Great Britain) (GB)

No vaccinations are required to enter the United Kingdom from
any country.

[Visa Information - Destination] U.S.A. (US)

[Information For Normal Passports]
Passport required.
- Nationals of South Africa may enter with passports valid for
 period of intended stay.
Passport Exemptions:
- Holders of a valid on arrival Form I-512 ( Authorization for
 Parole of an Alien into the United States").
- Holders of a Temporary or Emergency passports.

Visa required, except for Holders of a Form I-512
( Authorization for Parole of an Alien into the United
States").
- A passenger may enter the USA with a valid visa in an
 expired passport, provided: [[TIDFT/US/VI/VS/ID30731]]
Minors:
- Children, up to/incl. 15 years of age, excluding nationals
 of the USA and nationals entitled to travel under the US
 Visa Waiver Program (V.W.P.), are allowed to travel on their
 parent's passport. A person included in the passport of
 another may not use the passport for travel unless he/she is
 accompanied by the bearer. 
Additional Information:
- Passengers not having proof of sufficient funds for length
 of stay [[TIDFT/US/VI/AI/ID13716]]
Warning:
- Non-compliance with entry/transit requirements will result
 in:[[TIDFT/US/VI/WA/ID26271]] 



U.S.A. (US)

No vaccinations are required to enter the USA from any
country. 

Warning:
- Those entering on a K-1 or K-2 visa must hold a medical form
 FS398 and X-ray plates of chest (full size not necessary).
 To facilitate handling upon arrival considerably, passengers
 are advised to have these health documents ready in their
 hands as they must have them at hand for the health control,
 which takes place immediately after disembarkation.

CHECK [[TINEWS/N1]] - INDIA: XIX COMMONWEALTH GAMES

 

So you do NOT need a VISA to transit in the UK as long as you continue to the USA and your flight leaves within 24 hours and you have a visa for the USA.

 

Remark: This information is valid TODAY, I do not guarantee that it's still valid next year since those things can change fast. The info comes directly from the airlines reservation system so it's up to date

Edited October 2, 2010 at 07:19 PM by Bralo20

[Amethystj]

My other choice is to fly with SAA, but they fly directly to L.A and then to Las Vegas. It is about a 23 hour flight to L.A. I don't know if I'm gonna survive that...

 

SAA doesn't fly to Los Angeles. They only fly to IAD (Washington) and JFK (New York) in the USA...

 

The JNB-IAD flight is a long flight (18 hours) but SAA's A340-300 planes have a comfortable seatpitch in economy, at least 33 inches which is 2 inches more then average. The second part of the flight (The flight from IAD to LAS) will be operated by United Airlines and they are quite decent (though average seatpicht in economy). The second flight will take about a bit more then 5 hours.

 

If I needed to fly from South Africa to the USA I'll definately choose SAA above other airlines like British AIrways for example, while I like British Airways as an airlines I hate transferring in Heatrow. LHR is one of the worst airports in the world to transfer (at least IMHO)

 

 

Why is it that you don't like Heathrow?

I've never been there before. In March it is the first time we will fly via Heathrow to Las Vegas.

Are there things we have to keep in mind when we go there?

[Claudette]

My other choice is to fly with SAA, but they fly directly to L.A and then to Las Vegas. It is about a 23 hour flight to L.A. I don't know if I'm gonna survive that...

 

SAA doesn't fly to Los Angeles. They only fly to IAD (Washington) and JFK (New York) in the USA...

 

The JNB-IAD flight is a long flight (18 hours) but SAA's A340-300 planes have a comfortable seatpitch in economy, at least 33 inches which is 2 inches more then average. The second part of the flight (The flight from IAD to LAS) will be operated by United Airlines and they are quite decent (though average seatpicht in economy). The second flight will take about a bit more then 5 hours.

 

If I needed to fly from South Africa to the USA I'll definately choose SAA above other airlines like British AIrways for example, while I like British Airways as an airlines I hate transferring in Heatrow. LHR is one of the worst airports in the world to transfer (at least IMHO)

 

Yeah, you are right. It is IAD or JFK. I don't know why I thought they fly to L.A. I've been looking through so many flights and possibilities in the past week that I must have gotten it confused with another option. But it definitely says 23 hours. That was the main reason why I didn't want to fly with them. I have to be honest with you. I'm not a big fan of SAA, especially for their local flights. We've had a couple of bad experiences with them. British Airways is even better for local flights, believe me. But maybe it is just me. We haven't decided yet what option we are gonna take. We're still checking things out...

[ennostiel]

Claudette, I hope you will make it and get to be there with us eventually!

 

Like I said before (though I think it was in a different thread), I'll be departing on March 12th, but I'll have to spend 21hrs in London between flights, so I will be in Vegas on the 13th.

[Bralo20]

I started booking my hotels...

 

FRI 11-MAR-2011: Hampton Inn & Suites Las Vegas - Red Rock/Summerlin

SAT 12-MAR-2011: Hilton Woodland Hills / Los Angeles

SUN 13-MAR-2011: Hilton Woodland Hills / Los Angeles

 

I won't book my hotels from the 14th on untill I know which offers the MGM Resorts group has...

 

[Bralo20]

Why is it that you don't like Heathrow?

I've never been there before. In March it is the first time we will fly via Heathrow to Las Vegas.

Are there things we have to keep in mind when we go there?

 

I don't like Heathrow because it's not a pleasant airport, to crowded, way to long transfers (if you don't travel with British Airways)... Security sucks sometimes even more then TSA in the USA (and that is a big challenge since I thought that TSA was the worst security on earth)...

 

But if you arrive with British Airways and you connect to a British Airways flight you won't need to leave the terminal (T5), so that's a bit better then it used to be...

[takeachance]

i want to stay at one of the fab hotels e.g. venetian/ mgm/ , well they are all gorgeous in Vegas!! but i wanna be able to stay in one of these, noce room, but not too deer!! its going to be deer no matter what right??

oh to start saving .....!!!! (still totall unsure if i will actually be able to make it or not due to work....but not going to stop me from planning and looking forward to it!!!)

wont be able to book hotels till late january 2011, as wont know if i can go until then ....

 

(hmm, is "expensive" typed deer/ or dear ? one of them is an animal....friend of santas.....? i think santas friend is a deer, ok never mind!!!)

Edited October 22, 2010 at 08:50 PM by takeachance

[Davey84]

Does anybody know what the difference is between a 'twin seat' and a 'standard seat' with British Airways???

[Bralo20]

Does anybody know what the difference is between a 'twin seat' and a 'standard seat' with British Airways???

 

It means that there are only 2 seats in that particular row on the sides. You have probably chosen a row to the back of the plane where the hull is narrower to form the tailsection. It's there were they leave a seat out to have aisles where a cart can pass.

 

Example:

 

This is a seatmap of a Boeing 747-400 from British Airways, if you look at rows 51 to 53 you'll see only 2 seats instead of 3 seats, this is where the hull narrows down so they remove one seat.

 

http://www.seatguru.com/en_US/img/37/seatguru/airlines/British_Airways/British_Airways_Boeing_747-400_C.gif

[vroni]

I was just checking flights again, not sure yet if I'm gonna fly from Munich or London, but prices already went down a hundred euros during the last two weeks, I'll probably wait with booking, hope it's gonna be even cheaper! Anyone else flying from London or Munich?

[Bralo20]

i want to stay at one of the fab hotels e.g. venetian/ mgm/ , well they are all gorgeous in Vegas!! but i wanna be able to stay in one of these, noce room, but not too deer!! its going to be deer no matter what right??

oh to start saving .....!!!! (still totall unsure if i will actually be able to make it or not due to work....but not going to stop me from planning and looking forward to it!!!)

wont be able to book hotels till late january 2011, as wont know if i can go until then ....

 

(hmm, is "expensive" typed deer/ or dear ? one of them is an animal....friend of santas.....? i think santas friend is a deer, ok never mind!!!)

 

First it's "dear" but AFAIK I don't think it's much used anymore, anyway I've never heard it in the English language though we use it in the Flemish language but more as a dialect

 

 

Now, the tophotels on the Strip CAN be expensive but they don't have to be... I've stayed in THEhotel last year for less then 80 USD a night, that is for a rather big suite and not just a "room". IMHO the Signature @ MGM Grand has the best price/quality mix at the moment, if you look on the internet you can easily find rather cheap suites at the Signature, but beware of one thing: The Signature isn't whole owned by MGM, most of the suites are privately owned and are rented out either by MGM or by third parties. If you rent through MGM or a decent broker who rents through MGM you won't have any problem, you'll receive a suite up to MGM's standards and you'll be able to use all the ammenities of MGM Grand (Signature is part of it). But sometimes you can find rather cheap suites at the Signature on third party sites which aren't renting through MGM but instead of the owners directly, in this case there is a chance that the ammenities will be different. So when booking the Signature be aware that you book through MGM instead of using unknown third parties.

 

Just browse through the websites of the hotels and look see if the price if right. If it's not, just wait, it will probably go lower... Some of the hotels doesn't have their correct prices yet... A couple of days ago I called the VIP services at MGM Resorts (owner of Mandalay Bay, THEhotel, MGM Grand, Mirage, Skylofts and many more) and they still hadn't the correct casino rates (= rates for holders of a players card which is most of the time way cheaper then the regular prices or even several nights comped if eligable) for that periode. I expect decent rates to be loaded into the system within a month, maybe 2...

 

Another option is to book through Priceline for example, Priceline "buys" their rooms directly from the hotels so you should be fine and they are most of the times quite some bit cheaper compared to the "official" sites of the hotels. Or to work with a local travel agent... I have a travel agent here in Belgium who has during some parts of the year quite some good rates for hotels everywhere in the world.

 

My Las Vegas top 5 hotels:

 

1) Skylofts @ MGM

2) Four Seasons (located at Mandalay Bay)

3) Encore

4) Mandarin Oriental

5) Signature @ MGM

 

 

The MGM Skylofts are just awsome but rather expensive (+1.000 USD a night) but that fare includes a bunch of nice amenities like airport transfer with a Maybach, etc...