First First with BA booked

Oh yes, after a year of saving and squirreling away Avios points from left, right and centre. Having made huge sacrifices like shopping in Tesco instead of Waitrose :0 , having switched credit cards so many times I do not know whether I am coming or going, in order to get sign-up bonuses I have finally achieved my goal and booked a BA First ticket ^)

My short-list was South Africa, Hong Kong or India. We have decided on 2016 for the first as the summer heat may be too much for my Celtic complexion! We are off to Japan soon so decided on a non-oriental destination and the OH refuses to go to India (work in progress, I shall get my way eventually ): ).

So it's off to Las Vegas! Not a typical holiday choice for us, but I will be fascinated to see it in all in it's over-the-top extravagance and am also keen to see Death Valley.

Not off until December but had to share the news with someone who appreciated the efforts we go to with miles collection and rewards bookings! The booking does give me a huge thrill ) I think it's the thrill of the chase. Everyone around here is fed up of me droning on about air miles and holidays ii)

I know many of my fellow V-flyers have been to Las Vegas, so any tips welcomes. With regards to hotels, is it better to book early or nearer the time to grab a great deal?

Well done ,much jealousy my end ! Can't comment on vegas ,never been but enjoy the build up ,it's going to be a long year waiting for it to come round I suspect

Well done! Hope you love Vegas - yes, it's truly over the top but it really is what you want it to be. Parts of it can be tacky and gaudy but you'll also find some of the best high end shopping and dining in America. And as you correctly point out you're pretty close to some breathtaking scenery like Death Valley and the Grand Canyon.

Personally I'd wait to book a hotel as there's no shortage of rooms and there are often great deals to be had a few weeks in advance. UNLESS, that is, you're there on a US holiday weekend or during a huge convention when you'd be wise to book early. December shouldn't be too bad as long as it's before Christmas. Hotel prices do shoot up at weekends throughout the year though.

Start thinking now about where you want to stay: Strip, off-Strip or downtown? High end, middle range or budget? Convenience for shows you want to see? Vegas is not a quick place to get around - it can easily take half an hour plus to walk from one hotel reception to the one next door so location is important.

Have a look at the moneysavingexpert Vegas thread (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/sho ... ?t=5127790) which is a great resource for Vegas virgins, full of hints and tips and a useful list of links to sites with hotel promo codes. The sheer number of hotels can be daunting at first but a bit of planning (and of course advice from V-Flyers) should steer you on your way!

(For what it's worth I love the Cosmopolitan and Aria, both very modern "urban chic" hotels but others swear by the Bellagio, the Wynn or the Mandalay Bay for more classic high end luxury. Everyone has their own favourites!)

Oh congratulations!

For two years I saved Avios like mad then when I tried to book - unfortunately with pretty much fixed dates - no rewards/ upgrades available for the route I wanted. :0
Really felt a huge let down. - but so pleased for you.

Please, please post a TR so I can enjoy First vicariously!!!

Well done you, know what its like but for us its to use to upgrade every February when we go the Canada.
As for LV just love it there, you know its going to be over the top and it does not disappoint. We stayed in the Hilton Off stip last time but its convenient cause the overhead metro train stops at the hotel (so convenient). But next time we will be stopping in 'Paris' as husband fell in love with the place when we went and he had his birthday dinner at the top of the Eiffel Tower and watched the dancing waters across the road at the Bellagio. We booked all our shows (one a night) before we went and picked tickets up at 'will call' office when we got there. We also booked a limo pickup and return from the airport, which was great.
I'm sure you will love it.

I'm not jealous. Really. But I am thinking about ways to steal your identity ):

That's really great news, I'm pleased for you and I'm sure you'll enjoy the holiday as much as the flight. I hope neither disappoint.

Oooh ooh oooh we're taking our first trip to LV in April (on VS, PE out - first time in UC back). The UC upgrade is a surprise for my hubby.

I've found the Trip Advisor forum really helpful, one of the only helpful forums on the whole site!

Enjoy BA First, I'm sure it will be fabulous!

Congratulations on the First First Maximus!

LAS has such a range of accommodation in terms of location and costs. We always stay on Strip and have stayed at Bellagio and Aria. We are currently booked into Aria again for April because I made the school girl error of booking the flights without checking the convention calendar - there's a 90k attendance for 3 of our 6 days which means that hotel prices are stoopid at the moment ! But as hubby says in Vegas it's just somewhere to sleep.

Aria is very nice and the beds are so comfortable - we ended up buying the pillows in 2011 and hubby wants to get another set! Being slightly off strip and not having a "signature" (like the Chandelier bar in Cosmo or the receiption ceiling in Bellagio) it didn't get the passing tourist traffic that some of the others get. The only down side (for hubby) is that the quickest way to the strip for Cosmo, Bellagio, Paris etc is to walk through Crystals :w

For our April trip I wanted to book Bellagio again but the current rates for a fountain view room are too high - I wouldn't pay the premium to stay in Bellagio unless I had a guaranteed fountain view.

I also looked at Cosmo at one of their fountain view rooms - but again the prices are too high.

I always book direct with the hotel on a cancellable rate and check frequently for better rates - in 2011 I ended up cancelling & rebooking Aria three times before we went as deals kept popping up. I'm also registered with a number of reward cards as these also offer discounts.

I hope this helps!

ScoobySu

PS Bretty - my packing cubes have arrived today

Oooh ooh oooh we're taking our first trip to LV in April (on VS, PE out - first time in UC back). The UC upgrade is a surprise for my hubby.

I've found the Trip Advisor forum really helpful, one of the only helpful forums on the whole site!

Enjoy BA First, I'm sure it will be fabulous!

I agree Rachel - the Trip Advisor forum is very helpful!

I think we're in Vegas at the same time in April so we could perhaps have a V-Flyer social? Parasol Down bar at The Wynn perhaps for their glorious White Cosmos?

Try lowcostusa it has all the hotels in Vegas on and off strip, we have found they cannot be beaten with either booking direct or through expedia etc. They often include all the resort fees which can save a large amount of money.

As the exchange rate is not very good at the moment we are holding off booking as we are not in VEGAS till October so it may go up or down. WE only managed Club with Ba but at least we are flying in direct and from Gatwick, something we could never achieve with Virgin with a reward seats, and on 2-4-1 only cost us £1100 and 100,000 miles that was for two not each.

Have been to Death Valley several times so if you want any info just drop me a line, we actually prefer it to the Grand Canyon. Linda y)

Well done Maximus

oldboy

Yes ... Well done .. Always great to have something later in the year to look forward to.

Don't forget the Trip Report !

Congratulations on the First First Maximus!

LAS has such a range of accommodation in terms of location and costs. We always stay on Strip and have stayed at Bellagio and Aria. We are currently booked into Aria again for April because I made the school girl error of booking the flights without checking the convention calendar - there's a 90k attendance for 3 of our 6 days which means that hotel prices are stoopid at the moment ! But as hubby says in Vegas it's just somewhere to sleep.

Aria is very nice and the beds are so comfortable - we ended up buying the pillows in 2011 and hubby wants to get another set! Being slightly off strip and not having a "signature" (like the Chandelier bar in Cosmo or the receiption ceiling in Bellagio) it didn't get the passing tourist traffic that some of the others get. The only down side (for hubby) is that the quickest way to the strip for Cosmo, Bellagio, Paris etc is to walk through Crystals :w

For our April trip I wanted to book Bellagio again but the current rates for a fountain view room are too high - I wouldn't pay the premium to stay in Bellagio unless I had a guaranteed fountain view.

I also looked at Cosmo at one of their fountain view rooms - but again the prices are too high.

I always book direct with the hotel on a cancellable rate and check frequently for better rates - in 2011 I ended up cancelling & rebooking Aria three times before we went as deals kept popping up. I'm also registered with a number of reward cards as these also offer discounts.

I hope this helps!

ScoobySu

PS Bretty - my packing cubes have arrived today

We managed to get a really good deal on a fountain view wraparound suite at the Cosmo, by booking on Mariott site, then doing a best price guarantee against another site, mariott beat the other price by 25% on any valid claim. Might be worth a look!

My congrats to the OP on the first class flights.

Well done! That's amazing news. Looking forward to the TR already.

We will be in Vegas for a few days in October at the end of our West Coast road trip, and will be staying at the Mirage and Four Seasons. Shall report back afterwards!

Well done Maximus. I have my first BAFirst two weeks tomorrow ) . Trust me you'll loooooooooove Vegas .
And now you can head back to the tranquillity that is Waitrose.... ( I personal loathe and detest Tesco).

DL

Thanks all for all the replies. The more I hear about Vegas the more I think I am going to like it. The hotels look completely OTT! I do like the look of thge Wynn but I have months to peruse all the websites, so no rush.

DL, much as I would love to return to Waitrose, the draw of the Clubcard points is far too strong to resist I hope you have a great trip in 2 weeks time and I look forward to reading your TR and impressions of BA First.

mrsw- are you staying in two different hotels whilst in Vegas. I hadn't thought of doing that but may be worth considering.

mallin= I will pick your brains about Death Valley nearer the time, as will certainly be visiting.

Scooby Su- once you've used those cubes there will be no looking back!

I appreciate all the tips and advice about the hotels and pointers to moneysaving expert and tripadvisor. I shall check them out very soon.

I go to LAS at the beginning of Nov every year on a solo trip and always split my hotels due to who can comp me. I often stay at one end of the strip for 2 nights, MGM/NYNY, and then switch to the Wynn for the last 3 nights.

I've stayed in the Bellagio before but found it got too crowded as everyone visits to see the fountains and conservatory and it's not easy fighting your way back to your room through hoards of people.

I prefer the Wynn due to proximity of the Fashion show mall opposite and a quieter atmosphere. It's really popular with orientals as it has a hotel in Macau with reciprocal deals. I also prefer the rooms to those of the Encore, slightly smaller, but while lying in bed you can see the strip whereas the Encore the bed is at the back of the room behind a seating area and swivel TV unit placed between the two. You're also looking at the back of the wynn rather than up strip. The crowd is different at the weekends as it attracts to clubbers going to XS, so use the hotel Sun-Thu if possible.

In early Dec, there's usually the NFR rodeo on which attracts a lot of additional guests so check the timing of this. They're a great crowd who are exceptionally well mannered and always polite. The ranch hands usually stay at low to mid tier hotels and the ranch owners are in the higher end properties. We say a family while staying at the Venetian and they looked amazing in their outfits - 3 young boys carbon copies of their father and wife who looked like Dolly Parton, tiny, slim and very blingy.

With BA first, please check that you will get the full first service as I've read on Flyertalk that the cabin is very often opened up to Silver/Golds as an upgraded seat from Club in the first cabin but offering Club service.

One place I always recommend newcomers to go to is Mix bar, the entrance is an express lift between Mandalay Bay and Delano. It's nice to go early evening when it opens to get a seat on the outside terrace and look at the views down the strip. Don't forget your camera and ensure weatherwise it's not windy or it rains as they don't open that area up. The other nice place to have a drink is Parasol Down at the Wynn -afternoon for a quiet time after shopping and evening for the light show at the Lake of Dreams.

Hope this helps a little and enjoy your trip.

With BA first, please check that you will get the full first service as I've read on Flyertalk that the cabin is very often opened up to Silver/Golds as an upgraded seat from Club in the first cabin but offering Club service.
.

I believe this is a current issue because the 747 aircraft used on the route don't have the " New" First offering ( the seats are not being sold as First ). BA were previously offering 50,000 Avios compensation to all passengers for the inconvenience of being in "old" First on this route so have bitten the bullet and removed the F option.
I think the OP will be fine as his flight is a long way off and looks like the aircraft will have left the fleet.


DL

lynnewob- many thanks for that information, it is appreciated. I shall indeed be there for the rodeo competition. Maybe we will get along to see some of it if it is open to non-cowboys!

The split hotel stay sounds like a good idea, I shall look in to it nearer the time. With the rodeo being on though, I will not leave booking something too late and missing out on the deals. No point flying there in First and staying in a 2 star Motel! But I can not imagine Vegas ever runs out of hotel rooms.

You and DragonLady are correct, First was removed from the LAS flights (and others) as the 747 aircraft had old First cabins. Currently they are being sold as Club and there is no First service on these aircraft leaving from T5. But by October all BA 747s will have New First cabins fitted and the First service will be running again. However, LAS flights are moving from T5 to T3 at this time also, so no CCR for us. But I am not unduly bothered, the T3 Flounge is good by all accounts, has a restaurant for First ticket holders and they are re-opening the Spa for then too. It will be quieter than the CCR too we have been told, which suits me. As long as I can drink, eat, drink, eat, have a massage, eat, eat and drink I will be fine Me, the OH the kindle, newspapers adrift in a champagne haze. Terrific! y)

Right, the last of the 747s which are staying with BA will all get NF soon enough. T3 Flounge is a bit of a desert right now, but will get revamped indeed end of the year, I expect a bit more changes will happen too and we may see a bit more in the way of positive changes to it than just a return to F dining and the SPA reopening. As long as the LPGS flows back all will be well. Hope you enjoy BA F, it surely can be a hit and miss thing some times, but when they leave a bottle of 2004 Bordeaux at your table for you to polish off you do feel a bit special

Interesting take on the state of BA on the headforpoints blog. Raffles always used to be a fan: not so much now it seems.

http://www.headforpoints.com/2014/12/27 ... m-service/

With BA first, please check that you will get the full first service as I've read on Flyertalk that the cabin is very often opened up to Silver/Golds as an upgraded seat from Club in the first cabin but offering Club service.
.

I believe this is a current issue because the 747 aircraft used on the route don't have the " New" First offering ( the seats are not being sold as First ). BA were previously offering 50,000 Avios compensation to all passengers for the inconvenience of being in "old" First on this route so have bitten the bullet and removed the F option.
I think the OP will be fine as his flight is a long way off and looks like the aircraft will have left the fleet.


DL

I was going to mention this as Mrs H and I are booked in CW to LAS in August but are in 2A/K in the front cabin as it's the old first class.

I was going to mention this as Mrs H and I are booked in CW to LAS in August but are in 2A/K in the front cabin as it's the old first class.

15th October 2015 is the "Change" date I believe, 2 months before we go.

I have reserved 2A and 2K also. We don't talk that much on a flight as we are usually watching films or reading, and would both like window seats. May try the middle seats on the return perhaps to compare. Of course if 1A/K became available we will grab those.

You will have a great time when the rodeo crowd are there. They really enjoy gambling and are fun to be around.

If you book hotels, ensure you book a refundable rate and it'll be easy to switch to a cheaper rate if the price comes down. Always sign up for the Players Club cards at the hotel you're staying at as every little helps if you do use slot machines or tables - the slots are better for comps as they're like a Boots card and just accumulate points every time you put money in the machine. Get a card each and have them linked so the points accumulate. On the tables you have to be betting about $25 a hand at Blackjack to even get rated. If you feel you've been using slots a lot and your points have racked up, pop to the Players club desk prior to checking out and ask if there is anything they can comp you with. Sometimes, they'll refund the room rate, or resort fees or take drinks/meals off your bill as long as you've billed them to your room.

Interesting take on the state of BA on the headforpoints blog. Raffles always used to be a fan: not so much now it seems.

http://www.headforpoints.com/2014/12/27 ... m-service/

Compared to some of the Middle Eastern and Far Eastern airline First Class services, I have little doubt BA falls short in a direct comparison. They offer excellent standards of service, in all classes, but especially First Class.

But for a chap like me who travels business class occassionally, and usually PE or Economy when paying cash, I am sure the upgrade will be a marked improvement on what I am used to

Like anything, when you are a critic (as Raffles is to some extent) or used to Business and first Class travel as a norm, staying in top-end hotels, the short falls in premier service are perhaps more notceable.

I checked on the "real" cost of our tickets today. £9880 return :0 My £1100 fees & taxes, 150k Avios and Amex 241 voucher make it a great "saving". Though it is not really a saving at all as I would never have flown First had I had to pay cash. There are hundreds of other things I would preferably spend £10k on. But for us it is a great treat, I am sure we will have a ball.