Staying Downtown during the wedding weekend?

justplucky

It seems like the only weekend all of our family is going to be able to make a wedding in Vegas before September is June 20-23.  Unfortunately that's also the weekend of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_Daisy_Carnival

I realized this when I saw that hotel prices were double for that weekend and was wondering what the heck was going on. I'm pretty sure this means:

- Crowds! Rave/dance crowds partying their butts off everywhere (as they should)
- More $$$ for less

After doing some research, it seems like it would be more bang for our buck to stay downtown at the Golden Nugget instead of the Strip. I also don't think it would be pleasant to randomly explore the Strip due to the heat and crowds, especially since my FI's 76-year-old father and 5 and 3-year-old nephews will be with us.

Pros of staying Downtown:

- Cheaper accomodations (like $800 cheaper for the same type of accomodations for the weekend)
- The Golden Nugget has an awesome pool (Shark Tank! I think the nephews would love that)
- Easier to stay out of the heat when going from place to place
- Scale is less overwhelming

Cons of staying Downtown:

- It's not the typical "Vegas" experience and my FI has never been there before

- The cost of transporting 11 people to and from the Strip 1-2 times a day.

Another note: FI and I won't be heavy drinking and clubbing due to the company that's coming along.

Do you think my assessment of the pros and cons are accurate? Are there any I'm missing?

Here's a possible schedule I'm considering if we stay Downtown:

Thursday afternoon - arrive in LV, check in at hotel, go to the marriage license bureau

Thursday night - dinner & late show on the Strip

Friday Morning - relax and wedding prep

Friday Afternoon - get married (probably at the Chapel of the Flowers)!

Friday night - celebration wedding dinner (Bouchon?)

Saturday morning - lounge around in post-wedding bliss cloud

Saturday afternoon - tour of fun, relatively kid-friendly Strip locations in an air-conditioned van/shuttle (Vegas sign, Bellagio fountains, Mirage volcano)?

Saturday evening - chill out and relax

Sunday morning - head home

Mango Margarita

We stayed downtown at The Plaza our wedding night and it was fine. We had breakfast at HashHouseAGogo the next morning and it was perfect for us - casual and laidback and ALONE!

EDC may get a little crazy BUT it is nowhere near sold out. Last year it sold out within days, so it may not be as busy/crowded.

It was a $25 cab ride from downtown to Cosmopolitan to give you an idea of the cost. Ifnyou are going to stay downtown, you can catch the express downtown bus (used to be called ACE) a few stops, maybe 3?, to the brand new Lied Discovery Childrens Museum. It's in Symphony Park, maybe a $6 cab ride. You can catch a return cab at the front of the outlet mall across the way- it's a little walk but not too bad.

http://www.discoverykidslv.org/#!home/mainPage

mcgaff77

Yeah, my wedding is that weekend. We planned everything before they announced the EDC dates, so it is what it is. We are all staying on the Strip, but it is more expensive that weekend, unfortunately. I just like the vibe of the Strip. Especially for my guests who have never been to Vegas. But I have heard good things about Golden Nugget!

vegasgroom

We were there last year for EDC and my brother went to it; it's nothing to worry about.  Most people who go to EDC are college-age kids who are filling up hotels like Four Queens with eight people to a room so they can go out from 10pm to 8am.  With that in mind, getting a cab may involve delays from about 9pm until early morning.  Also, traffic on the interstate will suck for that same period of time; it took him an hour to get there.  Other than that, EDC doesn't have much of an effect on the rest of Vegas other than the artificial jacking up of the prices of rooms.

justplucky

Thanks VegasGroom and Mango Margarita! I feel a lot better now.