The Greatest Bachelor Party in Sin City

January 8, 2008 11:16 AM

How can I throw my other best friend the greatest bachelor party ever in Las Vegas around Spring Break time?

So last year I threw a pretty sweet bachelor party in Myrtle Beach and its going to be really hard to out do it-- but out do it I must. My other best friend has asked me to throw his bachelor party as well! I figure it's about time we make it to Vegas so I need some help. I've never been to Vegas in my life and I really don't know what to expect or how to plan anything at all?

What:
My best friend's bachelor party

When:
Spring Break Season! (I'm assuming Spring Break will bring an influx of young people. Any time between March and April is fine with me though, so recommend a date if you have any suggestions!) We'd be in Vegas from Friday morning until Monday morning of some weekend.

Who:
10-12 guys in their mid twenties (me and the groom are 25). Half are single, half are in committed relationships. Ones um.. ya know.. getting married.

Where:
Las Vegas

One catch:
No hookers :-(
Hey but we can have strippers this time!


Help!
Is there any way to set this up as a cheap package? I imagine everyone can find their own flights to LV since they're pretty cheap. What about getting a suite at a hotel for us all to sleep in? Any suggestions?

What about activities? There are two things I want to have happen. A: We participate in some sort of athletic event (like Whirleyball or Capture the Flag or something), preferably featuring just our group

B: The groom (and the groomsmen?) must wear a different costume every day. Elvis one day, a cowboy the next, etc.

The rest is wide open, so I need suggestions!

Priorities:
1. Having lots of fun!
2. Not spending more than $400 on the whole trip not counting gambling (preferably less!)
3. Bonding activities

posted by ZackTM to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Is that $400 per person or $400 total?
posted by petethered at 11:49 AM on January 8, 2008

Somehow, somewhere a viewing of the film Showgirls is a must. No celebration in (or alluding to Vegas) could be complete without it.
posted by zenpop at 11:58 AM on January 8, 2008

My bachelor party was in Vegas. I can make lots of suggestions, but I would definitely recommend late late night at The Peppermill, and the Big Shot at the top of the Stratosphere.

The former because its a nice spot for drinks when you get tired of the constant casino noise.

The latter because one of my friends refused to do it and stayed at the bottom of the hotel where we returned later to mercilessly make fun of him. Heights aren't my thing, but mockery totally is.
posted by uaudio at 12:02 PM on January 8, 2008

There are a couple big conventions in Vegas in March. Check the calendar, but definitely avoid the biggest ones (3/2-3/5 and 3/11-3/15, plus the surrounding weekends).

You're probably not going to get by spending less than $400. Airfare from NY lately is rarely under $250 roundtrip, and I can't imagine it's much cheaper from NC. That said, if you don't mind staying a little off of the strip, the rooms at the Rio are huge, nice, and usually reasonably-priced. Plus they run shuttles to a mid-strip property. If you want to stay downtown, the rooms are even cheaper, but I can't speak much to their size or appointments.

You might also want to see if you can Priceline a 5-star Strip property on your dates. Last time I tried, the only 5-star Priceline listed on the Strip was the Venetian, which is very, very nice. I have gotten rooms for $99 a night there several times. (You will want to spend the $30-40 a night to upgrade to a room with 2 queen beds, though.) The hotel, rooms, and service are outstanding.

Probably don't order strippers to your room. We did, and it ended in disaster. If you do, bargain up front and set limits. You don't want to mess with this. For strip clubs, though, we usually enjoy the Spearmint Rhino. I have no idea where it is. Ask a cabbie to take you there. He will probably ask you if you want to see titties. Tell him yes.

I don't know if you'd consider it an athletic event, but having a day where you can't drink anything that's not in one of those plastic yard glasses you hang from a saxophone strap is a pretty great activity.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:05 PM on January 8, 2008

$400 is a veeeeerrrrrry small budget, Vegas-ly speaking, for a three day weekend; does that include or exclude lodging? If it includes lodging, then you'll want to enjoy the view from inside your hotel room, because that's all you'll be able to afford. If not, then you're going to be able to do something. Not much, but something. And don't plan on eating things that aren't fast food or late-night Peppermill steaks (which are fine, especially to soak up all that booze).

Strip clubs are great, and I'd recommend both the Spearmint Rhino and Scores, but be aware that lap dances START at $20, and you won't get much individual attention from a stripper on a pole for less than $5. Oh, and then there's the cost of drinks. Mixed drinks are around $12. Oh, and there's a cover. So, unless you want to blow your whole weekend budget in two hours at a strip club, I'd recommend that you either don't go to one, or raise your budget.

And absolutely, positively, do NOT order a stripper in your hotel room. Things will get stolen. and prices will escalate once they're there.

You can get package deals to Vegas for air and decent hotels (Ballys-level) for probably around $400; I hate to harp on this, but there is absolutely NOTHING cheap in Las Vegas. When a bottle of water at the Luxor's pool is $5, you know you're in an expensive town. So, budget hard, and stick to it.

Random data point: I bachelor partied in Vegas in April last year; my friends and I don't really gamble, but we do drink and go to strip bars, and we blew past the $400 mark (collectively) in pretty much Hour Three of Day One of a three-day weekend, as far as spending money goes. And we're not particularly big spenders - we had 8 guys in two rooms at Planet Hollywood. YMMV.
posted by pdb at 1:00 PM on January 8, 2008

Keep in mind that March in Vegas is also the weekends of the NCAA men's basketball tournaments. Not speaking from firsthand knowledge, but in combination with uncleozzy's suggestion about conventions and it being spring break I'd want to keep the potential for very crowded and crazy weekends in mind, in addition to increased budgetary needs.
posted by andifsohow at 2:45 PM on January 8, 2008

Had my bachelor party in Vegas. $400 will melt away like a snow cone shot into the sun.

For strip clubs, I can also vouch for Olympic Gardens, Jaguars, and maybe Crazy Horse Too. They're all at about the same price point.

As for hotels, one thing that's nice about the Hard Rock is that it tends not to attract tourists and children. It has a VERY 20-something vibe about it, so you can be vile knuckleheads without offending little Timmy.

For the athletic event, might I suggest paintballing? It's a lot of fun, and having a large group means you can have a private session and don't have to mix in with the kids who do it every weekend. So, really, this is one of your best chances to enjoy it anyway. The bruised bodies and egos are a natural part of regret-filled male getaways. Also, if your group happens to be assembled out of people who may know the groom but not anyone else, simulated team combat has a way of breaking the ice and giving them something to bond over.

Included in the theme of shooting things, one surprise treat at my BP was The Gun Store Las Vegas, which is a short cab ride down Tropicana from the strip. There, you get to punish your hung-over party members by making them listen to incessant machine gun fire. You plunk down some cash, they take you onto the range, and let you blast off with any one of dozens of fully automatic weapons. And it's legal! As an added bonus, the patter from the employees can be downright terrifying. Just don't do anything stupid like wave a rented gun around. They'll shoot ya.
posted by Doctor Suarez at 6:13 PM on January 8, 2008