Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Below I'll lay out all of the methods for obtaining a discount on shows, from
day-of-performance discounts to advance purchases to other ways in which you
may be able to weasel yourself into a better seat. I'll also offer my reviews of all of
the long-running shows in town, opining which to see and which to skip, and list-
ing the costs (including the discounted rates available to bargain hunters). This
won't be a complete list, as too many showrooms host changing acts; turn to chap-
ter 9 for information on the House of Blues, The Joint, The Comic Strip, and
other “short-play” theaters.
If you just want to be entertained, and you don't have a real preference about
what you want to see, you should have no difficulty finding a good deal, even
when the city is roiling with conventioneers. There are always discounts to be had,
somewhere, sometime. It's all in how you play it.
GETTING DISCOUNTED TICKETS
Booking tickets before you arrive is the most time-effective strategy: You're able to
plan ahead, get dinner reservations in a restaurant convenient to the theater, and
avoid wasting any of your precious Vegas vacation tussling with box offices. The
problem is you won't find the range of choices that you will at the booths that sell
tickets the day of a performance. The few sites that post advance discounts sim-
ply don't have that great a reach; I guess producers aren't too keen on giving their
shows a bargain basement reputation.
But if convenience is more important to you than which show you get, try
Goldstar Events
(www.goldstarevents.com),
a site that offers discounted bookings
for an average of 15 shows at a pop. Goldstar isn't the gold standard, so you're
never going to find anything produced by Cirque du Soleil there, but you will
find a number of showgirl reviews, magic shows, and Broadway-style productions
such as
Forever Plaid
and
Mamma Mia.
Discounts can range from 55% (usually
on daytime shows) to a little over 30%, and compare well with the competition.
Note that Goldstar Events adds a $6 booking fee to all sales.
Discount coupon sites can also yield excellent savings, though once again, for
only a limited number of shows. Among the free sites, I've had the best luck with
Broadway Box
(www.broadwaybox.com),
which, despite the name, has now
branched out to Vegas. I've found the holy grail of discounts here: a 25% discount
code for Céline Dion. (Now that's a score!) At last glance, Broadway Box was
offering discount codes for a respectable 29 shows, including Blue Man Group,
KÀ, Mamma Mia, Phantom of the Opera,
a bunch of magic shows, and all of those
entertainments you'll be taking your bachelor or bachelorette party to. Coupons
from this site can be used online, in person, or over the phone (each coupon will
specify which method will work).
Also worth studying is
Las Vegas Leisure Guide
(www.lasvegas-nv.com),
which posts a bevy of printable coupons for everything from wedding chapels
(free “designer” garters!) to helicopter tours, with ten-or-so discounts for shows.
Unlike other sites that simply copy down discount codes and reprint them (as
Broadway Box seems to do), this site has its own coupons, each vetted and with
clear expiration dates (always be wary of coupons without expiration dates, as they
may be counterfeit). Two-for-one discounts are most common, meaning that a
quick glance here may yield a 50% discount for a couple. The only disappoint-
ment, and it's a big one, is that almost all of the coupons must be used in person,
