Help please- best buffet with older kids?

[ireland_nicole]

So... we are spending an evening in Vegas during our road trip. 2 kids aged 13 and 10. Don't want to commit to a show, not really into the fremont street thing, we are staying at the Oasis RV resort but have a jeep. My thought is to go to mandalay bay for the shark reef attraction, hit a buffet, and see the lights of the strip before heading home for the night. The question is, which buffet would you recommend with kids? I don't care what the price is (won't be more than ariels grotto at DLR anyway LOL), but would like something with a really wide variety and good desserts, extra point for good asian/indian food. My kids are reasonably adventerous eaters, especially DD, and they both love italian food as well. Can you help me choose a buffet on or very near the strip?

 

[hockey mom]

We did the MGM grand buffet and loved it. Lots of different stations and everything was hot and fresh.

 

[bcla]

Rio Carnival World Buffet. It's a bit off the strip, but is consistently considered one of the best buffets in Vegas. They've got long lines, but what I found was that just as they open for dinner the line is reasonable, but it becomes about an hour wait just an hour later.

Now I would say maybe Bellagio, but apparently they don't seem to be child friendly. Allegedly children aren't even allowed at the buffet at all unless the parents are hotel guests. They've got a pretty restrictive official policy on children, although how well they enforce it is another matter.

Too bad you're not in it for the 24 hour "Buffet of Buffets" deal. For one price you can access any of the Harrah's/Caesers buffets for a full 24 hours, although Caesers and the Rio seafood buffet are "upcharged". I could only manage 3 - 2 dinner buffets at Rio Carnival World and breakfast at Paris. I've read of people who managed to go to all 7 in 24 hours.

 

[lovebug33]

If you are staying at the Oasis, the Silverton is across the freeway. The buffet is absolutely amazing and there is a really cool aquarium to look at. There is also a Bass Pro Shop that is always fun. I've been to the Shark Reef. It is massively expensive, and takes about 45 minutes to go through. Not worth it at all. And, their buffet is about 30 dollars. Silverton is cheaper, you don't have to go on the strip, and the aquarium and sports store are free!

 

[bcla]

If you are staying at the Oasis, the Silverton is across the freeway. The buffet is absolutely amazing and there is a really cool aquarium to look at. There is also a Bass Pro Shop that is always fun. I've been to the Shark Reef. It is massively expensive, and takes about 45 minutes to go through. Not worth it at all. And, their buffet is about 30 dollars. Silverton is cheaper, you don't have to go on the strip, and the aquarium and sports store are free!

I rather liked Siegfried and Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage. It was more than even the Shark Reef (which is actually AZA acredited but not part of their reciprocal membership agreement). However, my wife told me that I had to take our kid there on Christmas Day, and my kid absolutely enjoyed it. It wasn't that much to see, but Las Vegas has limited options for kids unless you're going to let them loose at Circus Circus.

There are a few other places I'd researched but didn't end up visiting. There's the Ethel M Chocolate Factory outside of Vegas proper. It's supposed to have an interesting cactus garden along with free samples. There's also a children's museum. We didn't go even though we could have gotten free admission through a reciprocal membership program. I understand they just moved into a new building.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Thanks everyone- I will def check out the silverton. I looked at the dolphin/tiger habitat but saw a lot of negative reviews- what did you think of it? Thanks also for the info about shark reef- I think we will give it a skip then. Def. do not want to go to circus circus- we're going to Disneyland later in the trip, we don't need any additional rides somewhere else. And I'm not a massive fan of chaos LOL. I've read some interestng things about the natural history museum, but with our timing and desire to see the hoover dam I don't think we'll have a chance. I'll check out the mgm grand buffet as well. Thanks!

I don't think I could eat more than 1 buffet in 24 hours though, let alone 7- wow!

 

[ireland_nicole]

also considering Wicked Spoon- Thoughts?

 

[bcla]

Here's some articles on the Buffet of Buffets - for entertainment purposes of course:

http://vegasseven.com/latest/2012/01/12/maxing-out-buffet-buffets
http://www.lasvegasweekly .com/news/2013/apr/25/all-you-can-eat-and-then-some-taking-buffet-buffet/
http://www.livingthedreamrtw.com/2011/04/buffet-of-buffets-24-hours-of-gluttony.html
http://www.reviewjournal.com/heidi-knapp-rinella/harrahs-buffet-buffets

Some of the articles are a bit older, so their prices might not be current, and some of the names have changed. The old Lago Buffet at Caeser's is now the Bacchanal Buffet and comes with a $10 upcharge if you choose it with the 24 buffet deal (it's only about $5 more than the other buffets if purchased singly). The Imperial Palace has been renamed The Quad although the buffet apparently hasn't lost the Japanese theme (Emperor's Buffet).

When we did it our kid was free. We did it over a weekend, so it was something like $51 with players cards.

Sorry if I broke one of the links, but apparently the board filtering software doesn't like something in it.

 

[bcla]

I don't think I could eat more than 1 buffet in 24 hours though, let alone 7- wow!

I don't think you absolutely have to. I did three. My wife did two. We actually got our money's worth by having dinner twice within that 24 hours. After I gorged myself on breakfast I wasn't really much interested in lunch. The other thing was that our hotel room didn't have coffee (Paris) and the previous morning I spent almost $4 on coffee at a bakery downstairs. I'm actually surprised there wasn't a small single-serve coffee maker in our room like we've seen at all other Harrah's hotels.

 

[lovebug33]

Here is my, possibly jaded because I've lived in Vegas all my life, opinion. I think things are better off strip. The strip caters to tourists. Tourists come, they go, you don't need them to come back. Places like the Silverton cater to locals. They need us to come back. So, the food is better. I didn't like the Dolphin Habitat, either. It's soooo expensive (we go free because we are teachers) and not worth it. There are some dolphins that do a nice show, true, but then a few tigers in cages. Kind of sad and depressing, IMO. If you want a true "Vegas" experience, then go to the Strip (we dislike City Center with a passion for many reasons). It is definitely a unique and cool experience. If you want good food and some fun (heck, my nephews could stay at the Bass Pro all day long!), head off to the local casinos. If you aren't interested in the Silverton, the South Point is a pretty cool casino. However, their buffet isn't as good. Cheaper, though!

 

[bcla]

Here is my, possibly jaded because I've lived in Vegas all my life, opinion. I think things are better off strip. The strip caters to tourists. Tourists come, they go, you don't need them to come back. Places like the Silverton cater to locals. They need us to come back. So, the food is better. I didn't like the Dolphin Habitat, either. It's soooo expensive (we go free because we are teachers) and not worth it. There are some dolphins that do a nice show, true, but then a few tigers in cages. Kind of sad and depressing,....

Perhaps you're thinking of it too much from a local's perspective. As for me, my wife told me to drop her off at Rio and then take our kid there. In a place that's generally unfamiliar, this is actually quite good. I found the dolphin setup to be unlike anything I'd ever seen before. A typical marine park has choreographed routines done on cue for rewards. While they are giving out rewards in exchange for behavior, it never really seemed forced like at the dolphin show at SeaWorld. The other thing is that we promised our kid that we'd see tigers, so it was a little tough to back out on that. Maybe it's a bit sad that the tigers are just out there in cages, but they seem really well cared for and you don't spend a lot of time just trying to find them. At our local zoo, there's a large expansive tiger exhibit in a pit. Maybe just maybe you can crane you neck to see that one tiger that decided not to hide in the corner.

 

[SMD]

Bacchanal buffet at Caesar's had some decent (for a buffet) Asian food and pretty much anything else you could think of. It does cost more than Ariel's Grotto, however.

 

[ireland_nicole]

Bacchanal buffet at Caesar's had some decent (for a buffet) Asian food and pretty much anything else you could think of. It does cost more than Ariel's Grotto, however.

Not by much. In down to, I think, Bacchanal or wicked spoon- they both have the wow factor I think that separates them from the everyday. Right now I'm leaning toward wicked spoon in part because of portion control - I really like the tapas style presentation

 

[jennib5426]

We took our 8 year old to the Bellagio buffet last year no problem and we were not hotel guests
The Bellagio does not allow strollers in hotel casino area, that may be what people were talking about.

I like the buffet at the Wynn the best it is beautiful, food is very good and dessert section is awesome.

Bellagio buffet has gone down hill the past 2 times we have gone but the kid loved the crab leg selection
Aria buffet had small selection but does all u can eat lobster on weekend
Mandalay bay buffet was ok and price included all u can drink wine and beer

 

[bcla]

We took our 8 year old to the Bellagio buffet last year no problem and we were not hotel guests
The Bellagio does not allow strollers in hotel casino area, that may be what people were talking about.

I like the buffet at the Wynn the best it is beautiful, food is very good and dessert section is awesome.

Bellagio buffet has gone down hill the past 2 times we have gone but the kid loved the crab leg selection
Aria buffet had small selection but does all u can eat lobster on weekend
Mandalay bay buffet was ok and price included all u can drink wine and beer

They have an official under 21 policy at the Bellagio. I do understand its enforcement is extremely spotty (rarely hear of any cases where it's been enforced), but it does exist and the wording applies to the entire property, although I suppose outside is another matter (the fountains are great for kids). They also don't have child prices for buffets, so at least that's something that would affect a visit even if the don't enforce the policy. It may be akin to Disneyland's official policy that one can't bring in outside food or beverages, even though most know of the unofficial policy that snacks and beverages are OK as long as one doesn't bring in sandwich ingredients or share large bags of chips.

If you read their rules, it makes it sound as if the only official way someone can take a child to the buffet would be if they're the children of hotel guests. Other than that, the policy states that children are only allowed (with restaurant reservations) at specific restaurants, which doesn't include their buffet.

http://www.bellagio.com/under21policy/

You must be 21 years of age to enter the Bellagio casino or any gaming areas.

Guests must be at least 21 years of age to gamble in the resort.

You must be at least 18 years of age or a registered hotel guest to enter the Bellagio resort.

The following exceptions apply to minors who are at least 5 years of age and accompanied by an adult at least 18 years of age:

• Restaurant reservations for Circo, FIX, Jasmine, Le Cirque, Michael Mina, Picasso, Prime, Sensi or Yellowtail
• Attending a wedding in our Wedding Chapels
• Attending a convention function
• Attending a performance of "O"
• Gallery of Fine Art
• Children of hotel guests and non-hotel guests are allowed if accompanied by an adult. Non-hotel guests with children must have their tickets in hand prior to arriving to Bellagio.
• Visiting a Via Bellagio shop by appointment only

Strollers are allowed for hotel guests only.