Carefreetrip.com :: Travel Blog

There must be a typo on my flight itinerary - $60.50 for a flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco. There was no way and the flight was booked on Virgin America. If you ‘re like me, you know little about the airline let alone have never thought about taken a flight with them them. For a $60.50 fare, I was willing to give them a try - best travel decision I have made in a long time!

The first thing you notice is the quality of service. From the ticket agent to the pre-boarding staff to the crew, everyone is friendly and, stay with me, helpful. My check-in was smooth, my questions answered, and they even gave me a free gift on Green Day. Once on the plane, you are introduced to a new look and mood lighting - yes mood lighting. 9 specific settings of light pink and purple lights give the plane a ‘club’ feel. After you sit down you will notice several other features like the leather seats, in coach, the adjustable headrest, which for all of us over six feet tall really appreciate, a 110V power outlet for my electronics, a USB plug, Ethernet plug (for broadband Internet), and Red.

What is Red? Red is the 9-inch touch screen in-flight entertainment system that is available on every seat, on every Virgin America flight. You can watch, listen or talk. Watch satellite television, from Dish Network, music videos, or over 25 pay-per-view movies. Listen to over 3,000 MP3s, you can even create your own play lists, or 20 streaming radio channels. Talk to other travelers by using their in-seat keyboard that allows you to chat with other flyers. You can also use Red to play games, read the latest news, order food (using a cashless ordering system), or shop. By the way, I can’t believe I am going to recommend this, make sure you watch the safety video on Red. It is an animated instructional video that is very clever and this is the first time I actually saw a majority of people paying attention.

This flight was very impressive and very refreshing. Low prices, excellent service, and tons of amenities. The only concern I had was a loud noise during take-off and during our final approach that sounded like a hand-saw cutting wood. I tend to become concerned with odd sounding noises, especially when flying.

Carefreetrip.com gives Virgin America out of 5 suitcases. Thanks for a refreshing change of pace and a great ride!

Mystère at Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas is classic Cirque du Soleil, combining the powerful athleticism, high-energy acrobatics and inspiring imagery that has become the company’s hallmark. The unusual creatures in a magical world keep your senses buzzing from the start as they perform traditional circus acts Cirque du Soleil style. What really sets this show apart is the magical combination of color, humor and audience involvement.

Before the show even begins, the audience is treated to a wonderful interaction with a clown who wonders throughout the audience showing people to their wrong seats and provides a masterful use of prop humor provided by the audience (like popcorn). This is a hint to everyone who goes to the show - do not give the clown your popcorn. This wonderful interaction continues throughout the show.

Mystère invites you into a wonderful world with the beat of a Japanese Taiko Drum. These amazing perfomers show strength, agility, skill and flexability at the highest level. Some of the acts include the Aerial Cube, the Korean Plank, Chinese Poles (amazing strength and power), and a hand-to-hand routine by two brothers that is incredible! There is also a baby (clown), played wonderfully, that keeps the crowd guessing where she will turn up next.

The music, performed by a live band, energizes the show from the start. It provides an exotic tone to an acoustically rich theater. Then there is the color - brilliant is an understatement! The sets, the clothes even the make-up.

Mystère has been honored eight tims as “Best Production Show” by the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The Chicago Tribune called Mystère, “one of the most innovative and exciting shows to be seen anywhere”. We agree! Mystère is a must see when in Las Vegas!

Carefreetrip.com gives Mystère out of 5 suitcases. Go see this show!

Le Rêve is the highly anticipated signature show at the all Wynn Las Vegas. Created by internationally acclaimed director Franco Dragone (Celine Dion’s A New Day, ‘O’, Mystere), Le Rêve (French for the dream) takes place in the spectacular aquatic in-the-round dome theater conceptualized by Dragone himself.

The story begins with a man and a women who are parting ways for the evening. The women lays down for bed and begins to have a series of dreams. She becomes the main character that ties all of the torrid, imaginative dreams together.

The performers in this show are amazing - to say the least. They drop from several stories in the air into the pool, they perform very difficult twists and flips, and they perform acrobatics that would make you cringe when they were on dry land let alone wet! The stage and set are amazing as well. As you watch the performers the stage is constantly moving making the water change location and flow. There are several times you don’t realize the stage has moved and they dive right in! The choreography keeps you entertained even when the story (dream) is hard to follow. This show has everything you would expect from a Las Vegas show - acrobatics, special effects and artistry.

This is a great show for those who love water and water acrobatics. The artistry is very entertaining and draws you in to the dreams.

Carefreetrip.com gives Le Rêve out of 5 suitcases.

Looking to have a few laughs in Las Vegas, my wife and I - more me than her - decided to purchase tickets to Carrot Top’s “Curls Gone Wild” show at the Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For those of you who don’t know who Carrot Top is, wikipedia.org provides this synopsis - “Carrot Top, born Scott Thompson, is an American comedian known for his mop of curly red hair, prop comedy, and often self-parodying humor.”

Scott’s, Carrot Top to the rest of us, show is built around 7 very large containers filled with hilarious prop humor, which he is famous for. Some of these props include a picket sign used for the recent writers strike (it was blank), what Delta Airlines slogan should be - Don’t Expect your Luggage To Arrive, or how Whitney Houston was able to sing at her recent concert (her microphone was tied to a bong). Carrot Top is a master in taking recent headlines and turning them into hysterical prop’s. No topic was off limits, including his stint as the At&t spokesman of yester-year. He paces back and forth on the stage pulling one prop after another while incorporating music to cement his delivery.

Carrot Top even got on the crowd for taking his jokes to serious. He kept having to remind them they were at a comedy show not reading the newspaper. He was also masterful at pointing out the idiot who was trying to text message during the show (what a jerk!) and told the folks who left to use the restroom that he would wait while their neighbor caught them up on all the jokes they missed. He even saves you money by showing you scenes from other Las Vegas shows like the Blue Man Group’s blue faces and toilet paper.

If you want to have a great time go see this show! My wife, who was even a little skeptical about going, loved it! This show was worth every dime! Go see this show when you visit Las Vegas! His delivery is incredible, his humor is smart, and he puts a spin on current events that only his warped (compliment) mind can do. I can’t wait to see Carrot Top again - honey can we go back?

Carefreetrip.com gives Carrot Top’s “Curls Gone Wild” out of 5 suitcases!