Las Vegas 5/20-5/26

This will be a quick post considering I only rode two coasters while in Vegas this past week.

Manhattan Express - It was fun, but not the best coaster. The seats were a little uncomfortable and it isn't a very smooth ride. The corkscrew hangs you upside-down long enough for you to rely on the restraints. The track itself could be repainted, it's looking a little run down. If you don't sit in the front seat you will not get a good view of the top of the hill because the seats in front of you are so high. It costs about $12 for one ride. That one ride was enough, but I'm still glad I had the experience.

Speed - This ride only lasts 45 seconds and costs $10 to ride, but it's worth every penny! The launch out of the station is enough to wake you up, you dip down into a tunnel, into a loop, then you hit some more LSM's. After that it's straight up about 200 feet. Then you do it all over again...backwards. The seats are high, like Manhattan Express, but once you get going, it doesn't matter. The seats are more comfortable than Express.

We did see Phantom of the Opera and Cirque Du Soleil - Mystére. Both great shows! The rest of the time was R&R.

Phantom is a great show, and I think the shorter format and pace actually makes it better than the normal two-hour run.

So they weren't doing a ride-all-day thing for either coaster? When I did Speed a couple of years ago it was one price, and you could ride all day with a wrist band. It wasn't that crowded at all, despite being mid-July.

I thought the tempo of the performers was a bit quicker than in the movie. It seemed like they needed to get through the performance with in a certain amount of time. Other than the fast singing, it was out of this world! We sat dead center in row BB. I couldn't have asked for better seats!

There was an all day pass for Speed but I didn't see one for Express. I saw a sign for Express to reride for $6.

The weather was PERFECT!!! I HATE midwest humidity! Because I rode both rides during the week, I hopped right on with no wait. *** Edited 5/30/2007 2:33:45 AM UTC by coasterlover325***

Mystere at TI is a fun show, even if it is one of the older Cirque shows in Vegas.

Phantom is actually about on pace with the film. It was the regular fixed and touring shows that went the two hours with an intermission. Certain theatrical shows are just better without an intermission, if you ask me, and especially musicals.

If you liked Mystere, you should definitely check out Cirque's other shows. Mystere was my least favorite show just because I've seen almost all of them - and it's one of the most dated. In my opinion, Cirque offers the most creative and unique shows on the market.

Unlike many other shows they compete with (like Blue Man Group, Stomp, etc...), the Cirque shows are all completely unique to each other. Sure, they have a common "feel" and some have similar acts (like the German wheel). But, each show is a totally different experience with a unique underlying story and theme.

They continue to amaze and impress me with each show they come out with. Definitely check one out if it is touring near you since you liked Mystere so much. Check out La Nouba if you're ever at Walt Disney World. That show is my all-time favorite.

Blue Man Group is not Stomp. Not even the same kind of show.

I love Stomp! I saw it three times. Once in San Francisco and twice when they came to Indy. I'm hoping to go see BMG in Chicago before the year is over.

Believe me, choosing which Cirque performance to go see was not an easy decision. Right now in Vegas, Mystére, O, Zumanity and Ka are all performing.

I agree with Jeff; BMG, Stomp and Cirque are all very different kinds of shows. Also, certain shows are better without an intermission.

Trying to get people to agree on which Cirque show is the best is like getting people to agree on which coaster is the best. Different ones appeal to different people. I have not seen O, but of the other three, I liked Ka > Mystere >> Zumanity. Other people have not liked Ka. I've heard nothing but excellent things about O. Loved BMG also.

I never said Stomp and Blue Man Group were the same. I said Cirque, BMG, and Stomp are competitors. They're all multimedia sensory shows that involve the audience. I'm not quite sure how competitor equals the same. But, ok.

"Unlike many other shows they compete with (like Blue Man Group, Stomp, etc...), the Cirque shows are all completely unique to each other."

Are you not saying that the other shows are either not unique, or like each other?

I think he's comparing individual productions of the same shows.

I read it as him saying that there are different BMG shows, but they all have similar elements. There are different Stomp shows, but they are all basically the same thing, but that the Cirque shows are all unique to each other.

Speed, I thought was average. Manhattan Express I thought had one cool element and was worthless otherwise. Perhaps it was the cool Primm night air, but I thought Desperado was the best in the area. Definitely worth the drive, IMO.

At least kpjb is able to comprehend English.

BMG is unique to Stomp, and vice versa. However, the Stomp shows and BMG shows are not THAT unique to each other (BMG to BMG, Stomp to Stomp). For all intents and purposes, they are the same. Like I said, the Cirque shows are all dramatically different from each other. "O" has a stage of water, La Nouba is rock n roll/tech oriented, Zumanity is very sexual, etc... They have similar a similar "feel", but the acts and stories are completely different show to show. Lots of them are even in different languages.

Since this topic was more about the coasters, though, I agree Desperado is worth the drive too. It was way nicer than the coasters actually IN Vegas. I was glad we happened to pass it on the way to LA. *** Edited 5/30/2007 2:06:41 PM UTC by halltd***

(#2)

Ha ha, I get exactly what you are saying about the shows haltd.