If you enter the casino via the Brooklyn Bridge (the walkway from the Strip), you’ll find yourself in a replica of Greenwich Village, down to the cobblestones, the manhole covers, the tenement-style buildings, and the graffiti. (Yes, they even re-created that. You should see the subway station.) The reception area and lobby are done in an Art Deco, golden-age-of-Manhattan style; you’ll feel like breaking into a 1930s musical number while standing there. It’s a wow! all right. The word “subtle” was obviously not in the lexicon of the designers. We will leave it to you to decide, based on your own aesthetic values, if all this is a good or bad thing. Let’s just say that to us, it’s very, very good indeed. This is exactly what we come to Vegas for — unbridled, unrepentant, theme-gone-wild.

Upstairs — oh, yes, there’s much more — is the arcade, which is Coney Island-themed (naturally), and just as crowded as the real thing. Kids play boardwalk games in the hopes of winning tickets redeemable for cheap prizes. (You’re never too young to start learning about gambling.) The line for the roller coaster starts here. There are many restaurants, all housed in buildings that fit the theme of whatever New York neighborhood is represented in that particular part of the hotel.

Park Avenue Deluxe

Broadway Deluxe

Rooms are housed in different towers, each with a New York-inspired name. The place is so massive and mazelike that finding your way to your room can take a while. There are 64 different layouts for the rooms, which are currently undergoing their third makeover, probably moving them ever farther from the original Deco-inspired decor to something bland. Still, they should be comfortable, and though the bathrooms are small, they are done in a pleasing gray marble. There can be a loooonnnggg walk from the elevators, so if you have ambulatory issues, you had best mention this while booking. Rooms in the single digits seem to be in the Empire Tower, if that helps give you a clue to location. Light sleepers should request a room away from the roller coaster. The health club and spa just got an expensive new makeover and are much larger. The mediocre pool is right next to the parking structure.

In addition to a particularly nice food court and a number of more-than-decent restaurants, including reliable Italian chain Il Fornaio, there are several festive and beautifully decorated bars throughout the property. Coyote Ugly is a party-hearty bar where dancing on furniture is encouraged and the female bartenders are hired just to be sassy. At The Bar at Times Square, dueling pianos set the mood for a lively neighborhood bar conviviality. This is home to the topless and adults-only Cirque du Soleil production Zumanity, which we think is overrated.

The main casino area is done as Central Park, complete with trees, babbling brooks, streetlamps, and footbridges. The change carts are little yellow cabs.

Facilities:

7 restaurants; food court; casino; showrooms; outdoor pool; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; video-game arcade w/midway games; tour desk; business center; salon; 24-hr. room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms

Mandalay Bay is one of our favorite hotels. Why? Well, we love that the lobby (impossibly high ceilings, calm, gleaming with marble, and housing a large aquarium), and the other public areas really do make this seem more like an actual resort hotel than just a Vegas version of one. You don’t have to walk through the crasino to get to any of these public areas or the guest-room elevators, the pool area is spiffy, and the entire complex is marginally less confusing and certainly less overwhelming than some of the neighboring behemoths.

We wouldn’t say it really evokes colonial Southeast Asia — oh, maybe around the edges, if you squint, thanks to the odd bit of foliage or Balinese carving. This may well keep out the gawkers, who are looking for bigger visual thrills, but we find a place whose theme doesn’t bop you over the head refreshing.

The freshly redone spacious rooms are among the most desirable on the Strip. There is no tropical influence; they’ve gone with geometrics like everyone else, though theirs are very handsome indeed. The bathrooms are the crowning glory: downright large with impressive, slightly sunken tubs, glassed-in showers, double sinks, and separate water closets, plus lots of fab amenities. Rooms on higher floors have some of the best Strip views in town, but usually cost an additional fee.

Service overall is pretty good, and those pool-area employees are the tops in Vegas, though there were no security guards at the guest elevators. A monorail system connects the hotel with Luxor and Excalibur, which are located in the heart of the Strip action, and this should more than help you get over any feelings of isolation.

The restaurants in Mandalay Bay feature some of the most innovative interiors in Vegas, each one more whimsical and imaginative than the next. Even if you don’t eat at the hotel, drop in and poke around the restaurants: Aureole, a highly rated branch of Charlie Palmer’s renowned New York City restaurant. And then there’s rumjungle, which features a dramatically skewered all-you-can-eat multicourse Brazilian feast, which you’ll enjoy while listening to world-beat drums, surrounded by walls of fire and water and other striking visual features. More casual food can be found at House of Blues, whose Southern delicacies are often quite palate-pleasing; HOB is probably the best place in town to see rock bands. Mandalay Bay has a showroom where Mamma Mia!, just finished a years-long run, and a separate arena that was inaugurated by none other than the late Luciano Pavarotti. There’s also a big, comfortable casino, airier and less claustrophobic than most, plus three bars, often featuring live music at night.

There are no fewer than four pools (entering this area is like going to a water park, thanks to upgraded security — all guests, regardless of age, must show a room key), including the touted wave pool, which is, unfortunately, a classic example of Vegas bait-and-switch. It can’t handle waves of any serious size, but bobbing in the miniwaves is delightful, as is floating happily in the lazy river (tubes are available for rental — we say save some bucks and share a tube with friends, taking turns using it). Though it was already the finest pool area in town, recent overhauls have given it even more style, adding in a poolside casino, restaurant, and bar. All in all, this area alone makes this resort a top choice for families (except, perhaps, in the topless swimming area).

The health club is sufficiently stocked to give you a good workout (it should be, as they charge guests $27 per day to use it — $20 for the gym only at THEhotel’s facility). The spa area proper — featuring hot and warm pools, plus a cold plunge pool — is exotically designed, as close to those found in the Turkish spas in Eastern Europe as we’ve come across, though without the weathered decay of decades or centuries, which can be a good thing. Load up on that rich moisturizer when dressing — it costs $17 a bottle in the store outside the door.

Facilities:
22 restaurants; casino; 12,000-seat events center; 1,700-seat performing-arts theater; aquarium; wedding chapels; 4 outdoor pools w/lazy river and wave pool; health club; spa; Jacuzzi; sauna; watersports equipment/rentals; concierge; tour desk; business center; 24-hr. room service; in-room massage; laundry service; dry cleaning; executive-level rooms

“When they decided to come to Vegas, they wanted to bring the full Broadway lavish production rather than an augmented version of the show that doesn’t use quite as many technical elements. We decided to bring the entire production – as a matter of fact, a larger production than one we’ve ever done before, including Broadway, to Vegas,” Stefaniuk explained.

That production includes more than 200 puppets, including rod puppets, shadow puppets, and full-sized puppets; 21 musicians, 17 wardrobe people, and 5 hair/makeup artists; 700 lighting instruments; and twelve bird kites in one number alone.

For the Vegas show, Stefaniuk and the Disney ‘core’ team hand-picked an international cast of performers with credits in The Lion King and other shows all over the globe. Playing the sardonic and devious “Scar” is Thom Sesma, while Alton F. White plays the role of the regal lion king “Mufasa.” His son “Simba” will be played by Clifton Oliver, and Kissy Simmons will play the courageous lioness “Nala.” Buyi Zama will play the wise baboon shaman “Rafiki,” and giving life to the wisecracking meerkat “Timon” is Damian Baldet. His friend “Pumbaa” will be played by Adam Kozlowski, while the prim and proper hornbilled bird “Zazu” is played by Patrick Kerr.

The cast also features nine South African natives, including Buyi Zama, and three ensemble members from Las Vegas.

And even if you’ve seen The Lion King before, you’re sure to get a unique experience every time you see it, especially here in Las Vegas. Each cast has its unique chemistry, and when it comes to the Mandalay Bay production, the chemistry is even fiercer when you add in the spirited South African south members and the energy from the Vegas audience.

“It’s funny, you rehearse the show and rehearse the show, and no matter how much you rehearse it, it’s that feedback and that energy back from the audience that really gives the actors that last piece that you just can’t give them,” said Stefaniuk.

If you want to enjoy a little additional Lion King fun or get excited for the show, drop by the chilly ice lounge Minus 5 today to check out a cool new ice sculpture of Simba. Carvers began yesterday at 1 pm and put the final touches on his mane at 6:30 pm.

Also, guests can get a behind-the-scenes look at the Vegas production at an exhibit on display at The Shoppes at Mandalay Place. The exhibit features historical photographs, imagery from Lion King productions around the world, and maquette models designed by director Julie Taymor that served as prototypes for the countless costumes and puppets developed for the show. Spread throughout the Shoppes at Mandalay Bay, the exhibit follows how The Lion King was brought to the stage, revealing the vision behind its choreography, costumes, puppets, masks, music, and more.

And don’t forget to check out the show itself! The Lion King performs nightly Saturday through Thursday at 8 pm on weekdays and at 4 pm and 8 pm on weekends

1. Make sure you book a plane and hotel room in Sin City. There are plenty of specials at casino resorts and by planning your vacation around them, you’ll be sure to save cash.
2. Consider that if you’re planning a trip with the girls for a bachelorette party or a friend’s birthday, a great entertainment pick is Cirque du Soleil. Cirque du Soleil combines high-energy acrobatics, unforgettable music, breathtaking sets and artistic touches you can’t find elsewhere.
3. Consider learning about each of the shows. For example, if you’re a die hard Beatles fan, you may want to check out the “LOVE” show at The Mirage in Las Vegas. For fans of water sports, you may want to check out Cirque du Soleil “O” at the ritzy Bellagio Hotel and Casino. If you’re traveling with a romantic partner, consider seeing Cirque du Soleil’s more “adult-oriented,” sensual show, Zumanity. Buy tickets for Mystère if you enjoy various cultures and expressions of them. KA by Cirque du Soleil is another great alternative for any Cirque fan out there.

4. Consider that if the popular Cirque du Soleil is not your cup of tea, there are plenty of choices left for you. Magic shows are practically a Las Vegas staple and are always a ton of fun for the family. Consider seeing David Copperfield while he wow’s you with plenty of high-tech tricks up his sleeve. Or, consider seeing Nathan Burton Comedy Magic, which keeps things modern and mysterious.

5. Consider Jubilee! or the boys from Thunder From Down Under if you prefer scandalous Las Vegas classics. Adult-themed shows are great for any bachelor party of girl’s night out on the town.

6. If you want an alternative to the ritzy Cirque du Soleil shows, but still wish to see popular Vegas classics, consider seeing Phantom, Blue Man Group, Spamalot, or Stomp Out Loud. These three shows are incredibly entertaining while taking less of an impact on your wallet.

7. Know that if you love to laugh, Las Vegas is the place for you. Featuring countless comedy shows such as Defending the Caveman, Amazing Johnathan, and Bobby Clayton, you’re sure to giggle your way through your weekend getaway.