Hi guys
After leaving the Grand Canyon, we had a quick stop in a small town on historic Route 66.
We stopped in Kingman, Arizona for our lunch break and also last minute shopping for Las Vegas. I had left my heels with Kurtis so I bought some $14 wedges. Back on the bus on the way to Vegas, we watched The Hangover, as a reminder of what not to do in Sin City haha. We got a quick glimpse of the Hoover Dam.
It was so exciting arriving in Vegas. As we drove past the hotels and casinos Ryan told us lots of interesting that I hadn't heard before, like that the windows of the Mandalay Bay have real gold dust in them and that hotel cost $950 million to build, and that the MGM Grand is modelled after the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. We checked into the hotel then Adriana and I looked at the souvenir store in the lobby. I got another Christmas ornament, and a Vegas 2013 shirt.
That night we all met in the lobby and got the bus to an Italian restaurant for dinner, which was pretty nice. We got back on the bus and drove down the strip at night which was awesome with all the lights, while Ryan told us all the information about each hotel and casino we passed by.
Once we were in North Las Vegas we stopped near the Graceland Little Chapel. Ryan told us that he got married there when he was 22 and he was going to show us a photo of it in the chapel, so we all got out and went in. Elvis then came out and started performing. He chose Hannah and a guy from Contiki and he married them! It was so hilarious. They had to say Elvis vows like "I promise to never step on your blue suede shoes".
We got back on the bus and got dropped off at Fremont St. We walked through the Golden Nugget and saw the shark tank.
We went onto Fremont St and saw the world's largest TV screen on the ceiling that played music and had cool effects. It was awesome.
We went into a souvenir store and I got a poker chip compact mirror. We then got to ride in hummer limos!! I had never been in a limo before. It was so cool. There was lights and music, and people were drinking the free champagne.
We stopped at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and got photos, then drove down the Strip.
We got dropped off at Caesars Palace and everyone went to Pure Nightclub, but the five of us underage walked back to our hotel, which was Harrahs.
The next day we indulged in the hotel's breakfast buffet, then Brittany and I walked down a part of the Strip and took some photos.
We then went shopping at the North Premium Outlets. We both bought quite a bit! We got a taxi back to the hotel and put our shopping in our rooms, then went across the road to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. They were so good!! I bought so much in Victoria's Secret.
We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. They actually sell so much more than just cheesecakes! After shopping a bit more we went back to the hotel to relax. I had bought a duffel bag to put in all my shopping as it wouldn't fit in my suitcase! Brittany and I went across to Caesars Palace. It was so cool to see where 'The Hangover' was filmed, and it's a really impressive hotel. We went into the gift store and I bought some Hangover shirts for Luke.
Adriana and I got ready for our New Years Eve celebrations. We went out onto the Strip to find somewhere to eat but it was so packed and we were running out of time so we just got McDonalds. We met Ryan and the other 3 underage people in the lobby. Ryan took us to the V Theater and we saw V the Ulimate Variety Show. It was really really good! There were comedians, magicians, acrobats and a balancing act.
On the way out we passed by a Nestle Toll House store that smelt amazing so we decided to get cookies. Ryan then took us to watch the Bellagio fountain show which was awesome.
We met up with other underage people from another Contiki group. One of them came along with us as we left Ryan and walked down the Strip in the crowd. Adriana and I bought Happy New Year tiaras. We went back to the hotel for a bit, then came back out onto the Strip and were so squished with all the people. It was insane. We couldn't even move. It turned midnight and we welcomed in 2013! The fireworks went off. I couldn't see them that well from where I was standing but I don't think they were that great. We all linked arms and walked through the crowds. We took lots of silly photos and had a lot of fun. Lachlan and Alex were finding all the people with Free Hugs signs and hugging them. We all got dragged into one of the hugs and she looked like a stripper, so I guess I hugged a stripper!
I got to speak to Kurtis on the phone which was great :) We also randomly talked to some Marines that were just walking around. The Strip was full of drunk people and people smoking weed and cigarettes. The ground was so sticky. It was pretty seedy and disgusting, but we still managed to have fun.
We left Vegas on New Years Day, heading for Los Angeles. I wish that I had longer in Vegas. Although I've been there before, that was a few years ago and I would have liked more time for shopping and to be able to really look at every hotel and casino. We watched the Hangover 2 on the bus. We filled out Contiki evaluation forms and tipped Ryan and our bus driver Ray. We received our group photos, Contiki tshirts and a group contact sheet, and listened to our Contiki song one last time. It was sad!! I checked into my hotel room in L.A. I was meant to have a roommate but there was only one bed. I asked at the front desk what was going on and they had put me in the wrong room, so I got a new room key. Those of us from Contiki staying in this hotel all went to dinner as a group. When we got back I moved my luggage into the right room and met my roommate. She was starting her first Contiki tour the next day. I had a skype call with Kurtis. It was so good to see and hear him.
The next day I checked out of the hotel and left my luggage with them. Brittany, Hannah and I went to Starbucks and grabbed croissants and hot chocolates for breakfast, then caught a taxi to the train station. We caught the train to Anaheim which was only about 40 minutes, then caught a taxi to Disneyland!!! We were all so excited. It was Brittany and Hannah's first time ever to Disneyland. I've been so many times and it never gets old! We bought 1 day park hopper tickets so we could go to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks. We went into Disneyland and straight away bought Minnie Mouse sequinned headbands. We walked down Main St then got some photos at Cinderella's castle :)
Our first ride was Dumbo! It's for little kids but who cares? It's so much fun.
We met up with Adriana and we went on It's a Small World. It was still Christmas themed.
We went into Toontown and got a photo with Pluto, then lined up and got a photo with Minnie.
We went into Tomorrowland and got fastpasses for Space Mountain then had pizza for lunch. We went on the Buzz Lightyear astro blasters ride which was so much fun and I won with 21,000 points!! Woo! We then got Mickey icecreams :)
We checked out the other side of Disneyland and checked out the fastpass times for the Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain rides but they didn't work for us as we still needed to fit in California Adventure!! We walked down Main St and did a bit of shopping. I got a green Goofy sweater and 3 Christmas ornaments. We then went across to California Adventure and walked through Cars Land and then over to Paradise Pier.
Adriana, Brittany and I went on the California Screamin' rollercoaster. Brittany and I got to sit at the very front. It was soooo awesome!!! We all loved it! We got a fastpass for the Goofy sky school rollercoaster then walked around.
We ate dinner then went on the ferris wheel but in a non-swinging gondola, then went on the Goofy ride and the new Ariel Little Mermaid ride.
We went back across to Disneyland and looked at our professional photos. We each chose which 3 we liked and got them printed off. Brittany, Adriana and I then went on Space Mountain. It was awesome :) We also got to see Cinderella's castle all lit up at night. It was gorgeous.
We went back over to California Adventure. Adriana left us to get her bus back and we met up with Tanisha, another Contiki girl. We looked in the stores then Hannah and Brittany got icecream. We went and watched the World of Color show. It's a water show with amazing lights, lasers, music, and they project scenes from Disney movies onto the water. I didn't have a good spot so I could only really see half of it but it was absolutely amazing.
We left the park then saw Disneyland's fireworks as we were walking towards the taxi rank. We eventually made it back to the hotel. I said goodbye to the girls, collected my bags and caught a taxi to my new hotel. I had booked that first hotel through Contiki, and couldn't stay for a second night for some reason so I just changed to a different hotel for my 2nd night in L.A.
And that was the end of my first Contiki experience! It went by so quickly but it was a lot of fun and I met some really great people.
Much more to blog about!!
Love,
Emily
We stopped in Kingman, Arizona for our lunch break and also last minute shopping for Las Vegas. I had left my heels with Kurtis so I bought some $14 wedges. Back on the bus on the way to Vegas, we watched The Hangover, as a reminder of what not to do in Sin City haha. We got a quick glimpse of the Hoover Dam.
It was so exciting arriving in Vegas. As we drove past the hotels and casinos Ryan told us lots of interesting that I hadn't heard before, like that the windows of the Mandalay Bay have real gold dust in them and that hotel cost $950 million to build, and that the MGM Grand is modelled after the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. We checked into the hotel then Adriana and I looked at the souvenir store in the lobby. I got another Christmas ornament, and a Vegas 2013 shirt.
That night we all met in the lobby and got the bus to an Italian restaurant for dinner, which was pretty nice. We got back on the bus and drove down the strip at night which was awesome with all the lights, while Ryan told us all the information about each hotel and casino we passed by.
Once we were in North Las Vegas we stopped near the Graceland Little Chapel. Ryan told us that he got married there when he was 22 and he was going to show us a photo of it in the chapel, so we all got out and went in. Elvis then came out and started performing. He chose Hannah and a guy from Contiki and he married them! It was so hilarious. They had to say Elvis vows like "I promise to never step on your blue suede shoes".
We got back on the bus and got dropped off at Fremont St. We walked through the Golden Nugget and saw the shark tank.
We went onto Fremont St and saw the world's largest TV screen on the ceiling that played music and had cool effects. It was awesome.
We went into a souvenir store and I got a poker chip compact mirror. We then got to ride in hummer limos!! I had never been in a limo before. It was so cool. There was lights and music, and people were drinking the free champagne.
We stopped at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and got photos, then drove down the Strip.
We got dropped off at Caesars Palace and everyone went to Pure Nightclub, but the five of us underage walked back to our hotel, which was Harrahs.
The next day we indulged in the hotel's breakfast buffet, then Brittany and I walked down a part of the Strip and took some photos.
We then went shopping at the North Premium Outlets. We both bought quite a bit! We got a taxi back to the hotel and put our shopping in our rooms, then went across the road to the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. They were so good!! I bought so much in Victoria's Secret.
We had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory. They actually sell so much more than just cheesecakes! After shopping a bit more we went back to the hotel to relax. I had bought a duffel bag to put in all my shopping as it wouldn't fit in my suitcase! Brittany and I went across to Caesars Palace. It was so cool to see where 'The Hangover' was filmed, and it's a really impressive hotel. We went into the gift store and I bought some Hangover shirts for Luke.
Adriana and I got ready for our New Years Eve celebrations. We went out onto the Strip to find somewhere to eat but it was so packed and we were running out of time so we just got McDonalds. We met Ryan and the other 3 underage people in the lobby. Ryan took us to the V Theater and we saw V the Ulimate Variety Show. It was really really good! There were comedians, magicians, acrobats and a balancing act.
On the way out we passed by a Nestle Toll House store that smelt amazing so we decided to get cookies. Ryan then took us to watch the Bellagio fountain show which was awesome.
We met up with other underage people from another Contiki group. One of them came along with us as we left Ryan and walked down the Strip in the crowd. Adriana and I bought Happy New Year tiaras. We went back to the hotel for a bit, then came back out onto the Strip and were so squished with all the people. It was insane. We couldn't even move. It turned midnight and we welcomed in 2013! The fireworks went off. I couldn't see them that well from where I was standing but I don't think they were that great. We all linked arms and walked through the crowds. We took lots of silly photos and had a lot of fun. Lachlan and Alex were finding all the people with Free Hugs signs and hugging them. We all got dragged into one of the hugs and she looked like a stripper, so I guess I hugged a stripper!
I got to speak to Kurtis on the phone which was great :) We also randomly talked to some Marines that were just walking around. The Strip was full of drunk people and people smoking weed and cigarettes. The ground was so sticky. It was pretty seedy and disgusting, but we still managed to have fun.
We left Vegas on New Years Day, heading for Los Angeles. I wish that I had longer in Vegas. Although I've been there before, that was a few years ago and I would have liked more time for shopping and to be able to really look at every hotel and casino. We watched the Hangover 2 on the bus. We filled out Contiki evaluation forms and tipped Ryan and our bus driver Ray. We received our group photos, Contiki tshirts and a group contact sheet, and listened to our Contiki song one last time. It was sad!! I checked into my hotel room in L.A. I was meant to have a roommate but there was only one bed. I asked at the front desk what was going on and they had put me in the wrong room, so I got a new room key. Those of us from Contiki staying in this hotel all went to dinner as a group. When we got back I moved my luggage into the right room and met my roommate. She was starting her first Contiki tour the next day. I had a skype call with Kurtis. It was so good to see and hear him.
The next day I checked out of the hotel and left my luggage with them. Brittany, Hannah and I went to Starbucks and grabbed croissants and hot chocolates for breakfast, then caught a taxi to the train station. We caught the train to Anaheim which was only about 40 minutes, then caught a taxi to Disneyland!!! We were all so excited. It was Brittany and Hannah's first time ever to Disneyland. I've been so many times and it never gets old! We bought 1 day park hopper tickets so we could go to both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure parks. We went into Disneyland and straight away bought Minnie Mouse sequinned headbands. We walked down Main St then got some photos at Cinderella's castle :)
Our first ride was Dumbo! It's for little kids but who cares? It's so much fun.
We met up with Adriana and we went on It's a Small World. It was still Christmas themed.
We went into Toontown and got a photo with Pluto, then lined up and got a photo with Minnie.
We went into Tomorrowland and got fastpasses for Space Mountain then had pizza for lunch. We went on the Buzz Lightyear astro blasters ride which was so much fun and I won with 21,000 points!! Woo! We then got Mickey icecreams :)
We checked out the other side of Disneyland and checked out the fastpass times for the Indiana Jones and Big Thunder Mountain rides but they didn't work for us as we still needed to fit in California Adventure!! We walked down Main St and did a bit of shopping. I got a green Goofy sweater and 3 Christmas ornaments. We then went across to California Adventure and walked through Cars Land and then over to Paradise Pier.
We ate dinner then went on the ferris wheel but in a non-swinging gondola, then went on the Goofy ride and the new Ariel Little Mermaid ride.
We went back across to Disneyland and looked at our professional photos. We each chose which 3 we liked and got them printed off. Brittany, Adriana and I then went on Space Mountain. It was awesome :) We also got to see Cinderella's castle all lit up at night. It was gorgeous.
We went back over to California Adventure. Adriana left us to get her bus back and we met up with Tanisha, another Contiki girl. We looked in the stores then Hannah and Brittany got icecream. We went and watched the World of Color show. It's a water show with amazing lights, lasers, music, and they project scenes from Disney movies onto the water. I didn't have a good spot so I could only really see half of it but it was absolutely amazing.
We left the park then saw Disneyland's fireworks as we were walking towards the taxi rank. We eventually made it back to the hotel. I said goodbye to the girls, collected my bags and caught a taxi to my new hotel. I had booked that first hotel through Contiki, and couldn't stay for a second night for some reason so I just changed to a different hotel for my 2nd night in L.A.
And that was the end of my first Contiki experience! It went by so quickly but it was a lot of fun and I met some really great people.
Much more to blog about!!
Love,
Emily
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