When my friend suggested going to Las Vegas for the Fourth of July, my husband and I immediately expected a shocking price tag. But when we learned about MGM's new all-inclusive deal, we were intrigued.
For $518, we booked two nights at the Luxor Hotel & Casino. The price also included three meals per night, all resort fees, free parking at any MGM resort, two show tickets, admission for two to the Big Apple Coaster, and access to Mandalay Bay's pool in addition to Luxor's.
Here's how the experience actually played out.
Our room was clean and we were able to check in early.
My husband and I arrived in Las Vegas at 11 a.m., and the hotel let us check in four hours early, which was a nice surprise.
Our room was a little dated, but clean, had plenty of seating and desk space, two queen beds, a deep bathtub, and a nice view of the mountains.
Our all-inclusive deal granted us access to pools at both the Luxor and Mandalay Bay.
When we first arrived, we spent an hour at the Luxor pool, which had plenty of chairs available. The water was refreshingly cool in the 104-degree Fahrenheit heat, but with kids splashing around, it wasn't the most relaxing experience.
However, as part of the deal, we also got access to the expansive Mandalay Bay pool, which is just a short walk from the Luxor.
We spent most of the Fourth of July at the Mandalay Bay beach and lazy river, which were lovely but absolutely packed with families celebrating the holiday.
Eventually, we moved over to the resort's new adults-only Tailgate Beach Club, which had live music, a huge screen, and more space.
We also got two tickets to a show of our choice.
For our show tickets, we were given the option of booking one of six shows, ranging from music, comedy, magic, and strip performances.
Along with our friends, who were also using the all-inclusive package, we selected tickets to the Blue Man Group show. We had to go to the box office together to reserve our seats, but had no trouble getting good tickets together for this fun, high-energy performance.
The included meals were delicious and convenient.
One of the biggest perks of the package was that each of us received three meals a day at 10 restaurants across five MGM properties. Each restaurant had a special all-inclusive menu, and every meal included one beer or wine per guest.
For the most part, dining with the package was easy and convenient. Although gratuity wasn't included, we could charge tips to our room and they were added to our final bill for the stay.
In the Luxor, we had breakfast a quick-serve counter called Backstage Deli, and enjoyed an egg sandwich and a breakfast platter. Everything was fresh, hot, made-to-order, and ready within 10 minutes.
The next day, we got brunch at the Luxor's Pyramid Cafe. It only took 10 minutes to be seated, and the food came fast. We also appreciated that they made tweaks to the limited menu items to accommodate our preferences and dietary restrictions.
We only ran into one issue while dining.
When we met up with our friends who were using the all-inclusive experience, we got lunch at Diablo's Cantina in the Luxor.
This is the only restaurant where the newness of the package became obvious; the server seemed confused about what was included and how to separate the bills for multiple people doing the all-inclusive and dining together.
However, the issue was promptly resolved with the help of a manager.
Overall, I thought the all-inclusive package was a great value.
The all-inclusive package felt like a fantastic deal. I estimate that the out-of-pocket cost for everything we actually used to be about $1,188, so we saved a whopping $670.
We did spend extra money on one dinner, a few coffees and drinks, and a little gambling, but those were all completely optional.
Of course, there are some caveats. I normally wouldn't order a beer at breakfast or lunch, go to a show, or buy tickets to the roller coaster while in Vegas, so I would consider those "extras." Still, in my opinion, the lower hotel costs alone were worth it.
Our final bill had a few mistakes, charging us for one meal and the roller coaster tickets, but customer service happily removed those charges with a quick phone call.
After going on the MGM Resorts website, I saw that this same deal is now as low as $330 if you go on weekdays, and at that rate, you really can't beat it.
Business Insider reached out to MGM Resorts for comment.
