Excalibur Hotel & Casino

The hotel is just about fine, and the rooms are starting to look worn. It’s in a useful spot: cross the street for good restaurants at NY NY, or head to the other corner and MGM for shows. If you need a reasonably priced place to sleep after a long trip, it works. For fancy extras or lots to do without leaving the hotel, I’d look elsewhere. Maybe a full remodel with a Game of Thrones theme instead of the current Playmobil medieval look could appeal to a certain crowd. Wink wink.

The rooms turned out nicer than I expected, and I had a great visit. At the front desk, Luchie, Emy, Margie, and another staff member were warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. They greeted me by name and gave me a welcome bag for the MGM property. There were good dining choices, and I tried Buca di Beppo, Johnny Rockets, Fatburger, and the buffet. I’d recommend them, they really hit the spot.

We’d never seen The Tournament of Kings before, and the whole family loved it. There’s a cast of about 50, with beautiful costumes on the women and really fit, skillful guys. The food was good and the price felt like great value. It’s lively family fun, with adventure, magic, fights, dancing, and audience participation. Just great!

The location made this trip easy, right between Luxor and New York New York, both connected by sky bridge, and the tram let us move quickly between several casinos. We liked the bars and the casino, and the whole trip was a blast. I’d go back and recommend it even for families with kids. It felt tame and family friendly, with arcades, shows, and plenty for all ages. I booked through Chase Travel and checked in through the MGM app. I chose no room cleaning, with the option to request service by phone any time. My phone worked for my room key, parking spots, and elevator access, so I didn’t speak to staff during the visit. Our clean room was on the seventh floor, a nice enough spot, with a small view of the castle tops and hotel courtyard.