The facility is located on the south end of the Strip, on the east side of the street. Just north of the MGM, the M & M Store, and the Coke Bottle. Immediately next door to (north of) the Hard Rock Café.
Parking in the Showcase Mall costs $12 for the first two hours. I think it is “pay by credit card only.” I did not notice a cash option.
An aside: The M & M Store is a rip-off in my never humble opinion. At the grocery store, a 10 ounce bag of M & Ms costs $2.50, which is $4.00 per pound. At the M & M Store, the bulk M & M’s (sorted by color) cost $17.00 per pound. And at the M & M Store, you can buy M & Ms in cutesy plastic containers, at outrageous prices. If you have kids, do not let them into the store, or you will be coerced by whining into paying outrageous prices for this junk. I make an exception for personalized M & Ms for wedding favors and such. Those too are expensive, but it is for a special purpose. [Disclaimer: My wife bought personalized M & Ms for favors at a family wedding. So I am not disinterested. I was not involved in bagging the personalized M & Ms in little cachets for the tables.]
I have seen two other Fly Over type shows, the Soarin’ Over California show at Disney’s California Adventure and Fly Over Canada in Vancouver. I was completely blown away by the California Advneture show, and as soon as I saw it, I got right back into line to experience it again. When this attraction first debuted (2001), I had an Annual Pass for Disneyland, and I must have seen this show at least a dozen times because I enjoyed it so much.
Several years ago, I took an Alaskan cruise from Vancouver, and the Fly Over Canada attraction was right there at the pier at Canada Place. We enjoyed the Fly Over Canada ride the day before the cruise so much (despite our having done Soarin’ Over California so many times) that we went again the next morning before we boarded the cruise ship.
We were excited that they had opened Fly Over Vegas. The Fly Over Vegas offers two different shows. The Real Wild West, and Iceland. We tried the Real Wild West. We enjoyed it and we will go for the Iceland show soon.
Tickets are sold on-line for specific show times, but we went without reservations. Sunday mid-afternoon, there was no line, walk-ins were welcome. Our particular show was only half full. We called as we drove there, to confirm that walk-ins were welcome and that there were still tickets available for us at the next show.
The Real Wild West show starts on the hour and the half-hour, so we arrived just a few minutes before show time. (Unfortunately, we wandered into M & M because otherwise we would have been 25 minutes early.) They escorted the group (8 of us total, four couples, no kids) into a room (no seats, standing only) to listen to a guide who has slides of Western views behind him. The guide was entertaining, but this is just a time filler. The “Fly Over” ride is only about 25 minutes, so they need to give the public more! Did I mention that the guide was entertaining? No one seemed to mind this presentation.
After this time-filler, the group was escorted to the next room, which was another time-filler. Some filmed presentation of eons of the formation of the earth, dinosaurs and native Americans with invasions by Europeans following. I was very bored. This presentation was also no sitting, standing only.
Finally, we were walked into the theater. Unlike Soarin’ Over California and Fly Over Canada, there is only one row of seats at the Real Wild West. Probably twenty to 25 seats. Our group, 8 people total, was seated on the left side. Stow your person possessions under the seat, put your seat belt on, and let’s go!
Digression: They have storage lockers for people with personal possessions. 90 minutes free, and $5 per _____ for overtime. I did not verify that these lockers are in fact operational – I would wonder if fears of terrorism might cause them to reconsider offering storage lockers. But I doubt that FlyOver Vegas would be considered a prime target for terrorists.
If you have done any of these Fake Flight rides, you already know what it is like. They had hyped this particular ride as being the latest technology, newer cameras and now filmed with drones as well as helicopters. And with cameramen using personal flight-glide suites. Despite the advances in technology in the 20 years since Soarin’ Over California opened, I did not find the film to be any better. The 2001 version was just as spectacular, and I found the transitions in The Real Wild West to be more abrupt and jarring.
This attraction is presumably intended primarily for Las Vegas visitors. The film of Las Vegas should have been far longer and more significant. They should havev had more footage of Vegas, including downtown. They needed to swoop over Allegiant Stadium. We should have been taken on a tour of Lake Mead and Hoover Dam and a flyover of Red Rock and Valley of Fire. After all, the customers are Vegas visitors! Although they did show the Bellagio Fountains, I bet a drone flying over the Mirage volcano could have picked up great footage. And the focus was not tight and sharp in the Las Vegas segment; the Cosmopolitan sign was fuzzy, soft focus.
I did not time it, but I am guessing that the entire film was about 20 - 25 minutes. Despite my (I hope constructive) criticisms, it was very enjoyable. I recommend this show, and I intend to head back and catch the Iceland show soon.
FlyOver Vegas