We woke up at 4am on our first morning. I should probably have booked our earliest starting trip for our first morning. But I wasn’t thinking logically enough at the time when I booked the Ultimate Hoover Dam Tour.

Our pickup time was 8 am. Later trips were as early as just after 6am. It takes quite some time to adjust to the time difference. Therefore, expect very early starts for your first few days and plan accordingly.

Using Viator

I choose to book our tour through Viator, as we had used them before with our Verona trip. Also I had a discount code this time which made it more affordable. I did have to confirm by email to Comedy on Deck my pickup details. Always double check your Viator booking in case it is asking you to do something by a set time, such as send an email or phone a company to confirm.

Being at Virgin Hotel and off strip we had no local pickup unfortunately. So, we walked to the Horseshoe, it seemed safe enough at that time as it was light, we did it in twenty minutes at a steady pace. Our Tour Operator through Viator was Comedy on Deck and we ended up being very impressed with them. They kept everyone on track time wise, so the tour ran very smoothly. Our guide Harrison knew so much about Las Vegas and Hoover Dam so it was a real joy to be on his tour.

On the basis of our experience on this trip we booked direct with Comedy on Deck to do the Grand Canyon West Tour later in the week. It’s shame we didn’t decide to book it whilst on this tour because the leaflets says we would have got a special discount. Although I was just pleased we could get on that trip last minute, because our Hoover Dam trip had been booked for months in advance.

Welcome To Las Vegas Sign

We had a quick photo stop on the way to Hoover Dam at the Las Vegas Sign. I was glad to get this ticked off without having to make a special journey there. Mind you its not far from the Pinball Museum which we visited later in the week, so if you go there you could tick it off then if not.

Even early in the morning there was quite a queue building up for photos. If you don’t want to queue, just go off to the side slightly and snap a photo that way. It does the job well enough. But if you have the the time (and patience!) to queue you will get a much better photo. As it was, we had to get back on our tour bus and head off to our next stop.

Photo Stop at the Dam Memorial Bridge

Then we stopped off for a photo opportunity at the Dam Memorial Bridge, which was constructed between 2005 to 2010. It has 16,000,000 pounds of steel in it and 30,000 cubic yards of concrete. It gives amazing views of Hoover Dam.

You have a little walk to get there but its nice to stretch your legs. We did notice during our stay how little people seem to enjoy walking. Even short very short distances they wanted to grab an Uber.

Hoover Dam

We had two hours at Hoover Dam. On arrival our tour guide suggested heading straight to the Government’s Power Plant Tour inside the Dam. So, we hot footed there as quick as we could and got onto the next tour. You start by watching an interesting video all about the history of the Dam before taking an elevator to see inside the Dam. You only see two rooms and a corridor. But it was well worth the trip to see inside this engineering marvel that was completed in 1936 (taking less than five years).

It has more masonry mass than the Great Pyramid of Giza and according to the leaflet enough concrete to pave a strip 16 feet wide and 8 inches thick from San Francisco to New York City (around 2, 900 miles!).

Below is the generator room.

This marvel has transformed the desert, they have stopped the land being wasteland by taming the mighty Colardo river. Although its scary to hear how low the water levels are currently, it is interesting hearing all their efforts to make the most of what they have. The water has been as high as where you see the white rock before it turns to brown.

Afterwards we had free time to walk on top of the dam and visit their visitor center. We didn’t make it into the exhibit tour but that is also included. I said yes, the boys said no, so we didn’t try our tickets there. To be honest, they were starting to get “hangry”, so instead we went to the café instead, and they could have their fill of “chips” (crisps)! 4 drinks and 4 packets of crisps came to £24, so maybe bring your own snack and make do with the free bottled water on the trip. The choice is yours.

Lunch

On the way back to the strip we stopped for lunch at the Omelet House. I really liked this place. It’s been family operated since 1979 and the staff were very welcoming and friendly. We all appreciated how swiftly the food and drinks arrived. You can see on Trip Advisor its actually a favoured eating spot for many! So, I am glad by doing this trip we got to try it out.

You had a choice of different options to pick from, that we pre-ordered on the way there. I went for the State Line Hot Turkey Sandwich with cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato, served with fresh potato spuds. They are thicker than British crisps, more potatoey and lovely! The boys went for the Boulder Burger, served with fresh potato spuds. A tip isn’t included, they suggested on the tour bus $2 per person, based on the meal costing $10 each.

You also got given a drink, I went for the raspberry sweet tea which I liked. Other options were coke, root beer, coffee, iced tea or sprite. We had my son’s lactose tablets with us for this trip and they made such a difference with his health. Plus, he had much more freedom eating.

What Else We Liked About This Tour

They were giving out plenty of bottled water at every stop that you could help yourself too. It was a comfortable bus with a restroom on board. It’s handy having the option not that we needed to use it. You are even given complimentary tickets to the LA Comedy Club at the Strat. You just need to buy a drink worth $10 each to go with that. We thought about using ours during the stay. However, we ran out of time, so cannot comment on what that would have been like. It’s a welcome extra anyway! It’s not often you get something for free in Las Vegas.

Also they gave out a free pen to every two people in your party, we all had one in the end as we also did the Grand Canyon trip. It’s not just any pen either it has a torch and can fold to use as a stand I think they said, the kids liked it anyway!

You don’t have to get off at the same pickup point which is handy so you can discover another part of the strip on your way back if you want too. We got off at Caesars Palace because the traffic was bad, they decided to skip Horseshoe. The Formula 1 preparations had a lot to answer for!

Tipping

Suggested tips were included in the leaflets they handed out. Some people are offended being given suggestions. But I actually found it helpful. $10 for the tour guide and $5 for the driver for each person in your party, with for four of us it soon adds up. So, it’s something to prepare yourself for when travelling to the states. However, we are used to the tipping culture as we have been to Orlando three times with our boys. To be fair they definitely earnt their tips it was a safe trip with a conscientious driver and we were thoroughly entertained throughout.

Day two did not end there. However our Hoover Dam trip did. We hopped off at Caesars Palace. But I will save the rest of day two for another post.