It’s another day closer to Electric Daisy Carnival 2013 in Las Vegas and time for another protip! Today’s is to make sure that you buy a shuttle pass directly from Insomniac. It’s that simple. Have you bought one yet? If yes, continue reading below. If no, click here and buy one now. With service charges it will cost you $84.63
What if you’re driving to Vegas and not flying in? The only reason I could see for not getting a pass is that if you and your best friends all know that you’ll be able to stay until the very end of the night and someone will be in good shape to drive and handle the traffic for up to two hours as you leave the speedway and make your way back to the hotel.
As long as you are staying somewhere near the main strip there will be shuttle pickup and drop off locations within walking distance of your hotel. My group stayed at The Luxor in 2012 and every day took the shuttle from Excalibur to the festival and then on the way back took the shuttle that dropped off at Mandalay Bay. It was an easy walk from either location and at the time we left the festival the Mandalay Bay shuttle line was quicker. Be careful though, some locations have more shuttles running than others. There’s a list of locations at the bottom.
In 2012 the shuttles began running at 5pm brought people back well into the morning the next day. The best way to avoid long lines and traffic is to get on the bus by 6pm. The later you arrive to the pickup locations the longer the lines will be and the more traffic there’ll be on the road. Insomniac made improvements from 2011 to 2012 and they will again this year but you control your destiny. You’ll be happier getting to the festival earlier and just chilling instead of being stuck on a bus for two hours as the sun is setting. The bottom line is that there is not a simple way to get 100,000 people to one location.
Were there some negative aspects of the shuttle service? Of course. One of our drivers played some horrible music. Another driver took a wrong turn and after an already long ride it was even longer. One night it took almost two hours from the time we boarded until the time we got to the festival. The reason that it took almost two hours is because we didn’t arrive to the shuttle until after 8pm, it was our own fault.
Another positive of the shuttles is that you can get hyped on the bus on the way to the festival and on the way back close your eyes and pass out until you get back to your hotel. You’ll be with large groups on the way there and a sober and coherent driver on the way back as most pass out like babies.
What about taxi’s, private shuttles or limo services? They will cost you. A taxi will be at least $100 for a one way trip and possibly more on the way back if you’re lucky enough to get a cab. Be cautious of private shuttle services as there have been horror stories in previous years of the shuttles leaving people behind or just not showing up at all. Limo services will cost you a lot of money and you also have to make sure your entire group stays together because the limo probably won’t leave and come back and wait around. What if you have more money than you know what to do with? Fly in a helicopter!
Your best bet is to buy a shuttle pass and that way if you want to or need to leave or others in your group do you are not forced to leave also. You can rave until the sun is up in the sky and wander over to the shuttle on your own. You aren’t at the mercy of the driver of the car if they want to leave and don’t feel like dealing with anyone else.
How late can you stay at the festival? On Monday morning we didn’t leave the festival grounds until almost 7am and there were still people chilling out on the grounds, there’s no need to be in a hurry!
Here’s the current list of pickup/drop off locations:
Bellagio – Tour and Travel Lobby
RIO – Carnival World Buffet Door
Mandalay Bay – Shark Reef/Convention Center Entrance
Monte Carlo – Taxi, Bus, and Group Pickup
Excalibur – Rotunda Airport/Shuttle Bus Pickup Drop-off
ARIA – Tour Lobby
MGM Grand – South conference center entrance
Cosmopolitan – Main Entrance near Registration
Hard Rock – Paradise Self-Parking Lot
Mirage – North Valet
Downtown Bus Terminal – Between N Casino Center Blvd. & 4th St. at Stewart Ave.
Circus Circus – West Side Lot Behind Adventure Dome
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