Celebrating New Year's Eve (NYE) in Las Vegas? Get ready for a wild ride. Last year, 300,000 people turned The Strip into one of the world's largest parties. This year, even more revelers are expected. To make the most of the merriment, strategically pick your hotel and plan where you want to be a couple hours prior to midnight's fireworks show.

The Strip closes to vehicular traffic at 6 p.m. (major streets that cross it - Flamingo Road, Tropicana Avenue, Desert Inn Road, Sahara Avenue and more will shut down at 5 p.m.). Hotels, too, will close off their Strip entrances later that evening. Thus pick you hotel wisely. And if you plan to celebrate at a club, try to stay at the hotel that hosts it or one nearby.

Speaking of hotels, I hope you've already booked yours. Or you're about to. Rates have already spiked, but they will skyrocket the week of New Years. The same goes for flights. There are hotels that will sell you a room on NYE, but expect to pay 5x the norm. For the most part, Strip resorts will only be selling 3-day packages during NYE.

So how does NYE affect tours to the Grand Canyon? The most glaring issue is logistics. In particular hotel pick up and drop off. The former isn't too problematic - just expect to be picked up earlier in order to circumvent the mayhem. Drop off, on the other hand, is where the challenge lies.

Tactics

Helicopter and airplane tours will be departing throughout the day until 3 p.m. Flights that take off before 11 a.m. should get you back to your hotel before The Strip shuts down. However, if you take a LANDING TOUR that starts late in the morning or after lunch, expect to spend more time than usual getting back to your hotel. A tactic that I've used in the past is to ask the driver to drop me off at/near a spot on The Strip where I want to kick off NYE.

Bus tours are the trickiest. Coach trips from Las Vegas go to the West Rim and the South Rim. West Rim trips get you back at 8 p.m. and South Rim trips return by 9 p.m. As you can see, you'll be getting back as The Strip is just getting into full swing. I think bus tours are a great value, but after spending upwards of 14 hours of sightseeing/driving, I don't think I'd have enough "gas in the tank" to take on NYE crowds.

January 1 (a/k/a "The Day After") is a different story. The Strip/Las Vegas is somewhat back to normal. This means that all canyon tours including bus trips can be taken without getting caught in gridlock when returning to your hotel. Understand that tours during the first week of January are popular so make sure you've booked yours prior to arriving in Vegas or you'll be on the phone forever trying to patch together a trip.

Couple more points about air tours...

I'm still advising travelers to stay away from the early-bird trips. These are your lowest-priced options, but they usually leave at 7 a.m. Might not sound all that bad until you factor in that pick up time can be around 5:45 a.m.! I'm also not keen on taking 7 a.m. helicopter landing tours. This mostly applies to the ones that land at the bottom. I just don't think you'll get the light you need. Plus it's cold. Thus I advise playing it safe and taking anything that departs after 9 a.m.

But back to New Year's Eve...

Do dress warmly. Las Vegas can get chilly at night. Based on the weather we've been having lately, I'd expect to see temps in the low 30's or near freezing so bundle up.

Hit the Strip!

Last year it cost $10 per person to celebrate. I've yet to learn the cost for this year's event. Further, this is an adult-only event and you have to be 21 years of age and older. Further, you can't bring glass-bottle beverages inside the gates. There will be alcohol available inside the gates and it will be in plastic bottles.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Freemont Street experience in downtown. Tickets are $30 per person if purchased by 12/26. After that, they're $40. Tickets can be purchased online or at hotels that border along The Experience.

Fireworks will be shot off the rooftops of seven resorts, including

• The Stratosphere
• MGM Grand
• Caesar's Palace
• Planet Hollywood
• Treasure Island
• The Venetian
• The Aria Resort

The fireworks show lasts approximately 8 minutes and is comprised of a whopping 88,000 fireworks (each rooftop pyrotechnics show is accompanied by music). Consider where you will be or want to be in relationship to one of the seven hotels and lock down your spot at least an hour or two prior to blast off. Tip: The upper floor of parking garages is a great viewing spot.

I hope you all enjoy yourself in Vegas for NYE. It's a heck of a celebration. And if you need a break from it all, consider a Canyon day trip.

Book a New Year's Grand Canyon Tour

Peace & Prosperity in 2014!

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