Day 1 — Thursday, July 9
Arrival → Welcome dinner → Sphere
🟣 Sphere anchor
✈️ UA 2449 SFO→LAS • 12:00 PM → 1:50 PM
🟣 The plan: Fly SFO at noon, land 1:50 PM, flat-rate cab to Palazzo and settle in, early SushiSAMBA welcome dinner 5:30 PM (Tracy booked, party of 6), then the 10-min indoor walk via Venetian → Sands Expo skybridge to Sphere for the 8 PM Wizard of Oz. The whole evening is climate-controlled and walking distance.
~9:45 AM
Mill Valley wake-up, drive to SFO
Relaxed morning — no rush with the noon flight. SFO long-term parking, one car shared between J+T+Sally.
12:00 PM
UA 2449 SFO → LAS departs
Nonstop, 1h 50m, Main Cabin — all three on the same flight. Jackson + Sally conf LS061E, Tracy conf K48JX1. Checked bags are fine — first bag free on Jackson's Silver.
12:14 PM
Richard lands LAS — UA 1799 from IAH
Picks up his rental car and checks in at Palazzo first (comp room).
1:50 PM
J+T+Sally land LAS
Grab bags, straight to the taxi stand.
2:15 PM
Flat-rate cab to Palazzo — check in, convene with Richard
~15 min. LAS taxis run a flat fixed rate to the Strip — just queue at the terminal taxi stand, no pre-book needed. Rooms confirmed via Richard's host; standard check-in 3 PM if they're not ready early.
3:30 PM
Settle in — unpack, rest, freshen up
Plenty of slack before dinner. Pool dip or coffee at Bouchon Bakery if energy allows.
4:40 PM
Ben + Alaska land LAS — Frontier 3645
Cousin Ben + his girlfriend Alaska cab in and join the group at Palazzo. Here for dinner + the weekend, but they skip the Sphere show.
5:30 PM
🎉 Welcome dinner — SushiSAMBA (Venetian)
Booked ✅ by Tracy — party of 6. Japanese-Brazilian-Peruvian, plenty of veg-friendly plates. On-property, early seating clears the 8 PM show. Ben + Alaska join.
7:15 PM
Walk to Sphere via Sands Expo skybridge — J+T+Sally
~10 min, fully indoor + air-conditioned. Time for the exosphere LED + atrium exhibits before doors. Richard, Ben + Alaska head to the casino / Palazzo instead.
8:00 PM
⭐ The Wizard of Oz at Sphere — J+T+Sally
The 1939 classic remastered across the 16K wraparound LED dome. Sec 207, Row 13 — 200-level center, 3 seats together. NO late seating — be seated by 7:55. Bag policy: clear/small only; no photography during the show. 📋 Complete Ticketmaster purchase · Ticketmaster
~9:30 PM
Show ends — walk back to Palazzo
~10 min via the same indoor route. Convene with Richard at the hotel.
10:00 PM
Optional nightcap or call it
Electra Cocktail Club at Palazzo for a slow drink — Bellagio fountains are slotted for Friday night.
Day 2 — Friday, July 10
Grand Canyon by helicopter → Bouchon
🚁 Maverick “Wind Dancer” 7:00 AM • conf# 80154547
🏊 Pool afternoon • Bellagio fountains 9:30 PM
Booked ✅ Maverick “Wind Dancer” — 7:00 AM, J+T+Sally (Richard sits it out, rejoins at brunch). Closed-toe shoes mandatory for the canyon walk. Layers (cold at altitude, hot on ground). No perfume/cologne in the small cabin. Physical passport / REAL ID required at check-in.
5:15 AM
Wake-up (J+T+Sally) — in-room coffee or Bouchon Bakery grab-and-go
Richard sleeps in.
5:45 AM
Uber to the Maverick terminal
~10 min — 6075 S Las Vegas Blvd. Complimentary shuttle covers the ride back.
6:15 AM
Check-in — Maverick Las Vegas Strip Terminal, safety brief
Conf# 80154547 — Jackson Elsegood, Tracy Wang, Sally Gibbs. Everyone is weighed at check-in; physical passport / REAL ID required.
7:00 AM
“Wind Dancer” departs → Grand Canyon West Rim
~45 min in an Airbus H130 EcoStar — theater seating, wraparound glass. Hoover Dam + Lake Mead flyover en route.
~7:45 AM
Land 3,500 ft below the rim at Grand Canyon West
Maverick's private bluff, 300 ft above the Colorado River — ~30 min on the canyon floor with champagne + light snacks. Hats + water; it's warm down there even at this hour. West Rim is Hualapai tribal land, the only place helicopters can land in the canyon.
~8:15 AM
Return flight — Strip flyover included
~9:15 AM
Back at the terminal — shuttle to Palazzo, arrive ~10 AM
11:30 AM
Late brunch on-property — Bouchon or Bouchon Bakery
Richard rejoins. Real meal after the early start.
5:00 PM
Spa wind-down / cocktail at Electra or Rosina
Slow re-entry into Strip pace. Optional Canyon Ranch spa appointment for Mum + Tracy.
6:15 PM
Dinner — Spago (Bellagio) — party of 6
Booked ✅ by Tracy. Wolfgang Puck's Californian flagship, on the Bellagio lake right by the fountains — Richard drives / Uber ~10 min south. Dinner + fountains in one spot.
~8:15 PM
Bellagio Fountains — right outside Spago
Walk straight out after dinner. Fountains run every 15 min after 8 PM. Stop into the Conservatory while you're there if energy's good.
10:30 PM
Back to Palazzo — casino / drinks / wind down
11:30 PM
Optional (J+T only) — Elderbrook at Marquee (Cosmopolitan)
~10-min Uber south. Doors 10 PM, headliner late.
Day 3 — Saturday, July 11
Pool → Afternoon tea → Mr. TOFU
🚗 Off-strip • Richard drives
💦 Pool morning • Peacock tea 1 PM • Chinatown dinner 8 PM
🚗 The relaxed day: A morning at the pool, then Richard drives everyone to afternoon tea at Peacock Alley (Waldorf Astoria, 23rd floor) at 1 PM — his treat, and it doubles as lunch. Afternoon free, then the minivan heads ~10 min west on Spring Mountain Rd to Mr. TOFU, a Chinatown Korean tofu house, for the 8 PM celebration dinner. All 6.
9:30 AM
Slow morning — breakfast in room or at Bouchon Bakery
10:30 AM
Pool at Aquatic Club
Last pool session of the trip. Cabana if booked. Wrap up by ~noon for tea.
12:15 PM
Richard drives the group south to the Waldorf
All 6 in the minivan — ~10–15 min down the Strip.
1:00 PM
🫖 Afternoon tea — Peacock Alley (Waldorf Astoria, 23rd fl)
Booked ✅ — 6 guests, Richard's treat. Classic English afternoon tea with Strip views — scones, pastries, finger sandwiches. Doubles as lunch. ~2 hr.
2:00 PM
⚽ World Cup QF — Norway v England
5 PM ET at Hard Rock Stadium, Miami — Tracy's “game day.” Kicks off during the tea; the plan is to catch it from ~3 PM at the Palazzo sportsbook/bar (a QF can run to ~4:45 with extra time).
~3:15 PM
Back to Palazzo — free afternoon
Rest, pool, casino, or the Grand Canal Shoppes. Optional Canyon Ranch spa slot for Mum + Tracy — plenty of time before the 8 PM dinner.
7:15 PM
Convene at Palazzo valet, dress smart-casual
Richard pulls up the minivan for the ~10-min drive to Chinatown.
8:00 PM
🥂 Mr. TOFU celebration dinner — party of 6
4355 Spring Mountain Rd #104, Chinatown. Korean tofu house — seafood pancake, soft-tofu soondubu stews, banchan, grilled + steamed mains. Casual + comforting. Booked ✅.
9:45 PM
Richard drives the group back to Palazzo
10:30 PM
Nightcap or call it — Sun is departure day
Electra Cocktail Club at Palazzo, or one slow walk down the Strip to see the lights one more time.
Day 4 — Sunday, July 12
Brunch → Departures
☕ Bouchon brunch 9:30 AM • checkout 11 AM
✈️ UA 1799 LAS→SFO 1:34 PM → 3:14 PM
9:30 AM
Group brunch — Bouchon at the Venetian
Last family meal. Croque madame, eggs benedict, brioche French toast, mimosa or Bloody Mary. 📋 Book on Resy.
11:00 AM
Hotel check-out, bags to bell desk
11:30 AM
Last walk through Grand Canal Shoppes / final casino spin / coffee at Bouchon Bakery
12:00 PM
J+T+Sally flat-rate cab to LAS (~15 min)
Richard stages his own departure separately based on his return flight (drops rental, flies UA IAH).
1:34 PM
UA 1799 LAS → SFO departs (1h 40m)
3:14 PM PT
Land SFO — pick up car, drive to Mill Valley
Home ~5 PM Sun. Plenty of decompression before Monday.