I usually don't write Trip Advisor reviews for chain or generally well-known hotels since I doubt I can contribute much that hasn't been said, but am reviewing the NY NY in order to note that it appears to have gone slightly downhill in the last few years.

I stayed in the NY NY once in 2003 and it was great - exactly on par with the Paris - one of Vegas's really fun "theme" hotel/casinos. I stayed again in 2009 only to find best part of the casino area had been completely ripped out (the Central Park themed bridge and trees) and replaced with abstract gaudy neon swirls and a pit of slot machines. The New York theme was pretty much lost as a result (though once you venture out of the casino area into the restaurant section, the theme becomes evident again with the tenement style buildings, delis, pizzarias, etc.). The rooms are spotless but haven't been updated (e.g., projection TVs). However, the price did reflect this decline (at $79, the room was about $40 cheaper per night than the Paris).

As an aside, it seems like Vegas, generally, is moving away from theme hotels/casinos like the NY NY, Paris, Venetian, etc. to just super-luxury (the Wynn, etc) and the action is moving further north on the Strip.

The bottom line is the NY NY was a great value (very clean with good location and fair pricing), but it's a bit disappointing to see it starting to decline, even if the price has been adjusted accordingly. By all means, stay there for the value and gamble elsewhere in a more fun/luxurious environment.

Having stayed at 8 or 9 mega casinos over the past couple years I'd have to say NY NY was middle of the pack. Overall clean and comfortable but nothing special. I didn't wait long to check in or out, the people were all reasonbly nice, the casino and bars were fine (though Coyote Ugly was obnoxiously loud and crowded. The free pass to get in was nice.) There just wasn't anything to make me say wow I need to go back. I thought Ghallagars steakhouse was going to be it but it too was just OK. Not terrible but nowhere near Delmonicos at Alladin. The pool is small and noisy with the roller coaster but the wait staff there are nice and prompt. I just wish something made me say WOW!!

Our stay at NYNY was very pleasant. We booked through MGM Vacations which included a complementary upgrade to a Park Avenue room (didn't try the $20 trick - from reviews I read online they haven't accepted it in 2009). We were offered to upgrade to a Spa Suite for $50/night extra but declined. The room was sufficient but on the smaller side... can't imagine what their "basic" room is like! I will say the bathroom was amazing. The shower had PERFECT water pressure and a huge sink to spread out all our "stuff". That was probably the best part of the room! We did mention on our reservation that we were celebrating our 1-year anniversary and without asking received a beautiful south-looking strip view.... basically looking out over the statue of liberty's head. That was a very nice gift from the hotel!

We did use the pool one afternoon and had a great time. It's smaller, but not as "basic" as some reviewers make it out to be. I've stayed at the Flamingo two other times, so I can say this is not the best pool, but we were able to get chairs (we went out about 2:30pm...after we'd lost our money for the day!) and were even talked into a game of pool volleyball. Drinks are expensive, but as to be expected (we brought waterbottles of our own mixes, but those ran out before we left). We didn't try the Monte Carlo pool, but overall the area at NYNY exceeded my expectations.

We ate three times at the hotel - Americana for breakfast which had good food but was a bit too expensive for our taste (about $40 for two pancakes and two coffees), the Hot Dog shop which was quick and tasty, and the pizza joint, Sirrico's Pizza. This was the BEST value! $17 for a large, doughy pizza which served as dinner one night and breakfast the next (hey! we're young). OH- we also had ice cream scoops at Ben & Jerry's which were huge and a nice splurge to end our vacation.

The location of NYNY was just "ok" for us. We spent some time at MGM and Planet Hollywood, which are a quick walk, but the majority of our visit we were farther north (Bellagio, Ceasers, Venetian) and up to Fremont St. Next time we'll stay higher up the strip so we're not spending 40 min walking every time we leave the hotel!

Hotel room was hot when we arrived, but it was nice. However when we went down to gamble, I won a $50 jackpot and it took me over two hours to collect my winnings!!! There system was down and they had ONE person paying out winnings with no rhyme or reason or line or method. It was completely ridiculous!!! The casino knew there was a computer problem in the middle of the day, but at 11:30 when I first won they had not made any plans for the circumstances!!! I will never stay again!!!