When I arrived, there were about 40 people waiting to check in and about 70 people waiting to check out. That's not a good sign. They immediately upgraded my room and I was pleasantly surprised at the room. It was actually very nice. The TV was an old tube TV, but the room, bed, chairs, bathroom were all very adequate and based on the room alone, I would give it 4 Stars. However, as you soon realize, those long lines to check in/out are a true indicator of how short staffed Circus Circus is. When I got to my room, I was told my bags would be waiting for me when I got upstairs. It was over 40 minutes later. I tried to call the front desk and operator and got recordings after about 10 rings saying that no one was available. The gambling in this casino is very different as far as comps go than any other casino I've played. The points rack up by ''sessions'' not how much money you put into the machine. So if you bet 1 credit or max credit, you still get the same points on your Player's Club card. As someone that usually plays maximum number of credits, I finally chose to go to another casino for my gambling.

The ice machine in the hallway was leaking, and they had towels underneath it to catch the water, however the carpet in front of the machine was flooded with water and each step created a wave of water. Speaking of water, for the size of this hotel/casino, the water pressure in the shower was amazingly strong. That's not always the case.

While in the casino, it sometimes took an hour to get a drink. It seems the only people that are actually attentive to patrons is the people working at the small shops and stores throughout the hotel.

After checking in, I was lying on the bed for about an hour, when suddenly I heard a key being put into my door. The door opened without a knock, notification or anything. The housekeeping supervisor just walked right into the room and then asked me if I was staying over for another night. I had just checked into the room and really felt it was a violation of privacy to not at least announce "Housekeeping" and wait 15-30 seconds before barging into a room no matter if I was the guest from the night before or a new guest or if the room was empty. That's just common courtesy in a hotel environment.

Circus Circus is constructed of various towers, and various sets of elevators that take you to different parts of the hotel. My room required taking one elevator to the 2nd floor then walking 300yards, then taking another set of elevators up to my floor. It's very easy to get lost in the hallways as in some towers, floor 3 is level with floor 2 in the other tower. It's a bit of a maze that takes some adjusting.

Surprisingly, the kids at Circus Circus weren't as bad as I had expected. However, there were disabled folks on their ''scooters" that were zooming through areas so fast that I saw several people almost get hit.

The buffet here is like a Golden Corral or a high school cafeteria. The food is very basic and bland. The only items other than salad bar without meat were corn and potatoes. I've stayed at many casinos where they cook the food in front of customers and will honor special requests. Not here. I ate at the buffet twice. I had a tablespoon of pasta with no meat and a few potatoes at one meal, and had eggs from a carton and breakfast potatoes at the other. Both fall short. I realize this is a large casino/hotel that serves many guests, however, the number of available staff is severely lacking. The line for lunch took almost 1.5 hours before being seated. That's ridiculous!

Overall, it was not as bad as I expected after hearing so many people talk so negatively about it. It is near the end of the strip, but not too far from anything. Less than an hour walk down the entire strip.

I don't imagine that i'll choose Circus Circus again, but it was an interesting stay. It is much like a circus or carnival as there are vendors on both sides of the hallways trying to sell you their goods. There is only one coffee shop and the coffee was very bad. Don't expect a Starbucks or other reliable coffee chain for your morning cup of java.

As you walk around the strip, you see most casinos have specials advertised for meals like $0.99 pho', $0.99 hamburgers, $1.99 breakfast, etc. Circus Circus gives you a coupon book for a buffet for $6.99 and things like half off of a pitcher of margaritas, or a free cup of coffee if you buy a full dozen Krispy Kreme donuts.

There were a few times when I was cashing out my slots ticket that I was actually fearful that someone was beside/behind me waiting to steal my money. They have security everywhere, but no actual employees to help you. In the back area, by the Players Club counter, there are some old machines that still dispense tokens for your winnings. These seem to be the most popular. However the two machines dispensing the tokens were broken, and the lady in the section between these machines was very rude and seemed to be bothered by exchanging cash for tokens. If the change machines are broken, what other choice do you have. Her attitude is what finally sealed the deal on my return to Circus Circus. Casinos are to be happy environments, not one where some lady gives you a bad attitude for exchanging money for tokens.

When walking through the hallways of the main floors of the casinos, it does feel similar to a 'flea market' with the vendors 'barking' at you to buy their goods. Most of them over priced, cheap, and tacky souvenirs.

Overall, the room stay was enjoyable. The casino, the commercial nature of the vendors, the short staff issue were huge detractors from this being a great stay. No one should ever have to wait more than 20-30minutes to check in or out. It took almost an hour to check in. I'm dreading the check out process and line.

If you are traveling to Las Vegas with your kids, this is a viable option with things for their entertainment too, but with the crowds, lines, and short staff, it's not worth your time or money otherwise.