Our Trip to Las Vegas to See Star Trek: The Experience

Aug 22-24, 2008

For my birthday on Aug 26, I’d asked Smoot if we could go see Star Trek: The Experience one more time before it closed on Sep 2. He agreed and I made reservations. Then we heard that Smoot's father had gone into the hospital so Smoot flew to VA to be with him and his sister. Our trip was almost cancelled, but he flew back Thursday night and Friday morning we set out in a rented car. We chose the weekend instead of the exact day of my b’day because of Smoot’s work schedule. It’s lucky we went when we did. It turned out the Behind the Scenes Tour ended on Sunday, Aug 24. Had we waited until the next weekend, we would have missed it. The Experience opened in 1998. We went to see it in 1999 and 2001. Smoot went with his family in 2002 so has seen it one more time than I have. (Grrr) The road from Scottsdale to Las Vegas took us across Hoover Dam.

Smoot gazing at the Hoover Dam and the new bridge being built there

Smoot in his usual position, at his computer, with the Hilton sign showing the Star Trek: The Experience logo.

Another view of the sign, with Barry Manilow below the Experience. Friday night we went to the Fashion Show Mall to see if we could get discount tickets for the Experience, but they didn’t have any and only sell for the day of the show or attraction. We had Greek food at the food court, not really Las Vegas-y, but okay.

On Saturday, we went downstairs at 11, thinking that was when the Experience opened, since that was what the signs said, but nooo, it opened at 11:30. By the time we came back downstairs there was a long line. But a helpful Ferengi entertained the crowd.

A not so friendly Borg was also around.

Smoot standing by a sign for the two rides in the Experience. We’d been to the Klingon one, but not the Borg.

While waiting to enter the Experience, signs advertised Quark’s bar & restaurant.

You could even get married at the Experience and many couples have, in and out of uniform! There was even a wedding the day we were there. There are two Star Trek Next Generation bridge sets. One of them is set aside for events such as weddings.

The entrance to the Experience

You could buy the statue of the Borg Queen for $4,500. Twelve had been made, only one was left!

The entrance showing the beautiful ship models that will be destroyed unless CBS (current owner of the Star Trek franchise)

can find a place to store them and figure out a way to get them out of the building.

A close-up of the Enterprise D from Star Trek Next Generation

We walked through the museum and timeline quickly to get to the rides. We went to the Borg 4D first since we hadn’t gone on that one before. It was okay, but not as much fun as the Klingon ride which we ended up doing 3 times! The last times we’d come you weren’t allowed to go back on the rides, but they obviously loosened their policy.

While we waited in line for the rides, a Klingon came through to intimidate us!

We were able to sign up for the Behind the Scenes Tour at 2:30. It was led by Jered who also plays the Ferengi Quan at the Experience. It was his last tour and he was sad about that and about leaving a job he’d really liked. He asked us all our names, memorized them and addressed us by our names during the tour. Impressive!

We’d signed up for a package that included the tour, with certificates, and photos made on the bridge and Borg chamber.

My certificate. Had I known we would be getting them, I would have printed my name more clearly on the sign-in list so they wouldn’t have misspelled my name!

Smoot and me in the Borg regeneration chamber!

Smoot as captain as I sit demurely like Counselor Troi!

Me in the captain’s chair. Smoot in Deanna’s!

Outside of Quark’s a table had been set up. Beverly Washburn, who played the unlucky crewwoman who aged in TOS The Deadly Years was signing autographs. For having such a small part, she was getting quite a bit of business.

We ate supper at Quark’s and were lucky to get one of the Regeneration booths!

An Andorian came by to say hello to the ‘pink skins!’

The view from our table at Quark’s.

After supper at Quark’s we went on the Klingon ride one more time then crashed. We’d been at the Experience from 11:30 am to after 9 pm, most of that time on our feet.

Sunday we went back down to the Experience. I took this photo of a video ad.

This is the line by the ticket booths, without people.

Star Trek slot machines. Jered told us the area outside the Experience, with the games, brought in a lot more money than the Experience did. Probably why they’re going to close it.

To show they’re open to all universes, they had a Star Wars game too.

There weren’t any shows we wanted to see, but we considered going to see the Titanic Artifacts exhibit at the Tropicana. It didn’t open until too late on Sunday and cost $30 each. We decided to skip it. But we DID wander through the resort and ran across these Star Wars video games.

We’d also seen a sign for a swim-up blackjack table and sure enough, there it was! That was all we could take of Las Vegas so we drove home. It was a fun but bittersweet time, knowing the Experience was closing. I wish it could go to the Science Fiction Museum or some other appropriate venue, but it probably won't. Since a network now owns the franchise, they'll probably mismanage it just like NBC did the original series. Perhaps the new movie coming out next year will revitalize the franchise.