The STRAT Observation Deck — Attraction in Las Vegas

I offer very important vital information for those discerning whether to partake of the stratosphere observation experience. I do recommend it however I am giving this one star which is my experience based on what could be a five-star potential experience. Let me be perfectly clear I am 68 years old as I am a cancer patient and this was on my bucket list. I was thrilled Friday night when I went up the tower. I was exhausted because it was 104° and I stayed for about 20 minutes. The view is remarkable and they do a spectacular job keeping the windows around the entire observation deck spotless. You can see forever and I enjoyed this more than the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Sears Tower in Chicago and the freedom Tower in New York. When you look out those views you can only see so far because of all the other high-rise buildings that substantially will block the horizon. The freedom Tower exposes you to absolutely everything and the high-rise hotels are a little away in the distance. It is absolutely gorgeous in all four directions. I highly recommend however you must read what follows. I had made the decision because I was tired that I would return on Saturday night and that would be the highlight of my trip. I would go back and have dinner and sit at one of the many tables or one of the sofas and enjoy the view and just take it in and relish it. On Saturday night I purchased my ticket and then as soon as I got off at the 108th floor I went to 108 Eats were they serve paninis and grilled cheese and popcorn and chips and desserts. It's not expensive. I ordered a few things to enhance my evening. I spent $40. I walked to one of the tables and every seat was taken. do not mistake what I am saying as a sense of entitlement. I do not expect there to be a seat for me but I assumed there would be. The crowd is not the reason why there was no vacancy or enjoyment of the experience. It is because half of this deck was closed for a private party. Now this is where they went wrong. They do not inform you of this when you purchase your ticket so therefore you have a very limited experience. I was heartbroken. I cannot fault them for my heartbreak because of the expectations I myself set for having a fabulous evening but I felt them and I blame them and I shained them for not putting up a sign telling us that there was a private party upstairs. So when you come to the tower you make sure to ask if that is happening because if it is then please try to come back on another day. If this is your only chance to see the tower when they have a private party I would still recommend it but at least you know it's going to be a limited experience where I did not. And I was not the only one talking about that last night when I was up on the deck. It was a total loss and I did not eat my food I could not stand holding it on the tree that was on so I just left it. Total waste of money. Thank God I saw it the night before but if I knew they were going to do this the next night I would have stayed longer. Oh well they accomplished their mission didn't they. It's the same as with the rest of Vegas. There is no customer appreciation anymore. It's all about taking the dollars taking the dollars taking the dollars. And the last week I have seen so many publications and articles and videos about how Vegas is exuberant and no longer a destination for an affordable vacation. The hotels are losing employees because of the decline in tourism so those of us who do partake of their facilities are paying exorbitant prices so they can make up the difference. God forbid they not make 80 billion dollars. I mean after all...

It was our first time visiting Strat Deck from the East. We purchased the tickets online (two for decks and one for unlimited thrilled rides for my wife, not me). The purchase process was confusing and unclear. We assumed it was open at 10am, so we arrived a little bit after 10am. I opened the ticket mobile link and noticed that there were only two tickets for decks and nothing for unlimited thrilled rides. I tried to explain this to the lady at the entrance, but she was not helpful. She just nodded and scanned each ticket. Of course we were confused.

We went up to the deck and looked around. We noticed that the thrilled rides were closed, so we were worried that they had been canceled due to the hot weather. We ordered ice creams and sat on the couch, watching the deck. While we were sitting, I looked at the ticket purchase receipt I had received in the email. I finally found out that the thrilled rides opened at 2pm! It was about 11am, so we stayed as long as we could. I asked one of the security guards for confirmation, and he said yes, they opened at 2pm. We said okay.

We waited until after 2pm, but nothing happened. We went to the gift store and asked the lady for help. She said that we needed wristbands, and that we could get them from the downstairs ticket booth. I asked her if it was a re-entry, because we didn't want to have to pay for another ticket. She said yes.

We went downstairs and exited the building, then went around to the entrance. I told the different lady at the ticket booth that we needed wristbands for the rides. She scanned our tickets, but it came back with an error because they had already been scanned. I told her that we just needed wristbands. She said, "You're good to go," but she didn't give us wristbands.

We went back upstairs and saw the employees who were standing by the door to the thrilled rides. We showed them our tickets, and the snobby guy said, "You have to go downstairs and get wristbands." I told him, "Hell no, we're not going down and up, forth and back. We're worn out and we want to get this done." He wouldn't help us.

The same security guard who had helped us earlier stepped up and listened to us. He explained the situation to the other employees, and they got some lady to investigate. We didn't know what was going on because we're deaf, but more and more people came to the door with tickets but no wristbands. They were waving their tickets. I think it overwhelmed the employees, and finally they let us go and allowed my wife to ride the thrilled rides.

This shouldn't have happened if the lady downstairs had given us wristbands in the first place! Security deserves the raise! We wish we know his name. God bless him and please let him we thanks...

STRAT Observation Deck, Las Vegas – Rating: 5/5 Visited: August 2024 (Night)

Visiting the STRAT Observation Deck at night was an unforgettable experience. Located atop the Stratosphere Tower, the tallest structure in Las Vegas, the deck offers absolutely stunning 360° views of the entire city glowing under the night sky. The vibrant lights of the Strip, the surrounding desert, and the distant mountains all create a mesmerizing panorama that you just can’t get from anywhere else.

The elevators shoot up fast, and once at the top, the experience flows effortlessly. There are two levels—an indoor observation area with glass windows, and an outdoor deck that gives you the full open-air thrill. Even at night, the visibility was perfect, and the air felt fresh and breezy up there.

For thrill-seekers, there are rides like X-Scream, Insanity, and Big Shot right at the edge of the tower, but even if you skip those, just standing and watching the city from that height is worth every moment. It’s peaceful, surreal, and makes you appreciate the unique energy of Las Vegas from a whole new angle.

The STRAT also has lounges, dining options, and entertainment, so you can spend more time there if you like. If you’re planning a night out, visiting the STRAT Observation Deck is a must-do experience—calm, awe-inspiring, and a perfect way to see Las...