Booking a vacation package to Las Vegas?

[liveelaughelove]

Okay, my fiance and I are eloping AND having our honeymoon in Las Vegas for 5 days. I have been reading on here(yahoo answers) that it is better to book hotels, flights, rental cars and etc separately rather than as a package deal but the amount that I am seeing for the flight tickets alone are like $600+ for the both of us(from Houston to Las Vegas). Ive tried Expedia, Priceline, Cheap Tickets, Southwest, Continental. What am I doing wrong?

I have looked at several hotels/airline deals and have found packages with hotel, flights, rental car, trip to grand canyon, 2 for 1 attractions and dining for all under $1200. Which is much cheaper than buying separately, I think. Where do you all go to book these things separately to get great deals like I have heard others speak of? And is a rental car a necessity? I heard that the bus is really expensive...like $5 a trip. And also if we get a rental car, do you have to pay for parking when you go to a certain attraction?
Also, is it safe to buy tickets and stuff on unknown websites? I feel a little uncomfortable with doing this. This is my first time planning a vacation so I am kind of nervous and do not know what to expect.

 

[WilliamH]

Try Southwest Vacations. If you stay on the strip on Las Vegas Boulevard, you may not need a rental car. Just bring some comfortable shoes to walk around.

 

[lvgeno]

Package deals make it look like you are saving a lot of money by using the double room rate to show a savings. If you try to book a package for one person it will be much more. You can not save on airline tickets buying either way. The price you see will be the same on all websites. The savings come in the hotel prices. Normally when you see a package price, they will give you an off time flight that is usually the cheapest and more than likely a redeye in either or both directions. Another way for them to make the price look lower is to use two different airlines. If you change the flights then you will see a big jump in the price. You do not state your travel dates but the prices change considerably on the days of the week. Most expensive days to fly are Fridays, Sunday and Mondays as business travelers normally travel on those days. If you found a package with all of that at that price then I would get it. However a rental car is not a necessity and driving in Vegas can be a challenge. If staying on the strip you will probably have no need to leave the strip and it is very walkable.