CSI: The Experience

Ahhhhhhh please stay away unless you are a die hard fan of this show. You dont get to choose your case and they try to upsale you for a certificate as well as to do the other two cases. A lot of the stuff there was broken. I felt like it was a ripoff at 20 $

The CSI experience was incredible. Very confused as to why it has such a low ranking. Loved it.

I’m not anywhere near a CSI superfan, but we got tickets through a combo package at one of the other shows in Vegas and we’ve seen the CSI Experience advertised.
The actual experience portion felt like it was spoon-​feeding you the clues and less about actually finding them. Definitely doesn’t deliver the value you might expect, and not worth a second or third run through to solve the other crime scenes.

This was suppose to be a birthday present 2 years ago but we were snowed into NYC and although our luggage made it to Vegas, we didn’t!
This time bought tickets from a ticket booth on the street offering cheaper tickets, while we were buying tickets to a magic show. I asked if only kids did the experience because I didn’t want to be the only adult in there — haha, like this has ever worried me BUT kids and parents get annoyed when adults push their kids out of the way & they are distracting. Those of u who know me, know that there are few bigger kids than me. FYI, buy your tickets from a booth it’s cheaper!
I was surprised when there were only adults! Firstly were assigned a case number, there are 3 you can choose from. We decided to try to solve the case on our own which I think was more fun. You watch a short video from a CSI character and then follow the steps on the case sheets to see where to go to next to find the next clues.
The case sheet is important to write down all your observations and the information you find along the way, for example, what the toxicology report tells you. Yes, you get to push buttons, look in a microscope and match DNA sequences.
Towards the end you go to autopsy, thankfully the cadaver is plastic and the lights project the bits you need to see (I’m far to squeamish when it comes to blood — yes I look away on tv too!) and you record the information.
When you have all your data you go to a computer and answer a series of multiple choice questions using your case notes to help you. If you are correct you can have your ‘diploma’ printed or emailed to you. I think printing was about US$ 6.
You can also have photos taken in front of a green screen with different police uniforms. The photos were 1 for $ 17, 2 for $ 20+ or 3 for $ 30. We bought all 3 because it was fun handcuffing each other and playing with gun!!! There are also value diploma and photo packs.
In their shop there is also lots of merchandise to buy and a penny press too!

Absolutely loved this one! Not to toot my own horn but I figured out the case before I left the crime scene. Even though I was joking about my guess and it happened to be right it makes me feel a bit twisted hahaha

The case was pretty easy to solve but it was good fun looking over the crime scene, looking at the evidence in the labs and making your case notes.
There are 3 different cases so they can stagger the number of people looking over the crime scene and all the evidence, which meant it was not too crowded.
Do not pay full price for this event! There are plenty of places where you can get money off the ticket price so look around. There is a booth on the strip or there are online places to print off a coupon.

This would be cool for kids around the age of 8 – 14. I did learn something new from this experience but I got bored with it really quickly.

If you let yourself get into it this can be a really good time! We wen’t because we had freebie tickets from the Big Bus tour but I would almost pay for it if we hadn’t. Well maybe if we had a B1G1, although they do a locals discount so that’s nice.
It really was fun «solving» the case we were given. You go through a few different stages examining evidence and deciphering clues. It was over pretty quickly (30 – 40 minutes) but that worked well with my «Squirrel» attention span.

For the price you pay it is just subpar. I was expecting better. There is some positive and it is a cool thing to check out, but it definitely is outdated. The dead «bodies» are more of manikins you would see in a department store. The technology is okay but could be better. Overall, the cases are easy and can be solved with no problem (almost seems like it is more geared for children). I did 2 different cases which were both different which was nice, but they were both equally easy. For the price you pay, you would think the experience would be up to date. I love the idea, the execution is just lacking.

I loved it! I felt almost like I was on the show. I dont watch the Miami or New York show but Las Vegas is my favorite! And you get to see Gil Grissom ;)

It’s fun, but lacking some entertainment. I booked this prior to coming to Vegas because it’s something I always wanted to try. We had a reservation at 6pm but arrived at 5pm and they said we could still go in. Heading down the escalator you check in with the cashier where they give you the paper you will need for the investigation. Once inside we watched a quick video and went onto solve a crime.
We had two papers so we had solved two murders. You are supposed to mark down all clues of the crime scene on your paper. I felt the crime scene could have been more «real» it was so dummy like, I just found it boring. Then you move onto different sections to solve the murder with the clues found and compare. After all that you go onto their computer and it asks you a set of questions. If you get them all right you solved the murder. We got both right, which it is not hard at all.
You can get a certificate but you have to buy it. I thought it should come with one since you already paid to be the investigator. We also took pictures in front of a green screen which turned into jail like pictures. It was pretty pricey and I didn’t like our pictures so we didn’t buy any.
I feel like this has potential, but it needs some readjustments and better technology!

I wanted to ask for a refund. I couldn’t believe I just spent my money and about $ 45 mins of my life on that ridiculously boring activity. Although it was boring for me, I do think that it will be highly entertaining for small children and maybe early teens.

Wow– what can I say?! I am being generous with 2 stars; however my son enjoyed it somewhat, so I’m giving 2 stars. Really– this place needs a major reconstruction. It is a ripoff in price for what you get. Normally it’s around 32 per case per adult and 25 per cause per child. There are 3 different cases you can buy– so yeah it can get expensive.
We completed the whole case in less than an hour after going through different rooms to look at evidence or read posters and then answer questions on a paper. This process is very simple for adults but it is more engaging for children. Although the material is not catered to a way kids would pay attention to it– if that makes sense.
What is funny is my son was more excited about the gift shop then the whole exhibit. He found a few souvenirs but was upset upon discovering the CSI Crime scene vest was $ 50– he became discouraged.
The photos they offer are outrageous as well. $ 16 per picture and they shoot 3 different poses.
My suggestion for anyone reading these is shut this down or start over and re-​build an exhibit that has a scene children can do with a group leader and one parents can break off and go into, and is more challenging.
If they aren’t going to change it they should drop the price significantly– like 10 bucks or less a ticket LOL
I’m just glad I got a 20% coupon online. or I would have been really pissed.

My friends and I decided to check out the CSI experience since we are all huge fans of the series. We got the ticket as part of a package deal and we thought it could be something different/​fun to do. I will not make my review too long so this is the gist of it :
Pros :
— great educational tool for anyone interested in forensic science even though it’s not that detailed
— it is an interactive attraction, making participants take notes of the crime scene. You have to document everything you see
— great for kids
— great way to kill time
Cons:
— they don’t let you take picture (I know this may be trivial but not allowing guests to snap a picture inside the store is ridiculous in my opinion)
— the tickets say it is a 60 – 90 minute attraction and it’s more like 30 minutes in reality
— the tickets are way overpriced for this attraction. We only came here because it was part of a package deal
In conclusion, even if it was an interactive attraction and somewhat educational, if you’re in Las Vegas I would suggest doing something else than this.

Respectfully, they just need to go ahead and shut this thing down. I could fathom how a young child may feel important going through it but there is zero requirement to solve anything or use your brain. It felt like I was in a 4^th grade social studies group project. The return on investment is not here.

I purchased my ticket through groupon which I would highly recommend because paying full price for this exhibit would be a waste of money. I have watched the show CSI but it was many years ago and you don’t have to be a fan of the show to get some enjoyment out of this exhibit.
With all that being said I would give this exhibit actually 2.5 out of 5 stars. It’s located in the MGM wasn’t that hard to find once you enter the exhibit and pay which is actually in the overpriced gift shop you are given your color coded sheet of paper and go and watch a video and work on your case.
The case was pretty fun to work on and it was interesting working with all the different items to crack your case. I did have a good time but I do think it is a little pricey even with the groupon and it’s a down right rip off if you are paying full price. It was a nice way to kill 30 min. or so.

Do NOT waste your money. There was no detecting to be done. You sit at a couple of computers with a clipboard and they give you the answers so there’s nothing for you to even figure out.
I was very disappointed.

Pretty cool experience. had to gather clues and solve a crime. pictures at the end you can buy are cool. I’d recommend going if in town. about 21 bucks a person.

So I’ve had a coupon for free admission to this thing that has just been laying around for months. A couple of days ago I decided it was time to finally use them. My philosophy with anything free is «why not?»
The location of the attraction is close to the deepest caverns of the massive cavern that is the MGM Grand. A place I usually avoid because I never fail to get at least slightly lost. When you enter, you’re treated to an overpriced gift shop. Upon paying, they give you a color coded sheet of paper and its on to the exhibit.
I for one am not a fan of CSI, so I was quite jaded at the introduction while everyone around me was cheering. Go figure. After all that wad done, we went to our specific crime scene to «investigate.» We were given the car crash scene, which ended up being a setup by a drunken man to cover-​up killing his twin brother.
The exhibit in of itself was pretty interesting. You draw clues on your piece of paper and take it to the «lab,» a series of computer stations and props used to take part in an elementary school-​level forensics investigation. It was rather insightful and would be the perfect introduction for a kid interested in forensics.
All that being said, its a very quick experience. You could be in and out of here in less than 30 minutes. Which made me all the more glad that I had a free admission ticket as admission is $ 31.50 at face. Ouch. Oh and you dont get anything for cracking your case except having your photo taken (which you have to pay for anyway) and an invitation to their website. Classy.
The Final Verdict
Pros:
Nice way to kill 30 minutes.
Great for those interested in forensics
Interactive and educational
Cons:
Pricey admission at face. Practically a rip off I’d say.
Only lasts for about 30 minutes.
Return factor. ⁵⁄₁₀. Only worth it if I have another free admission coupon.

What’s not to like about this crime scene investigation experience? I have always been a big fan for CSI like TV shows, such as CSI, Dexter, Fringe, Body of Proof, Bones… Finally I get to experience what it’s like to be a forensic scientist for solving crimes, also the blood spatter analysis, DNA match, autopsy… It was really interesting and exciting!
There are three crime cases, we were assigned to one of the crime scenes, we need to write down all the things we see, very detailed explanations, go through a few medical examinations to get clues, in order to catch the suspect. It was quite some work to finish the whole thing!
We got most of the clues right, missed some, but we still got the right result, caught the right suspect! Yeah! Hubby and I were so happy catching the bad guy!
I think this exhibit is great for people who are into forensic science, CSI like TV shows, or just simply like to solve puzzles! It is also a fun activity for couples, hubby and I partnered very well to solve the crime, it felt intimate in a different way, maybe just for me, I love medical examiner fall in love with cop scenario a little too much. ;p
Ps. $ 32 per person, they offer $ 58 for 3 shows per person at MGM Grand casino hotel, they have a few good ones to choose from, it’s better deal than just spend $ 32 for one exhibit here.