There are six passengers in our helicopter, but only the two of us taking the cruise. The remainder have a picnic lunch beneath a shelter providing some respite from the fierce sun. We take our picnic baskets onto the small boat where we consume our lunch at the same time as appreciating the scenery and taking photographs. Although the scenery is magnificent, it does not compare with the much grander rock formations at North and South Rim where the canyon is much wider. Here, however it is possible to admire the magnificent canyon from river level - an awesome spectacle in itself.

The final part of the homeward flight takes us down the length of Las Vegas Boulevard from downtown Vegas to McCarran Airport, providing superb views of all the major casinos that line The Strip. A wonderful end to a wonderful experience. We are back at the airport by 4:30pm and a taxi takes us back to The Aladdin.

Our plan for the evening is to begin with a meal at The Bellagio's buffet, but there is a huge queue for this. We decide to eat at Caesar's Palace, but again there are crowds and queues. We eventually manage to get a table at 808 - a Pacific/Hawaiian restaurant. This proves a good choice as we enjoy good food served in an impeccable manner.

 

We share a seafood platter for a starter; which is served on a huge pile of ice. For main course Jeanette has Mahi-Mahi and David has a New York strip steak. Desserts are cheesecake (J) and coconut pudding (D). Drinks are Pinot Grigio and coffee. A most enjoyable occasion before the Celine Dion concert.

 

A New Day starts 15 minutes late. This is a huge theatre with a stage to match, but not all the seats have been sold, which is not surprising given the high price of the tickets.

 

Overall, the show is disappointing, and does not live up to the hype and the ticket prices, although much of the audience is enthusiastic. Celine Dion seems a small figure lost on the huge stage, while a large group of dancers perform in a way that seems completely unrelated to the songs. Some of the 'dancers' remain virtually motionless and seem to have no relevance at all. Celine herself has little stage presence with just a few simpering words between the songs. Although her popular hits sound good, the remainder do not come over well, particularly when she places too much emphasis on some of the words.

 

However, we have had an exciting and very enjoyable day, which is completed when we return to our room to watch more displays of The Bellagio's fountains. A memorable way to celebrate our 40th Anniversary.

 

For the first day of our drive to Nashville, where we are due to arrive on Day 26, we are up at 6:20am and depart from the Aladdin by 9am. We are soon following the familiar route north on I-15 into southern Utah, and arrive at Cedar Breaks National Monument at 12:45pm (Las Vegas time).