New Years in Las Vegas can be a great experience as long as you are prepared for it.
Here is a quick list of things to be prepared for.

1. With New Years Eve landing on a Monday, it will basically turn into a 4 day party starting on Friday the 28^th. Expect large crowds and long lines everywhere you go from the 28^th through the 1^st.

2. Starting around 8pm on the 31^st, most hotels on the Strip go on a mini lock-down and only let in hotel guests and people holding tickets to New Years Eve parties at that hotel.

3. The Strip closes to traffic around 6pm on the 31^st. From that point on, it becomes a sea of people.

4. The Strip closure means that buses like the Deuce and SDX are rerouted from 4pm on the 31^st until 4am on the 1^st to avoid the Strip between Sahara Ave and Mandalay Bay. You can ride for free from 6pm 31^st until 9am on the 1^st.  You can find the specifics at http://www.rtcsnv.com/transit/routes-maps-schedules/rider-alerts-detours/

5. The Downtown Countdown closes the Fremont Street Experience to the public in the mid-afternoon and it is only open to event ticket holders from 6pm until after midnight. Tickets can be purchased online for $30 until December 27 and go up to $40 on the 28^th.  If you don’t have a ticket or the proper wristband, you won’t be able to get under the Fremont Street Experience canopy. Right now, there is a Groupon available which gets you a ticket for $16.

6. If you have the time available, extend your stay. There is a lot of availability and room rates are really low for January 2-6.  If you are willing to stay at The Quad, you can even be on the Strip for the extra days for less than $30 per night. That includes taxes! That drops to around $20/nt (incl taxes) with offer code IIRT3.

Have Fun!