Bellagio to open next Thursday

The long wait is nearly over, though a short one still looms.

After more than two years of construction, Bellagio will open to the public next Thursday.

While you won't have to spend any money to enter, you'll probably spend some time in line.

"The Bellagio will open sometime very, very late Thursday," says Alan Feldman of Mirage Resorts Inc., parent company of the $1.8 billion resort.

"But people should be prepared to wait -- hopefully not for very long -- because the flow of traffic will be restricted," Feldman says.

The restrictions, which will ease gradually, are necessary because of the huge anticipation that's built up over the new property, the first of five Strip mega-resorts scheduled to open over the next two years.

A sumptiously scripted TV spot airing nationwide and stories and photos in a handful of national publications have provided tantalizing glimpses of -- and sparked enormous curiosity about -- the resort that Mirage Chairman Steve Wynn says will be "the best hotel in the world."

Internet links to the Las Vegas Sun (www.vegasdeluxe.com or www.lasvegassun.com), Bellagio (www.bellagiolasvegas.com) and Mirage (www.mirageresorts.com) have been bombarded by requests for information about Bellagio.

Some of the most frequently asked questions are about dress codes, public access, whether children or strollers will be allowed, the schedule for the fountain show and the like.

Here's what's known as the countdown continues:

View the Las Vegas Sun's complete package on the opening of Bellagio:

http://www.lasvegassun.com/dossier/gaming/bellagio/

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