We took Rachel to the Mirage to see the dolphins and white tigers. They have a lovely set up there. It's only $15 for adults to go in and while they don't have a set schedule to interactions with the animals, they seem to be doing something every few minutes. There is a small snack bar there that is nice to sit and watch the dolphins. I was actually surprised by how much time we spent there. We had mild weather, so I'm sure that helped.
We ended up staying at the Signature at the MGM Grand. These are condos behind the hotel/casino. The condo towers are connected to the casino by a moving walkway. It turned out to be the same price as a regular hotel room, but there is alot more personal service. Perfect for families. They take your bags out at the door and bring them up to your room minutes after you get there. There is only valet parking, so we just made sure to only use our car once a day. The MGM Grand is one of the monorail stops, but we never used it. There is a Starbucks and lounge in Tower 1 (where we stayed), but Starbucks is only open till 5pm. There is a very tiny gift shop with candy, soda, chips, and other small items.
