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The
Excalibur opened on June 19, 1990 originally built by Circus
Circus. It was one of many new, modern Las Vegas hotels that
featured children's attractions, such as an arcade and a motion
simulator called Merlin's Magic Motion Machine. Another feature
of the Excalibur that is prominent in many of today's Las
Vegas hotels is a large family swimming pool.
In
February 2003, the Las Vegas area received over 3 inches of
rain. Due to a design flaw in the hotel, the fire alarms of
the 18th floor of the Excalibur were triggered and guests
were forced to evacuate. The fire alarms were triggered when
rain entered the rooms. To date, this flaw has not been repaired
On March 21, 2003 the largest Megabucks Jackpot, as of that
time, was hit at the Excalibur. The jackpot was for $39,713,982.25.
On
April 26, 2005, the Excalibur, along with the other hotels
of the Mandalay Resort Group, was purchased by rival MGM Mirage.
Restaurants and other areas have Arthurian names, such as
the Roundtable Buffet, Sir Galahad's Prime Cuts, The Steakhouse
of Camelot, and Regale's Italian eatery, or reflect a broader
"ancient Britain" theme, such as the Sherwood Forest
Cafe. A long-running show, the "Tournament of Kings,"
features simulated medieval jousting.
A
few years after opening, Excalibur introduced a free nighttime
show in the moat near the resort's main entrance. A Dragon
would emerge from under the main entryway bridge and do battle
with the wizard, Merlin. The production was rather cheesy
with very little in the way of special effects other than
the large mechanical dragon. Due to the location of the show
and the lack of many viewing areas, combined with the lack
of promotion the show wasn't very popular. After a few years
of operation, this attraction was discontinued.
The
Excalibur has never had a big boxing events venue. Since the
middle to late 1990s, the Mandalay Resort Group has staged
its major boxing and Ultimate Fighting Championship events
at their sister hotel, the Mandalay Bay. Excalibur did once
host a Oscar DeLa Hoya boxing match.
Like
many other hotels on the Strip, the Excalibur features a wedding
chapel.
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