Maybe it has been a while since you have been to Vegas, or maybe it is your first time. What is that huge LED ball that you see when going around the strip? What is The Sphere Experience?
The Sphere is home to the world's largest interior LED screen, and the screen itself is curved so it follows the shape of the sphere. The main attraction is an immersive movie that not only fills up your peripheral, but also has haptic seats (for those earthquake motion rumbles), wind/air effects, and smells (I thought I was going crazy at first!).
What to expect
When you book tickets, the start time is when they let you into the whole experience. The experience consists of 2 phases. The first phase is when you get to go into the Atrium where they have a couple of interactive stations where you can either get your body scanned to create a digital avatar in the Metaverse, or talk to an AI robot (that famous grey robot Aura). You can also order drinks and food at the concession stands. If that all doesn't sound enticing to you, there is no need to rush and line up when you see your time slot come up. The first phase lasts about 40 minutes (with 20 minutes allocated to seating), and Karin and I didn't want to line up in the crowds to talk to the robots or get scanned, we we just chilled and talked at our seats (and caught up on some work email - we won't let you all hanging :) ).
The second phase when visiting the Sphere in Las Vegas is the show itself! We watched "Postcard from Earth" which I found very enjoyable overall. The screen resolution was just so clear and crisp, and all the various effects with the wind, seat haptics, and smells reminded me of the "Soarin' Around the World" ride in Disneyland. The movie lasts for about an hour, so the whole experience lasts 2 hours.
What not to do
When visiting the Sphere in Las Vegas do not bring food like we did!! We had just finished a lovely dinner at CHICA and couldn't finish the dessert, which was a huge chocolate lava cake called the Flaming Skull (you gotta see pictures of it!)
You have to go through a security check before you enter the Atrium, so make sure you do not bring any prohibited items from the FAQ.
Also, pick seats as close to the middle section as much as possible. You don't want to be too far down or high, or too far off to the sides.
Was it worth it?
Overall, if you participate in all the activities there, it seems like a worthwhile experience. I really enjoyed the show for the immersive shots and quality of the screen. It is pretty pricey but you can wait last minute to buy, which is what we did. It came out to about $80 per person. If you aren't too much into movies, especially nature documentaries, or don't care for any of the robot and digital interactive stuff, you might just skip this and go to an amazing buffet instead.
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