On this trip are myself (D) and hubby (K). We are in our mid 30s and have been married for 16 years. We estimate we have visited Las Vegas around 30 times.
Tuesday, February 8th
We had planned on departing on the first flight out on Wednesday, but there was a snow storm coming in to Oklahoma City and we were afraid the flight was going to be canceled. We contacted Southwest and they let us change it to the last direct flight out on Tuesday night – no charge. Just another reason to love Southwest.
We departed on-time and it was not a full flight so we were able to have an empty seat between us. We used two of our drink coupons to get a Coke Zero & Bacardi and a Wild Turkey. We landed in less than three hours. Since we already had reservations starting Tuesday night, we had made arrangements for a one-night stay at the Flamingo on a comp offer. We didn’t bother asking for a room upgrade since it was just the one night. It had been years since we had stayed in one of their “deluxe rooms” and it was pretty run-down then. Nothing has changed. It was still in need of a renovation. The bed and pillows were not comfortable and the shower needed some major cleaning.
We ended up playing at the Flamingo that evening and probably shouldn’t have. We always try to remind ourselves to not play on the Strip, but we inevitably do it – only to lose. We went to bed down at least $100. Pretty expensive “free” room, huh? Oh well, at least we were in Vegas and not stuck in snow in Oklahoma!
Also, we paid for round-trip shuttle service to the hotel for this one night. We already had an unbelievable rate on Alamo that we had booked a month previously ($89 after taxes and fees for 6 days) and if we were to change the reservation to pick it up a day early it would have been almost double in price.
Wednesday, February 9th
We were going to have breakfast at Margaritaville since we had a 20% coupon but once we got sat down and looked at the menus we decided not to eat there. Their prices were a little too high, even with the discount. We decided to go to the food court inside the Flamingo instead. The prices where better, the service was very quick and we were able to pay with credits from the slot club.
We then went to O’Shea’s to purchase tickets for Dirk Arthur for Friday night. We had a B1G1F coupon and D used a Visa card she had received from her employer to pay for the difference. After that we got the coupon from the players booth for K’s two free show tickets (for having Diamond status). We decided to see Legends in Concert for that night at 7:00.
We took the shuttle back to the airport and picked up our rental car. Now we’re on vacation! It’s just not the same to us unless we have a car to get around. We drove to the M Resort to pick up our free items from coupons we received in the mail. K got a fleece and D got a bottle of wine (they were out of the sparkling wine). After playing there for a short time we drove to the Silverton. We both really like the Silverton. We’ve stayed there a few times in the past, but they haven’t given us good enough rates (free) for us to stay there on recent trips. We had fun there, but didn’t win anything big. After the Silverton we went to In-N-Out Burger on Blue Diamond Parkway and after that to Target to pick up some essentials. We then went to Planet Hollywood to purchase tickets for the Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis show for 10:00 that night. We had a coupon good for two free tickets, but we still had to pay $5 each service charge. Still not bad for a show.
Finally, we were able to check in at Caesars. We had three nights comped here in the Augustus Tower, where we’ve never stayed. It was very nice. Double vanity, TV in the bathroom, separate room for the toilet and a glassed-in stand-up shower next to a very large Jacuzzi tub. The room was so deep that there was room for a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table and a small table with two chairs. The bed was comfortable and when we asked for foam pillows they brought them up promptly and they were comfortable too. Very nice room.
After we checked in we went down to the Diamond Lounge to kill time before going to our 7:00 show. We each had a couple of drinks. The bartender there was nice as well as the other people sitting at the bar. It’s always nice to talk to other people who love Vegas as much as we do.
At the Legends show we sat across from a couple who gave us B1G1F coupons for the buffet at Harrah’s because they said they wouldn’t be able to use them. They also told us about a website called travelzoo.com where you can get discounted tickets for shows. That was a nice couple. The show was not as good as we had seen in the past. They had a Marilyn Monroe impersonator that was entertaining as well as a Liberace impersonator. The Elvis impersonator is the same guy that it has been the other two times we have seen the show and isn’t very good. He only has some of Elvis’ moves down, the wardrobe doesn’t match the time period of some of the songs and his timing is off on the songs. The show was still worth the money, though (FREE).
After that we walked to Planet Hollywood for the comedy hypnosis show. I probably shouldn’t schedule shows at 10:00 at night, let alone a hypnosis show. It was as good as any other show we’ve seen like this, but all hypnosis shows start off so slow that I was almost asleep through the whole thing. Lesson learned.
Thursday, February 10th
We decided to drive out to the Aliante and have their breakfast buffet since Station Casinos had mailed us so many free buffet coupons. It was a nice buffet. We then played a little. K came out ahead playing some type of wheel spin video poker, but not enough to make up for D’s losses. It was so nice and quiet there, we would have liked to stay longer, but since D had lost more than her limit per casino, it was time to go.
We then went to Terrible’s to play our $100 loss match coupons from the Las Vegas Advisor. We both lost our $100 quickly and got our $100 loaded on our cards. We both played our FP on video poker machines and came out with about $96 each, so we were only down around $8 total. That was nice. It was a little stressful losing that $100 so quickly. After Terrible’s we went to Ellis Island to redeem our $10 FP coupons along with some of the free drink coupons. I can’t remember, but I think we both lost there, but still had fun.
We then headed downtown because we had booked a couple of comped rooms that we needed to check into. One at Fitzgerald’s and one at the Vegas Club. We booked them for two reasons: free play and it’s nice to have a place to take a nap or crash for the night while we’re downtown. After checking in, we walked to the El Cortez to use our $10 FP coupons from the American Casino Guide.
Friday, February 11th
We decided to eat at the buffet at Harrah’s since we had a B1G1F coupon, but it was still $17 for breakfast. At least we were able to pay for that with credits from their slot club. K took the other coupon and gave it to another person in line since we knew we wouldn’t use it. The buffet was actually pretty good, with a lot of variety considering it was a weekday breakfast buffet.
We then drove to the Riviera since we had some Free Play coupons. We played for a pretty long time and both came out ahead by around $40 each, so that was nice. We walked across the street to Slots-A-Fun and both came out ahead there too! I can’t remember the last time either of us came out ahead at Slots-A-Fun. We just play there for memories now. We used to love going there first thing in the morning and getting free donuts and coffee.
We then drove out to Sam’s Town where we each had a coupon for a free buffet after earning 200 points and you get to keep the points. I honestly can’t remember if we came out ahead, broke even or lost our money, but either way, we both earned our 200 points and got a free buffet. It was the same buffet that it has been for years. Most of the time I like consistency, but I really think Sam’s Town needs to change their buffet up a bit.
After Sam’s Town we went to the Pinball Museum. It was busier than usual, but we still were able to play the machines we wanted.
We then had to go to Palace Station to check in because our reservations started tonight, even though we wouldn’t be staying in the room until Saturday night. The offer was for three free nights, $50 FP and $15 in food credits. We checked in, then drove to Bill’s, parked, then walked to O’Shea’s for the Dirk Arthur show. We played a little. D was down $20, K came out ahead $80. The show is in a very small theater and really didn’t use the big cats as much as we would have liked. It was still an enjoyable show and worth the price.
We then drove to Ellis Island to use more of our free drink coupons and to eat the barbecue that so many people have raved about. We each got our own meal since we had a B1G1F coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor. The ribs were very good, and the chicken wasn’t bad at all. Everything else was not good at all. As sides, there was cole slaw, baked beans and garlic toast. Not good. We really enjoyed the meat, however, so would consider doing it again, sans sides. We played a little after eating, then walked to the Tuscany. We played there for awhile and I can’t remember how much, but we came out ahead. Then walked back to Ellis Island, got the car and valeted it for the last time at Caesars.
Saturday, February 12th
We called Fitzgerald’s and checked out of our room. Very easy, no charges. We then checked out of our room at Caesars and drove to the Rio for the Carnival Buffet champagne brunch. We had a B1G1F coupon and paid for the one buffet with points on our slot card. While this buffet is always the same, there is no complaining on our part. There is always a wide variety and we love having mimosas with the brunch.
We then drove to the Gold Coast. (I know, it’s just next door, but drinking makes D sleepy and she didn’t want to walk.) We had $10 FP coupons, but didn’t do well with them.
We decided to spend the rest of the day downtown to use up the rest of the FP coupons we had. We found a machine that we were trying to hit a small progressive on a Ellis Island. We were getting tired of being there so D stayed to play the machine while K went over to Binion’s and came back $100 richer. K stayed to play the machine while D went over to Binion’s and came back $180 richer. D stayed to play the machine while K went over to Binion’s and came back $100 richer again! We decided to stay together and K finally hit the small progressive, which wasn’t enough to make up for our losses at Mermaid’s, but the wins at Binion’s definitely put us up for the downtown trip.
We then went back to Palace Station for the night. D went to bed while K went back down to gamble a bit.
Sunday, February 13th
Our last full day in Vegas. We woke up and called to check out of the Vegas Club room. Easy and no charges. We were planning on going to Garduno’s at the Palms for their Sunday Margarita brunch, but that doesn’t start until 10:30, so D talked K into using our free Station buffet coupons for the breakfast buffet at Palace. We hadn’t gone to it in years and did not think fondly of it. They have since renovated the buffet and it was better. Once again, definitely worth the price. K had an omelete and D had a donut and some chocolate milk. We didn’t want to overeat since we had lunch plans.
I honestly can’t remember what we did between the time we ate breakfast at Palace Station and the time we ended up at the Palms. More than likely, we had decided to gamble, but I don’t know where. Anyway, we ended up at the Palms around 1:00 for the margarita brunch. We used our 50% off coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor and then D used a Visa gift card she had received from work to pay the balance. It was delicious as usual and the Petron margaritas were very good. We stayed and played at the Palms afterwards and had no luck whatsoever. K did play some new Rockin’ Olives machines that were entertaining.
We then decided to go to South Point, which was very good to us last trip. We played there for a couple of hours, racked up a lot of slot points, but ended up losing $80 total. But we still had a lot of fun.
We then went to the M Resort to pick up the last of our free swag and eat dinner (with coupons they mailed us) at their buffet. We picked up our free champagne (they actually had some this time) and a free bag of coffee (they ran out of the fleece blankets and were substituting coffee from their pastry shop). After taking them to the car we headed over to the buffet and the line looked an hour long, so we decided to play for 30 minutes and see if the line had died down at all. We both started with $20 each and were both having luck. We looked at the buffet line and it was still just as long. We gave them 30 more minutes of play to see if the line would die down and it didn’t. Either way, while we were waiting for the buffet, D ended up only down $2.25 and K ended up over $600!!
We both agreed that we weren’t hungry enough to wait in that line so we decided to leave the M and head over to the In-N-Out Burger on Sahara for dinner. It was maybe the second time ever that we walked in and there was no line. Score! While eating, D persuaded K to go over to Dotty’s casino (across the street) before going back to Palace for the night. We had never stepped foot in one of these, but had seen multiple locations across the City and D really wanted to at least say she had gone in one. It was very different to say the least. We get to the door and it wouldn’t open. There was a sign that said “Please ring bell after dark.” So we did, and a girl buzzed us in. It was set up to feel like a home setting with fake plants and home décor and the cashier is the same girl who opened the door for us and also mans a little deli type restaurant/counter. There were also a few candy jars with candy and nuts that were complimentary. It was pretty quiet in the small casino, but we still had fun. I think we came out ahead $20 total.
We then went to Palace Station for the night. We put our champagne on ice in the sink and went down to play. We counted our cash and put all of the hundreds away and only took down the small bills that we had left, which totaled $100, so $50 each to play. We would still be going home $300 down, but that’s not bad at all considering we stayed 6 nights. So we go downstairs and D hits a bonus for over $100 and takes the ticket to show K. He was sitting on a Red Baron machine waiting for his server to come back with his drink order. He had just hit over $200 during the bonus by getting two Red Barons plus the multiplier, which was 5 times. Woo hoo! D stopped playing and watched K play the rest of the evening and when we put our tickets together we realized we were going home $100 richer! This is a new record for us, because we came home with a little over $200 more than we brought during our last trip. I hope this streak continues on our next trip.
Monday, February 14th
We checked out of Palace Station (no charges), returned the rental car and breezed through security and made it to our gate with time to spare. This flight was going to be full since there were people on it from an earlier flight. Southwest was giving everyone one free cocktail, wine or beer in honor of Valentine’s Day. D had a Bailey’s and coffee and K had a Heineken. The flight went smoothly and we landed on time in OKC.
Until next time,
Deby & Kevin
Tuesday, February 8th
We had planned on departing on the first flight out on Wednesday, but there was a snow storm coming in to Oklahoma City and we were afraid the flight was going to be canceled. We contacted Southwest and they let us change it to the last direct flight out on Tuesday night – no charge. Just another reason to love Southwest.
We departed on-time and it was not a full flight so we were able to have an empty seat between us. We used two of our drink coupons to get a Coke Zero & Bacardi and a Wild Turkey. We landed in less than three hours. Since we already had reservations starting Tuesday night, we had made arrangements for a one-night stay at the Flamingo on a comp offer. We didn’t bother asking for a room upgrade since it was just the one night. It had been years since we had stayed in one of their “deluxe rooms” and it was pretty run-down then. Nothing has changed. It was still in need of a renovation. The bed and pillows were not comfortable and the shower needed some major cleaning.
We ended up playing at the Flamingo that evening and probably shouldn’t have. We always try to remind ourselves to not play on the Strip, but we inevitably do it – only to lose. We went to bed down at least $100. Pretty expensive “free” room, huh? Oh well, at least we were in Vegas and not stuck in snow in Oklahoma!
Also, we paid for round-trip shuttle service to the hotel for this one night. We already had an unbelievable rate on Alamo that we had booked a month previously ($89 after taxes and fees for 6 days) and if we were to change the reservation to pick it up a day early it would have been almost double in price.
Wednesday, February 9th
We were going to have breakfast at Margaritaville since we had a 20% coupon but once we got sat down and looked at the menus we decided not to eat there. Their prices were a little too high, even with the discount. We decided to go to the food court inside the Flamingo instead. The prices where better, the service was very quick and we were able to pay with credits from the slot club.
We then went to O’Shea’s to purchase tickets for Dirk Arthur for Friday night. We had a B1G1F coupon and D used a Visa card she had received from her employer to pay for the difference. After that we got the coupon from the players booth for K’s two free show tickets (for having Diamond status). We decided to see Legends in Concert for that night at 7:00.
We took the shuttle back to the airport and picked up our rental car. Now we’re on vacation! It’s just not the same to us unless we have a car to get around. We drove to the M Resort to pick up our free items from coupons we received in the mail. K got a fleece and D got a bottle of wine (they were out of the sparkling wine). After playing there for a short time we drove to the Silverton. We both really like the Silverton. We’ve stayed there a few times in the past, but they haven’t given us good enough rates (free) for us to stay there on recent trips. We had fun there, but didn’t win anything big. After the Silverton we went to In-N-Out Burger on Blue Diamond Parkway and after that to Target to pick up some essentials. We then went to Planet Hollywood to purchase tickets for the Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis show for 10:00 that night. We had a coupon good for two free tickets, but we still had to pay $5 each service charge. Still not bad for a show.
Finally, we were able to check in at Caesars. We had three nights comped here in the Augustus Tower, where we’ve never stayed. It was very nice. Double vanity, TV in the bathroom, separate room for the toilet and a glassed-in stand-up shower next to a very large Jacuzzi tub. The room was so deep that there was room for a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table and a small table with two chairs. The bed was comfortable and when we asked for foam pillows they brought them up promptly and they were comfortable too. Very nice room.
After we checked in we went down to the Diamond Lounge to kill time before going to our 7:00 show. We each had a couple of drinks. The bartender there was nice as well as the other people sitting at the bar. It’s always nice to talk to other people who love Vegas as much as we do.
At the Legends show we sat across from a couple who gave us B1G1F coupons for the buffet at Harrah’s because they said they wouldn’t be able to use them. They also told us about a website called travelzoo.com where you can get discounted tickets for shows. That was a nice couple. The show was not as good as we had seen in the past. They had a Marilyn Monroe impersonator that was entertaining as well as a Liberace impersonator. The Elvis impersonator is the same guy that it has been the other two times we have seen the show and isn’t very good. He only has some of Elvis’ moves down, the wardrobe doesn’t match the time period of some of the songs and his timing is off on the songs. The show was still worth the money, though (FREE).
After that we walked to Planet Hollywood for the comedy hypnosis show. I probably shouldn’t schedule shows at 10:00 at night, let alone a hypnosis show. It was as good as any other show we’ve seen like this, but all hypnosis shows start off so slow that I was almost asleep through the whole thing. Lesson learned.
Thursday, February 10th
We decided to drive out to the Aliante and have their breakfast buffet since Station Casinos had mailed us so many free buffet coupons. It was a nice buffet. We then played a little. K came out ahead playing some type of wheel spin video poker, but not enough to make up for D’s losses. It was so nice and quiet there, we would have liked to stay longer, but since D had lost more than her limit per casino, it was time to go.
We then went to Terrible’s to play our $100 loss match coupons from the Las Vegas Advisor. We both lost our $100 quickly and got our $100 loaded on our cards. We both played our FP on video poker machines and came out with about $96 each, so we were only down around $8 total. That was nice. It was a little stressful losing that $100 so quickly. After Terrible’s we went to Ellis Island to redeem our $10 FP coupons along with some of the free drink coupons. I can’t remember, but I think we both lost there, but still had fun.
We then headed downtown because we had booked a couple of comped rooms that we needed to check into. One at Fitzgerald’s and one at the Vegas Club. We booked them for two reasons: free play and it’s nice to have a place to take a nap or crash for the night while we’re downtown. After checking in, we walked to the El Cortez to use our $10 FP coupons from the American Casino Guide.
Friday, February 11th
We decided to eat at the buffet at Harrah’s since we had a B1G1F coupon, but it was still $17 for breakfast. At least we were able to pay for that with credits from their slot club. K took the other coupon and gave it to another person in line since we knew we wouldn’t use it. The buffet was actually pretty good, with a lot of variety considering it was a weekday breakfast buffet.
We then drove to the Riviera since we had some Free Play coupons. We played for a pretty long time and both came out ahead by around $40 each, so that was nice. We walked across the street to Slots-A-Fun and both came out ahead there too! I can’t remember the last time either of us came out ahead at Slots-A-Fun. We just play there for memories now. We used to love going there first thing in the morning and getting free donuts and coffee.
We then drove out to Sam’s Town where we each had a coupon for a free buffet after earning 200 points and you get to keep the points. I honestly can’t remember if we came out ahead, broke even or lost our money, but either way, we both earned our 200 points and got a free buffet. It was the same buffet that it has been for years. Most of the time I like consistency, but I really think Sam’s Town needs to change their buffet up a bit.
After Sam’s Town we went to the Pinball Museum. It was busier than usual, but we still were able to play the machines we wanted.
We then had to go to Palace Station to check in because our reservations started tonight, even though we wouldn’t be staying in the room until Saturday night. The offer was for three free nights, $50 FP and $15 in food credits. We checked in, then drove to Bill’s, parked, then walked to O’Shea’s for the Dirk Arthur show. We played a little. D was down $20, K came out ahead $80. The show is in a very small theater and really didn’t use the big cats as much as we would have liked. It was still an enjoyable show and worth the price.
We then drove to Ellis Island to use more of our free drink coupons and to eat the barbecue that so many people have raved about. We each got our own meal since we had a B1G1F coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor. The ribs were very good, and the chicken wasn’t bad at all. Everything else was not good at all. As sides, there was cole slaw, baked beans and garlic toast. Not good. We really enjoyed the meat, however, so would consider doing it again, sans sides. We played a little after eating, then walked to the Tuscany. We played there for awhile and I can’t remember how much, but we came out ahead. Then walked back to Ellis Island, got the car and valeted it for the last time at Caesars.
Saturday, February 12th
We called Fitzgerald’s and checked out of our room. Very easy, no charges. We then checked out of our room at Caesars and drove to the Rio for the Carnival Buffet champagne brunch. We had a B1G1F coupon and paid for the one buffet with points on our slot card. While this buffet is always the same, there is no complaining on our part. There is always a wide variety and we love having mimosas with the brunch.
We then drove to the Gold Coast. (I know, it’s just next door, but drinking makes D sleepy and she didn’t want to walk.) We had $10 FP coupons, but didn’t do well with them.
We decided to spend the rest of the day downtown to use up the rest of the FP coupons we had. We found a machine that we were trying to hit a small progressive on a Ellis Island. We were getting tired of being there so D stayed to play the machine while K went over to Binion’s and came back $100 richer. K stayed to play the machine while D went over to Binion’s and came back $180 richer. D stayed to play the machine while K went over to Binion’s and came back $100 richer again! We decided to stay together and K finally hit the small progressive, which wasn’t enough to make up for our losses at Mermaid’s, but the wins at Binion’s definitely put us up for the downtown trip.
We then went back to Palace Station for the night. D went to bed while K went back down to gamble a bit.
Sunday, February 13th
Our last full day in Vegas. We woke up and called to check out of the Vegas Club room. Easy and no charges. We were planning on going to Garduno’s at the Palms for their Sunday Margarita brunch, but that doesn’t start until 10:30, so D talked K into using our free Station buffet coupons for the breakfast buffet at Palace. We hadn’t gone to it in years and did not think fondly of it. They have since renovated the buffet and it was better. Once again, definitely worth the price. K had an omelete and D had a donut and some chocolate milk. We didn’t want to overeat since we had lunch plans.
I honestly can’t remember what we did between the time we ate breakfast at Palace Station and the time we ended up at the Palms. More than likely, we had decided to gamble, but I don’t know where. Anyway, we ended up at the Palms around 1:00 for the margarita brunch. We used our 50% off coupon from the Las Vegas Advisor and then D used a Visa gift card she had received from work to pay the balance. It was delicious as usual and the Petron margaritas were very good. We stayed and played at the Palms afterwards and had no luck whatsoever. K did play some new Rockin’ Olives machines that were entertaining.
We then decided to go to South Point, which was very good to us last trip. We played there for a couple of hours, racked up a lot of slot points, but ended up losing $80 total. But we still had a lot of fun.
We then went to the M Resort to pick up the last of our free swag and eat dinner (with coupons they mailed us) at their buffet. We picked up our free champagne (they actually had some this time) and a free bag of coffee (they ran out of the fleece blankets and were substituting coffee from their pastry shop). After taking them to the car we headed over to the buffet and the line looked an hour long, so we decided to play for 30 minutes and see if the line had died down at all. We both started with $20 each and were both having luck. We looked at the buffet line and it was still just as long. We gave them 30 more minutes of play to see if the line would die down and it didn’t. Either way, while we were waiting for the buffet, D ended up only down $2.25 and K ended up over $600!!
We both agreed that we weren’t hungry enough to wait in that line so we decided to leave the M and head over to the In-N-Out Burger on Sahara for dinner. It was maybe the second time ever that we walked in and there was no line. Score! While eating, D persuaded K to go over to Dotty’s casino (across the street) before going back to Palace for the night. We had never stepped foot in one of these, but had seen multiple locations across the City and D really wanted to at least say she had gone in one. It was very different to say the least. We get to the door and it wouldn’t open. There was a sign that said “Please ring bell after dark.” So we did, and a girl buzzed us in. It was set up to feel like a home setting with fake plants and home décor and the cashier is the same girl who opened the door for us and also mans a little deli type restaurant/counter. There were also a few candy jars with candy and nuts that were complimentary. It was pretty quiet in the small casino, but we still had fun. I think we came out ahead $20 total.
We then went to Palace Station for the night. We put our champagne on ice in the sink and went down to play. We counted our cash and put all of the hundreds away and only took down the small bills that we had left, which totaled $100, so $50 each to play. We would still be going home $300 down, but that’s not bad at all considering we stayed 6 nights. So we go downstairs and D hits a bonus for over $100 and takes the ticket to show K. He was sitting on a Red Baron machine waiting for his server to come back with his drink order. He had just hit over $200 during the bonus by getting two Red Barons plus the multiplier, which was 5 times. Woo hoo! D stopped playing and watched K play the rest of the evening and when we put our tickets together we realized we were going home $100 richer! This is a new record for us, because we came home with a little over $200 more than we brought during our last trip. I hope this streak continues on our next trip.
Monday, February 14th
We checked out of Palace Station (no charges), returned the rental car and breezed through security and made it to our gate with time to spare. This flight was going to be full since there were people on it from an earlier flight. Southwest was giving everyone one free cocktail, wine or beer in honor of Valentine’s Day. D had a Bailey’s and coffee and K had a Heineken. The flight went smoothly and we landed on time in OKC.
Until next time,
Deby & Kevin
