Flamingo Frustration

Appropriately, I was within two minutes of finishing this report when the power went out and erased everything. At least I saved some notes on scrap paper. Arrived in LV Sunday evening. I should've known what was ahead of me waiting for the Gray Line hotel shuttle. Must've missed it by a minute as it was a long wait for another.
That, however, was nothing to the wait to check in at the Flamingo. Now it's not as if I arrived two days before the Super Bowl or NCAA playoffs. This was June 26th. There must've been 60 people ahead of me in a line that simply wasn't moving. No one from the hotel came to offer help or even say, "Thanks for your patience. It shouldn't be much longer..." Without any meal on the plane or even a bag of pretzels, I thought I'd pass out.
Finally got checked in and went to eat at the Burger Joint. Very good but not worth the $19. I feel uneasy wasting food but no choice here. They brought a plate of french fries that would've been enough for 12 people.
Walked over to the Cosmopolitan and signed up for the slot club. Got $10 in Free Play that they make nearly impossible to figure out or use. I can't be the only person with this problem. I'm sure they figure a lot of people will give up and simply use their own money. I did not.
Monday was for taking the bus downtown which I discovered is now 50 cents more.
Observation: Best blackjack remains downtown. It seems all but ruined on the Strip. Did okay at the El Cortez, leaving $20 ahead despite some losing streaks. Took in every possible casino, careful to keep any winnings from the slots separate.
More blackjack at the California. Nice to see a $3 table and non smoking as well. Left there only $6 ahead. But did get my lunch comped at the 777 Brew Pub at MSS. I was surprised I had enough points but when I saw it was over 6,200, I figured I'd better inquire. There was a time I wouldn't have bothered.
In fact not til my 4th visit to Las Vegas in 1995 did I even start to sign up for slot clubs.
At least the bus ride back to the Flamingo didn't take 2 1/2 hours as it did last summer. The air conditioner in my room had to be from 1959. It was that loud. I figured though given a choice, better to have it loud and cool than quiet and the room be 170!
Was nice to be near Bill's where I could get the shuttle to the Gold Coast/Palms.
Observation: What a great buffet at the Palms. Even better with the slot card discount. The food was so fresh. Would've eaten there again but normally I don't have much of an appetite in very hot weather.
Back on the Strip, nothing special at Caesars Palace so walked over to Bally's. One of the ticket changing machines shorted me a quarter. Tried to go to a cashier from then on if possible.
Tuesday was meeting my friend Ali for dinner. So got up early and started walking toward the MGM, taking in every casino along the way.
Observation: What a nice job the Tropicana did to redo their property. Only a year ago it was dingy and really filthy. Now it almost looked like the WYNN inside with new carpeting, tile, etc. Did horribly at the blackjack table and still only left $13 behind. Still it was nice to find a $5 table.
Took in NYNY, Excalibur, Luxor and every property on the corner but Hooter's. No luck at Mandalay Bay and I probably should've expected as much.
Heading back, I realized I'd almost missed the Monte Carlo. Then back across the street to Planet Hollywood Had to keep those slot cards active.
Walked back to the Flamingo and changed clothes to wait for Ali. She was over an hour late and we didn't meet up til just after 6:15 PM. She asked where I'd like to go so we agreed on South Point. I had my card with me from us going there last year. Great place but not much luck.
Because of my feelings toward the Flamingo, I made an extreme effort NOT to play much in their casino.
I felt they should be ashamed of themselves with all the 6:5 tables - even on some $25 minimum ones. That, I felt was beyond insulting. It was predatory.
Wednesday was my last full day. So had to get up early and head the other direction, toward the Riviera. Walking in that climate it's important to start early. The Mirage slot club didn't open til 7 AM so I went back to TI long enough to hit a small slot jackpot.
My sister had given me $100 to use. I wound up bringing Maureen back $200. Was down to my last $20 when I somehow hit one with a lot of free spins. Sometimes miracles do happen.
At the WYNN, I almost lost my slot card. Usually I'm so careful but might've been distracted by the heat. Heard it was 107 that day and felt even hotter.
Observation: The front of the Venetian was a sight and not a good one either. The water was all drained from the canal and it looked terrible.
Don't ask how I made the walk back from the Riviera to the Flamingo. It seemed a lot shorter going than returning! I'd find myself replaying everything I'd seen or experienced. Waited for an open space at a blackjack table but both were full at the Riv and then I discovered there were no tables at Slots of Fun.
Maybe I should've been aware of this but wasn't.
I found out the hard way I couldn't use the phone in my room. I didn't have a credit card, only debit and had I handed it over, they'd have taken $100 out every day I was there, only giving back when I left.
A cell phone would've been handy but I've gotten along this far without so I just tried to make do though using and finding a pay phone wasn't so easy.
Woke up today with my head spinning. I think I was still hearing all those slot machines in every casino. And of course it's next to impossible to get any kind of decent sleep while there.
It would be nice if the Flamingo got their act together but I won't hold my breath.
Final note - I took $2,100 on the trip and spent it all. Kept winnings separate and brought back $1,530.
Maybe I came close to break even as I didn't pay for the airfare.

Hi Tim,

Too bad I didn't know that you were in town then since I was in town from Monday morning the 27th until Thursday morning the 30th staying Downtown.
Maybe we could have even gotten together on the 27th while you were in Downtown. El Cortez was where all of my table Blackjack was played.

And by the way, how much is the Strip bus now each way. All I could see was $7 for the 24 Hour Pass.

I almost spent some time on Wednesday on the Strip to possibly chase after some coupons and whatnot (like Win Cards), but when I heard about the Wind Warning, I gave up on that. I did not want to risk the chance that the winds might cause me Sinus Problems and so I just continued staying Downtown.

Oh well, hopefully we can meet up again at some point in the future.

RecVPPlayer

Oh, and although I can't speak for the Strip, I do know that it's not hard (at least in Downtown LV) to find Payphones. I can say that because I actually used ones last week at Las Vegas Club as well as at Four Queens. They are $0.50 for 15 minutes of usage per call.

Oh, and if the Strip Bus is $3.50 each way, then a $7 24 Hour Pass would make a lot more sense because even if you only use it twice, you would have already covered the $7 (that you would pay for going two ways on the Strip Bus) and then you could basically continue to use the pass for free until the 24 Hours have completely gone by. So you could end up getting even more use out of the pass if you can use it wisely during those 24 hours.

And as for my Sinuses, although I can have problems in LV with them, this trip I didn't have any problems with any Sinus condition although I did not want to take any chances with going out and about on the Strip with the chances of possibly high winds kicking up unpleasant stuff that could easily set my Sinuses off!

RecVPPlayer

Thanks for sharing your report. Sorry to hear you had issues with the Flamingo. Sounds like you got around and did some fun stuff.

For whatever reason, the strip was very busy at the beginning of that week. Perhaps it were due to all the people in town for the daisy whatever festival at the speedway. I heard on the news that the crowds were similar in size to NYE. I was talking to a lady early Tuesday morning at Caesars who told me the Flamingo was sold out for that night. I frequently go to Vegas at the end of June and don't remember Vegas being that crowded.

Boo hiss on the Flamingo.
We've been following the Trop renovation, been very impressed as of May.
Can't wait to see the progress next trip.

I think you did really well with the $$ outcome.

Thanks for the report. Bet your head was spinning from some heat-induced dehydration as well. Glad you made it back to the hotel safely. As for the Flamingo, the one and only time I stayed there I thought the line was the slowest I'd ever been in too. I do have to say that they were AWESOME in helping me when I had a medical emergency though. They even kept my car in valet for 2 weeks until I could retrieve it. I'd stay there again but it brings back bad memories of how sick Iwas when I was there.Glad you had a good time overall; thanks for sharing