Hello all,
I am taking my first try at a trip report. My wife and I just returned from our 8th Las Vegas visit and I thought I would add my thoughts and experiences (as well as our LVA savings) to the board. Keep in mind, we are distinctly "low-rollers" who enjoy the Vegas experience at that level.
We arrived in Vegas on Sunday, Mar. 13. Shuttled to the car rental center and we scored our first bit of luck. Using Thrifty and the Blue Chip membership, we went right to the garage and our car had all the paperwork in it and was ready to go, saving us at least 30 minutes of time.
We were booked into the MGM for the first night. We had reserved a Bungalow King Suite under the Spring Fling promo, which had included two free buffets. Check-in was a bit disorganized it seemed. There was no real line. An MGM employee pointed to a small line for each clerk, and unfortunately we were guided to a spot where the guests in front of us had credit card troubles and other delays. When it was finally our turn we were told that we had been upgraded to a Hollywood Suite. After reading some of the posts on the boards here I was a bit suspicious. The room was bigger, but I think the Bungalow King has more up-to-date furnishings. The stuff in our room seemed dated and the view was of the back parking lot. Another headache came when we tried to figure out how to claim our 2 free buffets, with several different answers. It worked out in the end and we got to use them for our Sunday night dinner. So while not an LVA saving, it still saved us $54.
We were moderately lucky at the slots at MGM. The wife played for a good while on $40 and I had my chance to spend some time at Sigma Derby. After my first run I was up $8, and after my second chance I was up another $14. These are considerable wins for me. A good crowd always seemed to be around the machine and it remains a bit puzzling to me why more Vegas casinos don't find a place for this machine somewhere after all the attention it garners. A stroll down the strip finished our first evening in Vegas. The Aloha Marketplace had a fun vibe and we enjoyed the performers doing their show. My wife was a bit taken aback by the "slappers" on the sidewalker, until I told her about what I read here on the boards and then she made a game out of making them move away from her so they did not touch her.
Monday morning was breakfast at Planet Hollywood and the Spice Market Buffet. On the way to it we saw Holly Madison taping a segment for "Extra" and got a photo from afar. We got to the buffet just as it was changing over to lunch so we had to work fast to score anything with eggs in it. So we scored brunch for $5.99 each and had our first LVA savings of $20.
We checked out of MGM and moved down to the Orleans. This was our 5th time here and we have come to think of it as our Vegas home. A quick check-in process and the only hiccup was the hotel's new policy of charging $5 a night for a Strip view. We have been fortunate on all our other stays to have the Strip view, so we figured it was a good time to try the other side. Personally I think that if we had checked in later and enough people had been cheap we would have got the Strip view anyways, without paying for it. Anyways the room was nice. Big enough for us to spread our stuff out and not be tripping over each other, and seeing the mountains was a nice change.
Monday dinner was at Garduno's in the Palms. This was our first time here and we did not know what to expect. I went with the thought of max-ing out the value of the LVA coupon and having a $100 dinner. We ordered a margarita each (mango for her, traditional for me) that were excellent. Then came the chips and salsa which were excellent. We had ordered the Favoritos appetizer to split between us, and it was about then I realized we were in trouble. The dish was huge! And then our entrees arrived. I am big eater and near the end I had to admit defeat. There was absolutely no possibility of dessert. Our bill came to $64, so we scored $32 value for our LVA coupon. The Palms slots are supposed to be the loosest in town, but not for us.
Tuesday breakfast was going to be at the Gold Coast. It was a 9X points day and we figured we could get the 200 points required for the LVA coupon quickly enough, until we talked to someone at the B-Connected desk who explained it had to be 200 base points, no bonus. At the rate we were winning I figured it would cost us around $100 for breakfast at Gold Coast, and that did not make much sense. We bit the bullet and paid for lunch without any coupons. We have eaten here before and felt it was fine, but this time it was disappointing.
The plan for the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was to do the All-Stage Pass. We parked at Ballys and on our way to the booth out front to pick up our passes saw the huge line at the Box Office. I started thinking there was no way we would ever get tickets in time for anything if that line was any indication, but we decided to try it. We purchased our passes at the booth outside and went back in to try our luck. We did get tickets for the 2:30 Price Is Right show and then were told we had to stand in another huge line to register, which we did. Once done, and before the show started we managed to have a bit of luck at Ballys so this brightened our spirits somewhat. The show itself was just okay. We weren't called up and did not score any of the bonus Total Rewards credits either. I don't think I would waste my time on this one again. Show was done at 4:00 and our next tickets were not available until 5:30. We took a bit of a walk down the Strip and then across to Caesars. It was Celine's return that night but neither her or Renee were out playing the slots when we walked around. Back to Ballys to get tickets to the 7:30 Jubilee show, and then before we went in for it we picked up tickets for the 9:00 Anthony Cools show at Paris. Timing was perfect. Our Jubilee seats were back row, but we were sitting beside some fellow Canadians who had already asked about closer seating and the usher moved us up to a table right at the front side. Great seats. The show was interesting and I could certainly see all I needed to see of the "outfits" on the showgirls. We both said we were glad we saw this throwback to the old days of Vegas shows. As soon as Jubilee finished we moved fast over to Paris to see Anthony's show. We arrived a couple of minutes late; too late to be picked to be on stage but before he started putting them under. It is a small showroom and we were at the back but could see everything well. Very entertaining show with lots of laughs. So we managed 3 shows in our first day of the Pass.
Wednesday's plan had us park at Imperial Palace to be close to our scheduled four shows. We started off with Mac King at Harrah's. We saw this show two years ago and it was still entertaining. Great seats again, this time due to lining up at the right time. I even got a great picture with Mac when he commented on my plaid shirt as I exited the showroom. We had plenty of time to get over to Imperial Palace for Matsuri at 4:00. In our time inbetween we had some more luck at the IP slots. Matsuri was excellent and highly recommended. Amazing athleticism of the performers. It was a real surprise and we both felt that it rivaled Cirque shows in all but its stage and sets. We decided it was easiest just to eat at IP buffet, so without any sort of high-hopes for the meal we used the LVA coupon and saved another $19. It was surprisingly good and the crab legs were very enjoyable. Next up was Human Nature, also at the IP. I let my wife pick this one because I had more or less picked the rest (I had been thinking Defending the Caveman instead). My wife and I had a booth to ourselves at the back of the showroom so we were comfortable. Previously I had felt that the only four guys from Australia that could sing were the Wiggles but these guys work hard and put on a real show that changed my mind. It was a great choice. Our last show was George Wallace at the Flamingo. I was a bit worried about the timing of this because we would not be getting tickets until 9:00 for the 10:00 show but we were fine. In another bit of luck the ushers wanted people up front to fill seats rather than at the back of the showroom, so we were just a few rows away from George. This guy also works hard. He came out at 10 and did not leave the stage until midnight. It was another quality show and we ended our All-Stage Pass run of 7 shows on a high note. On our way back to the car we passed through the IP again. This was after midnight now, on the Wednesday night. There must have been over 100 people in line at the Front Desk waiting to be checked in, mostly guys for March Madness I assume. I have no idea how long they had to wait, but I was glad I already had a room to get back to.
Thursday breakfast was at Paris, again with the LVA coupon saving us $20, and a nice meal in a pleasant setting. We did some shopping and made it out to Silverton for the Bass Pro Shops. I scored a free ball cap and my wife made about $50 on the machines. Her luck continued back at the Orleans, where she turned $40 into $200 in the afternoon. At this point I was convinced that I was a bad-luck charm or something because she always seemed to win once she was away from me. Dinner that night was at the Mirage with the Cravings LVA coupon, so we saved another $27 with the book. A great dinner, but I must say that I preferred the warm crab legs at the IP compared to the frozen sticks they were serving at the Mirage. I can finally say I had a bit of luck playing at the Mirage after dinner. I found an Alfred Hitchcock machine right outside the buffet that looked interesting and we went to every bonus on the machine as we took a $5 and turned it into $20. (a note of caution though...the machine's sound effects were loud and startling and did not work well with a full stomach). We decided to head over to the Bellagio to watch the fountains to finish off the evening.
Okay locals, here is where I need your input. How in the heck do you get into the Bellagio Self Park garage from Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra Drive? Every spot seemed to be for employees only or Do Not Enter and I must have committed about a dozen traffic infractions. We finally found the garage at Monte Carlo and took the tram back to Bellagio. We arrived for the 10:30 fountain show and stood around for 15 minutes before giving up and finding out from someone in the lobby that the fountains were not working this night. At least we saw the chocolate fountain on our way back to the tram and got a glimpse of some of City Centre as we passed.
On Friday morning we made the drive to check out Green Valley Ranch for breakfast. It was only $4.99 for breakfast, but we had the LVA 2/1 coupon anyways so we scored our cheapest meal of the week here. A good meal and we again hit the changeover into lunch. We both enjoyed the decor and laid-back vibe here and said it would be someplace to come back to on a future visit. We returned to Orleans and unfortunately went on a bit of a loosing streak. We broke it up by catching a movie at their theatres. We used our last LVA coupon for the Orleans seafood buffet on the Friday night and were able to pay for most of the rest with slot points. Nothing fancy here but it was nice to be eating at our own hotel and not have to waddle far up to the room when we were done. We did muster enough energy to take one more shot at the Bellagion fountains and I played it safe this time by entering the garage from the Strip. We managed to catch two "shows" (and hey... didn't the shows used to be longer? Was it not several songs in a row instead of just one and done?). Still a nice, only-in-Vegas way to end our trip.
Saturday morning had us leave the Orleans by 9:30 with a quick and easy rental car return and a shuttle to the airport. The flight home was on-time and our bottle of booze did not break, so a success. All in all a great trip, made better with the money saved by our LVA book. We did not end up ahead in $, but we certainly did not loose all that we took to play with. Hopefully we will be back next year. If you made it this far in the trip report, thanks for taking the time and hopefully you got something out it.
I am taking my first try at a trip report. My wife and I just returned from our 8th Las Vegas visit and I thought I would add my thoughts and experiences (as well as our LVA savings) to the board. Keep in mind, we are distinctly "low-rollers" who enjoy the Vegas experience at that level.
We arrived in Vegas on Sunday, Mar. 13. Shuttled to the car rental center and we scored our first bit of luck. Using Thrifty and the Blue Chip membership, we went right to the garage and our car had all the paperwork in it and was ready to go, saving us at least 30 minutes of time.
We were booked into the MGM for the first night. We had reserved a Bungalow King Suite under the Spring Fling promo, which had included two free buffets. Check-in was a bit disorganized it seemed. There was no real line. An MGM employee pointed to a small line for each clerk, and unfortunately we were guided to a spot where the guests in front of us had credit card troubles and other delays. When it was finally our turn we were told that we had been upgraded to a Hollywood Suite. After reading some of the posts on the boards here I was a bit suspicious. The room was bigger, but I think the Bungalow King has more up-to-date furnishings. The stuff in our room seemed dated and the view was of the back parking lot. Another headache came when we tried to figure out how to claim our 2 free buffets, with several different answers. It worked out in the end and we got to use them for our Sunday night dinner. So while not an LVA saving, it still saved us $54.
We were moderately lucky at the slots at MGM. The wife played for a good while on $40 and I had my chance to spend some time at Sigma Derby. After my first run I was up $8, and after my second chance I was up another $14. These are considerable wins for me. A good crowd always seemed to be around the machine and it remains a bit puzzling to me why more Vegas casinos don't find a place for this machine somewhere after all the attention it garners. A stroll down the strip finished our first evening in Vegas. The Aloha Marketplace had a fun vibe and we enjoyed the performers doing their show. My wife was a bit taken aback by the "slappers" on the sidewalker, until I told her about what I read here on the boards and then she made a game out of making them move away from her so they did not touch her.
Monday morning was breakfast at Planet Hollywood and the Spice Market Buffet. On the way to it we saw Holly Madison taping a segment for "Extra" and got a photo from afar. We got to the buffet just as it was changing over to lunch so we had to work fast to score anything with eggs in it. So we scored brunch for $5.99 each and had our first LVA savings of $20.
We checked out of MGM and moved down to the Orleans. This was our 5th time here and we have come to think of it as our Vegas home. A quick check-in process and the only hiccup was the hotel's new policy of charging $5 a night for a Strip view. We have been fortunate on all our other stays to have the Strip view, so we figured it was a good time to try the other side. Personally I think that if we had checked in later and enough people had been cheap we would have got the Strip view anyways, without paying for it. Anyways the room was nice. Big enough for us to spread our stuff out and not be tripping over each other, and seeing the mountains was a nice change.
Monday dinner was at Garduno's in the Palms. This was our first time here and we did not know what to expect. I went with the thought of max-ing out the value of the LVA coupon and having a $100 dinner. We ordered a margarita each (mango for her, traditional for me) that were excellent. Then came the chips and salsa which were excellent. We had ordered the Favoritos appetizer to split between us, and it was about then I realized we were in trouble. The dish was huge! And then our entrees arrived. I am big eater and near the end I had to admit defeat. There was absolutely no possibility of dessert. Our bill came to $64, so we scored $32 value for our LVA coupon. The Palms slots are supposed to be the loosest in town, but not for us.
Tuesday breakfast was going to be at the Gold Coast. It was a 9X points day and we figured we could get the 200 points required for the LVA coupon quickly enough, until we talked to someone at the B-Connected desk who explained it had to be 200 base points, no bonus. At the rate we were winning I figured it would cost us around $100 for breakfast at Gold Coast, and that did not make much sense. We bit the bullet and paid for lunch without any coupons. We have eaten here before and felt it was fine, but this time it was disappointing.
The plan for the rest of Tuesday and Wednesday was to do the All-Stage Pass. We parked at Ballys and on our way to the booth out front to pick up our passes saw the huge line at the Box Office. I started thinking there was no way we would ever get tickets in time for anything if that line was any indication, but we decided to try it. We purchased our passes at the booth outside and went back in to try our luck. We did get tickets for the 2:30 Price Is Right show and then were told we had to stand in another huge line to register, which we did. Once done, and before the show started we managed to have a bit of luck at Ballys so this brightened our spirits somewhat. The show itself was just okay. We weren't called up and did not score any of the bonus Total Rewards credits either. I don't think I would waste my time on this one again. Show was done at 4:00 and our next tickets were not available until 5:30. We took a bit of a walk down the Strip and then across to Caesars. It was Celine's return that night but neither her or Renee were out playing the slots when we walked around. Back to Ballys to get tickets to the 7:30 Jubilee show, and then before we went in for it we picked up tickets for the 9:00 Anthony Cools show at Paris. Timing was perfect. Our Jubilee seats were back row, but we were sitting beside some fellow Canadians who had already asked about closer seating and the usher moved us up to a table right at the front side. Great seats. The show was interesting and I could certainly see all I needed to see of the "outfits" on the showgirls. We both said we were glad we saw this throwback to the old days of Vegas shows. As soon as Jubilee finished we moved fast over to Paris to see Anthony's show. We arrived a couple of minutes late; too late to be picked to be on stage but before he started putting them under. It is a small showroom and we were at the back but could see everything well. Very entertaining show with lots of laughs. So we managed 3 shows in our first day of the Pass.
Wednesday's plan had us park at Imperial Palace to be close to our scheduled four shows. We started off with Mac King at Harrah's. We saw this show two years ago and it was still entertaining. Great seats again, this time due to lining up at the right time. I even got a great picture with Mac when he commented on my plaid shirt as I exited the showroom. We had plenty of time to get over to Imperial Palace for Matsuri at 4:00. In our time inbetween we had some more luck at the IP slots. Matsuri was excellent and highly recommended. Amazing athleticism of the performers. It was a real surprise and we both felt that it rivaled Cirque shows in all but its stage and sets. We decided it was easiest just to eat at IP buffet, so without any sort of high-hopes for the meal we used the LVA coupon and saved another $19. It was surprisingly good and the crab legs were very enjoyable. Next up was Human Nature, also at the IP. I let my wife pick this one because I had more or less picked the rest (I had been thinking Defending the Caveman instead). My wife and I had a booth to ourselves at the back of the showroom so we were comfortable. Previously I had felt that the only four guys from Australia that could sing were the Wiggles but these guys work hard and put on a real show that changed my mind. It was a great choice. Our last show was George Wallace at the Flamingo. I was a bit worried about the timing of this because we would not be getting tickets until 9:00 for the 10:00 show but we were fine. In another bit of luck the ushers wanted people up front to fill seats rather than at the back of the showroom, so we were just a few rows away from George. This guy also works hard. He came out at 10 and did not leave the stage until midnight. It was another quality show and we ended our All-Stage Pass run of 7 shows on a high note. On our way back to the car we passed through the IP again. This was after midnight now, on the Wednesday night. There must have been over 100 people in line at the Front Desk waiting to be checked in, mostly guys for March Madness I assume. I have no idea how long they had to wait, but I was glad I already had a room to get back to.
Thursday breakfast was at Paris, again with the LVA coupon saving us $20, and a nice meal in a pleasant setting. We did some shopping and made it out to Silverton for the Bass Pro Shops. I scored a free ball cap and my wife made about $50 on the machines. Her luck continued back at the Orleans, where she turned $40 into $200 in the afternoon. At this point I was convinced that I was a bad-luck charm or something because she always seemed to win once she was away from me. Dinner that night was at the Mirage with the Cravings LVA coupon, so we saved another $27 with the book. A great dinner, but I must say that I preferred the warm crab legs at the IP compared to the frozen sticks they were serving at the Mirage. I can finally say I had a bit of luck playing at the Mirage after dinner. I found an Alfred Hitchcock machine right outside the buffet that looked interesting and we went to every bonus on the machine as we took a $5 and turned it into $20. (a note of caution though...the machine's sound effects were loud and startling and did not work well with a full stomach). We decided to head over to the Bellagio to watch the fountains to finish off the evening.
Okay locals, here is where I need your input. How in the heck do you get into the Bellagio Self Park garage from Dean Martin or Frank Sinatra Drive? Every spot seemed to be for employees only or Do Not Enter and I must have committed about a dozen traffic infractions. We finally found the garage at Monte Carlo and took the tram back to Bellagio. We arrived for the 10:30 fountain show and stood around for 15 minutes before giving up and finding out from someone in the lobby that the fountains were not working this night. At least we saw the chocolate fountain on our way back to the tram and got a glimpse of some of City Centre as we passed.
On Friday morning we made the drive to check out Green Valley Ranch for breakfast. It was only $4.99 for breakfast, but we had the LVA 2/1 coupon anyways so we scored our cheapest meal of the week here. A good meal and we again hit the changeover into lunch. We both enjoyed the decor and laid-back vibe here and said it would be someplace to come back to on a future visit. We returned to Orleans and unfortunately went on a bit of a loosing streak. We broke it up by catching a movie at their theatres. We used our last LVA coupon for the Orleans seafood buffet on the Friday night and were able to pay for most of the rest with slot points. Nothing fancy here but it was nice to be eating at our own hotel and not have to waddle far up to the room when we were done. We did muster enough energy to take one more shot at the Bellagion fountains and I played it safe this time by entering the garage from the Strip. We managed to catch two "shows" (and hey... didn't the shows used to be longer? Was it not several songs in a row instead of just one and done?). Still a nice, only-in-Vegas way to end our trip.
Saturday morning had us leave the Orleans by 9:30 with a quick and easy rental car return and a shuttle to the airport. The flight home was on-time and our bottle of booze did not break, so a success. All in all a great trip, made better with the money saved by our LVA book. We did not end up ahead in $, but we certainly did not loose all that we took to play with. Hopefully we will be back next year. If you made it this far in the trip report, thanks for taking the time and hopefully you got something out it.
