June Trip Report
My girlfriend and I did a 6 night trip in early June. We stayed the first 2 nights at Bally’s and the last 4 nights at The Orleans.
We arrived on a Wednesday night at 6pm and there was no line to check in at Bally’s. I made a comment to the front desk clerk that there was an upgrade available on-line to a south Tower Suite for $25 more than I was paying and if it was still available. I was hoping she would do the upgrade for free but for $25 more it was worth it.
The room was very large but empty as there was not a lot of furniture. There was a small table with 4 chairs to eat at and 1 other comfortable chair and the king size bed in the downstairs part of the room. Near the bed you go up 4 steps and there is a tub in the middle of the room with sinks and counters on both sides of the room. This is great because my girlfriend travels with so many cosmetics that I never have any room for my stuff on the counter. This way she had her own sink and counter to herself. In the back of the room there is a wall that hides the toilet and shower enclosures. We did not eat at any Bally’s restaurants as we had a rental car and ate at off-strip locations (Sushi21, Bahama Breeze, Red Rock Casino Buffet and Egg Works). The casino has the usual assortment of games but I spent most of my time in the Paris casino which is next door and connected via a walkway. Paris also has KRONENBOURG beer. It is a French beer that is very tasty.
I have been going to Vegas for 20 years and I noticed the strip was as crowded at night as it has been in a long time. Although a lot of the space is taken up by people dressed as different characters, water salesman, porn slappers and people trying to sell condos or night club passes. I miss the days when you could walk the strip without being harassed all the time.
We moved to the Orleans on Friday afternoon. I love the Orleans as it is so much cheaper to eat, the rooms are large and you get great service everywhere you go. We were checked in within 5 minutes and given a room on the top (21st) floor. As a frequent guest, I book through a host who sets up my room arrangements for me. The restaurants we ate at Costa Cantina (Mexican), Prime rib Loft and Al’s Oyster Bar all offer great food at great prices. 2 Prime Rib dinners came to under $50. That’s more than half of what most restaurants on the strip charge. We also ate at TGIFridays and the coffee shop for early morning or late night dining.
The pool at the Orleans is above average and there is no loud DJ or music playing so you can relax. There are some kids but there is always a place to get a chair. They also hand you free coupons for beers at the pool when you check in.
The dealers are very friendly. I used this trip to get my girlfriend to sit at a black jack table for the first time. As there was no one else at the table at 1pm, the dealer took the time to teach her the rules (use only 1 hand, tuck the cards, how to hit, etc) She doubled her $40 buy-in and she was happy. I tipped the dealer $10 as I also doubled my $40 buy-in and for his time and patience.
On Thursday night, we went to the Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur as I was able to get half-price tickets from the vendor at the Hawaiian Market place across the street from the Monte Carlo. The show was entertaining and the food was surprisingly good. You get soup, Cornish game hen, potatoes, broccoli and pastry for $45.
We also visited the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor. This was a rip-off!! For $25 a ticket it takes about 45 minutes to walk through and there were a few artifacts and pictures of passengers with brief descriptions of some of them.
I usually gamble much more than I did on this trip but my girlfriend is not a big gambler. For the 6 nights, I lost $400 for the trip. While I didn’t have luck at the slots or tables (for the most part) I did win 9 of 12 baseball bets I placed.
My girlfriend and I did a 6 night trip in early June. We stayed the first 2 nights at Bally’s and the last 4 nights at The Orleans.
We arrived on a Wednesday night at 6pm and there was no line to check in at Bally’s. I made a comment to the front desk clerk that there was an upgrade available on-line to a south Tower Suite for $25 more than I was paying and if it was still available. I was hoping she would do the upgrade for free but for $25 more it was worth it.
The room was very large but empty as there was not a lot of furniture. There was a small table with 4 chairs to eat at and 1 other comfortable chair and the king size bed in the downstairs part of the room. Near the bed you go up 4 steps and there is a tub in the middle of the room with sinks and counters on both sides of the room. This is great because my girlfriend travels with so many cosmetics that I never have any room for my stuff on the counter. This way she had her own sink and counter to herself. In the back of the room there is a wall that hides the toilet and shower enclosures. We did not eat at any Bally’s restaurants as we had a rental car and ate at off-strip locations (Sushi21, Bahama Breeze, Red Rock Casino Buffet and Egg Works). The casino has the usual assortment of games but I spent most of my time in the Paris casino which is next door and connected via a walkway. Paris also has KRONENBOURG beer. It is a French beer that is very tasty.
I have been going to Vegas for 20 years and I noticed the strip was as crowded at night as it has been in a long time. Although a lot of the space is taken up by people dressed as different characters, water salesman, porn slappers and people trying to sell condos or night club passes. I miss the days when you could walk the strip without being harassed all the time.
We moved to the Orleans on Friday afternoon. I love the Orleans as it is so much cheaper to eat, the rooms are large and you get great service everywhere you go. We were checked in within 5 minutes and given a room on the top (21st) floor. As a frequent guest, I book through a host who sets up my room arrangements for me. The restaurants we ate at Costa Cantina (Mexican), Prime rib Loft and Al’s Oyster Bar all offer great food at great prices. 2 Prime Rib dinners came to under $50. That’s more than half of what most restaurants on the strip charge. We also ate at TGIFridays and the coffee shop for early morning or late night dining.
The pool at the Orleans is above average and there is no loud DJ or music playing so you can relax. There are some kids but there is always a place to get a chair. They also hand you free coupons for beers at the pool when you check in.
The dealers are very friendly. I used this trip to get my girlfriend to sit at a black jack table for the first time. As there was no one else at the table at 1pm, the dealer took the time to teach her the rules (use only 1 hand, tuck the cards, how to hit, etc) She doubled her $40 buy-in and she was happy. I tipped the dealer $10 as I also doubled my $40 buy-in and for his time and patience.
On Thursday night, we went to the Tournament of Kings show at Excalibur as I was able to get half-price tickets from the vendor at the Hawaiian Market place across the street from the Monte Carlo. The show was entertaining and the food was surprisingly good. You get soup, Cornish game hen, potatoes, broccoli and pastry for $45.
We also visited the Titanic exhibit at the Luxor. This was a rip-off!! For $25 a ticket it takes about 45 minutes to walk through and there were a few artifacts and pictures of passengers with brief descriptions of some of them.
I usually gamble much more than I did on this trip but my girlfriend is not a big gambler. For the 6 nights, I lost $400 for the trip. While I didn’t have luck at the slots or tables (for the most part) I did win 9 of 12 baseball bets I placed.
