Posts by: queen of comps

CRUISE NEWS

STATION CASINOS

Station Casinos has announced a deal with Princess Cruises.   All Chairman-level Boarding Pass card holders — the highest status level of the program — are eligible to receive complimentary cabins on select Princess Cruises. Other Boarding Pass card holders can receive exclusive cruise fares and on board special offers from Princess through the customer loyalty program.

As with all casino cruise deals, you must check carefully as to what is covered and what is not. “Free cruises” almost never are completely without any extra charges.

The following e-mail we got from Hooters Casino

Tier Talk

In the last couple of blogs I have talked about the tier-match promotion the Palms ran in June, including the chart in which they listed the tier structure of most of the local and Strip casinos.  Many of you found this chart interesting, as did I even though I could not take advantage of the promotion because I was already a Hall of Famer.

I knew about the tier structure at some of the casinos because I am either an active member of the slot club or have been in the past.  But even at those, I learned some new details.

Coping with Promotions Without Losing Your Kool

Last month (June) the Palms ran a good “match your status” promotion.  At that time I put the chart here on my blog – and many players took advantage of the offer, showing their card from another casino and happily collecting their freebies, two free buffets or buffets with added free play, depending on the tier levels.

But I heard a lot of complaints, so it’s time for me to give a little lecture on How to Take Advantage of Casino Promotions Without Letting it Ruin Your Life.

First, realize that no casino promotion lasts forever. 

Interesting Reads

An example of an advantage play:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/bethlehem/mc-sands-bethlehem-asian-bus-20140329,0,4289753,full.story.

And then how the casino took counter-measures:

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-sands-bethlehem-asian-bus-changes-20140412,0,1618845.story

 

Two sad stories about very sad lottery winners:

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-12-13/lottery-winner-jack-whittakers-losing-ticket  (This is a long article, requiring clicking ahead to see all the segments.)

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-15/with-any-luck-you-wont-win-the-lottery

JULY VEGAS PROMOTIONS

Look for lots of special offers and activities around the 4th of July.

PALMS

“Play for Prizes” has three earning periods this months. The first is a mini one July 1-3, with free play as the prize. The next two are the regular length: Monday through Friday, July 7-18 features Bed Bath & Beyond gift cards. The last is Monday through Friday, July 21-August 1, and offers TJX gift cards that can be used online and at T.J.Maxx and related stores. Redemption times are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Fridays 10 a.m.-midnight.

Gift days in July are the 5th, 6th, 12th, and the 20th. To earn the gift-of-the-day, you need 100 base points on video slots or 500 base points on video poker between 12:01 a.m. and 6:59 p.m. The same play is needed for the Swipe & Win gift card promotion on Tuesdays, which runs from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m.

FREE slot tournaments are being held on Thursdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Earn 50 points on slots or 200 points on VP for a second entry. See Club Palms for details.

Regular weekly drawings continue on Fridays at 7 p.m. The mailer again mentions that the everyone-wins feature is active for July – $10 if you activated your entries – even if your name is not called. 2x entries can be earned on Sundays and Tuesdays; 5x entries are given on play Friday and Saturday nights between 8 p.m. and midnight.

San Diego Trip Report – Part 2

Continuing an account of our casino and sightseeing visit to Southern California with the Frugal Princess Angela and her husband Steve and a friend who, like us, was doing a Harrah’s 7* Retreat.

We spent the part of one day at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which is not to be confused with the main zoo which is closer to downtown.  The Safari Park is a shorter drive from the Southern California Harrah’s Resort (Rincon) where we were staying.  We liked seeing the animals in a more natural habitat rather than in the pens and cages of a traditional zoo.  This park covers a very large area and we had the energy to cover only a small part of it.   I had found a Groupon offer for ½ off an entrance/tram ride package and that saved our group of five not only a lot of money but also our legs!  The tram gave us a nice view around the African Plains. But the high point for all of us was the Gorilla Forest, where one Mama was taking such good care of her newborn baby.

We did have a fairly close-up view of the gorillas, but a photo-shop trick

got son-in-law Steve even closer. monkey

San Diego Trip Report – Part 1

Finally got caught up on my paperwork so I could file this promised trip report.

Brad and I were “forced” to take a trip to a Harrah’s property before June 30, when our last Seven Star benefit from 2013 would expire.  This was one of their “retreats” which included lots of perks and we could combine it with a family trip too.  The best of both worlds!

So on May 25th, 5 of us jumped into a rental van – my daughter Angela, the Frugal Princess, and Steve, her retired Army Ranger hubby (who had flown in from Columbus, GA two days earlier); a friend who also had a Harrah’s Seven Star trip to “use up”; and Brad and I.  (The van and gas were fully comped in lieu of the airfare which is one of the benefits on your Seven Star trip.)  We headed straight for the Southern California Harrah’s Resort (a Native American casino resort, formerly called Rincon, managed by Harrah’s), about a 5-hour drive from Las Vegas – if there is not too much traffic.

This is a beautiful property, down in a valley surrounded by scenic hills.  The Indians are certainly getting their revenge for being given crappy land areas for their reservations!!!  The resort has recently been remodeled and expanded.  We had three large suites in the new tower, all with large terraces furnished with table and chairs, a perfect place to enjoy room service breakfast while enjoying the cool morning breezes and admiring the scenery.  The pool area has been increased in size and now includes a lazy river on which we enjoyed floating on the tubes provided.  We alos had a comped cabana there for one day.  The spa was another beautifully appointed facility we enjoyed, all five us taking advantage of comped massages and/or facials.

On Memorial Day we were provided a limo with a knowledgeable driver who took us on a 6-hour tour around San Diego.  (This was fully comped, in lieu of the airfare for our friend’s 7* trip.)  Our first stop was appropriate for this patriotic holiday, at the docked storied Midway aircraft carrier.  Brad and Steve toured this floating museum – only $10 because they were veterans – and found it very interesting.  We girls decided this wasn’t our cup of tea so the guide took us to the Seaport Village nearby where we could browse in the many shops.  Then we all met again at the famous “kiss statue,” where, of course, we had to recreate our personal kissing scene.

Statue Kiss

Frugal “This and That” Information

I haven’t checked it out personally, but I am hearing from some players that they are earning a lot of MGM comps playing Mlife’s game on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MlifeRewards. You will have to check it out for yourself to see if it is worth your time. I heard one report that the offers aren’t the same for everyone – out-of-towners seem to score more than Vegas locals. You can get more information on this myVEGAS game on the Mark’s Las Vegas Web site for so much valuable casino information:

At this same Web site you can find the updated list for the free/discounted shows offered by Las Vegas Caesar properties. This June list includes some new offerings, including a pass for the new High Roller. Diamonds and Seven Stars get two free tickets per month; Platinums get a two-for-one discount –  http://markslasvegas.markanduss.com/total-rewards-free-shows-list/.

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Speaking of the High Roller, Brad and I did do this ride – but only because it came complimentary with a VIP party we attended.

JUNE VEGAS PROMOTIONS

June is not a big holiday month but there might be some Father’s Day promotions around the 15th, especially food specials.  And if you didn’t buy your mom some gambling books for Mother’s Day or you did but she doesn’t want to share them with Dad, you might want to consider buying him one of the books in the Frugal Gambler series as a Father’s Day gift. Some are available for eBooks as well as in paperback at http://www.shoplva.com/collections/video-poker/book.

The Players Club Bonus Points list (http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/greatdeals-slotpromotions.cfm) is back and being updated as quickly as Scot can get the information from the casinos. 

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