Long time lurker. I used to post once in a while on lv talk. I've been to Vegas almost 60 times. It has been years since I have stayed DT. Guys trip this time and we decided to stay DT. I am looking at these two hotels because the rooms are a little bigger than the Gate where I can get comped. The Cal has in room fridge, but a key lock safe. Does anyone know if MSS has a digital safe? Thanks in advance for your help.
the Plaza might be worth considering. Our room had a digital safe and was (marginally) larger than our last room at MSS. I've also stayed at the Cal and prefer it to MSS. No highway noise and normal curtains. The wood blinds at MSS allow in too much light IMHO. DF
I prefer the West Tower rooms at The Cal over the rooms at MSS. There are a few rooms at The Cal that have the digital safe - in my experience I've had two rooms with the digital safe there. Both of the rooms were the handicap accessible rooms.
If you're comped at Golden Gate, call 'theD' and ask for the promotions desk. Tell them you have a 'Gate comp, but want to try the D instead. No harm in asking. Those are decent-sized rooms. If not there, then I'd second the Plaza suggestion.
Two reasons they suck. One, they are small. Two, you could lose the key. Three. It's possible to put stuff into the wall by mistake. Okay, Three reasons.
I like gaming in the Cal, I think they offer better games. But I'm with Doug on the rooms. The Plaza has larger rooms and the safes are in wall and large enough to fit a 10" tab, and you don't have to bend or squat to access it. We just stayed in the south tower and we'd walked over and gambled in the Cal.
Four...if there are two people and you are separated and the responsible one (i e Kodi) has the key, and you want more money...you can't get to it! (Which may be a good thing)
We also like gaming at the Cal, but spent most of our time playing VP at Plaza when we stayed there. They have upgraded the VP to playable levels. Even the bartops are good paytables. We have stayed there twice and we really like the rooms for downtown, they are roomy and the beds are very comfortable. A plus is definitely the eye level safe. I even got my 15" MacBookPro in there with no problems. We have stayed in the south tower both times and it never bothered us to walk to any property downtown.
I'm a little more partial to the Cal over MSS. I don't like rooms facing (north) the freeway at MSS, too noisy for me IMHO. I also don't want a room close to the train tracks as it sometimes can get noisy. I'm staying at MSS in 2 weeks but only because I couldn't get a Saturday arrival at the Cal (need to book early or they fill up). Not sure, does the Plaza have fridges in all their rooms? I remember I had to ask for a fridge at the Plaza, while at MSS and the Cal the fridges are all standard. I did like the digital safes at the Plaza but that isn't a show stopper to me. I don't remember the safes being any higher at the Plaza versus MSS or the Cal but I do agree the Plaza safes look like they can hold a lot more. Not sure about the room sizes, I thought that the Plaza was roomier only because they didn't have the usual big dresser drawers or hutch like they do at the Cal but I thought the room sizes were comparable. I like the room arrangement at the Cal west towers, with a full sized bathroom, complete with the bathtub and vanity all in one room. The plaza bathtub is in a separate room than the vanity so if you have 2 people staying you can hear the other person using the vanity area. Not so in the Cal west towers. I like the tv and cable arrangement at the Plaza, their TV's are HD and they have a multitude of channels compared to MSS and the Cal who have their standard 15 or so channels only. But then I don't spend a lot of time in my room. As for gambling, I gamble more at MSS, then the Cal. I hardly play at the Plaza even when I'm staying there (sorry Curtis), I feel more comfortable at the boyd properties and the "Hawaiian" gamblers.
OK, I'll pipe in about the safe key thing at MSS. I would be very sad if MSS went to a digital safe system (yes, I have had problems remembering my code in the past at other establishments... I was sober when I entered it the first time... I promise!) I now have a very special and "close to my heart" key chain that I always put my MSS safe key on while enjoying my first Heineken in my room before I go out and gamble. OK, the key chain is made from the old nipple-clamp thingie that got me in so much trouble from my wife a couple of years ago? But still... this is part of my Vegas routine... making sure to secure my safe key and keep it in a safe spot... Ouch, Ouch!
The California Pros: West Tower rooms quiet, nice. The Redwood / San Francisco Bar Progressive quarter and dollar banks Hawaiian vibe Main Street Station Pros: Boars Head bar 9/6 JOB and great beer Scratch off cards Triple 777 Both casinos and hotels are nice, much better than the Fremont (casino and rooms), but when staying at either, you can get to the other casino in a minute and therefore I choose the one with the better rooms, IMO. [youtube]FdizL4on-Rc[/youtube]
If you don't like the key-style safe or there are two of you, you can also get a safe deposit box at the front desk of MSS. Remember the old-fashioned diaper pins that were designed not to pop open? They work great to secure your key in your pocket. I picked up a pack at Walmart for a $1.
Thanks for all the info. I booked MSS because the rooms were larger. And the reviews were generally more favorable. Also, I think there is more bj at MSS. We will only crash in the rooms. I'm rethinking the Cal because of your comments. Is there that much difference in the rooms?
I alos like the MSS room, which is larger than a California room (the room and bathroom) and was updated more recently. I don't like the East Tower rooms at The California (older / dated), but the West Tower rooms are quieter than MSS (w/o the train/highway noise). You really won't go wrong at either place. The rooms at both are not Wynn quality, but they are nice and clean at both locations. I'm a light sleeper which is why I prefer the rooms at the California. I also like the Hawaiian vibe during my Downtown portion of my Vegas trip. I'm staying at Paris on a Slot Tournament comp offer, and will move to The California (waiting for the June offers) to finish my upcoming June trip. There are other hotels with newer / nicer rooms (El Cortez Cabana Suites, Downtown Grand /Plaza) at similar price range to The California / MSS, but I like playing there vs. the other casinos, and we know the staff and have a great time at The California. Also like MSS' Boar's Head Bar, the treasure chest machines and 777. I don't head under the canopy much any more (walk out the Cal to Downtown Grand for Pizza Rock, then continue to LV Blvd before heading to Fremont East (Atomic Lounge, Downtown Lounge). Hope this helps, and enjoy your stay at Main Street Station!
Here are pictures from tripadvisor of MSS and the cal. Click on the room/suite for pics of your room. IMHO I really don't think the Cal west tower is that much smaller than at MSS but if you click on the bathrooms you can see the difference in bathrooms at MSS versus the Cal. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g45963-d91885-Reviews-Main_Street_Station_Hotel_Casino-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g45963-d91763-Reviews-California_Hotel-Las_Vegas_Nevada.html#photos But then I really don't think you can go wrong with either hotel.
You mean you don't use "1234" as the combination for your safes? :evillaugh I thought like luggage most people just use the standard combination so they don't forget it. Just kidding. Hmmm, nipple clamp thingie huh. hope you don't attach the key to your nipple as the weight might cause some discomfort :evillaugh.