4/24 - 5/2 A different kind of trip for us.

This trip didn't go as planned. We've been going to Vegas for 21 years this was our 17th trip. For a number of years normal for us would have been to go for a ride every morning and gallivant all over the city. Neither of us felt well before the trip but we went anyways. After all it had been 12 months since we had been there last. It was our 38th Anniversary so no better excuse to go to Vegas. We did 5 nights on the strip followed by 3 nights at South Point.

Left the house on Sat to spend the night at Homewood Suites Windsor Locks CT. I didn't sleep as usual. 5 minute drive to the BDL parking garage. We paid ahead of time for reserved parking, worth it and would do it again. For anyone interested they don't have many spots so reserve way ahead of time, we reserved 2 weeks ahead and there was only 1 spot left after ours. Too early for the Sky Caps to be open, actually the SW desk wasn't open yet either...but we didn't have to wait long. 4:30 am the desk finally opened. We paid a few months ago for the TSA Pre program so that was quick. Managed to find someplace open to grab a sandwich for the plane and a drink to take aboard, 6 am they started loading. Honestly if I ever fly again I won't take a 630 am flight, we've done it before but now we are getting too old for that. Flew SW First Class....aka we pay for an empty seat, landed a little earlier than scheduled around 9 AM Vegas time. That's 5.5 hours luckily everyone on the flight was trying to sleep, no early party people.

Bags were off in a normal amount of time, drag the luggage to the rental shuttle (even Mike commented he is getting too old for that ). Straight through the rental center to Dollar for our midsize 8 day rental for $215 all in, not a bad price. Nissan Versa with around 20K miles on it. Would have been happy except the car had what looked like gray sticker residue all over it...lol....made me think of duct tape patches. Whatever, it rode fine so off to LV Blvd. No sense stopping for supplies since the CVS is attached to TI. On return I forgot to tell Mike to save the receipt. We used maybe a gallon of gas and were charged $13 for not having the receipt. He was pissed...my fault for not telling him.

TI....We booked 4 nights in a Tower Suite/ Smoking for a good price. We decided 3 weeks before the trip to leave a day earlier so I booked a single night online in the same suite type. Around $660 for all 5 nights before resort fees and taxes. We knew that arriving on a Sunday would make early check in more difficult.

On arrival we found the only Tower Suite available was on 8th floor and a non smoking. We upgraded to a Luxury Suite with “ The View “ at checkin $200 a night extra. Yeah too much I know but Mike wanted it. He knew that the way he was feeling he would be spending a lot of time in the room. Clerk didn't know what to do regarding upgrades. They were not able to link the 2 reservations ( so keys deactivated ), they cannot run your CC or check you in ahead of time because their system is out dated, we are use to CET and MGM properties... TI is behind the times. Clerk told us she was adding champagne to both reservations for our anniversary. We never received any champagne so my $20 gracious tip to her was a waste. Bellhops were ridiculously understaffed. We had a total love/hate relationship with this place. Suite was a little worn but not bad...lighting was terrible, they really need more lamps or fixtures in the suite. 2 bathrooms which we would have had with the Tower Suite also. View was killer we knew that is what we were paying for.

Doubt we would ever stay here again. Their front desk/bell check were archaic compared to other properties but the straw that broke the husbands back was the casino mens rooms. The one near the buffet was out of order the entire 5 days and the other mens room near Gilleys was usually dirty and half the stalls out of order. Really?, 2 mens rooms in the casino and you were lucky to find 2 toilets between them that worked. Yes, we found a third mens room near the pool the last day but Mike had already turned his back on the place. He felt sorry for anyone not staying there and resented having to take the elevator to the suite to use a bathroom. By the time we were done with the upgrades, resort fees, taxes we were around $2000 for 5 nights. We are cheap and never pay that much but Mike wanted the view and the suite. For that price we could have stayed across the street at Venetian which we have decided is what we are doing next time. ( If there is a next time ).



Walking from TI to Mirage was a killer for both of us...so we didn't venture far. Used the tram a few times from TI to Mirage, made it to Margarettaville to go shopping. This is not normal for Mike to have trouble getting around, it is normal for me the past few years.

We played only at TI, Casino Royale and Venetian. I'm snubbing MGM properties and didn't see any use of wasting play at CET since we weren't staying there. TI played so so. Venetian was okay. Biggest hit was Casino Royale. Yes, we love dives.

Food ….don't read any further if you are a “Foodie”.



Pizza place at TI.....score -10! I can eat a slice and a draft pretty much anywhere but the pizza was gross and the swill....oops I mean beer was undrinkable for me. Mike said it was “okay”.

Hot dog place near the Poker Room at TI.....score 8. We ate there twice and Mike would have eaten their chili everyday. Everything here is shareable...fry portions are huge!

Maggianos....score 9. We haven't eaten here in years but it has always been one of our favorites. We ate twice. The first time was for our favorite Veal Parmesan. We forgot how huge it was, definitely a shareable meal! Second time was lunch Fettucini Alfredo for me and Tomato Basil soup with a half meatball sandwich for Mike. He thinks the soup is to die for.

Grand Luxe at Venetian...score 8. Soup and half blt for Mike and a Club Sandwich for me. No complaints would go again. Our first time here, I've been wanting to try it for years.

Food court at Venetian slice and a beer....score 9. No complaints would eat again.

Mirage breakfast buffet thanks to a myVegas 2/1. score 6 due to cold eggs, cold potatoes and cold sausage. Stick to the pancakes, french toast.

Breakfast in the room twice...love having CVS attached....donuts, OJ, etc.

Only activity we actually accomplished was Human Nature Jukebox. We loved it. We saw the old show but enjoyed this one more. If you like 60s music grab a ticket, it is our favorite show on the strip.

Unscheduled activity....getting caught in the rain. We have never experienced rain in Vegas. We had it more than once during our 8 days but getting caught in it was the worst. I came out of Venetian alone, the overpass was wet and I thought, great I missed the rain. NOT! Crossed over, took the elevator down ( escalator was always broken and the stairs bothered my knee) came out of the elevator and it was now pouring. I stood under the overpass with the porn slappers for close to 30 minutes. It was thundering and pouring. Eventually let up a little so I tried to get over to TI. No such luck. Me and another older woman got to the corner and there was a torrent of water rushing down Buccaneer Blvd about a foot high. It was rushing enough to make me fearful of stepping out into it. We walked up the hill a little hoping it wouldn't be so deep but it was rushing deep all the way down. We got a ways up the road and a cabbie pulled over and told us to hop in. He cut through the opening in the road and brought us both to TI. I was so grateful I gave the guy $10, she gave him something too but I didn't pay attention to how much. Told him he saved my life lol. I honestly wasn't sure how I was going to cross the street.



So eating twice a day, playing in 3 different casinos and 1 show is all we accomplished in 5 nights on the strip. Neither of us felt like doing anything! We were both exhausted, Mike took a nap every day plus we went to bed early. We had tickets to Casa de Shenandoah and we bailed on it, Mike didn't feel up to it. We were supposed to go to Counts Kustoms and Rollin Smoke BBQ....they aren't far away...didn't matter Mike didn't feel up to it. He is never like that but had pretty much been the same way at home for the past 2 months. I figured he needed a good rest and less stress.

Friday we left TI after getting comped $200 off of our bill. Headed down to South Point. No mall, no Peppermill....no nothing....just drove down LV Blvd to South Point.

Suite was ready so we were upstairs in 26039 in no time. Same 1 bedroom suite we get every trip, just a different number on the door. Sofas seemed to have been reupholstered which is a great thing, we noticed last trip they were in need of it.

Played Fri, Sat, Sunday. Suite came with $150 in resort credit that we used for food. I owed $2.50 when we checked out Monday morning at 630 am. Can't do better than that for us low limit slot players.

Ate at Buffet for Brunch....score 7., Primarily Prime Rib score 9 as always, Coronado Cafe twice score 7, Big Sur Oyster Bar score 9...our favorite. Other than that we rested, watched tv and played slots. Imagine being home with slots downstairs....yes....that was us. Mike played less Video poker this trip than usual, he fell in love with my penny quick hit fever lol. Actually I think it's because he was drinking more and doesn't like to drink while playing VP. No big hits on slots but our money still lasts longer there than on the strip. As long as they want to give us low rolling slot players a suite with free play and free food....we are not going to say no.

Didn't take the car out for a single drive. Didn't do nothing. I was supposed to go to a Meet and Greet at Caesars, my knee was swollen so I skipped that and sat in my suite with ice on my knee.

After all this taking it easy and rest did it do us any good? No....we got home Monday May 2 and Friday May 6th Mike was admitted to the hospital with A Fib. They think it had been going on for months. He had no cardiac history....he had just been very stressed and exhausted for the past few months. He doesn't know how to slow down. He was in the hospital for 3 nights and is home taking an extra week off from work. He is turning 60 later this year and has learned he can't do what he use to. We have never been to Vegas and done so little. We have learned that from now on we will do Vegas differently....first of which is to stop renting a car....it sat idle all week this time. My problems well, I still smoke and have COPD so my own fault.

Maybe after all these years we have just seen and done all that we want to see and do. If we get back again I foresee more staying at our home property, eating, slots and sleeping. We did enjoy ourselves it just felt strange not running around all the time. Was going to put a few pictures but I can't figure out how to do it with this new format. Thanks for making it to the end.

 

Sorry things didn't work out as planned. And yeah, it's the worst to get stuck mid strip in a good rain. Be thankful you weren't at the Linq, that is where all the water runs to! I hope your husband gets better!

 

Will you do this in the future? I've thought about it.

Why do you need the receipt?

While we are at MSS I often get doughnuts for me and the wife to eat while playing bartop VP.

Never heard of it, will have to Google.

That's what counts. I enjoyed your TR, thanks for taking the time to share. Hope your hubby does well and congrats on 38 years.

 

Nice report, sorry things didn't work out better. Best wishes for your hubby!

Ty, you need the receipt to prove you filled the tank at return. A gallon of gas used, might not even move the needle and it still looks like a full tank.

 

The old adage ' when it rains, it pours' sadly fits this trip. The A fib helps explain why your husband was having such a rough time - really glad he made it home for medical care and hope things look up for both of you health wise.
Sounds like South Point was the perfect spot as your home away from home with all the good food and nice accommodations you described.

Thanks for sharing - Here's hoping the next trip is picture perfect.

 

Hi Tammy....can't remember a trip (we've had about 28 of them) when it rained at all - let alone what we saw that week.....sure put a damper on us getting around too. Wish you had been able to make our little meet @ Caesars.....there were 9 or 10 of us & we had a fantastic time. So great to put faces with our board names! Thanks for posting.

 

Whats really weird is I was about halfway through your trip report when I was going to ask you if Mike has been checked for afib. My father has afib and has the same fatigue issue. I hope Mike can be treated and return to his old self. My poor father has been cardioverted more then once, had ablation and nothing has worked so far.

 

Last few times we've been inside TI, the smell is so horrible in there I almost couldn't breathe. Just stale, heavy air. We used to stay there back in 2002/2003 and loved it but since MGM sold it, notice it has gone downhill.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

Sorry to hear about your husbands afib. I am glad they figured out what was going on it's so scary to go thru with a loved one. My mom had a stroke 6 years ago due to afib. She had only found out the day before there was an issue. She has to stay on medication to prevent another stoke because her heart won't stay in rhythm, but has been easily controlled with Coumadin. Thankfully she has made a complete recovery from the stroke.

 

Congratulations on 38 years! My Wife and I will make 38 years on June 24th. I don't know what Afib is but I'm glad your husband is being treated for it and will get better. I too will turn 60 later this year and I also am always fatigued, stressed, and burned out. Maybe I should educate myself on Afib and talk to my doctor about it.

Maybe it's time for you and your husband to do Vegas differently from now on. Take it slow and easy, just forget about how you've done it in the past. Many VMB'ers never leave the property they are staying in and there's nothing wrong with that. You've been there and done that so it shouldn't concern you much.

Thank you for posting your report. Sorry it wasn't quite like it was in the past, but being in Vegas is better than staying home for vacation anytime! Take care and hope your next trip is better!

 

There is no right or wrong way to do Vegas. I'm sorry things didn't go as you planned. It's good though that now you know what is wrong with your husband, and it can be treated. Thanks for still taking the time to post your report.

 

I'm glad you had a good time despite things not going as planned. I sure hope your husband can get to feeling better soon! Thanks for the tip on keeping the gas receipt on a rental, don't think it would have occurred to me.

 

Thanks for posting your report. I enjoyed reading it as I could relate to it so much. We loved the old Mirage Group. We started at the Mirage in the early 90’s and then moved on to Treasure Island. After Wynn remodeled it in 98-99, TI was a quality casino and we made it our home away from home. We spent many days playing VP at their Buccaneer, Swashbucklers and Breeze VP Bars. Then, MGM got control of the group and it was all downhill as they significantly degraded the property by cloning all of their locations to such an extent that you didn’t know which one you were in. We had hoped that Ruffin would bring TI back in 09 but it wasn’t within him to do so. I always wondered what the south view from TI’s tower would be after MGM stuck City Center up and now I know after looking at your video. There was a time when you could clearly see all the way down to MB. I wish you the best outcome on your health issues so that you can return to Vegas. I think your plan for staying mostly within your host casino makes a lot of sense and the Venetian/Palazzo would be a good choice.

 

Thanks Tammy for the trip report, best wishes to your husband and hope he is on his way to better health.

Have you had a sleep study? You might have sleep apnea which can cause fatigue. I am convinced that my father had sleep apnea, he suffered a major stroke in his sleep and passed three days later at age 63.

 

Hope your husband is feeling much better. I also sometimes get to Vegas and just stay in the hotel the whole time. Been in Vegas so many times, that I pretty much have seen everything there is to see. And what is up with a 200.00 dollar per night upgrade at TI? That sounds crazy for that property.

 

No, but that's a good idea to get that checked out also. I notice I get up several times at night and have a hard time going back to sleep.

 

casinokid, yes you are right $200 is outrageous. Not the first time we've paid that for an upgrade though. This was a huge suite with one of the best views in town. We paid the same price back in 2008 at Rio for a fri/sat night for a Masquerade Suite....my husband still wants to go back and stay in one of those again . Thanks for the well wishes and reading it! Mike is on all kinds of meds and took 2 weeks more off from work. Looks like his heart rate is settling in to a more consistent level now.

 

I am just getting caught up on the trip reports I missed while we were in Vegas.

I am so sorry you weren't feeling up to your usual Vegas fun. I had always enjoyed your reports with the elderlies.

Thank Heavens you were home before Mike had to go to hospital. Honestly reading your report, I was getting worried something like that was going to happen.....you definitely weren't your usual selves.

I would say you were definitely over-charged at TI; perhaps Cosmo could be a good option for you too or, as you said, Venetian. You also mentioned Rio which wouldn't be a bad idea as the shuttle is very handy to get you to Ballys or Caesars. At least you had the killer view to enjoy!

Kudos to the cab driver that rescued you and the other lady. In the 34 years I've been going to Vegas, I have only seen one similar downpour; it was in December.

Congratulations on your 38th Anniversary; I hope you and Mike get a do-over soon!

 

Thanks for posting your trip for us. So sorry to hear
about your husband and I hope he gets well soon.
Congratulations on your anniversary.

 

Tammy, sorry your trip didn't go as planned. Getting caught in Vegas rain makes the sidewalks so slippery, glad a cab came to your rescue. Sounds like South Point is a good "home away from home" for you in Vegas, it's a nice friendly casino I hope Mike gets well soon!!