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8 Days in Vegas Might Have Been a Bit Much (10/25-11/1)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Mandiferous, Nov 15, 2014.

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  1. Mandiferous

    Mandiferous Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2014
    Messages:
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    Location:
    Western Washington
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7

    My Trip Report

    Now that I've been back for a couple weeks, caught a cold, and recovered from said cold, I now feel prepared to recount my exploits in Vegas.

    I took my boyfriend to Vegas for the first time last October and he couldn't wait to go back. Due to Total Rewards comp rooms and a few cheap nights, we were able to swing 8 days - by far the most time I've ever spent in Vegas. Here are the highlights:

    Day 1 - Saturday, October 25th
    Arrived around 10am and caught a shuttle to Harrah's. Dropped off our bags and caught a cab to In-N-Out Burger. We don't have them in Washington State and everyone told me it was something I HAD to try, so we did. Double-Double, animal style, and regular fries. Not bad, but I don't see what the huge fuss is about. Eh, at least now I can say I did it. Caught a cab from In-N-Out to NY-NY so we could pick up our show tickets for Zumanity and Zarkana (courtesy of myVEGAS). Picking up all our show tickets ahead of time was incredibly convenient and I really appreciate that the Mlife box offices are connected. We also redeemed some free drinks at Center Bar by showing them the Southwest Airlines photo that’s floating around the boards.

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    Wandered around a bit...checked out the flamingos at the Flamingo...went to Madame Tussauds. The Marvel 4-D experience was interesting. Could have done without having water shot at me (multiple times). Made it back to Harrah’s to check in and rest for a bit. First time staying at Harrah’s and I would definitely stay there again. Totally decent hotel. Yes, it’s older, but it’s clean and comfortable. We had a standard room in the Mardi Gras tower. After we rested we walked to the Monte Carlo to redeem our $50 dining credit and $100 Fuel the Duel reward (also courtesy of myVEGAS). Had dinner at Yusho. OMGSOAMAZING. Truly. I told our server that I loved him...three times. I’m not into raw fish, but the ahi appetizer was delicious. The crab fried rice was super tasty, the crispy chicken skin was good, and the steamed buns were pretty nice, too.

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    After dinner we headed to the Pub and found a couple seats at the bar. The dueling piano show was pretty standard - nothing special. Boyfriend and I managed about 4 drinks each with our $100 credit so we were feeling pretty good when we staggered out, went back to our room and crashed.

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    Day 2 - Sunday, October 26th
    Checked out of Harrah’s and moved over to Flamingo. Dropped off our bags and wandered some more until it was time to check in. We had a Go Room in the Spa Tower. 18th floor, right next to the elevators. Very nice. I loved the separate shower and tub, as well as the curtain controls next to the bed. Our room also had a mini-fridge.

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    After a rest, we got dressed and headed back toward NY-NY. We stopped at Coca-Cola World because my boyfriend loves the ginger-flavored soda. Saw Zumanity - really fun show. Lots of boobs and raunchy humor. We had pretty good seats. About 5 rows back behind the couches. Hit Earl of Sandwich on the way back to our hotel.

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    Day 3 - Monday, October 27th
    Went to Hash House a Go Go for a late breakfast. Split one of their skillets but tried to go the healthy route and ended up sorely disappointed. Wandered the Linq promenade and got a huge sundae from the Ghirardelli store. Several places were already decorated for Halloween, which was fun to see. Later in the day we decided we wanted to get our drink on so we headed to Blondie’s inside Miracle Mile for their happy hour: all you can drink wells for $20. Our bartender was amazing and brought our drinks out two at a time. We showed up about 45 minutes before happy hour was over, yet managed about 8 cocktails. Yeah...not the best idea, but we survived.

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    Decided to try out Ellis Island for some blackjack and $9 steaks. Steak dinner was just okay but the blackjack was awesome.

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    This was my first time playing table games and the dealers were incredibly nice. They’re the old Dealertainers from the Quad. Cher told me that the Quad fired all the full-time Dealertainers and offered them part-time jobs with no benefits so they left and went to Ellis Island and are the “Icons” or something. I managed to make $100 last about 2.5 hours, playing blackjack with Cher, Elvis, and Bette Midler. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had gambling.

    Tuesday, October 28th
    Had brunch at the Mirage (myVEGAS reward) and explored the Secret Garden wildlife habitat (one free ticket from myVEGAS, one paid for out of pocket). Got to see the dolphins do some tricks, the white lion cubs and a bunch of sleeping cats. Glad I went but also glad one of the tickets was free.

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    Wandered some more, took a nap, and walked over to the Aria to see Zarkana. Another great production. The sand painting was really interesting to watch.

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    After the show we went back to Hash House for a late night dinner. Had a BOGO coupon they emailed me for my birthday. Wayyyy too much food, as usual. I had a burger and the BF had the fried chicken eggs benedict.

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    Wednesday, October 29th
    Headed to Fremont Street for the day/night. Caught the Deuce and stopped briefly at the Riviera for their 3-2-1 drink special (http://www.rivierahotel.com/321-specials.aspx). They also have a collection of vintage pinball machines.

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    Made it to the Golden Nugget and were able to check in early. Dropped off our overnight bag and went in search of food. BF and I split a $10 pizza at The Grotto inside our hotel (really great - got to watch it being made and had a nice chat with the chef.). Changed into our swimsuits and headed to the pool. There was still some sunlight shining on the pool, but it was a bit chilly. Went down the waterslide which I found terrifying but the BF loved. Went back to the room, changed, and hit the street to explore. Wandered down to Container Park, had a fancy whiskey sour at Oak & Ivy, played some slots at El Cortez, had some street tacos and a gyro. There was a street fair happening that night so there were food trucks, music, and a fashion show all happening in the street.

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    Caught a cab to the Neon Museum for the 8:30 tour. This was amazing. Such a fun experience. Our guide was a history student at UNLV and led a great tour.

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    We decided to skip the cab and walk back to Fremont through an incredibly sketchy part of town. Eh, we survived. Had our picture taken with a million bucks over at Binions and went back to our hotel to crash.

    Thursday, October 30th
    Caught the Deuce back to the Strip. Wandered around Fashion Show Mall, Treasure Island, and basically took it easy. Met up with some friends from back home that happened to be in town the same time as us. Used a Groupon for dinner at Le Village Buffet at Paris. Great food, terrible wine. I attempted to eat ALL the crab legs. There were kids trick-or-treating throughout the Linq which I found odd. Used our Groupon for the Happy Half Hour on the High Roller. Awesome deal. It’s as much as you can drink during the 30 minutes it takes to ride the High Roller and you can even leave with a drink in your hand. I got mildly plastered, but still enjoyed the view from 500’ in the air.

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    Played some video blackjack at Bugsy’s Bar inside the Flamingo, had a late night hamburger, and went to bed.

    Friday, October 31st
    Checked out of the Flamingo and checked in to Bally’s for our last night in Vegas. Room was HUGE, but meh. We didn’t have much of a plan for Halloween since we didn’t want to pay to get into any of the nightclubs. The line to see Snoop Dogg at Tao was insane. The Bourbon Room at the Venetian was hosting a free party, but it was packed so we didn’t go in. We mostly wandered around and people watched. Lots of impressive costumes. We didn't want to deal with packing a complicated costume but didn't want to risk being turned away from anywhere for not being dressed up, so I had a buddy of mine make some custom t-shirts and we went as Price is Right contestants.

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    Saturday, November 1st
    Last day...kind of burned out and ready to go home. Took the free shuttle over to the Rio, hung out, had some lunch. Went back to Bally’s, collected our bags, and caught the shuttle back to the airport.

    Overall, an amazing experience. 8 days was a little much, though. We missed our house and cats and normal routine. It was good to get back home .
     
  2. Tpmrwb

    Tpmrwb Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Great Trip Report. I know what you mean about 8 days being a little long. Enjoyed the TR.
     
  3. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

    Joined:
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    Fantastic trip report and photos! Just wondering why you moved from one CET property to another; to try out different hotels? I've been to Vegas 5 times this year with a 6th trip possible in December and am thinking I'll do a couple of long trips next year (8-12 days) and one short one. 8 days has been my longest stay thus far. I figure with a longer trip I may actually do a few things that don't involve gambling and save some airfare

    Happy that EI picked up the dealertainers; I know many here don't care for them but they were the only thing that got me to play CET's craptadtic 6/5 BJ at IP/Quad. Is EI Blackjack 3/2?
     
  4. Flowers

    Flowers VIP Whale

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    Thanks so much for your trip report. It sounds like you had a great trip. Funny thing is that that a 9-day trip (a full week and two weekends) is my normal trip and when the Saturday or Sunday comes, I'm often not ready to go home. I can go to Vegas more relaxed with plenty of time to gamble and do other things. I've been in Vegas for 3 weeks and only at the end of that trip was I ready to go home. LOL.
     
    Last edited: Nov 15, 2014
  5. scohitch

    scohitch Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    We've been on two 10 day trips and it really allows for overnight excursions to places like Laughlin. It also allows for two Saturday and Sunday sports bet heavy days, if you go in the Autumn.
     
  6. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

    Joined:
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    Nice report!

    I'm also glad the dealertainers got picked up. I wasn't a big fan, but it screamed vegas to me as well.
     
  7. EastCoastVegasFan!

    EastCoastVegasFan! VIP Whale

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    Nice report! I am a full 5 days 4 nights Vegas guy. That is the absolute limit for me. The pools, booze, gambling and lack of sleep is amazing, but 5 days is my crashing point. Actually, sometimes I go 4 days 3 nights, and that hits the spot, too!
     
    July 19th - July 24th
  8. macwjp

    macwjp Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Nice report, thanks for sharing. DW and I went in February for 8 nights and had a great time! I only ended up falling asleep at a poker table once from lack of sleep. We leave again this Wednesday for 11 days of fun.
     
  9. Turtleman

    Turtleman VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the great report. For us, too long or too short depends almost entirely on winning or losing. We returned from 8 nights earlier this month, which was way too long. :) So, our next trip (which was booked yesterday) has been reduced to only 7 nights. That ought to be plenty of time to get our money back! :goofy:
     
  10. REELmoneySlotFan

    REELmoneySlotFan High-Roller

    Joined:
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    Great TR and wonderful pics. You did a lot of moving around. 8 days in Vegas too long? Not in our book haha, We never stay less than 8 nights, but then again, we're travelling 22 hours to get there. Thanks for sharing!
     
  11. EastCoastVegasFan!

    EastCoastVegasFan! VIP Whale

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    Nice report! I am a full 5 days 4 nights Vegas guy. That is the absolute limit for me. The pools, booze, gambling and lack of sleep is amazing, but 5 days is my crashing point. Actually, sometimes I go 4 days 3 nights, and that hits the spot, too!
     
    July 19th - July 24th
  12. Mandiferous

    Mandiferous Tourist

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    Location:
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    We hopped around a bit in order to stay (practically) for free. TR only lets you comp 5 nights in a row so I paid about $40 for the first night at Harrah's, resort fees only for 5 nights at Flamingo, and resort fees only at Bally's (the last night was booked through my boyfriend's TR account). The night at the Golden Nugget was because I didn't want to catch the Deuce back to the Strip at 3am. Figured it was better to just crash there since i got a room for $39. We left all our stuff at Flamingo and just packed a small overnight bag.

    Yes, the blackjack at Ellis Island is 3:2.

    One of the reasons we booked such a long trip was because we wanted to rent a car and drive to Grand Canyon. As the day approached, we realized we hadn't budgeted appropriately to rent a car, so we'd have to plan better and go next time.
     
  13. raraavis

    raraavis VIP Whale

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    thanks for the report! i can't imagine a trip that isn't at least 7 days. i'd be so sad if i was there for less time.
     
  14. Jordan

    Jordan Caveman

    Joined:
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    Excellent report, you guys did a LOT in 8 days....hope you enjoyed it!
     
  15. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Does the southwest coupon have an expiration date? I used one last time I was there and that one is since out of date I think. Hopefully one will be good come February 2015.
     
  16. Mandiferous

    Mandiferous Tourist

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    The Southwest coupon that's currently floating around expires December 31st. Not sure if they'll keep the promotion going after that.
     
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