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April 14th to 21st

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Blondie76, Apr 24, 2009.

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  1. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    My Trip Report

    Vegas Trip April 14 to 21 Venetian and Planet Hollywood

    Tuesday 04/14

    We awoke on Tuesday about 3AM to get out the door for the airport by 5AM. It was raining pretty hard and cold out. After our oldest dropped us off he called to say our luck had already started. There was a huge pile up on that side of the X-pressway that would have delayed us big time.
    We flew Midwest Airlines out of Milwaukee. We had a 7:30 AM flight that left on time and no turbulance. Our luck was continuing so far. When I booked the flight online, the rezzy came through with no seat selection option available except for coming back. I figured the flight was overbooked and we would find out how they would handle it when we got there. We got the signature seats, row 6. Extra wide leather with foot rests just like first class. No middle seat. NO charge! They charge $50 each one way for those seats. It pays to get there early as there were quite a few on that plane who did not have seats assigned. And we were seated together. Yay! They did offer anyone to purchase an upgrade before they comped them. We arrived in Vegas about 9:30 AM.

    We got the tram to baggage and out to get a cab with no long waits. Nice driver. He said some towers or floors of rooms at Venetian, Palazzo, etc were closed down as it had been so slow. From our room at Venetian we could see a Palazzo tower that was completely dark each of the 3 nights we were there.

    We got to Venetian and left our bags with bell service. We went to check in and got a room on the 6th floor overlooking the pool. Hubby was looking forward to checking out the bikini action. Sorry to report, it was pretty windy and chilly for anyone to be using the pool most of the time we were there.

    The casino was packed and busy the whole three days we were there. We ate at Grand Lux after we settled into our room. That was about 11AM. We could have ordered their breakfast buffet but shared a burger and fries. It was very good. We played around in the casino awhile and then I went back to the room about 3 PM to catch a power nap and get a little more organized. I stopped to get a decaf coffee and a bread pudding at the coffee place by the elevators. Is it Bouchon like the restaurant there? I don't remember for sure. Okay. I looked through my receipts. It is Bouchon Bakery. I didn't notice it before but on the receipt is says "Present this receipt at Bouchon Bistro to receive 15% off breakfast or dinner." Not a bad deal, hey?

    We stayed downstairs until about 10:30. We had no trouble sleeping. It was damp and cold outside in Vegas and we had been up since 3AM. I was down just $10 for playing the whole day. Hubby was down about $200 but had played 1/2 the day on his same $20. I guess he must have gotten over tired and made some bad choices.

    Our room at Venetian was very comfy. They are about 100 square feet smaller than Palazzo but the same set up. The soaps are the same brand as Palazzo but these were a bitters-orange scent. To me smelled just like clove. I prefer the lemon scent Palazzo had last November. I also want to say the Venetian did not have the same extra touches we experienced last fall at Palazzo. No fresh cut flower in the bathroom. No loofa for my tub bath like Palazzo last fall. A few other little things too. Possibly with the economy the Palazzo doesn't provide those extra touches to their amenities right now. Anyone stay at P recently?

    Wednesday 04/15

    We awoke by 7:30 AM. It was wet out and cloudy. By the time we left to walk to Mirage the weather had improved. We got to the Mirage Cravings buffet line around 9:30. It was a bit of a wait. Breakfast was very good. The omelet chef was the best I've ever seen. He had 5 going and taking an order for the 6th. I was very impressed. I also enjoyed the croissant pudding they served. It was yummy.

    We played at Mirage and lost maybe $20. We then walked over to Harrah's and lost some more $. After that we went back to Venetian and played slots until around 7:30 PM. We were up and down but getting some fun play there. We went up to our room to relax awhile. During our play there I had a raspberry gelato I got at the food court. It was okay. I do like that food court. Later that night I got a Parmasean chicken sandwich with fresh cut fries. Very tasty. It was from San Gennaro. It was enough to split for two people. Hubby was up in the room so I did my best to finish it as he said he wasn't hungry. He wasn't feeling great. And he was losing his dollars. So I stayed in the casino after eating at about 10:30 PM and played until about 2 or 3 AM. I found Star Trek. I created an identity and earned quite a few medals. I have 16 more to earn before I get some tribbles. I think that's what I get anyways. I earned them all at Venetian that night except one. I finished about $50 up for the day.

    I got back to our room. Hubby wakes up and tells me someone from room service woke him up saying we had ordered. He says it was a really nice looking burger and fries. He being sleepy was confused. Wondering if I ordered it to be sent up? Finally the guy say "Mr So&so"..... Oops. Hubby says that's not me so now I know for sure you are mistaken. We checked our bill to be sure we were not charged. There was a refreshment charge for $17 on the bill. The guy had left the ice water and glasses as he said it couldn't be used again. I called the desk the next morning. The charge was for something in the courtesy bar. I said NO......we were careful not to touch that stuff. I didn't even open the fridge door. They had a tray just under the TV. I could have possibly brushed something slightly pushing the TV button manually. She took the charge off immediately. He went back to sleep and I took a hot bath then went to sleep.

    Thursday 04/16

    Today we got up and out of the room around 11 AM. We played at Palazzo until about 4 PM. We then walked over to Wynn and played about 20 points worth. We both play on one account there. We each cashed out about $80 on Indiana Jones slots at Wynn. That was fun! Good thing we got some slot action going. Hubby was ready to walk out. Three times a CW breezes by. As she gets about 15 feet away she calls "cocktails". He was so pissed. I was too. Finally after about the 5th trip by we flagged her over. Really very openly rude service. The worst we had in Vegas this trip. We then walked over to the Encore area and explored a little. What a beautiful place! I didn't have my camera along. I don't think pics I have seen online before really do the beauty of the place enough justice now that I've seen it for myself. Even my hubby liked the layout and atmosphere. He is not crazy about the Wynn casino for some reason. I guess the Wynn and Encore have separate player's clubs. I wanted to play at Encore but the red card was not valid. I did not feel like getting a card there either. On the other hand he loves Caesar's casino and I do not.

    After we toured Encore we walked back to Venetian/Palazzo and crossed the street over to Mirage. We ate the dinner buffet there. It was okay. Not great. Last November we ate there for the first time and I thought it was very good. This time it was just okay. The tastiest thing I enjoyed there was the coconut puffy and chewy pastry on the dessert table. The prime rib was tough to cut and chew and the flavor was so so. Our wait person was very nice and on the ball constantly will refills and clearing dishes. He was a very nice gentleman.

    After we finished at the Mirage we walked back to Venetian to play a bit. I am winning and Hubby continues to lose. We head back to the room to rest and watch SURVIVOR at 8 PM. Then back to the casino to play until about midnight. I now am losing too. We get back to the room and I take a hot soak and unwind with writing some trip notes while hubby hits the pillows. Tomorrow is checkout and we are headed to PH for 4 nights.

    Friday 04/17

    We check out express and hop into a cab to PH. Bell greeted us curbside and took our bags to check. It was around 11 AMish. We decided to head up to the VIP check-in on the Mezz level to see if our host was around and say HI. Lucky us. She was there. We usually miss any face to face connection during our stay. It was really nice to see her and say HI. We got checked in and headed to our room. We had the Michael J Fox room with a strip view. I was very pleased with the room. Most of the time we are able to get a Strip view but the corner by the window is sooo un-fung shway (Yes, I know mis-spelled). I always feel pinned in there and sitting on the stuffed chair is crowded. I don't like those chairs at all. Just give me room to pull the desk chair over or sit on the window seat we had with this room. Thank you for the nicer room this trip. :)

    Our room safe was locked so I called security. He says one room ahead of us .....he'll be here in 15 to 20 minutes. Hubby is antzy and goes down to walk the casino. I stay and wait.........take my time organizing and hanging up clothes. Look out the window. Pace back and forth. It's at least 45 minutes maybe to an hour since I called. I wait another few minutes. I grab my purse and I am outta there. I find him and we hang out in the casino and walk outside to people watch a few times. A little fresh air and sun is nice too.

    About 4:30 we decided to eat Spice Market buffet. I think it really is one of, if not, the best in Vegas. The prime rib was juicy and flavorful. Tender to cut and chew. :) The grilled asparagus and sweet yams were perfect. We also enjoyed the tempura shrimp, boiled shrimp, lobster ravioli, breaded pork chop and other selections. For dessert they do make the crepes to order located at the dessert station. I enjoyed the mini eclairs and cheesecake. Also the chocolate covered strawberries. I always finish a buffet meal with a bit of fresh sliced pineapple and melon. It always settles my tummy after a larger meal like that. Hubby likes to finish with a little soft serve ice cream. But this time he went for the chocolate cream pie. I tested a bite. It was silky smooth and delicious. Not too sweet and not too airy.

    After we ate we walked over to Paris. We walked around and played a few slots. After awhile we left and walked to Bally's. People complain about the smell at Venetian but.... oh my. That wonderful moldy musty smell by the entrance/exit at Bally's is something I could live without.

    We got back to PH and stood out front enjoying the sights and sounds of the autos and people traffic. We watched a few fountain shows too. On our walk back there were two young girls walking in the street along the curb. I heard one say "Taxi. Stop". LOl. I hope a bicycle cop got to them before they got splattered. We went inside after a time and played around the Pleasure Pit table area. Actually that's where I found hubby. At a machine near the dancing girls. LOl. In fact he was at those machines quite often over the 4 days we were there. LOL. We played machines until about 3 AM. I am down. I have gone into tomorrow's $ allotment. I have about $70 to play with on Saturday. We are in bed by 3:30 AM.

    Saturday 04/18

    Today is PEEPSHOW day. We can pick up our tickets between 2 and 8. The show is at 8:30 PM with a red carpet arrival before the show on the Mezzanine. We had our choice of the Miss USA on Sunday or PEEPSHOW on Saturday. I chose PEEPSHOW because I am a fan of GH and Dancing With The Stars. I'm hoping to see some celebrities from those shows come to support their colleges opening night. I hoped wrong. I did not see any. The red carpet arrival was pretty lame. IMO.

    The show started about 40 minutes late. I thought it was a bit too cheesy at first. But then it got really good. It had some great lighting and some of the stunts and effects were first rate. It wasn't too risque. It had enough erotica to keep the men interested and also enough to entertain the ladies. I thought it was tastefully produced and funny in some parts too. I would recommend it to anyone over 18 or 21. I hope the show does well and has great success. It is worth seeing if you get the chance.

    We also get $250 FSP that we will use tomorrow.

    After the PEEPSHOW there is an after party at the pool for opening show night. We have our little wrist bands to put on for that. Hubby and I spend a little time sitting on the Mezz looking out over the casino floor below before we head to the party. We get there and it is open bar. NICE. They have a DJ and lively lights and music going. Lots of great food and beautiful desserts. We stayed, drank, ate and enjoyed the party for about an hour to 90 minutes then left. It would have been lots more fun if we had been there with a group we knew. The one bartender we keep going back to is the same guy who tended for us at the Grand Opening in the concierge room on our floor a few years ago. I remember him because he is such a nice guy. He tells hubby to take 2 beers so he doesn't have to wait in line so much. I'm drinking rum and coke with lime. They are tasting much better than the ones I order on the casino floor. Humm...... figure that one out. LOL.

    Planet Hollywood throws a top notch party! :) I just wish they would start serving frozen strawberry margies on the casino floor again. Now I have to walk across to Bellagio to get my "free" frozen drink. Sheesh!

    We get back to our room about 3:45 AM. I have notes here that I am still awake at 4:20 AM. Sunday we have an invite to a continental breakfast and a promo gift. We don't make it. I have no idea what the gift was.

    Sunday 04/19

    We get up and out of the room about 1 PM. We walk around outside. It's warm and sunny. We people watch out front and play around in the casino too. We play the free slot play through some machines and turn that into $513. WOO HOO. The $500 goes into the take-home kitty for our next trip in November! PH has lots of good music playing inside and out front. We went for the buffet again today. LOL. We don't eat fancy in Vegas. Well....not too often at home either. LOL. At around 7:30 PM we walked across to Bellagio. We toured the conservatory and I enjoyed the wonderful scents of all the spring flowers. Just heavenly if one isn't allergic. We watched a few fountain shows from Bellagio's side of the street and then headed back to PH. We really enjoy simply standing out front by the wall and watching all the Strip commotion. Watching the lights and seeing all the near collisions or cops pulling people aside. I like looking at all the shoe choices ladies and young girls make to go with their outfits to walk down the Vegas Strip. Some do very well but so many I see are struggling with their foot pain..... Been there. Done that.

    We are in the room around 11:30 PM. We are both tired. Before we went to our room I was playing a Zeus II slot. I ordered 2 bottles of water and took them up with me. I have really tried to stay hydrated this trip. If I wake up during the night it's nice to have that water to sip on. I always feel the dryness in Vegas but this trip it seems worse than usual for me. And there was humidity there our first few days after we arrived.

    Monday 04/20

    I left the shade up when I went to bed. Bright and early 7 AM rolls in with the sun. The first thing my eyes land on is the huge yellow City Center building across the way. It startled me so that I woke hubby up. It looked so different at this time of day! Cool really.... that the look changes with the hi-lites and shadows throughout the day. What a montrous wonder that whole project is. I hope they can get it finished before the $$$ run out.

    I went back to sleep until 11:30. Hubby got up before me and bought me a coffee back to the room. He went back down while I got ready for the day. This is our last full day in Vegas. It's been a pleasant week. Not too busy and rushing everywhere but on the go enough for this trip. I get out of the room by 1:30 and catch up with him in the casino. We didn't get hungry until about 8PM and guess where we ate? Yes........the Spice Market buffet. :) This would be the last time this trip before I got tired of it or any other buffet. I do love all the selections of entres and sides one can get there. But I do tend to eat my same old favs. I was disappointed that this trip all 3 times there was no Mexican station open and therefore no guac and chips. We did eat at Earl of Sandwich early on Saturday before the PEEPSHOW. Previous trips it had been very good. After this last sandwich there I would not hurry back. Not very good. I wouldn't not eat there again but not go out of my way to eat there either. They are open 24 hours now which is a plus.

    We spend some time outside watching the strip comings and goings. We are enjoying the lights and the music. We see a number of fountain shows. They are building a walk bridge over the sandy corner on the south side of PH over to CC. Two way traffic is being crammed to only one side of the road. The north bound traffic is over on the south bound side. What a mess with all the construction. Cranes everywhere and guys in hard hats. I remember just a few years ago when they had trucks digging and hauling loads of sandy dirt from there 24/7. It was a big open space. It will be something to look at inside and outside when finished.


    Tuesday 04/21

    This is pack up and fly home day. I call our host to see if we can have a late check out. Our flight leaves at 6:30 PM. I ask and we can have til 4PM. We are leaving about 3:30 for the airport. We do play some slots but take it easy. I decide I want to be distracted at the airport and play a bit. So I need to hold back a few bucks for that.

    We get another nice cabbie and he has no problem getting us there in a jiff. We check in and pay the baggage fees. We ask and get our seats changed. I had a middle seat going home. I get a little uncomfortable in the middle if I need to get up. I hate bugging a stranger if they are deep into a book or sleeping. I feel a bit trapped. So I got an emergency exit seat on the aisle and hubby took the middle giving the other gent the window so he could sit next to me. That was another plus. Those exit seats have lots of room! I never realized it before. And yes.......I took it serious and really studied the instructions. LOL.

    At the airport we grab some Burger King and kill some time eating. Then I go to a quarter WOF machine. One bonus spin for 40 coins. It soon eats it all up. I go to another WOF. Not even a bonus spin there. Hubby knows I like double triple wild cherries. He spots a nickel one. 3 coin (15cents) max bet a spin. I go there and soon have about $70. Yay! I play quite a long time staying above $60. When it goes down to $63 I cash out. I take the TITO to the lady attendant and tip her a buck. I am $2 ahead at the airport! Enough slots for one trip. I go and find hubby and wait to board for our journey home.

    Our plane takes off on time and lands a bit early. We grab our checked bags and head outside. Our oldest is there waiting to pick us up. The grandpuppy is in the back and I get to sit next to the dog. I don't mind at all. I didn't realize I missed the mutt until I saw him and he was so happy to see me. Lots of kisses and he tried to climb in my lap. It took him a few minutes to get over his 'happy to see the treat lady again' mood to settle down next to me for the 40 minute ride home.

    LOL . I get to do this all over again in November. :)

    Thanks for reading if you made it all the way through my week.

    Here a few pics below. Hope you enjoy. :)

    Our room view the first day at Venetian
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    Venitian/Palazzo
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    The Bellagio Conservatory
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    The City Center
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    Views from our PH room
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    On the Strip
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    PEEPSHOW before and after
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    A fun game!

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  2. loser #2

    loser #2 Tourist

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    THANK YOU
    from the bottom of my heart :)
     
  3. nyr2

    nyr2 Tourist

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    wonderful trip report. thanks for posting. :thumbsup:
     
  4. ez369

    ez369 High-Roller

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    The Palazzo still has those items in the bathroom as of Feb. It's been my experience and opinion that the service at Palazzo is a small notch higher than at Venetian.
     
  5. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

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    ez369 said "The Palazzo still has those items in the bathroom as of Feb. It's been my experience and opinion that the service at Palazzo is a small notch higher than at Venetian."

    Last fall we paid for Palazzo. It was deeply discounted from an offer code I obtained at this site. :) This stay at Venetian was an invited comp. So that being the case I thought maybe they took the loofa and flower out of the picture since we were staying "free". Lol.....Nothin's free. V was okay. I do prefer the P now that I have experienced both. I would go back to either for the right price.
     
  6. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I love reading these trip reports more and more as I enter the final countdown. We have a room at the Rio and a comped room at the Venetian (for part of our trip); we were already booked at The Rio when the V offer came in with freeplay, so what the heck...may as well have the room on the strip as well. On our last stay at The V, I had orchids in the bathroom and entryway, so perhaps that is just a "cutback" or an oversight on the part of the maid in replacing them. Our friends never did have the flowers during that same stay, but the empty vases were there, so could be the maid. I didn't realize the receipt from the Bouchon booth at the bottom of the elevators offered a discount at the restaurant either....good to know!!:eek:
     
  7. IWannaBeInVegas

    IWannaBeInVegas VIP Whale

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    I love reading these reports, but seeing photos makes it much better. Makes me realize how much I miss this place having not been there in 4 years.
     
  8. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    Very good Trip report. Thanks for posting.

    later, GVJ
     
  9. timmysmom

    timmysmom Low-Roller

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    Great trip report as well as photos. We stayed at the Venetian last Summer; there were orchids in the bathroom as well as a loofa. The fact they were missing during your stay could be a sign of the times.
     
  10. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

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    YW :) From the bottom of my heart.

    breanna said, "Our friends never did have the flowers during that same stay, but the empty vases were there, so could be the maid. I didn't realize the receipt from the Bouchon booth at the bottom of the elevators offered a discount at the restaurant either....good to know!!"

    So it could just be oversight. Which to me means the staff is not dependable and management is not dong a top rate job.

    I'm glad the tip about the Bouchon receit is helpful. :) I would have liked to breakfast there but we rarely get out of the room in time. And often just we eat one larger meal per day.

    timmysmom said, "Great trip report as well as photos. We stayed at the Venetian last Summer; there were orchids in the bathroom as well as a loofa. The fact they were missing during your stay could be a sign of the times."

    I hope this is the case rather than oversight or incomplete service. I do understand cut backs when needing to improve the bottom line. I'd rather no loofa and flowers than tighter machines and lousy table rules. LOL

    IWannaBeInVegas said, "I love reading these reports, but seeing photos makes it much better. Makes me realize how much I miss this place having not been there in 4 years. "

    Oooh, I sure hope you can get there soon. :)

    Thank you ALL for taking the time to comment. I enjoy reading others reports and seeing pics. So I'm happy to give back a little. :)
     
  11. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

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    Great pics. I think that it's a sign of the times. Casinos will cut back on some of the personal touch items that we took for granted; along with the staff cuts it makes for a trip that's just missing the extra attention to detail and service that we've all come to expect.
     
  12. royski69

    royski69 Low-Roller

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    Your trip report was great! Very easy to read, and included most of the items I am interested in hearing in a report......THANKS!

    Also, the pics were great! I have just one question: you mention that they are building an pedestrian overpass over the strip at City Center, but I didn't see it in any of the pics you had of the strip from your room at PH. What location on the strip is it being built?

    :)
     
  13. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

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    We first noticed the walkway going up on Monday evening. I didn't have my camera and thought I would get some good pics of it from the room the next day. Part of PH totally blocked the walkway from my room so I took these from out front on Tuesday the 21st. I do have pics of CC I took from the room. I'll check again what I put in here and add some from the room if they are not here.
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  14. Blondie76

    Blondie76 Low-Roller

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    I just reread your post. I misunderstood and thought you were asking for other pics of CC from our room too. And I did post those. The walkway starts by that sandy corner on PH's side and angles a bit over as you can see in the pics above.
     
  15. texas_aggie_girl_93

    texas_aggie_girl_93 VIP Whale

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    Great trip report! Thanks for the pics too! Helps feed the jones until I can make it back.
     
  16. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    Very entertaining report and pictures!

    Thanks!
     
  17. zerofan

    zerofan VIP Whale

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    Great report and thank you for sharing.
     
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