1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

April 19-23- Fun times with Mom-a Las Vegas Newbie

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Lorraine, Apr 25, 2010.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6

    My Trip Report

    I received an offer from the Venetian for 4 comped nights that expired at the end of April. I asked my sister and brother in law if they wanted to go early, as we normally do an annual summertime trip, but they couldn’t work it out. I then mentioned the offer to my mom-in-law Sandy and she said “I want to go!†She had never been to Vegas, so I quickly booked the trip and the countdown was on! :thumbsup:

    Monday We had an evening flight out of Kalispell via Allegiant Air. This was my second time flying on Allegiant, and I have to say this time around was much better. Flight was scheduled to leave at 8:05 p.m. Once on board a slight delay, the flight attendant said they were waiting on a paper to be faxed from Vegas. Not sure what that was about? But by 8:25pm, 20 minutes or so later we were on the way. Yippee! Last year’s flight was a totally different story! The flight was several hours late getting into Vegas, first issue was the high wind, then once we all boarded, someone thought setting off firecrackers on an airplane would be a good idea! It was the type you throw on the ground and they make a pop sound. Soon the back of the plane was surrounded by flight attendants and the pilot wanting the culprit to come forward . Well, after three attempts of them trying to persuade the person to come clean, they decided everyone and every bag would need to be removed from the plane and searched extensively. As we were deboarding everyone was upset and saying how we should already be in Vegas. Fortunately, after getting off the plane the culprit made a beeline for the restroom and was caught trying to dispose of the evidence. The authorities had a young man about 16 or 17 in handcuffs and they shouted “we got him and he is going to jail†everyone started clapping, hootin’ and hollerin‘, and we were back on the plane. Finally on our way to Vegas. By the time our flight landed it was almost 1 am. That set the tone for last year’s trip and it ended up not being so great. BUT I am happy to say.. that wasn’t the case this year! Yee-haw!

    We arrived in Vegas about 9:30 p.m. local time. Airport was fairly quiet for that time of the night and we quickly made it over to the baggage carousel. I prefer to cab it to the Venetian than to shuttle, as I can be impatient and don’t like waiting. Off to the cab line we went, no wait! Cab driver was a really nice guy, I told him it was mom’s first time in Vegas and asked him to drive us down the strip to the Venetian. No problem, he was born and raised in Las Vegas and was happy to tell us what he knew about the casinos and shows. He also mentioned that most people he has been coming in contact with have a very negative opinion of City Center. I didn’t plan on going there this trip and after hearing what he had to say knew for sure I wouldn’t bother to. The cab fare was round 17.00 but this guy was awesome so I gave him 25.00 and thanked him for the good service. :thumbsup:

    As we pulled up to the Venetian I told mom, we’re home! My sister and I nicknamed the Venetian “home†a couple years back.. we always stay at the Venetian and really enjoy it. The check in line was a tad slow. There were maybe 5 people ahead of us and 20 mins or so later we had room keys in hand. I do want to mention there seemed to be more bellhops/doormen. As soon as the cab stopped they were welcoming us, opening the door and getting our luggage out. I didn’t see that last year, as I had in previous years. It was nice to have them back. Since neither of us had eaten dinner before leaving, the plan was to drop the bags off in the room and head back down to eat. Mom thought the room was fabulous, I had a free view upgrade, and we ended up with room 25-207, it faced part of the Mirage and Treasure Island and we could see the pools below. Now that the Palazzo is there you can’t see the north end of the strip, nonetheless still a neat view, especially at night with all the lights. We headed back down and decided on the Grand Lux, service was good, food was great. I had the chicken madera (sp), mom had some rib sandwich, can’t recall the name of it, but she thought it was good and was impressed with the food. I have eaten many, many times at Grand Lux and have never had a bad meal, definitely a good stand by.

    I tend to drink a lot of water in Vegas so after dinner we headed over to the Walgreens. Took mom through the Palazzo, it was really cool to see her excited and just in awe of Vegas. She keep saying I had no idea it looked like this. We got our water and decided to take the sidewalk route back. I looked down and saw change on the ground. Ended up finding 13 cents just outside of Walgreens and told mom it was going to be my good luck charm. I told her I was going to keep the 13 cents in my pocket the whole trip. :woot:

    We got back into the Venetian and came upon the Grazie Players Club and was surprised to see they were still open. I had some free slot play for my card and we decided to get mom a card. The lady explained that mom would get 25.00 for joining and I would get and additional 25.00 just for referring her. Mom then proceeds to pull 25.00 dollars out of her wallet, thinking she had to pay for the card. I quickly explained no, they are giving you free money LOL “Oh†she said and we both had a good laugh. I make it a point to not gamble on my first day in Vegas. ... I always lose so I usually gamble when I am “feeling the vibeâ€..LOL Headed back to the room and called down for two robes, they were quickly brought up and it was off to dream land.
     
  2. GottaLuvCruising

    GottaLuvCruising High-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 18, 2005
    Messages:
    717
    Location:
    Orlando FL & Vassalboro ME
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11
    I hope the 13 cents brought you both good luck! Looking forward to the rest of the story...

    Had the pleasure of taking my mom to Las Vegas a few years ago and made memories that will last a lifetime. Wish I could do the same with my MIL and hope it was a terrific experience for you.
     
  3. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    Tuesday I woke up about 7 am local time and mom was still sleeping. She had worked all day Monday and had been up since 5:30 am so I wanted to let her sleep. I usually have a room to myself so turning the TV on isn’t usually a problem, but I didn’t want to disturb her and decided to hang out in the bathroom! LOL So I watched a bit of TV and got ready for the day. By the time I was out mom was up. I ironed clothes for both of us while she got ready, threw my 13 cents in my pocket and we headed out in search of breakfast. We took a quick stroll through the Canal Shoppes so mom could see the gondola rides and living statues. Did a little window shopping then decided to hit up the Grand Lux Palazzo for breakfast. My first time there and the food was just as good as the Venetian, looked like the same exact menu to me.

    By this time it was about 11:00 and we decided to use some of the free slot play at the Venetian. Mom had never gambled before so I had to educate her. We finally found some machines that you could use the free play on. She put her card in the machine and played about 8.00 of her 25.00 , then she decided that she didn’t like the machine and was going to move to the one next to it.. She hit cash out before telling me and the next thing you know her receipt printed out 2.50. I didn’t get a chance to tell her NO!:nono: You have to use it all on the same machine. Oh well.. she was disappointed to learn she has lost about 15.00. I just had to chuckle and remind her that she didn’t lose anything yet.. That was free money.

    Not really having an agenda for the day we decided to head out and walk the strip. Took a few pictures of mom with “Johnny Depp†& “Whoopie Goldberg†wax versions of course. Next we hit Casino Royale. They have done some remodeling since last year. My favorite game to play is Roulette, the tables used to be right in the front, now they are near the back. They added another set of tables as well, so now there are 4 tables and two wheels. They also moved the restrooms and added some eating areas. Before we play, I give Mom her first roulette lesson. We watch a bit then she says she is ready to play. I ask her how many chips she wanted to start with, she asked “what’s the minimum I have to play?†I say 4.00, so she proceeds to take out 4 one dollar bills, I say mom you need to start with at least 20.00. LOL She is a real low roller and I explain you can‘t win if you don‘t play. .So, she puts her 20 down and I lay down 50 and we play. A few times I had to remind her to not touch her chips before the dealer removes the marker but she was slowly catching on. This morning when she woke up she told me she had dreamt about numbers 3,5 & 8. So she played those numbers. Before you know it she wins 17 dollars and she starts whispering to me.. “Should I cash out“ .LOL I say no.. Keep playing. We stayed and played there about an hour and every time she would win a little bit she would whisper to me “should I cash out†or “ I think I should cash out†I was getting such a kick out of her it didn’t matter if I was winning or losing, we were having such a good time. I would just laugh and shake my head and say no mom you are doing fine just keep playing. I told her if she got to 40 I would let her cash out.. Have to start slow with her and work her way up, so she ended up cashing out ahead 60. She was so happy.. It was like she had won thousands! I ended up breaking even.

    Harrah’s was next we walked around the casino a bit and then continued on down the strip. We stopped at the Flamingo and picked up our tickets to Donny & Marie. Then walked to Bally’s and got our Price is Right Tickets. Prior to our trip I typed up a list of free things to do and one of them was to see Big Elvis at Bill’s Gamblin Hall, we headed over and it was about 1:45. Our feet were tired so we decided we would just sit and wait for the 3:00 show to start. We sat next to a couple from New Jersey. They said they have been coming to see Big Elvis for at least 6 years and were part of his fan club. They also let us know he had lost about half of his body weight going from close to 900lbs to around 450lb. I can’t imagine how difficult that must have been for him. She said he used to sing with the oxygen attached. As the show time neared we couldn’t believe how fast the tables were filling up, before you knew it they were all taken and people were standing. We were glad that we decided to sit and wait it out. Big Elvis came out in his black jumper and pink scarf around his neck. I don’t think he looked anything like Elvis but he sure sounded a lot like him. The New Jersey couple also told us before the show, it’s rumored that Big Elvis is the illegitimate son of Elvis Presley:eek: hmmm not so sure I believe that lol. For most of the show he performed sitting down in this huge chair and from time to time would get up and walk around. Being that large I can understand having to sit a lot. I have a few more pounds on me then I did last year and I know my feet hurt more this time walking the strip. The show was good for the most part, they acknowledged a few women in the audience who were having birthday’s . One lady was 91 years young. God bless her! He signed a picture for her, put his pink scarf around her neck and gave her a kiss. She was so thrilled. The only part of the show I really didn’t care for was when his helper/friend/manager who ever he was, sang two songs. In my opinion, he wasn’t nearly as good as Big Elvis and it really took away from the show. It would also have been nice for him to have had a real band instead of tracks but.... for FREE.. You really can’t complain!

    We walked back to the Venetian and grabbed dinner at Grand Lux.. I told mom.. I definitely wanted to try some different restaurants this trip so we would have to eat someplace else for dinner the next couple of nights. Nevertheless, the food was yummy. I don’t mind eating at Grand Lux.. It’s just that I tend to eat there a lot when I go to Vegas and wanted to mix it up this trip.

    After dinner I pull out my list of other freebie’s and see that there is a dueling piano show around 9 pm. at Harrah’s. It’s a bit after 6 and so we decide to head over, figure we will locate the piano bar and do a little gambling until it starts. We find the bar and see they have karaoke going on. We decide to watch for a bit, the people singing were really good and entertaining so we decide to sit down and watch a minute. As soon as we sit down, not even sure if we are going to stay, we encounter our first Rude Person of the trip. The waitress walks over and lays down two napkins and asked what we would like to drink. I look at mom and she looks at me and we are both thinking do we want a drink, are we going to stay? Before we can even mutter a word, the waitress grabs the napkins, slaps them back on her tray and says there is a one drink minimum per person I’ll let you decide if you want to stay or not and stomps off. This all took place in a matter of seconds. Mom and I are sitting there in shock and start to laugh. The show seems to be pretty entertaining so we decide to stay for a bit, miss rude comes back and we order a diet coke for me and a rum -n- diet for mom. I told her to go ahead and drink I would be her designated walker lol. We get our drinks and I tip 3.00, when people are rude to me I always like to kill them with kindness, she was all smiles after that and left us alone.

    We watch for a bit then mom says “ you should get up there and sing, I know you can sing†Just a little background my husband and I have been together about 17 years but I have only seen my mother- in- law in person maybe 10 times. We lived in different states up until the last year so I really haven’t had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with her. I used to sing alot and she never heard me sing, she kept pressuring me, wink wink :eek: Twisting my arm lol to get up and sing Okay,okay Mom.. I guess I can for you! I will admit I like to sing but hadn’t done karaoke in maybe 6 or 7 years. My name is called and I get up and sing a Linda Rondstadt song. I finish and people are actually clapping, hootin’ and hollerin’; wow thanks! Random people are coming up to me to say how good they thought I was. That was very cool and a confidence booster! Maybe I still have it..LOL :thumbsup:

    We ended up staying at Harrah’s until about 10 then made our way back “homeâ€. We grabbed a sugar free gelato for mom and a slice of cheesecake for me, after all that walking we deserved it :licklips: up to the room for the rest of night.

    Still to come.. Price is Right, Mom’s love affair with Rapid Roulette, Toby’s Food & Donnie & Marie!
     
  4. Greensideup

    Greensideup Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 17, 2009
    Messages:
    105
    Location:
    Carrollton, Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    Really enjoying your report.
    Always wondered how they handled things in Harrahs piano bar. Now I know.
    I've always watched from outside. Waiting to read more.
     
  5. Rick1323

    Rick1323 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 16, 2009
    Messages:
    307
    Location:
    Upstate NY
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    200
    Great start! Can't wait for the rest.
     
  6. hammer88814

    hammer88814 Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2009
    Messages:
    73
    Location:
    N.C.
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    5
    Sounds fun so far. Need more! :thumbsup:
     
  7. DeDe

    DeDe Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 25, 2004
    Messages:
    12
    Location:
    Bay City, Texas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7
    can't wait for more!
     
  8. zerofan

    zerofan VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2009
    Messages:
    2,241
    Location:
    New York
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    22
    Great job so far. I will keep an eye out for the remainder..... :peace:
     
  9. serenasea

    serenasea Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2009
    Messages:
    357
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    54
    This is a great trip report -- I'm looking forward to the next installment. It sounds like you have a great relationship with your mother-in-law -- I could never have traveled with mine!
     
  10. denluvslv

    denluvslv Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 12, 2009
    Messages:
    389
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    8
    Great trip report so far. I am looking forward to reading more.
     
  11. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    Wednesday-Woke up about the same time as yesterday. Mom was still sleeping so I did my usual bathroom hang out routine until she woke up. I really enjoyed this quiet time to myself in the mornings. When I do Vegas with my sister/brother-in-law (even though we have separate rooms) there are still moments when we just need a break from each other. I figure they might want to spend some time together alone, so will usually offer to go gamble or catch a meal without them. But I couldn’t do that this trip, leaving mom alone would not be good, she doesn’t have a good sense of direction lol She was getting confused just coming out of the bathroom. Several times she would ask where are we now or what casino are we in..lol:evillaugh Don’t get me wrong I was not tiring of her company, that wasn’t the case at all.. I am just the type of person that needs quiet time and a break from talking in the morning, until I have my coffee of course! :cheers: I asked Mom if she wanted to do room service today (before our trip I told her we were going to have room service at least once) we choose not to this morning, so along with my lucky 13 we headed downstairs to Ole Faithful aka Grand Lux. I guess I can be a creature of habit, but I really do enjoy their omelets and sitting on the “patio area“ people watching as we eat. This morning it was very busy, there was a big Microsoft convention at the Sands Expo.(at least that is where I think it was, most of the Microsoft people were walking to and from that direction)

    The original plan for today was to hang out at the pool in the morning, go to Price is Right, then head downtown for the rest of the day. Well, at least we did 1 of the 3! The weather wasn’t our friend today, so we didn’t get to use the pools this trip. Today the temperature dropped about 20 degrees and the winds were unbelievable! I of course forgot to bring a light jacket. I actually forgot a few things they day we left because as I was finishing packing, mom arrived at our house flustered and announced that she couldn’t find her drivers license. :eek: With only 30 mins to get over to the airport, I was stressing about her not having ID to travel and didn’t finish the rest of my to do’s before heading out. My hubby did find her license back at her place and was able to get it to the airport in time for boarding. So it turned out okay, except today I was freezing my rear off. I can handle the cold normally but these winds chilled you to the bone. We decided that we would do the monorail down to Bally’s to register for the Price is Right Show. We make our way through Harrah’s over to the monorail station. I know where we have to go but I am unsure if it’s northbound or southbound.. I never really paid attention before.. My brother-in-law is always the navigator for my sis and I...we normally just tell him where we want to go and follow, he gets us there..but this trip it was all on me. I tell mom I think it’s north.. WRONG.. Oh well. It was cold out so at least we weren’t standing on the platform. We ended up going all the way down to the Sahara then back to Bally’s.

    We finally make it to Bally’s and it’s about 11:25, registration starts 3 hrs prior to the 2:30 show so I figure we'll go ahead and get it out of the way. I want to mention that before booking these tickets I tried searching the net for reviews and found very little. So I am going to make a point to be really detailed(as much as memory can allow) for those Price is Right lovers! We walk up to the Jubilee theatre and there is already a huge line.. Ugh! I guess everyone had the same idea. In order to have an opportunity to win prizes you must register. If you are under 21 or if you don’t want to have an opportunity to play then you don’t have to register. But we wanted to play so to the back of the line we went. It took about 35 mins and we finally make it to the front. You show your ticket and then they write your name on the Price is Right name tag.. Then you walk over to a backdrop where you are told to stand on the X hold your name tag in front of you and smile. They take your picture.. I am thinking great more money making schemes but I was wrong..they show you the picture on the screen and give you a ticket with a number on it. You go online and enter the code and you receive a free picture.. It’s the one you just took except the back drop is the Price is Right Big Wheel, so it looks like you are standing right next to it. If I had known this is what we were doing.. Mom and I would of gotten separate pictures.

    So registration is over and we have about 2.5 hours until the show. We decide to take a stroll through Paris, mom really liked the decor... She said she has always wanted to go to Europe to see what it looks like but after this trip she feels like she has gone to Venice and Paris so she is all set. We get through Paris and I ask mom if she wants to go see NYNY. She says sure.. Now if I had my thinking cap on.. I would have suggested we get back on the monorail and go down to MGM and cut across.. Instead we venture outside in the cold and sidewalk it down to NYNY which looked alot closer than it really is. .ugh.. I also want to note that there seem to be alot more seedy characters hanging out between Paris and NYNY then anywhere else we had been on the strip. On a good note.. the P Slappers were not out in full force...did not see many this trip. We finally make it to NYNY and I tell mom about the roller coaster and we wait but it’s not going. Not sure if there just wasn’t anyone riding or if it was broke, but she didn’t get to see it. As we are about to leave I remember that we can do the walk over to MGM and take the monorail back to Bally’s so that is what we did.

    It’s time for the show so we head over to the Jubilee theatre and find our seats. Section C Row B Seats 12 & 13. I had no idea if these seats were going to be good or not, but surprisingly they were almost center and pretty darn close to the stage. While everyone is waiting for the show to start, they have Price is Right trivia questions on the two big screens. It was cool to see how much things cost 20 years ago! The show finally starts about 10 mins late. The announcer comes out, don’t remember his name TJ or DJ something or other I guess he’s famous in CA. He welcomes the crowd and proceeds to tell us the rules. He explains that we are to help the contestants by yelling out prices and ooh-ing and aaah-ing about the prizes. He makes the entire audience practice, then introduces the guy who will be playing Bob Barker. It’s the guy who used to do Supermarket Sweep except that he is old now, white hair and could be Bob. I have a hard time understanding what he is saying.. sounds like he is about to lose his false teeth.. Mom agrees and we have a chuckle.. after some more chit chat from "Bob".. I am like enough talking let’s get this show on the road. Here we go .. T/D J calls out four names (during our instructions we were advised that the computer chooses the players randomly and that is why we had to register earlier) the four people run down and stand at the podiums. The first item comes out for bid.. It’s a cheapo charcoal style bbq grill..walmart maybe.. I scream out 99.00.. Trying to help them out but they didn‘t listen..lol.. All four overbid. I don’t remember what the exact price was but a lady made it up on stage. The other three are losers, the producer hands them each a white price is right t-shirt and they must go back and sulk in their seats,one shot and done! “Bob†starts talking to lady who made it up, asking her where she is from, etc.. going on and on and on.. now I am thinking what the heck.. Let’s get this show on the road.. I thought it was just me being impatient but then I looked at Mom and she had the same look. Anyway..finally the curtain opens and the lady gets to play the race game woo hoo:nworthy: her 4 possible prizes are a non- motorized gazelle type gym equipment, leather chair, rockband system, and a swing. She ends up winning two prizes. Before they call up four more people.. We are told that in between the four people coming up 5 additional people will be called out, but stay in your seat, and after the show come up to receive your special prize. So they call out 5 names and then a picture comes up on the big screen showing they each have won 1000 reward points. I don’t know if that is alot or not? I don’t have a Bally’s players card. Four more people go up to bid, don’t remember the prize for bid but they were all super cheapo things.. I think the most expensive item up for bid was 160.00(massage mat). They play hole-in-one, and the guess the right price game (don’t remember the name) then it’s time to spin the big wheel. They call three more people up to the stage for that. If you end up with the highest total you win 250.00 the other two get a t-shirt. If you get 1.00 in one spin or combination of two spins...you get 500.00. The first guy spins and gets 95 and he ends up winning. “Bob†hands him 250.00 and he is walking off stage.. The producer comes up and whispers and takes the cash out of his hand.. I guess he gets it later...maybe the money is fake..not sure. After the Big Wheel Spin they do two more games, one is Plinko and this older lady makes it up. She has been married for almost 51 years.. God bless her! She has a chance to win 2500.00. She ends up winning 500 and once again when she leaves the stage, the producer takes the cash. Time for the showcase showdown.. They call two more people for that. There is only one showcase to bid on. It included a four day cruise and a new car. I can’t for the life of me remember where the cruise was or what the make of the car was but it was a little white car. “Bob†tells the showcase contestants that the person who comes closest without over bidding wins the cruise.. Then in a very soft and quick voice says.. And if you come within 100 of the price of the showcase you win the rest of the prizes.. I asked mom.. Did you hear what he said.. She said No, so I told her.. She said oh my.. She couldn’t believe how sneaky it was. Anyway... The girl bid 14900 something and the guy 19000 something.. Actually price of showcase.. 14400 something.. oooh so close, she almost had it! They both overbid and walked away with a t-shirt. TD/J called out 2 more names and this time each person won 2500 in reward points.

    So to recap.. they only play 5 actual games, 1 Big wheel spin, 1 Showcase. 25 people win 1000 reward points, 2 people win 2500 reward points, and all the losers get the white T-Shirt. I think they spend more time chit chatting than actually playing the games. Would I pay to see this show again... HECK NO! The theatre was packed the day we went, they are making a load of money on the tickets, you would think they would give away better prizes. Would I go if I had free tickets? Yup. :Þ

    After we left the show, Mom asked what we were going to do now.. I said I thought I would take you to see downtown.. She said "Didn’t we already go there today?" She thought Paris & NYNY was downtown, see why I can't leave her alone lol :eek:

    We were both getting hungry so we decided to head over to Toby Keith’s I love this bar. I have had a drink in there before and listened to the band, but I have never tried their food. The New Jersey couple from the Big Elvis show mentioned that the food was good here so we decided to give it a try. I am glad we did. The service was great and the food was awesome. Huge portions! Mom had ribs/wings and I had a Reuben. Neither of us could finish our meal. I love that the drinks come in big mason jars! While we were eating..these siren noises start going off and I realize they are doing shots.. So mom and I watched while the bartenders poured alcohol straight down these brave women’s throats. Just so you know Mom is mid sixties...sassy and young at heart she got a big kick out of it, she keep saying "she said she had never heard of doing such a thing" We finished up dinner and were going to head over to the Venetian to use up my slot play. On the way out.. Mom decided it would be fun to stop back in the Dueling Pianos Bar for a little more karaoke. So that is what we did. Made it back to Venetian about 9:30 played video poker until my 50.00 free play was zero.. Grabbed another sugar free gelato for mom and called it a night.

    Btw.. somewhere in between registration and the show starting .. mom played roulette.. she was feeling the vibe..and won 100 and cashed out! I played for a bit but lost about 50 and quit.

    Tomorrow Rapid Roulette, Donnie & Marie and my big win! :peace:
     
  12. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    GottaLuvCruising-I agree I have memories that will last a lifetime we had such a good time together! :wave:

    denluvslv,serenasea, zerofan, DeDe, hammer88814, Rick1323, Greensideup- thanks for the kind words, I am glad you are enjoying my report.. it's my first one! More to come! :wave:
     
  13. jmn3

    jmn3 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2009
    Messages:
    275
    Location:
    Pittsburgh, PA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    This is a great report! Very detailed without going overboard!! Glad you confirmed what I long suspected about the Price is Right show. I've wanted to do it but always felt it would be a letdown if paying for it.
     
  14. OleoOleo

    OleoOleo Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2009
    Messages:
    183
    Location:
    Jupiter, FL
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    33
    Lorraine--Thanks! Great so far!

    JMN3---It's a whole different experience if you are called to "come on down". I was and I was able to go onstage and play Plinko. I won $350 and a Garmin personal GPS thingee for when I go running.

     
  15. abbbygirl

    abbbygirl Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 10, 2010
    Messages:
    58
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    0
    The Price is Right may have ‘confiscated the prize money’ to either give the recipients the ‘feel’ of winning cash, but give them a check or possibly to account for the taxes. That’s what happens on Cash Cab. They count the cash in your hand and then after you exit the cab, the producer grabs the cash, makes you fill out the form and you get a check mailed to your home several weeks later.

    Love your recap and can’t wait for the next installment!

    Madison : )
     
  16. texas_aggie_girl_93

    texas_aggie_girl_93 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2006
    Messages:
    2,251
    Location:
    Katy, TX
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    39
    Awesome TR! Thanks for posting. Can't wait to read about the big win! Wooohooo!
     
  17. Liondownnow

    Liondownnow Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 12, 2009
    Messages:
    381
    Location:
    Las Vegas
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    999
    Awesome report so far..really enjoying it.
     
  18. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    That may be exactly what they were doing.. I didn't know that is how cash cab worked!
     
  19. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    Thursday- our last full day in Vegas.:cry: Woke up and told Mom we were getting room service today. She agreed, she looked exhausted, we were both worn out from all that walking yesterday. They said it would be about 30 minutes. So I got in the shower and before I was ready there was a knock at the door “room service“ wow that was quick, only took about 20 minutes. So we ate at the table while enjoying the mountain and strip views. There were a lot of helicopters flying today. I told Mom they do tours of the strip and even the Grand Canyon, she said that she would love to do that. I have a fear of helicopters so wouldn’t be doing it, told Mom I would get her a ride if she wanted to . Since it was our last day she decided she would wait until next trip. So that will definitely be on the agenda for her next time.

    Waited for Mom to get ready and then we were off. I almost forgot to put my 13 in my pocket but remembered at the last minute. We decided to go hang out at Harrah’s for a bit this morning. Mom had seen the Rapid Roulette tables at the Venetian but they usually don’t open them until the evening. I couldn’t remember if Harrah’s had Rapid Roulette or not, so we went to check it out. Got there and they didn’t. So we ended up playing regular roulette. Only one 5.00 min table open . Right from the start I was winning There was a drunk guy next to me who had a boat load of chips and seemed to be winning every spin. He started playing loosely putting lots of stacks of chips on different numbers. He must have put 15 chips straight up on number 23. Spin.. Number 25 ugh.. So close for him. I thought to myself wouldn’t it be funny if 23 came up this spin. So I threw one chip on 23. Sure enough..the dealer spins and the ball lands on 23! He was so bumped I felt bad for him. I started this pattern of playing my normal numbers but then I would play a couple of the numbers that he had just played but lost on . I won at least a handful of times on his losing numbers. Woo hoo.. Mom was wining too.. I ended up cashing out at about 270 (I put 100 in to start so that was a win of 170) and Mom won about 45. Mom asked if I had ever tried Keno. I hadn’t, my only experience of Keno was when Clark Griswold won a bunch in Vegas Vacation. We found Keno and decided to give it a try. We didn’t know what the heck we were doing. Mom ended up playing 4 dollars and I tried 10. After 3 games.. I won zero and Mom won 6 that was a profit of 2. We both decided that it wasn’t much fun. Decided to head over to Casino Royale.. Mom wanted to learn blackjack.. Tables were busy and I found a seat at the end. Played for awhile, mom thought that it went to fast and that she wouldn’t be able to catch on. So we played Roulette again. We both played for about an hour losing what we put in by the end. Mom about 25 and me a 100. I want to mention that at one point there had been 15 spins of only black numbers.:confused2: I had never seen that before ! A Mom was now becoming the Marker Police there was a young guy who was obviously buzzed who kept trying to grab his chips and Mom would say.. “no no..not until the dealer moves the marker†ha ha..I love it.. That was her just a day or so ago! I am creating a monster..LOL

    The show started at 7:30 so we decided to cab it over to the Flamingo- hang out for awhile, find dinner and then go to the show. We caught a cab at the Venetian. My first woman cab driver in Vegas Yee haw! I told her we needed to go to the Flamingo and asked if she hated having fares that only wanted to go just a few casinos away. She said not really, they get that all the time. The only thing she hated was waiting for 30 mins-1 hr in the cab line for a fare and them going next door and not tipping. I never knew the drivers waited that long for a fare. She then said they only make about 20 percent of the actual fare amount. Most of their money comes from tips. I am not sure if that is true or not. The fare ended up being around 7 and change, I gave her a 20 and told her that I hoped she didn’t have to wait in line too long the next time. She seems so shocked and thanked me twice.

    Mom and I head into the Flamingo and I can see that Mom has the gambling twinkle in her eye. Throughout our entire trip I made it a point to always ask Mom what she wanted to do, Having not spent a whole lot of time together I wasn’t even sure if she was going to like to gamble, lucky for me we ended up liking to do the same things. So I ask Mom what she wants to do and she says “ we can go play if you want†okay you don’t have to tell me twice. So we look around the Flamingo to see if they have Rapid Roulette, they do and the table is open. Minimum bid is 3.00 but you can bet as low as 50 cents a chip. That is right up Mom’s alley. We start to play and realize we are picking our numbers too slow and end up not betting the first time around. My number 8 came up too.. I was bummed..LOL .. Anyway we got the hang of it and started using the recall button. I told Mom that people have told me the way the dealer spins has nothing to do with the numbers that come up ..but I am not so sure.. I watch the board and usually see a pattern to the numbers and so I play the numbers that keep coming up along with my normal favs. Mom follows my pattern and we are both winning. Not that much as we are only betting .50 a chip:Þ I figure the lower I bet the longer we can hang out and play. Mom is getting really excited she is winning on almost every spin and starts getting vocal “ come on zero/double zero“ lol We must have sat there for an hour and a half.. Laughing, winning and having a good time. Mom kept telling me I love this game. We are both getting hungry it is around 5 so we decide to cash out and find some food. Mom cashed out about 50 ahead and 75 or so for me. We decide to keep our chips and play again later.

    I haven’t spent much time in the Flamingo so I wasn’t sure where to take her for dinner. We walked for a bit then I saw a sign for Margaritaville, sounded good to Mom and me both, so off we went. Near the gift shop by the restaurant they had a bunch of parrots. Mom wanted to stop and see them. She likes birds and has a cockatiel(sp) at home. They asked her if she wanted to hold them, she was so excited and they took her picture. They decide the picture they took didn’t turn out well, so they let her hold them again, she loved it. It was so great to see her smiling. She has been through a few rough patches over the last couple years and hasn’t had a vacation is many years. So seeing her having so much fun and smiling,brought a bit of a tear to my eye. It made my day knowing that she was really enjoying herself.

    We make our way to the front and are told it’s about a 15-20 minute wait. Not bad, time went by fast and soon enough our thingy was lighting up and we head to the table. I really liked the look of Margaritaville, only issue was it was FREEZING! I don‘t do well when it‘s cold and I'm eating. I toughed it out though. We ordered a crab dip of some kind, I had fajitas and Mom got the fish tacos. Huge portions, I only ate about half of my dinner.. It was just too much.. Mom enjoyed her meal as well. Throughout dinner Mom kept telling me that she loves to play Rapid Roulette and how it’s her favorite game. I am like I know Mom... I know Mom..:D.LOL A lot of people were ordering the nacho appetizer, that thing is Huge! so be prepared if you order it.

    We take our time walking back and I stop off and get mom a Perrier water. This whole trip I kept trying to get her to drink water. She said she wouldn’t drink the bottle water that is free because it’s recycled sewer water:eek:.. Ha Ha. I hope not. There is a line already for the show so we decide to go ahead and get in early. It was about 7. I had never been in the Flamingo Showroom theatre and wasn’t sure if we had good seats or not. Too be honest I bought the cheapest ones I could find. We ended up with Section B rear, booth 31 Seats 6 & 7. We find our booth and there is one other couple already seated. We were all hoping it would end up being just us 4 as seating would be tight if three more showed up..but as luck would have it.. Three more ladies showed up, right in the middle.

    I was not digging the seating arrangement. If you happen to get the seats in the middle of the booth then you are in good shape. The ends are a different story, you end up watching the show with a turned neck and it was sore after the show. I tried to turn my body as much as I could but we were so close together I didn’t have much room to move around, just so you get the idea of how close we were, I was able to count the number of freckles on the lady’s face next to me :eek:Ugh The seating in the theatre is either tables or booths.. I also think the tables are a bad seating choice, someone is going to be watching the show with their body turned away from the stage. The VIP seating was probably better.

    Before the show started they had trivia about Donnie & Marie on the big screens. When I was younger I remember watching the variety show and enjoyed some of Marie’s music over the years. I didn’t really know much about Donnie. But soon learned that he has quite a following. All these older ladies...older than me at least :D, were shouting for him. This one lady started to tell me about how she had his picture from Teen Beat Magazine.. wow lady... that is hardcore..LOL :evillaugh

    Lights go down and the show is about to start, great opening number..they come out with a bang, great energy, look great and sound great live. I was impressed. They sang a couple of songs and interacted with the audience closet to the stage shaking hands, etc. Then they parted and Marie came out alone. She talked for a bit then asked the camera man to pan in on a few different men from audience. I also have to mention there were cameras that followed them around on stage so you could see the entire show live up on the screens as well. Which helped those people that had to watch turned away from the stage.. I saw a lot of people just watching the screens instead of the stage. Not me though.. crooked neck and all, I was watching the stage.

    Marie has a great sense of humor.. She ended up picking on a older guy in the audience, who she said had a great smile. Larry was his name and she asked him to come up to meet her. She finally got him to oblige and come up on stage. She was flirting with him and playing on the fact that he was nervous...she asked him if he was having good time. And he said he was. She was really messing with him getting real close to him and flirting and he was making all these noises and saying his wife and his wife’s sister were in the audience. She then said.. Watch this.. .. This always get them. “Larry I have eight kidsâ€.. he came right back with “I have eleven†:eek: the crowd started laughing.. Even Marie was surprise, he was giving it right back. She then takes it up another notch and pulls him real close and puts his arms around her waist. Now he starts “ooohing & ahhhing†:eek: lol Then Marie says to one of the other guys in the audience (that she was talking to earlier) “See Chuck.. This could of been you†ha ha.. You know he was kicking himself now. Marie then tells Larry, whatever I say, you have to repeat it. He does and then Marie says, whatever I sing, you sing. He is reluctant and says “I can’t sing“ Marie then informs him “If you want your wife and her sister to have a meet n greet with Donnie & I, you better start singingâ€... lol So off her goes singing Patsy Cline’s crazy, everytime he would move his hands from her waist she would put them back:D Then she makes him get on one knee facing his wife and he sings to his wife. It was awesome.. he was a great choice. He also tells Marie they only came to the show to see her..lol

    Marie then does a number of songs and costume changes. She tells the audience she is doing an a new genre of music for her next album, it’s opera. She talks briefly about her son’s death and her faith. She then sings a beautiful operatic song.. I am not sure if this was a recording or live.. if it was live it was flawless!

    After this song.. Donnie came out to the screams of women..LOL He picks Larry out and says .. “:Larry I heard you back stage.. So you only came to see Marie huh?†:nono: LOL he ended up picking on Larry throughout the show, too funny! So Donnie sang a few of his famous songs, none that I was familier with, then performs a song that was a huge hit for him and his brothers, again on this song I am not sure if it was live, as at one point his lips weren’t moving but someone was still singing..lol either way great energy, great dance and great voice when he was singing.

    When he was done performing Marie came back out and they performed together, they had a dancing competition, sat in the front of the stage-talking & cracking jokes, very similar to the rapport on the variety show. Before we knew it the show was over :( and Mom and I both were saying wow ...what a fantastic show I would definitely pay to see this show again, I may even splurge to have a better seat. After the show I had a call from my husband so I was talking and walking and I thought Mom was ready to go so I started walking toward the taxi’s.. I stopped to finish up my call. Then tell Mom okay you ready.. She is like “we are leaving?â€:eek: “I thought we were going to play some more Rapid Roulette!†Oh you want to stay, sure Mom we can play.. LOL uh oh what have I done :grrr: LOL She has come so far from her “Should I cash out now†days..lol. I am not sure if anyone else ends up with catch phrases from your Vegas trips but the two funniest ones we came home with were.. “should I cash out?†and “I’m getting low†every time Mom would lose a dollar or two she would say “I’m getting lowâ€.. I would say no no you are fine, just keep playing..lol We ended up playing Rapid Roulette for many hours on thursday. That is the only thing Mom wanted to do! :D

    So we played Rapid Roulette at the Flamingo until about 11 didn’t win as much as earlier but still had fun. We ended up sitting apart so we didn’t have as much interaction... Took away from the fun I think.. We were both still up for the trip at this point though.. Mom and I both were up about a 150.00. Prior to this trip I hadn't spent much time in the Flamingo.. I like it alot.. I will be sure to gamble there again.. it's not as dark as some of the others on the strip.

    We taxi it back to the Venetian and call it a night
     
  20. Lorraine

    Lorraine Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jun 25, 2007
    Messages:
    227
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    6
    Friday- our last day in Vegas :cry: we both sleep in and decide it’s another room service morning. So I call it in and they say 45 mins. You can certainly tell it’s busier in the casinos beginning on Thursdays. Mon, Tue & Wed were really mellow. No problem we were in no rush. We had to be at the airport around 2:30 so the plan was to pack up and drop the luggage off downstairs, do a little shopping (can’t go to Vegas and not bring home any gifts) maybe some gambling then head to the airport.

    Breakfast in the room was another great meal. We got ready and packed up and dropped the bags off. Took a stroll through the Canal Shoppes and the little gift store across from TAO. We decided to take a stroll over to Casino Royale..played a bit of Roulette.. Mom decided she wasn’t feeling it.. I think she just missed the Rapid Roulette :Þ so we ended up walking back to the Venetian and tried looking for the 25 cent Wheel of Fortune Machines. Last year they were on the back wall..but I couldn’t find them. Mom finds video poker so we sit down and play for awhile. I had originally put in a 20 and my credits were 52. Somehow I hit something wrong and my bet for my next hand was showing up as 52 credits huh I don't want to bet that much :eek I tried to get it to go back to the 3 (.75) I was playing each hand but for the life of me I couldn’t make it go back. Mom was telling me to call an attendant..but I would be way to embarrassed to do that lol so I just played the hand....and bust. Ugh.. I ask Mom if it’s okay if I leave her at video poker while I go play a few hands at the 10 min Roulette Table. She says sure but come back and find me...lol I go over and give them my players card. During this time the dealer and a couple of other guys ( pit boss maybe) are talking about one of the guys ex-wife. He hands me back my card and goes.. Speaking of my ex wife .. You have the same name.. Great I am thinking.. I don’t think he was talking too nice about her.. I put my chips down and no love from the table.. Five spins later.. My hundred is gone.. Ugh.... Maybe I shouldn’t gamble on my last day in Vegas either! :grrr:

    I go back and grab Mom she is ready to do something else. We go grab a coffee from the little place near the elevators and walk around a bit. I show her some of the other table games..we would both love to try craps but we would need a class! We keep walking and see the game WAR. I thought that was just a fake game they put in the Vegas Vacation Movie..but nope it was real:confused2:This young girl was getting her rear handed to her by the dealer. She kept betting 15 or 25 dollars a pop and he was beating her almost every time with one number over. Her card would be a 5 and he would draw a 6 it was crazy watching this.. She just sat there an handed her money over.. Mom was in shock..we had a good laugh and walked around a bit more. We came across some 50 cent Wheel of Fortune Machines. I don’t really play slots that much. I do like the Wheel of Fortune Machines because I like to hear it say "wheel of fortune" corny I know..LOL and plus you get that extra spin at the top. It’s exciting to me.. I guess I am easy to please..LOL..so I tell Mom I‘m gonna try it for a bit. It was about an hour before had to grab a cab and get to the airport. We both sit at the machine I put in a hundred dollar bill and she puts in a 20. I always play 3 credits because that is the only way you get the free spin on those machines. My first bet and the free spin comes up:eek: score! I look at Mom and say I am feeling the vibe this machine is lucky. She looks at me as if to say yeah right..lol it lands on 50 credits and I win 25.00 and say look Mom told ya this machine is lucky I can feel it.. She laughs and thinks I am nuts because she has already lost half of her 20 in a matter of seconds...LOL so I keep going and almost every spin I am winning something 4 credits here. 20 credits there.. Pretty soon I am up about a 150 dollars. Mom is not having fun now as she has lost her 20 in less than 5 mins...and thinks I should cash out. This negative energy of hers is making me lose :grrr: LOL nothing in the last couple of spins.. I tell her to go check out the Price is Right slots that are right behind us. As soon as she walks off, bam free spin again :thumbsup:This time it brings me up to over 300 dollars. Mom comes back and say you won more.. I say yeah.. When you walked away .. I started winning again.. She sat and watched me for a bit and I dwindled down to around 200.. So I tell her take another walk :eek:LOL She does and as soon as she does.. Bam Free Spin again... I am watching it go around and I think it’s going to stop on 40....nope it’s 1000 holy smokes :eek:I just won 500 bucks :thumbsup: Two ladies were standing behind me and had been watching the wheel they couldn’t believe it landed on 1000 either! They said they never seen that happen. They were high five-ing me and saying awesome.. Mom was no where to be found... I was hoping she wasn’t getting lost.. But I was not leaving this slot machine yet to go find her..LOL There was still money to be won! LOL I kept playing and the credits just kept racking up. Pretty soon I was almost to a thousand dollars. Having put in a hundred that was a win of almost 900 bucks. I told myself I would keep playing until I either reached 1100 or got down to 900. It ended up going down so true to my word I cashed out at 900 dollars! :thumbsup:Just as soon as I am leaving the machine I see Mom walking back to me.. I hold out my receipt so she could see the amount.. Her mouth dropped open..â€you won that much!†Yes I say.. See you don’t stop playing just because you are winning! I get my cash and we decide to go ahead and get to the airport. I was beginning to think my 13 cents was bad luck until then!

    We grab our bags from the luggage pick up area. Took about 10 mins then go over to the taxi line. No wait.. We get in the cab and oh no... second RUDE PERSON of the trip! First thing the cab driver says to me is are you scared.. You look scared? I look at him like what? what are you talking about? He says you look scared.. I say I'm not scared and continue talking to Mom he drives out of the Venetian and cuts through the Mirage and I am like where are you going.. He says there is construction I have to go this way... I said.. This is not the way to the airport..and don’t take the freeway.. He starts mumbling something about idiot and I say excuse me.. And he says no not you I was talking to that guy.. Yeah sure you were..:rolleyes2: So he gets on the darn freeway:grrr: And I say, I asked you not to take the freeway.. He said just sit back and let me drive:confused2: it's just one exit, then he says.. You need to relax you are starting to look older than your mother :eek: What the heck? What is that supposed to mean! :confused2: I tell him you are rude and you must not want a tip. If I was not with Mom I would have had him stop and I would have taken another cab. He then realized he is messing with the wrong one and tries to make small talk, asking me where we are from. I just ignore him.:rolleyes2: That pisses him off so he decides to drive like a complete moron. :nono:If I could have found the seatbelts I would have put them on. We get to the airport and he doesn’t even drop us off next to Allegiant.. Jerk:grrr: I get out and go to get our bags. I don’ t have exact change otherwise that is what he would have gotten instead he got about a dollar tip. Mom was just in shock at this man's behavior If I was thinking clearly I would have gotten the cab number or something, this man should not be driving a cab!

    We make it into the Airport and they weigh my luggage..it’s 5 pounds over :confused2:.huh? How is that possible I have the same stuff I brought it in. So there we were at the counter trying to take out 5 pounds, so I wouldn’t have to pay 50 bucks. I guess Mom is standing in the way and the Counter Girl yells at Mom to move out of the way :eek: Oh my! What is going on.. did we save all the rude people for the end of the trip! :rolleyes2:We get out of there and get through security up to our gate and play the waiting game. We grab a snack and I get some of my favorite lotion from the Evelyn & Crabtree store and we wait it out about an hour.

    Flight leaves 20 mins late but lands on time. I love when that happens. It was an awesome ride home.. It was a newer plane with better leg room. I am tall so my legs appreciated it. We get to the baggage carousel and my husband says we are both beaming and look well rested.. Awesome..he takes us to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants and we tell him all about our trip. Mom goes home and he tells me how much he appreciates me taking his mom and showing her such a good time. That is really what made this entire trip worthwhile...Mom needed this and I was glad that I was able to do it for her.

    One thing I learned for sure on this trip was that Vegas is what you make it! I believe it’s all about attitude. Last year I let things that I had no control over sort of ruin for me. After returning from last year's trip, I was even questioning if I was over the whole Vegas experience. Perhaps my Vegas love had dried up. I am glad I decided to give it another try, this trip taught me that there are so many ways to do and enjoy Vegas, every trip can be different. From now on.. I will be sure to try new things each trip, different restaurants , gamble at different casinos. I will try to see Vegas through the eyes of a Newbie like MOM.

    Thanks for reading my first trip report!

    Lorraine :peace:
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.