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Trip report 11/9 -11/16

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by brooklyngirl, Nov 20, 2002.

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  1. brooklyngirl

    brooklyngirl Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2002
    Messages:
    230
    Location:
    New York

    My Trip Report

    We left the house at 3:00AM on our way to Newark airport to standby for a 7:30AM Continental flight. They had a separate line for National Airlines passengers. Had to pay $25.00 each. We didn’t make the 7:30AM flight or the next, but we were able to leave on the 10:10AM. Since we were standby passengers our luggage got x-rayed and we were both wanded before getting on the plane. There was not one empty seat on that plane, we weren’t even able to sit together. This is one of the most uncomfortable airplanes I’ve ever been on. The seats were narrow and there was absolutely no leg room (and I’m only 5’ 2â€). The lady sitting next to me left her elbow marked on my left arm. Neither of us are big so those seat were made for children and midgets. It was a long flight and I was relieved when it was finally over.

    Our baggage was already there waiting for us, since it left on the 7:30AM flight. We didn’t have to wait for the Dollar shuttle either. I was so glad that I had joined Fastlane. The driver took us directly to our car. I had originally booked a compact for $99 plus tax (approx. $127 total) and for joining fastlane I received an upgrade. As soon as I got there the attendant told me to pick any convertible and drive up to the window. I was out of there in less than five minutes.

    We stayed at the Polo Towers. We had a one bedroom suite with a fully equipped kitchen and a view of the strip. I especially liked the fact that there is no casino there. Once we called it a night the gambling was over and there was no wandering in the middle of the night. I would definitely stay there again.

    The first thing we did when we got there was go to sleep. We had been awake since 6:00AM on Friday. At about 10:00PM we were ready to roll. We decided to go downtown. We parked at the Fitzgerald and our first stop was the Fremont Street Experience. After that we went to Binions. I was hoping to play craps, but the tables were too crowded so we hit the slots, 15 minutes and $40 later we headed to the Golden Nugget, Lady Luck and Four Queens, we played a few slots here and there and were about $60 down when we decided to go back to the strip. We stopped at the Tropicana and played the slots. I won $250 on the .25 Wheel of Fortune and my husband hit for about $125 on a .5 Texas Tea. At about 2:00AM we left the casino and went grocery shopping. We got back to the Towers at about 3:00AM.

    On day two we were up by 7:00AM and hubby made breakfast. Our first stop again was the Trop since we had to go and get our t-shirts and tickets. They have a promo for new club members – ½ hour of gambling they give you a t-shirt and 2 hours gets you tickets for either the Rick Thomas Magic Show or Follies Bergere. Since we signed up for separate accounts we both got t-shirts, I got the tickets for Follies and he got the tickets for Rick Thomas. I left my club card in one of the slots machines and I accumulated enough points for 2 free buffets and $10 cash!

    I don’t remember what happened next so here is a summary of the rest of the week:

    Gambling: We played mostly .25 & .5 slots. Hubby played $3 craps at O’Sheas and I played $1 blackjack. We went to most casinos on the strip: Aladdin, Bally’s, Barbary Coast, Bellagio, Caesars, Circus Circus, Excalibur, Harrahs, Boardwalk, Luxor, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand, Mirage, Monte Carlo, NY NY, Paris, Riviera, Orleans, Stratosphere , Treasure Island, Venetian, Westward Ho. We also went to the Rio, Palms, Hard Rock, Hilton and Terribles. Our luckiest casinos were O’Sheas, Boardwalk (my husband also won a $50 raffle), terribles and the Tropicana. We lost the most money at the Luxor, Bellagio and Monte Carlo. At the end of the week I was down about $100 and so was my husband. I won $90 at the airport and my husband won $40 so for the whole trip I was down $10 and he was down $60. Not bad for a whole week of gambling.

    Attractions: As I mentioned above we went just about everywhere. I particularly enjoyed the Fremont St. Experience, the Bellagio Fountains, the volcano at the mirage, the pirate show at Treasure Island and the free shows at circus-circus. We also drove to the Hoover Dam but we got there at 4:20PM and the last tour was at 4:15PM. At least we got to see it and took pictures. The only attraction I could have done without was the Race for Atlantis. The show free pre-show was good, but the ride stinks!

    Shows: We went to a show every day except for the day of our arrival and departure.
    Sun. - Rick Thomas Magic Show – Tropicana
    Mon. - Follies Bergere (10PM topless show)- Tropicana
    Tues. – “O†– Bellagio
    Wed. – The Scintas – Rio
    Thurs. – “V†– Venetian
    Fri. – Tony & Tina’s Wedding – Rio
    My favorite was “O†and the one I liked the least was V. I will write my comments on the shows & ent. section of this board.

    Food: The first day we ordered in from “Nicks†an italian restaurant at the Polo Towers – I had the chicken Francese and it was pretty good. The rest of the week we had breakfast in everyday and we took advantage of our free and 2 for 1 buffets. We had buffets at: Tropicana, Palms, Rio, Aladdin, Orleans and the Gold Coast. Our favorite was the Aladdin (my husband loved the Shrimp Scampi) and we will not go back to the Gold Coast. On our next trip I would like to go to some nice restaurants.

    On Saturday we had no problem getting on a plane. We decided to travel with America West. We paid $33.50 for each admin fees. The flight was only half full so we had plenty of space. The seats are wider than Continental and we had enough leg room. The only bad part was that they opened my luggage and took out practically everything, after I did such a good job packing. They also forgot to put the lock back on the luggage. Once again we got wanded and I was even asked to remove my Shoes!

    When we got home we found out that our credit card company credited us for the National Airlines tickets – so that means we traveled r/t to Vegas for $58.50 each. Not bad!
     
  2. Lmadrid

    Lmadrid Tourist

    Joined:
    Feb 21, 2002
    Messages:
    826
    Location:
    Boston, MA but originally from San Antonio, TX
    Talk about BARGAIN!!! That was a very economical trip. So how was it at Polo Towers? You said you liked it...what were the suites like? I'm surprised you had a bad experience with Continental. I usually get directs flights to Houston from here and they're usually pretty good. But, I rode on British Airways once and those seats were made for kids... I think since mine was on the window it was extra narrow. It was SO tight across my hips my feet and legs were numb. Anyway, I like America West too. They have direct flights from here too.
    Anyway, sounds like you had a great time..cheap flights, upgraded car, and you didn't come home broke from gambling...
    So, when are you going back :D [​IMG]
     
  3. lvbabe

    lvbabe Tourist

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2002
    Messages:
    111
    Location:
    Connecticut
    I have a question:
    When are you going back? [​IMG]
     
  4. brooklyngirl

    brooklyngirl Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2002
    Messages:
    230
    Location:
    New York
    The suites at the Polo Tower are nothing out of the ordinary. They're nice, but small for a timeshare. Small living room with a tv and a pullout couch, a dining room area, the kitchen is small but fully equipped and the bedroom is also small. It has a closet by the entrance and one in the bedroom with a safe, and a small chest with 4 drawers. The bathroom was a decent size. It was like staying at a hotel suite.

    I'm already checking my calendar for my next trip! :D
     
  5. LV Terry

    LV Terry Captain Flop'N Fold

    Joined:
    Sep 30, 2001
    Messages:
    3,957
    Location:
    Santa Barbara, CA, USA
    Wow! You guys really packed in a lot! Good for you! Sounds like you did well in all areas... as it should be for first timers!
     
  6. bigdogmom

    bigdogmom VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2002
    Messages:
    1,430
    Location:
    Prescott Valley, AZ
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    33
    I'm glad you had such a good time! Sounds like you did well in the $ dept., too! Good for you! :cool:
     
  7. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2002
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    26,507
    Location:
    North Carolina
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    No wonder it took a couple of days to recover upon your return--you did about everything you could do in Vegas. Well, ok, maybe not--but still, you did a lot!! Glad you had a good time!! So is hubby addicted to Vegas too?
     
  8. brooklyngirl

    brooklyngirl Tourist

    Joined:
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    Location:
    New York
    It's easier to get around vegas when you know where to go and what to do. Thanks to everyone on this board I felt like a Vegas pro.

    Hubby can't wait to get back! He got his money back for the airlines tickets, and to top it all off he got a lap dance at Tony & Tina's wedding! :D

    [ November 21, 2002, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: brooklyngirl ]
     
  9. Flipster777

    Flipster777 Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2002
    Messages:
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    Location:
    Florida
    Glad you guys had such a great trip!! [​IMG] I have a question about Dollar's fastlane. When you got to the airport did you check in there? If so, did they have a seperate lane for fastlane members? We just joined too just for the Vegas trip in Dec, but we are still up in the air about using the upgrade then or just cruise around in the Neon and use the upgrade another time. Thanks for all info! :D
     
  10. brooklyngirl

    brooklyngirl Tourist

    Joined:
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    Messages:
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    Location:
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    Just go directly to the shuttle and tell the driver you are a fastlane member. Tell the guy on the floor that you have an upgrade, he'll tell you what car to get, then drive up to the window, show them your fastlane card, sign the contract (which they already have printed out) and off you go. No lines. At least there wasn't a line when I got there.

    My coupon expires on 12/31/02 so I used it. It didn't matter anyway because he didn't take the coupon so I can use it again if I rent a car before the end of the year.
     
  11. DebB

    DebB Low-Roller

    Joined:
    May 7, 2001
    Messages:
    418
    Whoa brooklyn girl, sounds like you need a vacation from your vacation --
    action packed LV trip! :cool: Thanks for the report.

    You tried lots of eateries, but I'm curious. Why won't you return to
    Gold Coast buffet? What problem(s) did you have there? I've
    never been, but was thinking of using a 2 for one coupon there
    in December.
     
  12. grenadier

    grenadier Tourist

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2001
    Messages:
    91
    Location:
    L'Orignal Ontario Canada
    Brooklyn Girl

    Glad to learn that you had such a great time. I don't think you could have done much more than you did.
    Thanks for posting.

    Grenadier [​IMG]
     
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