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Live from the Monte Carlo

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by BC_Todd, Aug 15, 2012.

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  1. BC_Todd

    BC_Todd Tourist

    Joined:
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    My Trip Report

    Hey gang, i got an hour to kill this morning so I thought I would begin my trip report.

    Background data first. My wife and I decided to take our 23 year old daughter on her first Vegas run. We also asked her to bring a frined, and she did...another Vegas rookie.

    We live in Vancouver Canada and are about an hour away from Bellingham Washington. We choose to fly out of that small airport to save MONEY. We flew alleigent air. 4 return tickets, taxes in for just over $600! Score! USA residents, you have no idea how cheap your air travel is. Can't believe some complain, we in Canada just smile and say "they have no idea how lucky they are" :poke:

    Our flight was at 9:30 in the morning so we decided to drive down the night before. Went to a local mall so the girls could do a little pre-trip shopping. I scored again when I was able to buy a $20 cell phone and a $2.00 a day unlimited text and talk plan. So, I got two so we could stay in touch with the girls while in Vegas:poke: Again, cell prices are so cheap in the USA. If we have used our phones in Vegas we would be paying $.60 a text!:eek: This is such a bargin:beer:

    Went Olive Garden for dinner (love Olive Garden) and then off to the Coachman Inn in Bellingham. Now this hotel is a great little hidden gem. $70 a night! Clean and well managed with a free breakfast to boot!

    Up early and off to the airport we go. Now we are two hours early and this is a small airport, but I am always early. Check in was quick and they even sat us together even though we did not pay the surcharge to preselect our seats...nice:peace: Flight left a little early and arrive even eailer! Now we had planned a little surprise for the girls by booking a limo with Presidential Limo. They were there with a sign showing the girls name (as requested). The girls were impressed! So it was champaign, roses and a stop at the sign for some pics. Then off to the MC.

    We are comped into a Monaco Suite and got the girls an adjoining room. Check in was smooth with no line up. Room was not ready, but checked the bags, gave them my cell number and off we went.

    First things first we have to eat. So we went to Dragon Noodle in the MC and all ordered the lunch special. I had beef and brocolli, fried rice, egg drop soup and a veggie roll all for $9.99! What a great meal, couldn't eat it all.

    More later, gotta get ready for today.
     
  2. richardinbc

    richardinbc Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Nice start

    Hi Todd, thanks for the info about hotel in Bellingham. Did they let you park your car there and shuttle you to the airport?
     
  3. PSM

    PSM High-Roller

    Joined:
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    I am so jealous of you right now! Super cheap flights AND you're already in Vegas while I'm still stuck here watching the countdown clock...

    Have a great time and post up pics!
     
  4. kitson

    kitson VIP Whale

    Joined:
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    we are so lucky living close enough to canada that we get allegiant flights filled up enough to have allegiant flights! without our friends to the north, we would not have enough traffic, in places like great falls, to get the flights at all.
     
  5. Reed

    Reed High-Roller

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    Sounds like a great start to the trip! Good to hear about the Dragon Noodle lunch special, for $9.99 I make have to make that a stop on my upcoming trip.
     
  6. Roo

    Roo Tourist

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    Keep the updates coming I check into the Monte Carlo this Saturday the 18th. Cant wait enjoy!
     
  7. BCguy

    BCguy Low-Roller

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    Sounds like a good start to your trip. I like the MC. Think it's the most underrated on the strip.
    I have to say though I've gotten a little tired of Allegiants constant nickel and diming over the years. The carry on charge seemed like the last straw. Gonna fly Alaska in oct.
    I like that Bellingham airport has expanded the departure lounges finally.
    Hope to read more!
     
  8. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    I am pretty sure this is the first time I have ever heard this about Allegiant!
     
  9. paramont

    paramont Tourist

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    If you live in the lower Mainland of BC, Allegiant from Bellingham is definitely the way to go. Fares are half or less than flights originating in Vancouver. Not such a good deal for those of living on Vancouver Island, as we have to pay ferry fare both ways (over $200 with car and 2 passengers) and flight comes back too late to get back over to the Island so it means a stay overnight - never mind risking a ferry and/or border delay which could make you miss your flight. We bit the bullet and get Westjet's direct flight out of Victoria - total cost $951.80 return for 2 people (although that did include travel insurance of about $70). It is nice not having to switch airports - makes travel a lot shorter.
     
  10. bighead1970

    bighead1970 High-Roller

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    Beejay and gaggles please pick up the white courtsey phone

    Beejay and gaggles please pick up the white courtsey phone.
     
  11. bighead1970

    bighead1970 High-Roller

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    Direct USA airfare

    Direct airfare from East coast to Vegas round trip next March is $705 and that is leaving on a Wed and returning on a Sunday. That is per person!! I
     
  12. theotherone

    theotherone Low-Roller

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    Sounds like winning already and you have barely started!

    Can't wait to read more.
     
  13. john meriman

    john meriman merri by name merry by nature

    Joined:
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    waterford ireland
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    aerly booking?

    this sept with AA DUBLIN-ORD-VEGAS round trip $680.booked in january sale.:ssst::wink2::beer::beer:
     
  14. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    It is definitely worth international travel to be able to get to an "Olive Garden."
     
  15. BC_Todd

    BC_Todd Tourist

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    I’m back… I have to come clean here. I am now home. I tried to add to the trip report while still in Vegas, but there are way too many things to do! :beer: Let me pick up where we left off.

    After lunch we went to the Mlife desk to activate our free play ($200) and to get the girls signed up. They are not planning on gambling too much, but what the heck, might as well have a card in the machine.:poke:

    We have 4 tics for “LOVE” tonite so it’s in a cab and off to the Mirage we go. Got the ticket’s, no problem (front row balcony). We had the afternoon to kill while waiting for our room so off to Cabo Wabo balcony patio for our annual coconut margarita. Sooooo Gooood! We then crossed the street to the Bellagio to show the girls our other Vegas “home”. We love, love, love the Bellagio, but got better rooms, better F&B ($200) from the MC, so we jumped ship this trip. We may be staying at the MC again in October, more on that later. So we show the girls the conservatory and it is impressive as usual. Then it’s off to the tram as our rooms are now ready. This is when things get weird.:grrr:

    While waiting for the tram at the Bellagio a couple of nice young men wander up and, being a Canuck, I’ll talk to anyone! So I learn these guys are from San Antonio, so I have to tell them my drunk river walk story. (That story belongs on another board, suffice to say it’s funny and embarrassing.)

    Anywho, the tram shows up but we are on the wrong side of the platform. So I hustle around to the other side and my wife and the girls don’t! Sure enough the tram leaves with me on it and my wife, the girls and those guys left behind. No problem, can’t get lost on the tram, I will just wait at the MC stop for them.

    Sure enough in 8 minutes they show up and guess what. Those guys have dates with the girls for tonite. :eek: Now, don’t get me wrong, I got no problem with my daughter going out with boys. All the dads out there know how I feel. You have to allow it or only drive them further away. It’s all good, these boys are managers at a Target store, so how bad ass could they be???

    We get up to our Monaco Suite and then the girls learn that their room adjoins ours. Not sure they were too impressed…:Þ Oh well, when rooms are free from mom and dad, you don’t have a say in the location.

    Now, I have to comment on our room. Was it perfect, no. But I have stayed in many rooms around Vegas and it is just what you expect. There are some dings on the furniture, some stains on the carpeting, but so what! Our room was clean, had all the amenities you would expect. One nice thing we learned before we left was the Kureig Coffee makers in the room. As a result I threw a 12 pack of K Cups in our suitcase so we could enjoy our morning coffee.:nworthy:

    After we unpacked it was time for a quick snack before we left for Love. We arrived at the Mirage to do some pre-show shopping and scoring a beverage to take into the theater. Got into our seats and I have to say they were in my opinion the best in the house. When the lights dimmed I knew I was about to experience something special. I am a Beatle FAN! I have to say a Beatle Nut. The only music on my iphone is Beatle music. :drunk: Then the show began…

    I don’t want to spoil it, but I have to say it was emotional for me. I grew up with music and to see it brought to life in such a magical, exciting and professional way was in a word, amazing.:wave:

    Now, after the show we had another surprise for the girls. We booked a table at Todd English’s Olives at the Bellagio for an after show meal. Thank you to the MC concierge for this. Now, they cannot guarantee a patio table, but I did request one. When we arrived (30 minutes early) they took us directly to the patio with the best table of four out there. It was still warm out even though it was 9:30 at night, so I guess not too many people wanted to eat outdoors. Well, I can tell you that the food, the view more than made up for a little heat.

    When you see your first Bellagio fountain show is always memorable. I wanted my daughter’s to be as well. When the music started and the fountains get going it was amazing to watch her face. We had a great meal (I had the skirt steak, my wife had the escargot flatbread and the girls shared a flatbread). Food was amazing, watched about five different shows…the end to a perfect evening.:thumbsup:

    So, it’s time to gamble for mom and dad and time for the girls to go out with the boys from Texas.:grrr:

    We are gold mlife players and determined to get to platinum this trip. We started our trip with 130,000 tier points. So we needed 70,000 over four days. Should not be a problem. As luck would have it we got a good run going on a Monte Carlo machine (kinda ironic) and finished the night even. Too many vodkas and beers, so it’s time for bed for mom and dad…:kiss:

    End of day one!

    More on day two later…
     
  16. BC_Todd

    BC_Todd Tourist

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    Woke up on day two bright and early. I hate sleeping in while in Vegas, I mean it’s Vegas right? Our plan for today was to meet the girls in the lobby at 8:00 am grab a cab to Paris and have breakfast at the Sugar Factory. Got downstairs at 7:50 am and the girls were there…I was surprised because I heard them come home around 4:00 am from their “date”. But they sucked it up and were on time, so I have to give them props.:thumbsup:

    Quick cab ride over to Paris (still too hot to walk outside) and then got a table near the front windows in an almost deserted Sugar Factory. I ordered eggs and sausage and my wife and girls all ordered the eggs benny. While we waited for the food the girls filled us in on these Texas boys. It seems they are real southern gentlemen. They open doors hold their chairs while they are seated in restaurants, they even stand when they stand to go to the washroom. Hummm, maybe these boys are all right after all. :Þ The girls loved it because not only did they not have to lift a finger, the boys paid for everything!

    After the food arrived (it was very good) it was clear the girls were running out of gas. We were going to hit the outlet mall today, but it was clear they needed some more sleep. No problem, I’m on holiday in Vegas, nothing going to get me down. So we head back to the MC, girls go to bed and my wife and I hit the casino. It may only be 9:30 am, but it’s 5:00 pm somewhere right? Yep, vodka diet for me and a bloody mary for my wife.:beer:

    Now we are determined to hit platinum so we are only playing the non-theme machines to maximize our tier credits. There are some new machines that look like so much fun, but no, not yet. We stick to penny, quarter and dollar slots of the older reel type. After a few hours, up some, down some, up some down some (you all understand how that works) we take a break.

    We have tickets for Carrot Top ( I know, I know) for Wednesday night so we head over to the Luxor to pick up those tickets. Between the trams, moving sidewalks and escalators it is quite a hike from the MC. (If I could walk 500 miles…). :grrr: We got the tickets gamble our way back to the MC for lunch. We head into the Café just off the casino floor. I don’t know why, but I love this place for a quick bite. Never have had a bad meal here. I order the open face turkey sandwich…WOW, I highly recommend this menu item…soooo good. Well, at this point we are both a little pooped, so off for a nap we go.

    After a couple of hours of zzzzz we contact the girls (love those cheap cell phones) and arrange to meet for dinner. :wave: They tell us they have all ready had dinner and are just going to chill in their room. Now, being a dad, I know full well they are going to meet those boys again. I just tell them to have fun and stay safe. At 23, they have to make their own choices. Either I raised her right or I didn’t.:peace:

    Anyway, not going to let anything get me down, oh no! My wife and I head to the Pub in the MC for pub dinner. Which means burgers and fries! I order the blue cheese burger and my wife orders the Kobe burger. You have to know something about my wife. It doesn’t matter what we are shopping for, olive oil, furniture, tomatoes or even mac and cheese she ALWAYS picks the most expensive option. So when I see there are several $14.00 burgers and one burger for $17.00 I know which one she is going to order even before she says it. It’s too funny!:kiss:

    The burgers were fantastic and the service was awesome. One funny note, when we ordered our burgers the waiter didn’t ask us how we wanted them cooked. When I asked him about it he said he quit asking Canadians because they all want them well done. LOL. I’m not sure how he knew we are from Canada, but he did. It must be our funny accent eh?:eek:

    Now that we are rested and fed, it’s time to get back to work. We got to get that Platinum. We thought a quick walk to NY NY would refresh us, give them some play and check out tier balance. You see, in NY NY they have a MLife kiosk where you can swipe your card to see all of your point balances. I wish all of MGM’s casinos had these. It’s such a hassle to ask at the Player’s Club desk. Well, I swipe my card and lo and behold we are at 187,000! :nworthy: We earned 57,000 points all ready. I am so stoked. So we play a little here and a little there, up some, down some, up some, down some.

    Around 2:00am we call it a night. We are down around $500 so far on our trip. Not too bad considering how much we have played.

    More on day three later.
     
  17. NOTwheelingisland

    NOTwheelingisland Tourist

    Joined:
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    REALLY enjoying your report. It sounds so familiar from a MC trip we took recently. Good stuff--as a dad I'm anxious to hear about some more about the boys from Texas too.
     
  18. BC_Todd

    BC_Todd Tourist

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    Good Wednesday morning. We have a busy day planned for today. We are going to the outlet mall with the girls this morning. Gamble away the afternoon (going to get platinum) and then off to Carrot Top this evening.

    The outlet mall opens at 10:00 am so we jump in a taxi around 9:30 am. Boom, we get there in no time. :beer: The freeway was really moving. This is the first time in all my years going to Vegas that the freeway was not a parking lot. We get to the outlet mall and have 10 minutes to spare. We chat with the girls, develop our game plan and agree to meet back in 90 minutes. There are hundreds of people all ready here and the heat is really ramping up.:wink2:

    I plan on buying a few gold shirts. So off to burberry I go. Nothing. So over to Ralph Lauren. Score. Four golf shirts for less than $140.00 :thumbsup: We realize that we will likely need another suitcase to go home with the purchases made by us and the girls so I head over to the Samsonite store. Score! A great duffle bag roller with matching backpack for $120. I needed a duffle bag for travel and am tired of hauling my big suitcase everywhere. We meet back at the agreed time and we are off back to the MC.

    We drop off our purchases and head over to Ceaser’s Shops. Had to show the girls the show at the aquarium (kinda cheesy IMHO). We are off to Michael Koors so my wife can load up on another big watch (think she has like 10 now) and the much needed wallet. Don’t get me wrong, my wife deserves everything she wants. As a guy, we just don’t get the purse, wallet shoe thing. Oh well, girls have their toys and boys have their toys. :cheers: We show the girls the way to the street exit so they can go explore the Venetian and we head over to the Bellagio.

    We like to give as many MGM properties some play while there, but our home hotel get’s most of our play.:wave: So we spend a couple of hours playing slots here and there. We also say hello to our friend the bartender in the middle of the casino and play some video poker there as well.

    We head back to the MC for a rest prior to Carrot Top.

    Now, I have to tell you I was hesitant going to Carrot Top. I read reviews on several boards and all the reviews were terrific. So, what the heck, we had a 2 for 1 offer from MGM so four tickets in their VIP section cost only $125. We meet up with the girls and begin the 500 mile trek over to the Luxor. I have to say that the time share people at the Luxor are all over you and very annoying. I don’t even look at them anymore and just keep walking. It’s like they play on your politeness to get you to stop.

    So, our seats are perfect. Seven rows back dead centre. I am not going to spoil the show and repeat any of his jokes. All I can say is you have to go. For the first ten minutes I could barely breathe I was laughing so hard. I am now a Carrot Top fan.

    After the show, you guessed it, the girls are meeting up with those boys again. :grrr: My wife and I check out Mlife tier balance at the kiosk in NY NY and we are within striking distance!

    I should answer a question from a previous response to this trip report that wondered about the numbers available on the slot machines themselves. The slot machines only show you your point play balance, free play balance and your session points. They do not show your tier balance, unless I am missing something.:poke:

    Back at the MC we hit the same lucky dollar slot we had a good run on the first night and do pretty well. We play for over an hour on one $100 bill. When I think we are close, off to the Mlife desk I go. With the click of a mouse the Mlife person smiles, turns around to his machine and produces my Platinum Card! No more taxi line ups for me! I am so stoked!:drunk:

    Well a celebration is in order so grey goose martinis all around and around and around…Needless to say our day three was busy, successful and fun.

    Time for some shut eye.
     
  19. BC_Todd

    BC_Todd Tourist

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    It’s Thursday! Our last full day in sin city. We have a very early flight tomorrow morning (8:00 am) so no late nights and the girls have told me no boys either. A lazy day is planned. Going to hang out close to MC, gamble and have a few drinks, meet the girls for dinner then crash early with a 4:30 am wake up call.

    To start with we have a few cups of coffee with the K Cups we brought (this is such a good idea I will do again). Then we head down to the Café for breakfast. We have the traditional bacon and eggs. Nothing special, just quality food with good service. We head over to the Ross store across the street. We have never been to one so thought we would check it out. WHAT A ZOO! No way is cheap clothing worth that kind of full contact shopping. No thank you.

    Next we head next door to check out the M&M store. In all my trips I have never been here before. First of all its BUSY. Second the self serve candy dispensers cost me like $40! But it was all the rude parents and rude kids that scared me out of that store in a hurry.

    Back to MC for a beverage and some slots. But, now that we have reached Platinum we can play those themed slots we’ve been avoiding. Liked the Michael Jackson, Playboy and Hangover games. Didn’t really win anything, but didn’t really expect to win.

    We stopped for lunch at the restaurant at the Aria. I love the Aria. We will have to stay there one day. We gave them a couple of hours of play and really enjoyed their video poker and grey goose martini’s. The afternoon is a bit of a blur, but we did get all packed for the early flight, met the girls at 5:00 pm for a drink in the room then we were off to the Pub for dinner.

    I ordered the chile and onion rings (both VERY good). Daughter had Mac and Cheese (she loved it), wife ordered soup and salad and daughter’s girl friend ordered pub burger. I have to say the food quality at all the MC restaurants we ate in was very good. Service was also excellent.

    Now, it was time to call my host who made me the offer to visit the MC. Our initial offer was three nights in a Monaco suite, $200 in free play and $200 in food and beverage. We accumulated another $200 in express comps with MLife. I have been signing everything to our room except the Love tickets I bought on-line before we arrived.

    I call her and ask her “based on my play this week, can you comp any of our room charges this week?” She plucks away on her keyboard and says she can comp us an additional $200. Wow! That was more than I expected. So I ask her if she is in the hotel as I would like to meet her. She says she is in the high slot room. I head down to meet her with my wife. I have a $50 in my hand and pass it to her as we shake hands. She is a real pro, doesn’t even flinch. We have a nice visit, tell her we are planning on coming back in October and she asks me to contact her directly to make plans.

    So, after one more martini we head to the front desk to pre-pay our balance so we don’t have to bother in the morning. There is not much of a line up, but very few workers this time of evening. So, I say what the heck, I’m Platinum now, I heading to the VIP lounge. Once in there the clerk tells me I should never have had to deal with the front desk. Being gold or platinum gives you access to the VIP lounge!

    She plucks away at her keyboard and passes me the balance owing. Something is wrong. The only thing appearing on my room bill are the gratuities we have been adding to our meal bills, drink bills and no sign of the Carrot Top ticket charge either. The clerk simply says that my host comped everything! All I had to pay was the room charges for the girls room! Well, you know what this means, I am coming back to the MC.

    We are up at 4:30am, meet the girls in the lobby at 5:30am limo shows up at 5:45am and we hit the traffic at the airport drop off points. We get inside and Alligent is busy. But they move people quickly and we are through security at the gate in less than 45 minutes. We left a little late, but had a quite flight and arrived home exhausted.

    Hope you enjoyed hearing about our quest to platinum. If anyone has any questions I will try to answer them.

    Cheers!
     
  20. 4Vegas

    4Vegas Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2009
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    Location:
    Texas
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    Great trip report! Be sure to write another one for your next trip in October. Oh, there's nothing wrong with Texas boys....:beer:
     
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