Heading to Orleans

Booked at the Orleans over the 4th of July weekend with another couple who will be in Vegas for the first time. Is it still a pretty decent close-to-strip casino or should we look to cancel and go on the strip? I stayed there one night several years ago and remember it being not too bad back then. Are there any Orleans tips/suggestions we should know about? Thanks ahead of time for the suggestions.

i love the orleans. however if it was my first trip to LV as is for ur friends i would stay on the strip. u don't say if u will have your own or rent a vehicle. is room cost a factor?? july 4th should be holiday rates. all that said i stayed at the Orleans more than any other casino in LV........... Have fun and be safe.

Actually you wont have to rent a vehicle if you want to go to/from the strip. The Orleans has 2 shuttles that go to Ceasars (forum Shop valet) and the Gold coast. I believe that the shuttles run from 8 a.m. till midnite. I love the Orleans. Its our favorite place in Vegas. I couldn't get a comp room there for May 1 and 2nd (got comped at the Flamingo), however we will be spending a good amount of time at the Orleans.

I've stayed at the Orleans many times; and from my countdown timer, you can see I'm about to again. I stayed on the Strip (Caesars Palace) on my first Vegas trip, but that was almost 30 years ago. Heck, I didn't even know about downtown and off-Strip back then! Things have changed considerably, and like many Vegas vets, I avoid the Strip almost entirely these days.

Without knowing more about your situation, I can't give advice. However, if you play table games, you'll find lower limits and better rules at the Orleans than nearly anywhere on the Strip. Comped meals and room offers will certainly be more generous for the same level of play. Yes, it's further away from the "action" (whatever exactly that means); but as already mentioned, you can take the free shuttle to the Strip and enjoy the porn slappers, timeshare salespeople, crowed sidewalks, costumed characters, etc.

No great tips, other than I've always enjoyed the fajitas at Costa Cantina (closed Mon. and Tue.) and there's no extra charge for splitting a meal. And don't bother buying chips and salsa at the outside bar before dinner (as we did the first time), as they bring it to the table as soon as you're seated. I also love the Manhattan clam chowder at Big Al's. Have a great trip!

Thanks so far. A little more information would probably be helpful - should have thought of that... We are all in our mid forties and flying in to have a weekend away from our teenagers!! (Who BTW think its soooo unfair that they are heading to their respective grandma's house instead of getting to come along. LOL) The couple going with is their first time but we have been there 7 times or so. Typically we have stayed on strip at the low-mid range places and a couple of times downtown. I stayed once at the Orleans for one night while waiting for a friend to get to town the next day and then we stayed at the NYNY comped on his account. It was a decent night back then - nothing flashy but pretty solid. We are strictly low rollers just there to have some fun.

I would like to suggest doing a search for Orleans related posts. Plenty available.

1st tip ask for a room closer to the elevator. Their hallways are VEVRY VERY long. 2nd tip definitely have dinner at the Prime Rib Loft overlooking the casino.

Also, unlike many Vegas pools the Orleans allows you to bring your own drinks and snacks in your bag to the pool.

sseknichols said:

Thanks so far. A little more information would probably be helpful - should have thought of that... We are all in our mid forties and flying in to have a weekend away from our teenagers!! (Who BTW think its soooo unfair that they are heading to their respective grandma's house instead of getting to come along. LOL) The couple going with is their first time but we have been there 7 times or so. Typically we have stayed on strip at the low-mid range places and a couple of times downtown. I stayed once at the Orleans for one night while waiting for a friend to get to town the next day and then we stayed at the NYNY comped on his account. It was a decent night back then - nothing flashy but pretty solid. We are strictly low rollers just there to have some fun.

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The Orleans will definitely fill your needs. The kids can hang out at Planet Hollywood or various strip locations. As Turlteman stated,the Orleans has "lower limts" at table games i.e. $5.00 craps, $5/$10 Paigow & Blackjack, excellent VP, cheap eats...etc etc.

If you're in your 40's you'll feel like a young pup there

Seriously it's a decent place, a good value.

Love staying at Orleans too. You have to gauge if your newbies are the kind of folks that can deal with large crowds and waiting, July 4 on Strip with have plenty of both. If not Orleans is a good choice. The shuttle can get backed up from time to time in the afternoons and it will be a warm wait. You could probably cab it and split it 4 ways, total should be around $20. If you cab from the west side of the Strip, it will take 5 minutes or so, east side add another 5 minutes and $5.

The only knock I have at Orleans is when you let your room door close on it's own, everyone in your wing knows it. They need to go to Palazzo and find out why theirs don't slam so hard.

Just got done staying at the Orleans for 2 nights. There are 3 wings to the Orleans rooms. North wing, rooms face east towards the strip and are even numbered. West facing rooms are odd numbered and face towards pool and the mountains. West wing, even numbered rooms face north, odd numbered face south with some obstructed view on the lower levels. East wing, even numbered face south and may have obstructed view, north facing rooms are odd numbered and have an excellent view of the parking area, downtown in the distance along with mountain views and some of the strip. All higher numbered rooms are closest to the elevators with the lower numbers at the end of the hallways. Rooms are large!
We encountered a lot of families in the two days we were there. I am guessing that over the 4th it will be the same. This could affect your pool experience!
BTW, we love the Orleans and have stayed there many times. Gotta go! Flight about to board back to ORD!

I stay there every trip for a few days on comps. The bonuses are as mentioned lower table limits on busy weekends, decent pool that isn't too packed, gym, cheap eats and the shuttle to/from the strip.

I like the triple play nickel VP, 9/7 Double Bonus with progressive Royals. It is about all I play. There are two banks, but I play the one between the buffet and the door on the side opposite to where the buffet is. There are about 10 machines and they sometimes fill up as the locals play them regularly.

If you are there on a Wednesday, check out the Nitekings in the Lounge. They are just wonderful for old sounds. However, arrive a bit early if you want a seat in the first set. The place packs up.

http://www.nitekings.com/nitekings/Welcome.html

Be careful in the live poker room. It can be very tough, dominated by locals who all know each other, and once I suspected collusion.

Check for promotions. Twice I've been there when just standing in line for a few minutes and showing a card got $5 free with some folks getting a good bit more than that.

Outside and across the street is McMullan's Irish Pub. Great food and interesting ambiance.
http://www.mcmullansirishpub.com/index.shtml

dewey089 said:

I like the triple play nickel VP, 9/7 Double Bonus with progressive Royals. It is about all I play. There are two banks, but I play the one between the buffet and the door on the side opposite to where the buffet is. There are about 10 machines and they sometimes fill up as the locals play them regularly.

If you are there on a Wednesday, check out the Nitekings in the Lounge. They are just wonderful for old sounds. However, arrive a bit early if you want a seat in the first set. The place packs up.

http://www.nitekings.com/nitekings/Welcome.html

Be careful in the live poker room. It can be very tough, dominated by locals who all know each other, and once I suspected collusion.

Check for promotions. Twice I've been there when just standing in line for a few minutes and showing a card got $5 free with some folks getting a good bit more than that.

Outside and across the street is McMullan's Irish Pub. Great food and interesting ambiance.
http://www.mcmullansirishpub.com/index.shtml

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i play the aces bonus there. I hit the bonus once after going 3 nearly 4 hour without a 4oak, I had lost nearly $350 before I hit it and it was the first night and morning of my trip!

The Mardi Gras bar now has brand new VP machines. actually, they are multi-game machines. Played 9/6 DDB there. A couple other bars have new machines and better pay tables on some games. Dewey, you are right about McMullan's. We went there for the first time this trip. We left asking ourselves why haven't we been there before.

Here is relevant bus information:

Many of us start our trips at the Orleans because we can take the WAX, get off at the NYNY stop, get the 201 and be at the Orleans. This route is also a way for bus riders to go from the Orleans to downtown without taking luggage on strip buses.
Next trip I'll go from the Orleans to the Excalibur for a MyVegas free night. After that I will go downtown or I'll take the WAX to the airport and then the free Palace Station shuttle (for hotel guests) to that casino for a few days.
The city buses have the advantage of a full 24 hour schedule. The free shuttles when I was last there did not start until 9:30 AM. So if you wanted to start with breakfast at Aria, you needed the bus.
Or a cab. A cab from the Orleans to the back entrance of Aria was just $10.

Keno (who just posted) tipped us off about getting the senior discounted 5 day pass at Walgreen's
I did that last trip on his advice. I would always call ahead, but they said that they never run out. Here are my notes from my last trip:

On one board Keno 60 posted about using the Walgreen's on Decatur and Tropicana, just a short walk from the Orleans to buy bus passes. This worked just great. The Walgreen's is 24 hours so I could go up very early at 5 AM when I could not sleep and had nothing much else to do.


I thought the walk was very safe and easy.


There were some pretty girls working the street, but they are not aggressive or much of a bother.


Walgreen's said that they don't run out of the 15 and 30 day passes with senior discount there, so we can count on them.


While I was there I picked up some snacks and a large gallon of water that cost just 99 cents as opposed to the small bottles for $2.25 for sale at the Orleans.


Along the way I noticed a Bank of America that would be a handy place for me to get more gambling money were I to run short.


Also, if I wanted some food outside the casino that great Irish Pub McMullen's is open 24 hours and there is a Jack in the Box not far from the Walgreen's.

The 201 is great for getting to the strip and for getting out to the Pinball Hall of Fame
http://www.pinballhall.org/

Also, the free shuttles will take luggage and load it on the bus, Even my large bag was welcomed. So next trip I'll be at the Gold Coast and then go to the Orleans by shuttle with luggage.

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I almost tried this painting adventure one trip, but I did not make reservations and the class was cancelled when I got there. The woman leading it said to be sure to call. I'd have had my own private class had I called. Generally, however, it is seen as a fun group experience. And then there is getting the painting home on plane.
http://buzznbrushes.com/

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There are often specials at the movie theater. On senior day I get the $4 special. Young at Heart Day is grand because it is very easy to squeeze out a brunch and a supper buffet for free without points. Then too, you might meet someone interesting in line as I did last trip
http://vegasbirthdaybash.blogspot.com/2014/11/tr-snippet-dancing-at-orleans.html

The lounge is a grand place to go dancing. No drink pressure but good service and as I remember the wine was only about $4.

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Say Keno, talk a bit about that Aces game. How does your strategy change? I see it is 99.40%. Not bad.

Here is an interesting article on Young at Heart day that reflects the Wednesday deals for seniors at the Orleans.
http://vegasseven.com/2015/04/29/score-one-old-folks/

dewey089 said:

Say Keno, talk a bit about that Aces game. How does your strategy change? I see it is 99.40%. Not bad.

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I think the ACES is 1 in 320,000. So I am not smart enough to make those type of changes. I had not hit a 4 OAK in nearly 4 hours and did not realize I hit it till it keep ringing. I believe i was whining to somebody at the time about finally hitting a 4 OAK, so I did not look carefully at the machine till the extra ringing. i guess the big change would be throwing away a full house if the aces were in position to score the big one.