Family Spring Break Highs and Lows 3/9-3/14

Just back from our 5 night, 6 day family spring break in Vegas. Me, my husband, my dad and our two teens ages 16 and 14. We had 4 nights comped at MGM and one night at Excalibur…also had 4 nights + one paid night at Flamingo – which is where my dad stayed.

This is the longest we have ever been in Vegas at one time. Did a lot of walking and mainly played slots at night after the kids were tuckered out. My husband had a few good wins on the 2nd and 3rd nights which let us go home with one day’s full budget still in the bank. That has never happened before!

Unfortunately I was the only one recording slot bonuses and I wasn’t winning anything big. We missed out on recording some nice big wins which would’ve been good to add to our slot channel. Isn’t that the way it always happens?!

The trip was too long for me to post the daily details so I will just post the highs and lows.

Highs:
- Limo transport both ways via Presidential Limo. I booked this as a surprise for everyone. We got in from Dallas really late so it was nice to just get in a vehicle and go without making a gazillion stops and without having to worry about the tunnel. The cost included gratuity but I tipped extra there and back. The way in we had a stretch limo with champagne for us adults and on the way back it was one of the SUV stretch cars. Complete with mood lighting and an awesome sound system – everything was perfect. Hubby and I have decided we will spring for this every trip now that we are spoiled!





- Freeplay at MGM through MLife and MyVegas turned into a profit. Not much but $75 freeplay at MGM turned into $95 cash and $20 freeplay at Excalibur turned into $35 cash. It was nice not to lose it for once.

- MGM breakfast buffet was great. We ate here twice and normally I don’t like breakfast buffets but going around 10am gets you breakfast and lunch so there was a wide variety of food.

- Sprinkles cupcakes in the Linq area. My daughter is Vegan so we got two Vegan red velvet cupcakes there. They were so good and I think we inhaled them in under 4 minutes!



- Diablo’s Cantina @ Monte Carlo. We had the $50 food credit from MyVegas to use there and our bill came to about $100. The waitress came back and said that their cashier wasn’t there and the bartender said he didn’t know how to apply it so the entire lunch was FREE! We were floored and I gave her a big tip that she was very appreciative of.

- Ka @ MGM. Of course it is always a good show. Hubby and I saw it about 6 years ago. The pre-show entertainers (the ushers) were really fun. Dad dozed off in the beginning but midway through it grabbed his attention and he stayed awake. One of the ushers playing with “George”, my daughters stuffed whatever it is





- Dad’s room at Famingo. It was a CET comp and I think it may have been a Go room. Hardwood floors and a nice view of the pool area. I was actually impressed.

- Slots at NYNY and MGM – for my husband. He had a nice $310 win on a new Azure progressive slot at MGM we had never played before (picture below) and the whole bank of them were playing out nicely for a few hours hitting progressive amounts every now and then. I was able to catch the very end of it on video. He also had a nice $260 bonus win at NYNY on some WMS slot we don’t know the name of and another $150 line hit on 50 cent Wicked Winnings there. His best hit of the trip was at MGM on a Monopoly game. Not sure the name but the bonus win was $38 and then he hit a 10x multiplier for a $380 total win. He also had a $188 bonus on Goldfish 3. My one good win came from the Reel Em In slot at MGM for a catch of about $160. I did manage to get that one on video. One night we went back to the room with that entire day’s budget, including what we had spent during the day on non-gaming activities and food.





- Monorail transportation. All I can say is thank God for it. With Dad mid strip and us on the South end, it made meeting up each day and going back much easier!

- The weather. After being in the Dallas area with nothing but rain and recent ice – it was so nice to walk around in 80 degree weather for a few days.

- Lucky Cat @ Cosmo. Even though my fortune said “By the time you turn around the person in front of you will have disappeared” it was pretty cute and they let the kids come in and take a pic.



- Hash House a Go Go. Man the pancakes are huge! Nobody could finish theirs. The biscuit that came with my veggie hash was the best I’ve ever had.



- The Secret Garden at Mirage! After watching the dolphins play, we walked through to the tiger area and who was there? Seigfried!! Probably the highlight of my trip, it was an honor to meet such a Vegas legend. Totally unexpected and worth the price to get in. I’m so glad my daughter talked me into it! They say he just shows up sometimes to meet people and hang out. We caught him before he left for the day.





- Pink’s hot dogs. The boys really enjoyed theirs and I was able to get a veggie dog. It was the cheapest meal we had the whole week.
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- $8.99 Prime Rib dinner at Tony Roma’s downtown. The boys loved this meal.

- The Bellagio Conservatory. It’s so much prettier at night!







- Adventure dome @ Circus Circus. It’s pricey to get in but my husband and the kids said the rides were great and they liked that there wasn’t a wait for any of them unlike most amusement parks. I bowed out of that one and lost some $$ in the casino while waiting with my dad.

- The dude impersonating Dr Evil in front of Planet Hollywood. Spot on!



Lows:
- Our room debacle at MGM. I opted for the $34 upgrade from the offer I got via email before our trip to the tower spa suite so we would have more room. Upon arrival very late that night, she said they were all out of them but we could do a 1 bedroom instead. The catch – it was their last one on the 1st floor – but she said she put an 8th floor room on hold for us that we could move to the next day. I hate those first floor rooms. Right off of the casino floor, you feel like you are in a dungeon. The couch and couch pillows had what appeared to be crusty food – or vomit on them. It was a large room and would’ve been great on a different floor and minus the unidentifiable substance on the couch. The next day I went to check on the 8th floor room and the lady said come back around 2 and it should be ready. 3pm I go to the desk and the agent is talking forever – talking to a manager back and forth a hundred times. She tells me that the room that was on hold had a maintenance issue and we were being upgraded to a different room on the 20th floor. I didn’t mind that because I heard the word upgrade. Getting to the room, it wasn’t an upgrade – it was the tower spa suite I originally reserved. That room is actually smaller than the one on the first floor. But on a good note – there was no vomit on the couch. On the 2nd night around 915pm, the shower backed up and flooded the bathroom. We waited an hour and a half for maintenance to come up and plunge it and for housekeeping to replenish our towels and take away the soaked ones. They did give us 4 free buffets but in hindsight I think I may still write them a note. They charged me $40 per night for the upgrade instead of $34 because we were supposed to keep the 1 bedroom - which we weren’t able to.

- The crowds. The college basketball tournament was going on at MGM and by Wednesday there were fans and players everywhere. When the games let out you could barely walk without stepping on someone.

- Chasing progressives. I need to make a mental note here. Chasing progressives only make you frustrated and depressed. There was one hanging on at over $460 on a must pay by $500 WMS Queen of Africa at Flamingo. I played it for a long time and hit about 7 bonuses. That damn thing never dropped. I gave up. The next day of course I just had to go check it. Yup…someone won it and it was back at $250. Dammit.

- Flamingo slots in general. We lost our butts there and couldn’t hit a damn thing. They don’t seem to have many new slots, just a bunch of old ones.

- The smoke. I’m an ex-smoker. I vape now. Maybe I’m just more sensitive now but the smoke at the casinos – especially NYNY – was so heavy I could literally taste it. Made me wonder why the hell I ever smoked those things. Our clothes went straight into the washer when we got home.

- The line at Carlo’s Bakery! Insane!



- The Bally’s bazaar area. It’s really pretty but line with a bunch of junky shops and people standing outside of them trying to sell you a bunch of crap. I miss the old entrance and it is quite the adventure to find your way in to the casino now. Here’s some pics for those of you who are wondering what it looks like.









- The Walking Dead slot machine. OMG. $200 gone in no time on max bet without one bonus and only one good hit for $90. Unbelievable. Never again!

- The Excalibur room – oh…the Excalibur room. What can I say? Motel 6 downgraded a few categories with 1970’s décor, little plastic cups in the restroom and hallways that smell like an old gym sock. Yuck. I’ll never stay there again. I added the night as an afterthought when we bought our airline tickets and had to extend a night to get the cheap fare. One good thing, they did not charge the resort fee so it was completely free. I will never stay there again and I made it clear on my survey that they are in dire need of a renovation!

- Downtown. Not really a low for me and my husband but my dad hated it this time around. I think the 70 year old man wearing a diaper up his ass and the naked large ladies with nothing on but duct taped nipples did him in this time. I found it hilarious and didn’t mind our teens seeing it, it made for some funny conversation. I mean, it is Vegas!

Chief Two Cheeks:


It’s hard to go back and remember everything that you did but I think I highlighted most of it. It was a good trip overall and we really tired out our kids and my dad! I’m going back for sure for a girl’s trip in Oct and if the airfare is good, we might squeeze in a short 2 nights just the hubby and I in Sept for his birthday. Can’t ever stay away too long! If you made it this far, thank you for reading!

 

Nice report. I have heard about the HHAGG pancakes, now that I have seen them I may need to sample!

 

Great TR - really appreciated all the pics, esp of the Bally's Bazaar area. Sorry you had so many struggles with your room at MGM

 

Great report! It's like a glimpse 3 weeks into my future. My kids' Spring Break isn't until the week after Easter and we'll be doing some of these same things. Was curious whether or not kids could do the Lucky Cat, so thanks for that. How cool you ran ino Siegfried at the Secret Garden. What's that coin with the tiger on it?

 

The kids can't get a fortune from lucky cat but they can come in and take a picture. Fyi it's only open after 4pm.
The coin appeared "magically" from my daughter's elbow...Seigfried gave it to her. He was so sweet!
Told MGM about our room debacle on the survey and I got an email today that they refunded three days worth of resort fees. I appreciated the gesture.

 

Super pictures!!! Thanks for sharin' the trip with us. Boy... you're daughter sure looks like you!!! And that is an ABSOLUTE compliment!!!

 

Thank you! Yep we have mini mes...my son looks just like my husband. At 16, he's 6 ft 1 and about 250...apparently he looks of age because he was getting handed THE CARDS and club passes on the street. He thought that was quite funny.
Here you can see how much bigger he is than me:


I have this identical photo taken 6 yrs ago with them at that spot and they were so little! How time flies!

 

Thanks for the tip!

That's so cool! Hoping he's there when I go.

Did your kids enjoy Ka? We're taking our 7-year-old.

 

Oh yes they loved it. It has a story that's easy to follow unlike the other cirque shows. There's a beach scene that your 7 yr old will love.

 

Thanks for sharing. Great pics!

 

Awesome pics! I think that "Ka" usher playing with the toy that was the one that assisted my g/f's mom to her seat and gave us instructions on the wheelchair pickup. He was quite nice.

So jealous that you saw Sigfried!!! And very cool he is active with the exhibit.

Sucks about that slot progressive. There has been a discussion about those slots at the Wizard of Vegas before and was summarized on a Wizard of Odds page. Sadly a major of $460 is still in the "red" overall for a 12%-14% house edge machine (the two most likely CET settings, imo). I rarely see those above $450 too!

http://wizardofodds.com/games/slots/mystery-jackpot/

Now it sounds like you know why many non-smokers complain about casino smoke so much! Thanks for switching to vape, that definitely smells a lot better to me!

Great pics!!! Really enjoyed this report!

 

I'm going to check out that link. I've gotten a minor progressive before at around $35 but I want so badly to get the major...just once would be nice since I tend to play those machines a lot.

 

Nice report - thanks for sharing your adventure!

 

As always loved your trip report and photos! Thanks!

 

Awe thanks! I'm a huge fan of you and your videos...especially when you're with sdguy. I always hope to hear your voices some time when I'm in Vegas!

 

Huh, the escalators at Bally's were out. Go figure.

Nice report though!

 

Great trip report. I agree Excalibur = yuck. My family and I have seen Ka 4 times and we love it. Hey any sign of Wahlbergers at the new Bally's walkway?

 

Do u mean inside between Paris and ballys? We didn't walk thru but I'll look for it in Sept!

 

Mind boggling to me when people complain about things that are free.

Excaliber is great for those on a limited budget.

Smoke tends to find its way in a casino.

March Madness is one of the 3 biggest sporting events to wager on throughout the year. If large crowds bother you, I suggest visiting another time. By the way, the World Cup (soccer) is a pretty big deal every four years, and I suggest avoiding the first weekend in February as well.

I'm sure your teenagers had an absolute blast in Vegas, as there is so much to do there. Awesome Report!

 

Agree with Excalibur — wife's parents stayed there our last trip because of budget restraints. I felt bad for them having to stay there, but they are the type of people not to complain about something like that. Excellent report, it was fun to read!