Trip Report: Luxor 9/19-9/23

This report is long overdue. I'm finally writing it up, listening to Claire de Lune. I'll try to add some food and VP pictures along the way.

This was my ninth visit to Las Vegas. My brother joined me for the first half of the trip.

I mostly play quarter video poker (VP) and $5 blackjack (BJ), so no high-rolling adventures here.

The purpose of the trip (as if a trip to Las Vegas needs a purpose) was to celebrate my new job. I had a narrow window between ending one job and starting the new one, which happened to be during the iHeartRadio Music Festival. Luckily, I had an offer from the Luxor: 119 for Fri, 129 for Sat and 29 each for Monday and Tuesday. (In comparison, I think a non-discounted rate at Excalibur in a regular room was running about $250 a night for the weekend. Ouch!) My offer included an upgrade to the tower deluxe rooms and $10 free play (FP). I had never stayed there before, but had logged some time playing their quarter progressive 9/5 JOB VP machines.

It turned out that Ray Romano was performing at the Mirage that weekend. I called the Mirage VIP line to see if they offered discounts for Mlife members. Even though I was only Sapphire at the time, they offered 30% discounts off of their best seats. I wasn't given a specific seat assignment, but was able to reserve 2 tickets somewhere in the first ten rows and could pick the tickets up at any MGM property. I didn't need to, but I believe I would have been able to cancel without penalty with 24 hours notice.

What's a trip without squeezing some value from MyVegas? This time I cashed in for $50 FP and $25 FP at Luxor, and a breakfast buffet at Mandalay Bay.

My rental car rate with Dollar was higher than I would have liked, but I saved some on the Sun Country airfare with a coupon code I picked up during the Minnesota State Fair.

I also brought along an American Casino Guide (ACG).

Let the celebration begin!

 

September 18:

Last day at old job.

 

September 19:

I like the concept of Dollar Express, but I'm not sure I've ever gotten to just go directly to the car. I always skip the counter, but usually need to see an agent at the booth downstairs. This time it was because I had renewed my drivers license since my last rental. I picked up my nondescript car and was on my way.

Despite the fact that my Pearl Mlife status had expired, they let me check in at the Mlife counter at the Luxor. I asked for a room in the West Tower hoping for Wi-Fi. I ended up on floor 12 in the West Tower which did not have Wi-Fi. I was usually able to get a signal in the lobby, however.

At check in, I received a coupon book with "over $800 in savings." I think I ended up saving less than $8. It had a $20 food and beverage credit coupon, but it was only valid at Tender, Rice and Company, Steakhouse at Camelot, and several bars.

I liked the room. Compared to MGM properties at which I have I have stayed recently, I'd rank my Luxor tower room ahead of MGM Grand's West Wing King rooms and NYNY's Park Avenue rooms, but just behind Mirage's standard rooms.

In what's starting to become a tradition, I ate dinner at Earl of Sandwich. I had my usual Holiday Turkey Sandwich and paid with Total Rewards points "earned" via Social Rewards.

I swung through MGM Grand and broke even playing VP, followed by a trip to Hooters where I turned $10 in FP into $8.75.

Later I picked up my brother at the airport. I thought he was at Terminal 3. Nope! I'm not sure why, but it took me a long time to figure out how to loop back to Terminal 1. My brother claimed he could have walked to the hotel faster. I'm not sure he was wrong. The good news is that on one of my loops I found a Wal-Mart where we later picked up some water and other supplies. Strangely the selection of bottled water was pretty limited with none of the usual name brands available.

Back at our hotel, my brother had a sandwich and I had dessert from Backstage Deli. We stuck with Luxor and Mandalay Bay (MB) for the rest of the evening. I turned the $10 in FP from my room offer into $11.25, but then later lost $30 in the progressive VP. I left MB with $40 of their money, but (spoiler alert!) they'd get it back in a couple of days.

 

September 20:

I am rarely able to sleep in, especially my first night. My brother, however, had no such problem. I walked next door to the Krispy Kreme at Excalibur, the first of several visits there.

I turned the $50 MyVegas FP into $43.75, although I gave most of back to Luxor later in the day. I broke even playing VP at MB, and decided to pick up the Ray Romano tickets there. There was some confusion about the price I was supposed to be charged, but in the end I paid about $130 for a pair of tickets in the 6th row.

By now my brother had finally woken up, and we had breakfast at the Pyramid Cafe. They didn't photograph well, but I really enjoyed my red velvet pancakes. I also ordered a side a bacon cooked perfectly crispy. Too bad they don't have any MyVegas rewards here.

My coupon book included coupons for 2 free games at the Fun Dungeon at Excalibur, so we headed there next. We played a horse racing game and I beat him and a child to win a Brainy Smurf. In retrospect I should let the child have the prize, but now that I'm stuck with it, I might bring him (Brainy, not my brother) as my mascot for future trips. I think we played a game of Ms. Pac-Man, too.

My brother is hardly a germophobe, but even he agreed we needed to wash our hands upon leaving the Fun Dungeon.

The next stops were NYNY and Hershey World. I'm sure others have commented on it, but was it a good idea to make a giant chocolate statue for the desert?

We briefly played the Shoot to Win craps machine at Monte Carlo. I've played it by myself before, but it's definitely more fun to have someone playing with you. I cashed out $4.60 ahead and we went to Aria. I can't recall if we took the tram or walked.

My brother found some sort of poker machine at which to play, but it wasn't the usual video poker. I settled in for a session of Super Times Play Bonus Poker Deluxe. I hit four of kind twice and finished up $100. We walked back to our room to get ready for the evening.

After changing, we took a cab to Paris for dinner at Gordon Ramsay Steak. My brother wanted to treat me to dinner to celebrate, so I had let him pick. The most memorable thing was the waiter bringing out a meat cart and presenting the various cuts. I've seen dessert trays and lobster tanks, but have never seen steaks wheeled around a restaurant before. I had a filet; my brother ordered some other beef entree, maybe the rib cap? We shared sides of fingerling potatoes and, I think, creamed corn, although I don't see it on their online menu now.

For dessert we shared the sticky toffee pudding. We also ordered coffee, which was served with chocolate covered spoons.

I thought the service at GR Steak was outstanding and who doesn't love beef on wheels? I enjoyed the dessert, but I don't understand the hype. The steak was very good as were the potatoes. I preferred my steak at Vic and Anthony's several years ago, but then that was probably the best steak I've ever had.

We walked to the Mirage with just enough time to grab a couple of drinks before the show. I think Jon Manfrellotti opened. Both he and Ray Romano were very funny. My wife is not a big fan of Ray, so I was happy to have the chance to see it with my brother. However, he's not yet married so some of the jokes probably weren't as funny for him as they could have been. At the end of the show, Jon and Ray took a few questions from the audience and then Ray introduced his son, who was sitting several rows behind us. Wow, we had better seats than Ray Romano's son!

On our trek back to the Luxor we stopped by Bellagio and the Cosmopolitan. I won $40 playing 9/5 JOB VP at a bar at Bellagio, and I got my biggest slot machine win ever, $73.50, on a Star Trek machine at the Cosmopolitan. I finished the day up nearly $200.

 

September 21:

I let my brother sleep in again and grabbed another early breakfast from Krispy Kreme. I redeemed my final MyVegas FP award, this one for $25. My notes are incomplete here, but over the course of 5 VP sessions at the Luxor that day, I lost a total of $109.75. Yesterday had been a good day for gambling; I wouldn't be as lucky today.

After my brother woke up, we went across the street to Sunday mass at the Shrine of the Most Holy Redeemer. I recently learned that all venial (minor) sins are forgive during mass, which comes in handy in Las Vegas.

After mass, we went to Peppermill for breakfast. The expected wait was around an hour. We killed some time in the lounge playing video BJ, and I won $3. We cut down on the wait for a table by snapping up a couple of stools at the counter. I ordered my usual Joe's San Francisco Special with no cheese sauce.

After breakfast we went across the street to Circus Circus. We each bought the two Win Cards packages to get $45 in chips for only $30. Only a few tables were open, and they were fairly crowded. We managed to eventually squeeze into one, and I finished $30 ahead. Somehow it seems appropriate that I had to sit in a high chair at a low table. Nothing's quite right there, yet I keep going back.

The hours were ticking away until my brother's flight. After getting some frozen yogurt back at the Luxor, we settled on a trip to the Fashion Show Mall and visited the Apple store and the new LEGO store where I picked up gifts for my children.

Next up was an attempt to visit MGM Grand for the CSI Experience attraction. Once again I had a series of wrong turns and missed exits, and we were left to again wonder if it would have been faster to walk. I think they had three different crimes to solve. We paid for one, but if we had more time our receipt would have given us a discount on the others.

We stopped for a quick game of Jurassic Park on the way to the car, and I won another $4. Thankfully, the drive back to the Luxor was quick.

Dinner consisted of take-out from the Original Chicken Tender Company at the Luxor food court. We used an ACG 2-for-1 coupon. Quite the contrast from our dinner the previous evening. The recent job decision must have taxed my decision-making capabilities, because I recall spending several minutes deciding among combos with 3, 4, or 5 tenders. In the end, we picked the middle option.

I dropped my brother off at the airport without incident, and headed downtown to play BJ.

It turns out that valet parking at Downtown Grand (DTG) now requires My Points membership and validation, or else it costs $12. I had been planning to wait to sign up the following night when I would have more time to play, but I wasn't about to pay $12 to park.

While I had stayed there for a night in December 2013, I hadn't played there yet as the VP offerings at the time had been abysmal. Now they had full pay bonus poker. As a new member, I quickly earned enough points for a t-shirt and then lost $60 on my way to claiming $5 FP. Oops.

I turned $10 in FP at El Cortez into $11.30, lost $45 playing BJ at Golden Gate, and headed back to the Luxor.

 

September 22:

Today was a sleeping in day. Around 10:00 I head over to MB and redeemed the MyVegas reward for the buffet. At the Mlife desk, they had a separate, but long, line for MyVegas redemptions. By the time I was seated, they were starting to change over to lunch. Ingredient choices were a bit limited at the omelet station, but it still tasted pretty good. It's hard to pass up made-to-order food at a buffet. Fruit, hash browns, and a couple of small desserts rounded out the meal. They have a lovely room with decent service, and I'd happily return for free.

Following breakfast, I lost $40 playing VP, returning my win from Friday night.

During the afternoon I swung by Ellis Island and Orleans, turning $10 FP coupons into $15 and $2.50, respectively. I broke even playing at a $5 BJ table at Orleans. It took me a while to get used to handling the cards. I asked the dealer what would happen if the player did the math wrong and asked for another card after busting. I don't think she understood my question (or my concern), because she said it couldn't happen. I lost with my match play (MP) coupon, but did enjoy getting three blackjacks in a row. I didn't make any money, but I had fun playing and think I started disliking the Orleans a little less.

Dinner was a slice of pepperoni pizza at the food court at NYNY. Greasy, but good. I also picked up some gifts at Hershey World.

I stopped by the Luxor's Mlife desk to see if anything could be taken off my bill. I estimate my coin-in was between $5,000 and $6,000, almost exclusively on VP. After applying $8 in Express Comps, they took another $33 off my bill.

I retrieved the car and returned downtown. At Plaza and Las Vegas Club, my $5 FP coupons yielded $3.75 and $2.50, respectively. BJ at Golden Gate yielded a quick $45 loss, so it was time for a break. I lost $30 playing VP at the D. Not the kind of break I had in mind.

Time for one last round of BJ. I bought in for another $100 at Golden Gate, and whittled it down to $30-something. It was my last night, and I wasn't ready to give up yet. Over the next few hours, I proceeded to go on my best BJ run ever. I probably would have kept playing, but my neck was getting sore and a dealer change left me with a less than friendly dealer. Time to go. I colored up with $290, having given up $40 to $50 in waitress and dealer tips along the way.

After driving back to the Luxor, I walked over to Excalibur to see if Schlotzsky's was open. It wasn't. Lots of young adults acting goofy, giving each other piggyback rides and riding the handrails of the moving walkways. They clearly had more energy than I did. I ended up getting a very good Reuben sandwich at Backstage Deli and brought it back to my room.

Around 2 AM I stopped by the front desk and asked the clerk to print out a new Mlife card for me. Somehow I made Pearl during the trip, but I don't think I had enough spending or gambling to do it. I suspect that there was some sort of point doubling promotion in effect.

I had a morning flight, so I originally thought I would stay up through the night. After I packed, I eventually caved and crashed for a couple of hours.

 

September 23 and Final Thoughts:

I had time for one final Krispy Kreme run in the morning, and then it was off on an early trek to the airport.

I was exhausted when I returned home, but thankfully managed to catch up on my sleep before starting the new job.

I got to spend time with my brother and had some great meals and some cheap meals, too. By my records, I was up nearly $300 for the trip. Not bad considering the stakes at which I typically play. I think I managed to hit all of the best quarter VP at the Mlife properties: 9/5 JOB at MB, Luxor, MGM Grand, and Bellagio and STP 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe at Aria.

I liked the Luxor and will be staying there again in 9 days. I don't know what the pyramid rooms are like, but my tower room was very nice. Pyramid Cafe and Backstage Deli were good, and I obviously made use of the nearby Krispy Kreme. The location can be a bit inconvenient if you're walking to, say, the Mirage, but it's very easy to get in and out of the valet parking.

Coming up: a trip report for December 2014 and another trip planned for April 2015. Stay tuned!

 

Nice report and photos. Well done with the wins - I hope the upcoming trip is just as lucky!

 

Great read

 

Thanks for the detailed report. We enjoy Backstage Deli too, quick and consistent food.

 

Good report! Unfortunate that it looked like the progressive got hit right before your last night of play.

Where was that 9/5 JoB bartop at Bellagio? Sportsbook?

If the progressive is high enough, I might be banging away on those Luxor machines sometime on Saturday! Hoping for $2k+! *Crosses Fingers*

 

I really enjoyed my trip to Luxor last October. I thought the room in the tower was definitely comparable to my room in the MGM on a previous trip as well!
Thanks for a great read!

 

Thanks for the great read

 

Sounds like a great trip. Thanks for sharing!

 

Sounds like you had a great trip. The Earl Holiday Sandwich is my favourite; I usually have one every trip. Thanks for the tip on discounted show tickets with mLife.

 

Yep, I think the bar was near the Bellagio sportsbook.

I'm checking in at Luxor on the 25th and checking out on the 28th. Will I be competing against you for the progressive? I've seen it get above $2,000 before.

 

Won't be completing too seriously. We hop around all over vegas. Will mostly be staying north of Bellagio. And yeah, the one time I played it was $2600+, and didn't get hit until I returned 36 hrs. later for $4800+. I couldn't get a seat then, not surprisingly.

I'll try to give you heads up when I'm trying to give it a crack to say hello. Unfortunately, Saturday is probably my busiest planned day. PM me if this site isn't a good place to contact you while you're in town.

 

PM sent.