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11/7 & 11/8 First trip to Atlantic City

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Trip Reports' started by VegasSchemer, Nov 3, 2015.

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  1. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    I recently moved out to the East Coast and live just 3 hours from AC. I had only heard bad things about the place (relative to Vegas), so I hadn't planned to go until two developments.

    1. MyVegas added Borgata rewards.
    2. Borgata offers a free night's stay and $100 freeplay when you trade-in a premium players card for their Black Label card.

    So, I'll be there this weekend, hoping to take advantage of the free night on Saturday.

    I'll post a final trip report here after the trip ends because I'll be with the gf.

    I'll also be doing some of the online gambling bonuses for casinos I'll be playing at in person because their sites say online play contributes to earning comps. Might as well grab whatever is out there.

    Here is the key observation that is already apparent:

    AC is no LV.

    I'm amazed by the full rack rate room prices, lack of interesting new member gambling promotions (rebates, good first day free play offers), expensive spa day passes and the need to pay for parking at most places.

    Really makes me miss LV.
     
  2. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    11/7 & 11/8 First trip to Atlantic City

    Parking is completely free at Golden Nugget and the CET resorts will waive the fee if you earn at least 25 tier credits or have a Platinum or higher status players card. Not sure about Borgata.

    The state charges a $3 parking fee per car and the casinos on the Boardwalk generally increase it for non-players to dissuade people from parking in the casino lots to spend the day at the beach without playing.
     
  3. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    Thanks for this info, Lithium. I don't think I have my CET card on me. Any idea if I'd be able to park there and then get the fee waved on the back end? Thanks.
     
  4. sabinomarine

    sabinomarine Tourist

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    I was Black Label there for a few years and I remember them waiving the parking fee if you showed your card at exit.
     
  5. NCAAHoops

    NCAAHoops VIP Whale

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    Some locations have you pay when entering others when you leave. I know Harrahs over on the marina has you pay when leaving. Borgota will waive the fee with a higher tier card when leaving as well. Not sure about the boardwalk casinos. Enjoy your trip
     
  6. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    Thanks folks! I am hopeful for a good weekend in AC!
     
  7. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    You pay when you leave at all the CET casinos, so you could just pick up your TR card at the desk inside and show it to them at the gate on your way out.
     
  8. Grid

    Grid Well-Known Member

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    AC is AC. It doesnt feel like Vegas, even when you are gambling. But thats OK. It is its own kind of fun. Sadly you will be going during the fall/winter months and most of what makes Atlantic City fun will be closed down. The beaches, some of the unique Boardwalk shops, restaurants will have shorter open hours, the Steel Pier is shut down and the fun and vibe of being out in the sun with the crowds just cant be had.

    The number of rooms in town just cant be compared to that of Vegas. With limited availability and the casino usually giving those rooms away to better gambler thats why you see the rack rate so high. But only on Fri/Sat really. During the week its usually under 50 at most casino/hotels. Unlike Vegas which is a vacation destination. AC really only attracts locals and they just show up for the most part on the weekends.
     
  9. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Get a card at the Total Rewards desk and if you put 25 points or spend $100 at a restaurant and show them your card, you can get a free parking voucher at one of the TR kiosks around. We are lowly gold and always printed out the voucher before we leave, never tried to show them a card to the attendant for free parking. I think the Tropicana also has free parking this weekend as well, no voucher is required, but they may ask for a players card if there is an attendant on duty.

    Yes, AC is no Vegas, four properties closed down in 2014, but it stills gets millions of visitors and generates about $3 billion in revenue each year and that ain't hay. It's easy to diss the gaming conditions and the experience based on second hand info, I like to see things firsthand and form my own opinion. You won't be disappointed by going to the Borgata.

    I prefer to make the drive to AC although I can reach several Pennsylvania and Delaware casinos in less time. I like to walk the boards when the weather is nice and hit a couple properties. We are low rollers, but received a last minute offer for a Friday night comp last weekend at Tropicana, unfortunately couldn't make it work. Saturday night rack rates are typically $400 plus.

    I look forward to your perspective as a first timer.
     
  10. PPtraderal

    PPtraderal Low-Roller

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    Borgota charges a $ 5.00 parking fee unless you are a Black Card Holder. There easy to score as people leave them in machines all the time. They have the nicest rooms and best buffet in AC. We live about 70 miles away and go often. Any CET property will waive the parking charge if you earn 25 tier points or have a Platinum Card. You can easily walk from Harrah's to Borgota. There's a path cut through the field. Do not attempt to walk from Golden Nugget to Borgota as you have to cross a busy highway. Parking is always free at GN. Don't wander too far off boardwalk at night. The outlet stores are around Caesar's. Those couple blocks are fine. There is Jitney ( mini bus) service between the Casino's. It's 2.25 per person. CET has their own free shuttle from Harrah's, Caesar's, and Bally's. Harrahs has the second best buffet. But they are not open all day. Saturday night is always a premium in AC. Beware of the newly turned 21 all night parties in some hotels. Bogota is good at keeping things normal. There is also a flat taxi in AC. So they can't long haul you. enjoy your stay and let us know what you think. Expect crowds on a Saturday. Go fast and win.
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2015
  11. LB9

    LB9 PH Blackjack Degen

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    You'll have fun don't worry. It's not Vegas as stated above but it's the next best thing in the U.S. without a doubt. I'm there a good bit and I can attest that it serves it's purpose. Plus, limits on tables are low and slot/VP payouts are a lot better than many locals casinos.

    Also, lot of good people watching. I'm also a 3 hour drive and it flies by :)
     
  12. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    You can walk safely from The Nugget to Borgata ,you just take the walkway along the water ,it's a hike though If you pay for parking ,just ask for the receipt which entitles you to free paring at all the other hotels for 24 hrs. Going back to the walk, if you get to Harrahs ,just look to your left and you'll see the field you can cut across to Borgata at the end of Harrahs property.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Nov 5, 2015
  13. LB9

    LB9 PH Blackjack Degen

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    I just got to Harrahs, give me a holler and we can meet up for beers and gambol!
     
  14. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    Sorry I missed you, LandryBalla! Didn't check the page until just before I left town.
     
  15. VegasSchemer

    VegasSchemer VIP Whale

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    The Trip Report

    Here it is my first trip report for the website (I've never found my Vegas trips to be worth writing about):

    My first trip to AC was quite interesting.

    11-6- Friday night
    I was traveling with the girlfriend (and showing her a casino for the time), so it wasn’t a standard gambling trip. We stayed at the Residence Inn Marriot in Egg Harbor, NJ (about 10 minutes from AC) the first night at 10 PM and I worked through a couple amazing online gambling promos offered by the Mohegan Sun and Resorts AC online casinos. Basically, you play through $40k in bets and get $1,600 in cash credited to your accounts (I’m combining the two offers in that math). There’s also $400 worth of cash back offers like the promotion SLS ran a year or so ago. Long story short: Anyone a short drive or flight from the east coast can get a free trip to AC the first time out here. I finished up $2,100 on these promos which is a fairly normal outcome as you’d see if you crunched some numbers.
    For the bargain hunters (which I totally am): I noticed that particular hotel also has a promotion where you pay some dude with a van $20 to come pick you up and then gives you a $20 freeplay coupon for Bally’s AC.

    11-7- Saturday night
    Finally made it into AC. We checked in at the Borgata by taking advantage of their black label trade up promotion. I showed them my mLife platinum card they gave me $100 in freeplay, $20 in comps and a free night at the hotel for that night (could be used anytime in the next 3 months, I believe).
    Girlfriend is 21, so this was a brand new experience. We spent the morning just going over casinos games. I taught her the basics of craps and roulette, and we also played the Big 6 wheel, some slots and blackjack. Kind of fun actually to show a newcomer around the floor.
    I was very pleased with the Borgata. We stayed in their Classic Room (standard) and I’d say the place is on par with Mandalay Bay or MGM. The indoor pool was closed because someone lost their liquid lunch about 10 minutes before I got there, but the pool area was nice.
    Buffets: We tried the Borgata for lunch and the Tropicana for dinner. Borgata was great. On par with Vegas buffets like the Mirage or Aria. Slightly less selection but probably even higher quality than those places. With 2 2-for-1 buffet coupons via myVegas, it was the best part of our AC eating experience.
    And then there’s the Trop buffet. Good Lord, that was something awful. That thing costs the same as Borgata and it is just no good. My girlfriend has gone to Vegas in HS and remembered eating at the Orleans buffet. She said it was similar to that as she remembered it. You wanna spend $30 per person on food that doesn’t even match Golden Corral? They’ve got you covered.
    Gambling: Because it was our first time in AC, it wasn’t a gambling-focused trip. We played BJ for about an hour on Saturday (and Sunday). We played $15 3:2 6-deck in the afternoon. Looked like you couldn’t get on a game cheaper than $25 at night but I never saw any 6:5 at Borgata.
    Shows: Got two tickets from myVegas to their comedy club. It was okay stuff. About as good as you’d catch at the Laugh Factory at Trop. Fairly funny, nothing spectacular.
    Exploring AC: We spent Saturday night walking the beach and checking out the Trump Taj Mahal and Caesars AC. We both like seeing the themed casinos but they were both dead by midnight. Bally’s has a casino within the casino called Wild Wild West that had some action. Felt more like the Downtown Vegas scene with a dancing area, some party games but bad table rules on all BJ games. The place was like a warehouse with all these spaces.
    Two things were clear: This place has gone downhill with all these nearly empty and actually closed down casinos around and November is especially dead as there’s lots of seasonal businesses there. The properties right on the boardwalk reminded of downtown spots like Binion’s. You know they’re over the hill.
    And finally, we got offered coke walking down the sidewalk by some shady characters. My bad getting off the boardwalk on the way back to my car.

    11-8 Sunday morning

    Just had time to sleep in, gamble a little more on slots (wanted the GF to have the joy of getting the Wheel of Fortune bonus), and do the Borgata Sunday brunch (Which was fantastic).
    I honestly don’t know where I finished for the trip. I think I made about $2,000 because we didn’t play much (and thus didn’t lose much). The gf was very comfortable with the casino atmosphere and came away loving blackjack. She didn’t any of her online bonuses, so we could combine her online gambling sign-up bonuses with actual play to have another great trip in the future.

    It was a quick trip, so we didn’t take in Harrah’s or Golden Nugget next door but I think I can sum up the trip with two observations: AC is no Vegas but the Borgata really can hang. I’ll give them a serious trip in the near future.
     
  16. LB9

    LB9 PH Blackjack Degen

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    Thanks for the TR and perhaps we will catch each other next time. As long as you stay in the Marina, those casino hotels, especially borgata, are all great. The boardwalk is definitely only attractive during the summer so I just avoid entirely and only stay at Harrahs or Borgata. I think of the borgata as a mini Wynn personally.
     
  17. lithium78

    lithium78 VIP Whale

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    I'm staying on the Boardwalk tomorrow night because that's where the show I'm going to watch is being staged plus it's close to the outlet shopping and the clubs on Playground Pier. I like Borgata, but they don't comp me anywhere near as well as Caesars does and I'm not sure about Harrah's because that seems to draw a MTV Jersey Shore type of crowd. The only things I don't really like about the Boardwalk casinos are 1.) No indoor pool at Caesars and there's a surcharge to use the pool at Bally's and 2.) It's a little too close to where "locals" live (and I don't mean normal locals. I mean the weird ones who should probably be hospitalized somewhere.)
     
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