"Vegas Vacation" 3-4/3-9 Aladdin

This is my first trip report, I have read this board over the past couple years and have used much of the information and advice from it so I felt I needed to return with a report of my own. Sorry in advance if it ends up too long, I like to talk!

This was our 6th trip out, we try to make it annual, missed a few years when I had my daughter (who is now 4) and when she was a handful and did not want to impose her on anyone at age 1 1/2. Trip consists of myself and my husband, we are in our early 30's and my inlaws that are in their early 50's. I know what you are thinking, you vacation with your in-laws? Yes, I actually like them and get along with them quite well, and as my husband would tell you I cross the line on my humor with them, but I like to have fun and tell it like it is. We all like to do the same things and I would be bored there with just my husband, we are total opposites.

We booked our trip in December, waited a little too long as in November we would have gotten the package for a few hundred cheaper, oh well. Booked through Funjet and have for every trip, they always end up cheaper than anyone else. Since I went alone to the travel agent I took it upon myself to upgrade to a resort room for $175.00 more. We chose Aladdin again because it is newer in a good location and a good value in comparison to the other places we could have stayed for the same price. If I would have waited until check in for a resort room they would not have had one for me, some convention was there and they had them on hold. I know this because my in-laws came out 2 days before us and upgraded to one and they had a hard time finding one because of that.

We drove down to Milwaukee on 3-3 to stay at Holiday Inn Express and leave the car there and take the shuttle to the airport for our 7:00 departure time. The flight left on time and was un-eventful, weather was nice. We flew Midwest and they now have portable DVD players with 11 pre-loaded movies and music and t.v. shows to rent for $10.00, I did not think that was too bad of a price and they had good movies on it. We took our own and boy did that make the time pass much faster! Arrived in Vegas on time. Got our luggage and took a shuttle to Aladdin for $5.00 per person. I like to take the shuttle verses a taxi, we never have to wait and the taxi line was snaking through the ropes outside.

Arrived at Aladdin by 10:30. As some of you already know Aladdin will be Planet Hollywood by the end of this year, the old entrance for check in was closed and being remodeld and had a tempoary check-in. I know it was way early to check in but when we stayed there last year we were able to pre-register for a room and come back later when it was cleaned to get our keys. Well this year was a different story, we got to the desk and he looked at us like we were crazy and said we could not even pre-register until after 11:30, actually pretty rude about it. We had some time to waste so we got our players cards and played a little video poker and viedo blackjack at the bar. I had a couple drinks to get my vacation started, my mother in law said it is only 10:30, I said no, back home it is after lunch, it is all good. So we went to the buffet for lunch, since we were up since 4:30 and it was 12:30 our time we were starved. It was brunch, a little more expensive $20.99 but excellent. This has always been one of our favorite buffets. After lunch went back down to registration, at this time it was noon, waited in line again, got a different person, she also seemed annoyed as check in was not until after 3:00, I did not want to piss her off as I wanted a nice view and as high up as I could get, I told her I was aware of that but wanted to get things squared away and see about getting the good view and a high room. SHe told us the best view she had was on the 17th floor but 2 queens and not the king that I pre-requested. I said fine, but was not ready, she did take care of everything but the keys, had to come back after 3 for those.

In-laws rented a car, score for us, they don't make us split the cost and they haul our butts around~ score! So we were eager to see what has changes since we were out there a year ago so we took a ride up and down the strip. There seemed to be mobs of people everywhere! Cars and people, the sidewalks were filled, I am sure this was because it was the weekend and I am sure so many people from California come in. AFter Sunday things lightened up. Went back to the Aladdin to gamble a little until a little after 3, back to registration to get the keys, between Tina and Corrine (yes I remembered their names becase we sat there and waited so long I got to stare at their name tags) sat on hold with house keeping for at least 15 minutes, in the mean while Corrine did try to find us another room but she said there was nothing with a better view. We waited. Finally she said it was not clean & to come back by 4, we did and they saw us coming and had keys in hand. over all pretty ridiculous. We had a resort room 1732, very nice, 2 windows with a view of the pool, Paris and the Bellagio fountains, to the left was the mountains. Huge foyer, off the right of the foyer was the bathroom which was also huge, nice soaking tub, closet with the toilet and shower stall with a bench, double vanities. Nice armore with the t.v., drawers and closet. Full size ironing board and iron. Couch and coffee table. Very impressed. One bad thing is someone must have broken a glass cause we found small shards of glass in the bedroom and bathroom, found these the next morning before we left for the day so I left the maid a note, still found a few stragglers, but good thing one did not end up embedded in one of our feet! We took a rest, I know sad, but all week I was so excited and I could not sleep, could not beleive it, I am a full time working Mom and I should have been exhausted. Did not nap, laid down and rested, got un packed, washed up, re-applied my face and changed clothes, felt better. Off to Harrah's, they have rapid video roulette, fun! It was Saturday, $5.00 minumum, I lost $20.00 real fast! Husband on the other hand won $110.00! Cool! Did not have any kind of agenda this year, decided on Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. Good dinner, not a huge menu. Got to see the little show they put on, pirates on stilts and the bikini clad girl slide down the volcano into the giant blender of "margarita". I love pina colada's and had a really good one for $7.25! Boring husband and father in law had burgers, they said they were really good. Mother in law had pulled pork and salad, I had corn chowder and salad, all good. Also went through Mirage, played a little won a little nothing serious. Also went to Casino Royale, I love going there but could not even get near a table, cheap craps & roulette. To bed around midnight.

Sunday day 2~~ Got up and left around 10:00, argued on where to eat. I made the call of Grand Lux in the Venetian, excellent as it was last year, we all decided they have the best ranch dressing we have every tasted. The portions are huge so the encourage you to share, none of us did, did not even eat half the meal, we all have different tastes. Wandered around Venetian for awhile, back to Aladdin and nap in the afternoon, and change of clothes which happened every day. Went to Mandalay Bay for the buffet, it was very good, had the best crab legs, they have both steamed and cold. The steamed ones were already cracked, they came right out and easy to eat, we were in heaven!! Primarily had them and sampled a few other things. Now to the highlight of my trip, to see the Prince tribute band Purple Reign at the House of Blues! I LOVE prince, we saw this band last year at the board walk and they were excellent!!! Now that Boardwalk is closed they are playing at all different places, check the calendar on their website www.purplereign.net. But on Sundays they are at the House Of Blues. $10.00 cover charge but the nice girl at the gift shop gave me free passes for the 4 of us! Nice since a round of drinks for us were $27.00! The showroom is not huge and we got in line around 8:45, show started about 10:00, got really good seats. Show was better than last year! Amazes me how he looks, sounds and plays guitar as talented as Prince is! Show lasted until 12:30, back to Aladdin, played a little tried to spot some hookers. Nothing. Dad gave me $ to play his favorite numbers on roulette, did not win anything for him, but played for about an hour and walked away $30.00 ahead, better than a kick in the snakes and I had fun. Table limits still at $10.00.

Monday day 3~~ Getting up later and later, but that is o.k. we like to be out at night when everything is hopping and the lights are gleaming! Mother in law did not pack tennis shoes, she does not like how they look, does not want to spend a lot on another pair she won't wear so off to Wal-Mart to find some. She had blisters galore. I on the other hand have a painful foot condiion planters facitis and heel spurs, so I scored some nice $100.00 New Balance before the trip so I would not die of pain, after awhile fashion takes second, never thought I would say that. But at night I also gave in to my nice sandals. It was nice just to take a ride and see some sights. Then off to Belagio for buffet, excellent as usual! Went to Caesars to go through the forum shops, had to buy daughter some bath toys at FAO Shwartz as requested. Had daily nap, now off to down town. Seemed to be a little more cleaned up that last year and the casinos had some newer carpet and looked better. Had to start with a yard of pina coladas with an extra shot from LaBayou it is an annual must do. You know there is a lot of booze when it burns going down! Was feeling quite good after that. Back to Aladdin was around 11, went to Zanzibar Cafe, used $5.00 off coupon from american casino guide and had a snack/late dinner.

Tuesday day 4~~ Husband had to go to Sam's town as he has never been there, not bad, had the buffet not too good but worth the $7.99 we paid. Gambled a little. Went to Hawaiin village to check out the little shops and other ones along the way to get some suveniers. Back for nap. Tried to go to Wynn for buffet but we had tickets for buy one get one free at the Aladdin V ultimate variety show at 9. The line was so long at the buffet we would have never made it back in time. So back to Aladdin to desert passage to find somewhere for a bite. I read on this message board about Max's Cafe, could be seated immediatley, went in, husband complaining as to what he was going to eat, mother in law said they have filet, waiter said it was excellent and melted into your mouth, we all had it. A 9 ounce filet, garlic mashed potaoes and seasoned vegtables for $15.99! Excellent! THey have 3 for 1 drinks for wine, martinis and blended drinks! Blender was not working, will take advantage next time! We saw the lunch menu, they have lunches for $3.99, $4.99 and $5.99! Got done in time for the show. Check out www.vegas4locals.com. Paid $10.00 more for VIP seating, got the second table from the stage. Show was excellent! It takes a lot to make me laugh and I was crying! Back to Aladdin for more wandering, off to bed late again!

Wednesday day 5~~ Wanted to check out New York New York, gambled wandered had lunch along the new york cobble stone street area where is there food court type area. HUsband had new york deli sandwich piled high, very good, I had fish & chips at the fish place, cannot remember the name, but they hand bread the fish, hot and fresh and very good. walked over to the Excaliber to catch tram to Mandalay Bay, to the sports book, sat in there and played the ponies, did not win a thing, it got to be comical if we could get our pick to be last! Had in-laws drop us at Barbary Coast to see Fat Elvis. WOW, I saw pictures of him on this website, but WOW! He did sound good, he had some 90 year old tooth pick of a lady up by him and they guy with him was some Austin Powers look a like. THey had $1.00 min on the inside and $3.00 on the outside roulette could not hit anything, lost $20.00 fast. Then off to the very front of the casino, they have a giant wheel of fortune game where about 10 people sit around the giant wheel and when you hit for a spin you take turns on the wheel. The seats are for 2, we played and did max bet per spin for .90 cents, got to spin a few times but not very lucky, my $20.00 did not last long, but how fun! I did not see one like it anywhere else. walked back to Aladdin, nap time. Changed, back to Wynn again for buffet, line was shorter, but still took about 45 minutes. Dinner was $31.49 per person. It was good, but for $31.49 per person I was expecting WOW, I did not get WOW, don't think it was worth $31.49. They had split cold crab legs but they were still a lot of work. Played some Keno in the lounge, back to Aladdin to play, last night here, my batteries were running low.

Thursday, day 6 we are leaving

Our flight was not to depart until 5:35, checked out at 11, had bags stored, walked to Paris, then back, went to desert passage to Blondies for a sandwich, very good, sat on the patio and people watched. Gambled a little more, got one more pina colada in. Checked on our points on our players card, girl at promotions did not put us on one, had husband as new member, got a coffe mug and t-shirt, I got nothing. Every day you do have a free slot pull big prize in a million dollars and a car. Husband did not do to bad, got $10.00 in free slot play, 2 decks of cards, and 2 free tickets to the V show, too bad we had gotten our tickets the day before!!! BUMMER! He settled for a t-shirt instead. Flight out was delayed about 45 minutes, landed back in Milwaukee about 11:40, watched another movie, made time go by fast, then picked up bags and another 1 1/2 hour drive to home town of Oshkosh. Missed my daughter and cat like crazy, but now back to the real world and work!!! Had about 5 inches of snow when we were gone and the snow plow took out our mail box!! Lovely, now I can fight with city, it was only the 3rd time and a weeks worth of mail is sitting at the post office!

Some final thoughts, make an agenda, still did not get to half the things I wanted to do, argued about what we were going to do. The tables were $10 minimum most of the time The time share people are TERRIBLE so annoying, even when you look the other way they are in your face, half the time I just stared at them and did not say a word! Not as many "porn slappers" as we like to call them. Check out Purple Reign and have a few daquiris at La Bayou downtown YUM O! Best pina coladas at Alladin!

Did not win anything but brought back a few hundred. In-laws got a few comped buffets and a room taken off their bill. All in All we had a great time as usual, but how can't you when you have the best shows and places to eat in the world!!!!!!!!!! Until next time!

 

You covered a lot of ground and had lots of buffets. Sounds like a great trip! Mandalay Bay is one of the few buffets I've haven't tried. Some reason I always forget they have one. Sounds like it's worth a try.

 

Thanks for the TR. Max's Cafe sounds like a must to check out.

 

Nice TR....Max's sounds like a must try,
You got to line up your next trip with
the MM crew....I sense you roll that
way.

Cheers, ECS.

 

Nice detailed report....

 

Thanks for the TR, vegas vacation.

Quick question: when you stated the best coladas are at Aladdin, were they at a certain bar/restaurant, or was it the cocktail service while you played?

 

They had the same coladas at the bar and while you were playing, they were also in a nice tall glass, not one of the typical small glasses you get while playing. In desert pasage they also have a Fat Tuesdays bar that just has daquiris.

 

Great report. You are helping me get me fix - our trip isn't until Nov and I am going CRAZY! Even thinking about trying a wild weekend this summer just to get by. (This means I must really be crazy since I've never been to Vegas in the summer and I live on the east coast).

Anyway - this will be our first stay at the Alladin/PH. Do you have any news/updates on the change? How's the place looking? (Other than a few sour employees and a temp check-in area) Any news on new restaurants?

 

Great trip report!! Sounds like you had a lot of fun! Last year when I was the Mirage there was a band playing and someone nearby us made mention that one of the band members was also in Purple Reign. The next night we went to the Boardwalk and caught the show a little late. I am looking forward to it on my next trip because they were really good.

Kristin

 

JMSVSS, there is a big wall up in the middle of the casino level that goes around the entire casino, I have no idea what they are building behind it. We heard a lot of commotion going on and loud thumps. Up on the mezzaine level they had a second bar and area for a lounge act that is completely gone, the check-in is now up there. The same restaurants are there yet, I would assume they are putting in a Planet Hollywood restaurant there would be wierd if they did not. The buffet is also the same, and we hope they don't chage it, cause it is one of our favorites. They are also painting the enitre outside bright blue! They had small portions of it done when we were there, I can't wait to see it when they are done, it sure will stick out. All the casino's are beige in color pretty much. THey also were putting up new slot machines and changing some of the table area's. They also have a temporary area for the lounge acts on the side of the cashiers cage that leads to one of the entries to the desert pasage.