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A No Gambling Trip Report 4/7-4/11

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by IcyVegasAgain, Apr 13, 2009.

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  1. IcyVegasAgain

    IcyVegasAgain Tourist

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    My Trip Report

    I cannot believe we never found time to even drop a $20 into a VP machine! We were so busy vacationing with our kids this time; we just didn’t have time or were too tired to make time. So this is a trip report without any report of gambling!

    I will separate this by category, rather than by day so one can skip around and read what they want.

    Accommodations:

    We stayed at the Flamingo in a GO room for 2 nights and the MGM Grand in a Grand Tower room for 2 nights. I will start with the Flamingo.

    We loved the Flamingo’s beds. I don’t think I have ever slept on a more comfortable bed other than my own. The room was very big and had updated décor and a nice flat screen tv. The bathroom had a frosted glass door which didn’t lock and one of the walls was frosted glass, so if you are really in need of privacy, a GO room isn’t for you. A pic of the room and of our view are below.

    I spent an hour our so at the pool with my daughter. I really don’t see what the big deal is with this pool area. It was ok. Perhaps in the summer it’s more happening but it was really crowded for a day in the mid 70s so I can’t imagine what it would be like in the summer when it is warmer. It appeared that the slides were closed for the season which might have dampened the atmosphere, but it just seemed dead even though it was crowded. It was hard to even get to the water, which was ice cold, so we spent about half an hour in one of the hot tubs then bagged the experience.

    The wildlife habitat was interesting. It is fun to see flamingos close up and there were some very large koi fish in the ponds.

    We moved to the MGM to finish out our stay. We ended up in a Grand Tower room which was quite a bit smaller than the Flamingo’s GO room. We had a pretty nice view of the NYNY. I included a pic of our room and our view below.

    Neither my husband nor I slept well in the MGM. There were people in the hallways at night keeping us up and the pillows were really hard. I missed the feather pillow at Flamingo!

    Food:

    We tried the Peppermill and shared a huge plate of nachos. I cannot believe how much food was on that plate!!! Well worth $13.50 especially since we shared it! I also had a strawberry daiquiri and I swear they forgot to put the rum in it so it was a waste of $9. Other than that, I highly recommend the Peppermill for nachos!

    I finally was able to try the Spice Market Buffet at PH. With our $5 off coupons it wasn’t too bad a deal, especially since it was really good. We had lunch there and I really would recommend this one to anyone…it is comparable if not better than Mirage’s buffet.

    We also gave BLT Burger a try. We had the best service of any restaurant EVER in Vegas. I had heard that the service is sometimes lacking there, but not for us! Our server was very attentive and really made it a great experience. I had the Tex-Mex burger and it was great. I just wish I had ordered it medium as medium-well was a little too well done for me. Oh well. My daughter had a shake so I took a few drinks of it and it was very good.

    We also ate at the Flamingo café (very bad service) and the MGM buffet (it was fine but nothing to write home about) and the MGM café (pretty good – would go again). I can’t remember the other places we ate.

    Shows/Attractions:

    I took my daughter to see Mystere for a “girls night outâ€. It was amazing. I was so very impressed. I am glad I gave Cirque du Soliel another try after being so disappointed in Zumanity. I highly recommend the show. Tip: if you have a child under 12 you can purchase the child a half price ticket by calling the box office and ordering tickets that way. We had very good seats and with her half priced ticket it was even a bargain!

    We saw Blue Man Group for the second time. It is still amazing and funny and I could see it again and enjoy it just as much! Both of my kids loved it and it is my teenager’s favorite.

    We also saw Tournament of Kings for a second time. It was fun again and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

    I obtained very discounted tickets to Nathan Burton Comedy Magic at the Flamingo. Meh. It was ok. I am very glad I didn’t pay full price. It just seemed to be the same gag over and over and wasn’t very comedic.

    We did most of the kid-friendly attractions on the strip….I won’t bore you with the details of those.

    All in all it was a fun trip. I was getting over an illness so my energy was lower than normal and we were in bed by 10 every night, which is why we never gambled. I feel like I missed the Vegas experience a little bit by being sick and unable to roam freely without kids so I am looking forward to our weekend in Vegas in September.

    I attached one more pic below – this one is of my husband and me outside TI waiting for our transportation. The hippy behind us is my teenaged son. Hope you enjoyed my tr!
     
  2. zerofan

    zerofan VIP Whale

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    Sounds like fun....good job!
     
  3. IllMarty

    IllMarty Orangutan

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    Nice Steph. Sorry bout the no gamblin. I'll see how that goes whenever I take my 16 year old.
     
  4. SH0CK

    SH0CK Stylin' and Profilin' Quasi Tech Admin

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    NO gambling?!? Wha?!?! :faint:

    September is right around the corner though... rest up, you'll need it :evillaugh
     
  5. mikenhe

    mikenhe VIP Whale

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    nice job.

    what kid stuff do you recommend as worth doing?
     
  6. texas_aggie_girl_93

    texas_aggie_girl_93 VIP Whale

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    I had to read the title twice as I could not believe what I was reading...no gambling?!?! WTF? *LOL* Sorry you were just getting over being sick, being sick in Vegas really sucks. It's rough doing everything you want to do even when not sick.

    Great report! Thanks for posting. Looking forward to meeting you two in September. Sorry I had to cancel my trip last week & wasn't able to meet up with ya'll, but probably a good thing; otherwise you probably would have gotten no sleep.



    "We also gave BLT Burger a try. We had the best service of any restaurant EVER in Vegas. I had heard that the service is sometimes lacking there, but not for us! Our server was very attentive and really made it a great experience. "


    That is great to hear! I guess maybe someone in power has read or heard about all the negative reviews on service circulating on these boards over the past couple months.
     
  7. KevinSTP

    KevinSTP High-Roller

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    Nice report!
     
  8. IcyVegasAgain

    IcyVegasAgain Tourist

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    Mikenhe: we did the Secret Garden at the Mirage, the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, Gameworks, and the Adventure Dome at Circus Circus. Of all of those, the best value for the buck is the Adventure Dome. There are several coupons floating around for $4 off the all day pass, which is normally $24, and there are rides for kids of all ages. We were there for probably 7 hours or so, which to me was rather arduous but my kids enjoyed it. As you can see from my photo, I enjoyed the log ride and was drenched from the waist up. I do not recommend wasting your time on the Spongebob 4D ride...we spent 45 minutes in line for a 5 minute ride :rolleyes2:

    The kids enjoyed the animal attractions at Mirage and Mandalay Bay as well, but they were really expensive for the amount of time we spent in there. They did enjoy shooting zombies for hours at Gameworks also :thumbsup:
     
  9. vegasdrea

    vegasdrea Buckle Bunny

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    When will that be Marty? :wink2: muahahahaaaa

    Great job Steph, you and your husband make a cute couple :)

    I don't know if I like the blankets on the bed at the Flamingo...I don't like how they say "Flamingo" on them...it just makes me laugh! :haha:

    You can see the lumps in the MGM beds!

    Thanks for sharing girl! Hope to meet you in September :D
     
  10. Jacko

    Jacko Tourist

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    Great pics...Thanks!
     
  11. gotavegasjones

    gotavegasjones VIP Whale

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    Thanks for the TR. Nice pics.

    later, GVJ
     
  12. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    Great photos and fine report.
    Where did the $5 coupon for the Spice market Buffet come from?
     
  13. mikenhe

    mikenhe VIP Whale

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    I got a $5 coupon for the spice market buffet when I joined the players club. Can;t speak for the OP though.
     
  14. Beach Crazy

    Beach Crazy Hostess With the Mostess

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    Nice TR Steph. Sounds like the trip wasn't a total loss but being sick in Vegas is no fun, I agree.

    I've stayed at Flamingo many times in the past as the pool is very important to me in hot weather and I'm still not sure what I think of it. It's a nice pool, but I think it's always over crowded, which lessons the appeal and as you stated, I find the water is always ice cold. Hopefully your daughter enjoyed it. :wink
     
  15. SnertAlert

    SnertAlert Toast Smuggler

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    Outstanding trip report Steph. Thanks for sharing the details of what a family Vacation is like. Always wondered what I would do in Vegas if I wasn't drinking or gambling. Sorry you were sick, but there is always September to make up for it!
     
  16. IcyVegasAgain

    IcyVegasAgain Tourist

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  17. IcyVegasAgain

    IcyVegasAgain Tourist

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    Drea they weren't even blankets....kind of like fleece scarves :rolleyes2: they were really lame and we just stashed them floor during our stay. :haha:
     
  18. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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  19. gmoney590

    gmoney590 VIP Whale

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    How old are your kids? It's actually pretty cool that you didn't gamble while you were in Vegas. I bet the kids kept you pretty busy; and, making the Vegas trip more kid centric koodos to you for being a great parent.
     
  20. Dean Martin

    Dean Martin VIP Whale

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    Nice TR and pics Icy...:beer:

    Wow...those Go Rooms look uhmmmm...pretty wild:confused2:

    Reminds me a little bit of the original room decor at the Mirage...it was supposed to have a Carribean Carnival type look.

    I can't even imagine a Vegas trip w/ no gambling...:drunk:
    "Hi, my name is Dino and I am a gamble-a-holic":wave:
     
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