trop trip 3/16-3/21

This is my first attempt at a trip report. Preparation being what it is I will try to remember details.
Travel- Flew Funjet charter out of Buffalo $269RT direct flight. Leave 7am and arrive LV 9:30Am. Rented a Town Car from Hertz for $375/wk. We like to cruise in style.
Flight out was great because no one occupied the third seat in our row and me being a man of girth took advantage of the extra space. Since this is a charter flight we had the same situation going home. Loved it.
We try to go once a year(if not more) with another couple to Las Vegas. This trip was a little different because my friend's wife is now confined to a wheelchair. We are hoping this is temporary and the lost feeling is a result of a recent intense chemotherapy reaction. Never the less we must not let this stop us from our appointed rounds.
We stayed at the Tropicana. As a result of our last trip we were comped 5 nights. My friend was comped a suite. Me and the wife have become nickel slot machine and VP players. we do this not to get rich but because we enjoy playing all the games together. I used to be a heavier gambler but have mellowed somewhat. My friend is strictly dollar slot player 12-14 hours per day.
The Trop might be an older property but boy do we feel "at home" there. It took a day to get to know the waitresses and they knew us. Our drink orders became non verbal. A wave of the hand brought me either coffee of Coronas depending on the time of day. Our room was very large. 19th floor Paradise tower overlooking the Strip. Very clean. Within a minute I could be out the door and into my valet parked car. I like that. The valet guys were very helpful when we had to take out the wheelchair and bring out our power scooter. Check in was a breeze.
The gambling this trip was not anything to speak of. (It would have been had I crossed the street to the Excalibur about 1Pm).We played alot and I mean alot. we average 12 to 14 hours a piece per day and we wound up losing about $900 dollars. All on nickel slots and video poker. we were pretty even going into the last day but my fingers touched the max bet button too many times and I started chasing. Have won more and lost more so it was the price of entertainment. All food for our trip was comped. My friend and I had more that enough comps to pay for all meals . Ate at the new Tuscany which was very good and also Savannah steakhouse. In between meals could be had at Calypso's coffee shop ( adequate) the deli was great and room service was free except for tips.
I will finish this soon as the work is piling up.

 

$900 on nickle machines?! Damn!

I know exactly what you mean about the Tropicanna being comfortable...I stayed there two years ago in the summer, and really liked it.

Glad you had a good trip!

T.

 

Observations
Most people are very accomodating in regards to people with disabilities. Alot of people went out of their way to make our trip as smooth as possible. It just takes a few rude people to really mess up your day. If you knock into a scooter a simple excuse me or smile would be nice. If you are asked to move a bit so a person in a wheelchair can view a performance please accomodate that request. A shrug of the shoulders may bring unwanted attention by the person pushing the wheelchair. Believe me I am bigger than you and will do something about it.
Favorite slots this trip were "Ripleys believe it or not", Clue, Yatzee and Monopoly fast cash.
VP was not profitable at all. Not enough quads to weather the storms. Megabucks lived up to its name. Clue and Ripley's provide me with some choices that spark my interest. Its fun to share answers and help fellow gamblers prosper.
Golfed at Stallion Mountain complex twice. Both days were rather windy with Tuesday's gusts up to 50mph playing havoc with my hibernating golf swing. To make matters worse my wife beat me by a couple strokes and I had to eat crow till the next day when I returned to normal. Course is nice but when you shell out $200 per round($100X2) you expect a massage or a kiss afterward. It was good to get out considering it was still snowing back home.
We ate like kings at the hotel and hit a couple of buffets during our wanderings. At the Gold Coast we played bingo and even won $300. We then dined at their buffet which was very good. No complaints . Sunset stations buffet was very good also, clean roomy and full of choices. Went to the Mirage for a bit to relive old memories and was glad to see that their buffet has been upgraded. Loved the shrimp scampi and schnitzel.
This trip we actually slept most nights. Our late night was till 5Am and we slept in until 10am. Usually we pull a couple of all nighters and pay for them the next day. age is catching up to me
Downtown was very sedate. No electricity at all. Binions was dead. Looked for the Ghost of Hurricane Mickey so I could compare shadows but alas he was not there. The dice called me like the siren, my wife tied me to a slot machine to help fend off the urge to relive past experiences. For me the Pass Line just gets me to eat quicker now.
Traffic has really picked up around town. Saw many more bender benders and bad crashes this trip then previous ones. People just do not know how to drive in rain.
Paid $2.00 a gallon for the first time since the gas wars of the '70's. Would pay more if it would bring our troops back home. Speaking of troops, while we were playing golf F-14's buzzed around Nellis like a swarm of angry hornets. Very impressive.
Airport security was very polite even when my terrorist wife tried to bring aboard 7 lighters that had accumulated in her "vegas purse'". She was told to choose 2 and the rest stayed behind to be distributed to less fortunate smokers. No complaints mind you,they were doing their job and doing it well.
Back later

 

Hey Dan--

The ghost of HurricaneMikey was there on the 20th!!! Sorry I missed you.

Mikey

 

I knew the glow I saw from our 19th floor window on thursday was not a nucleur test but the arrival of the hurricaned one.
Looking forward to your report.
As for the rest of mine , well as Monty Python once said "It ended mainly visually".
Flight back great...red eye slept right through. Later that day we got up and proceeded to hit the casino in Niagara Falls...we are degenerates to the nth degree