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TR: My $1000 win and Elton John!

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by lisalasvegas, Apr 5, 2004.

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  1. Monday, March 29th - Thursday, April 1

    Myself, Lisa (2 and husband Rob (30) flew Southwest out of Chicago MDW at 7:00 am Monday morning. Being pregnant I pre-boarded and we got the first row with plenty of leg room. (Note: The front row does not have tray tables so it is important if you want a tray table you have to give up the leg room for a tray table, we opted for the leg room) The flight was uneventful yet it felt like the longest flight of my life!

    Arrived at the airport 25 minutes early. I dropped a whopping $5 in slots while waiting for luggage. Enough of that, time to catch a cab and head out to the Monte Carlo.

    Arrive at the MC about 9:30 am and upgrade to a “Suite†on the 32nd floor, the room was ready for us (woo hoo!). Now let me tell you how nice this was. The room was a standard King Room with high ceilings, a larger than normal bathroom, turn down service with Godiva Chocolates on the pillow and a great view. The great part about this floor was the Monaco Club. This is a lounge that is open from 6 am till 11 pm. The lounge offered free continental breakfast in the morning, free flat meat sandwiches in the afternoon and happy hour at night with drinks and finger sandwiches. The entire time soda, juice, coffee, tea, milk and bottled water were available. This is all included in the price of the room. (Note: Total cost of the room was $110 per night.)

    Now down to the casino. I sit at a V.P. game at the bar and Rob sits at a Sphinx Slot. The bartender gives me a heads up that the payouts are screwed up on a Jokers Wild game and the 5 of a kind pays $1000 and the Royal only pays $100 so since the 5 of a kind is easier to get I start playing that. As I am playing Rob turns to me and says that he just won $250 on his slot. I look down at my machine and say “Wow, I just won $1000†yep, that’s right I hit the 5 of a kind in only my first ½ hour gambling in Vegas. Woo Hoo! I tuck that away and move on. I tipped the bartender $50 for telling me about the game. I then try the MC slot tourney. I lost and I was not impressed.

    We dabble here and there in the casino and I end up being up about $1500 for the day and around 4:00 pm we go back to the room for a nap; of course we grab some sandwiches first. (Side Note: I am a pregnant woman who was finishing off Strep Throat so I was feeling pretty bad by now) I hit the pillows at 4:30 pm and I do not wake up till 6:30 am. Thank gosh my husband decided to go out for the night with out me. I would have felt awful if I ruined his first night in Vegas.

    Well, as I said, I woke up at 6:30 am and I felt like a brand new person. The cold seems as if it is almost gone. I took a shower and got ready for the day. Hubby also wakes up and we are both out the door (after a sweet roll from the Monaco Club) at 8:00 am. Rob is a HUGE Star Trek fan so we head out to LV Hilton. The exhibit starts at 11:00 so we decide to hit the Hilton Buffet. This buffet was just o.k. but I really enjoyed the cheese blintzes. We were done with the buffet by 9:30 am and Rob did not feel like waiting around for the exhibit so we cab it over to TI. My vote is in and yes, that sign is way out of place. We did well at TI playing black jack for a few hours and then we move on to the Mirage. We played some slots and saw the tigers then moved on to C. Palace. We walk the Forum Shops and see the fountain show. The show mal-functioned and the son did not come out, only the daughter. Kinda’ weird.

    Now, I heard from these boards how wonderful the Cheesecake Factory is so I had to stop and try a piece of cheese cake. OH MY GOSH this was the best cheesecake I have ever had. I had the White Chocolate Macadamia Nut. Yum, Yum!

    I decide to throw the idea of seeing Elton John out to hubby as we were passing the theatre and Rob says sure, let’s do it. I am so excited that we are going to see this show. I almost choked when I got to the ticket window and the lady says that the lowest price ticket she has is $175 a piece but we spent the money anyway (thanks to my $1000 win). I am so excited that we are going to see Sir Elton tomorrow night.

    Anyway, we leave C. Palace and go back to Monte Carlo. We have tickets for the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur tonight so we want to freshen up and “do†that end of the strip. (Side Note: This show was our third choice. First Choice, Danny Ganz and he cancelled our show and we received a full refund so we then book our Second Choice, The Amazing Jonathan who decides to quit and we are still waiting for that refund) We head out to the Excalibur and pick up our tickets for the 8:00 show. It is about 5:00 now so we tram it over to Mandalay Bay and see the Shark Reef. We LOVE this. Rob and I love fish and sharks and marine life in general so this was great. After that we stop and take a gander at Luxor. Gamble a little and win nothing. We get back to the Excalibur around 7:30 so instead of sitting in the arena we, of course, gamble for that ½ an hour, winning nothing.

    The show was actually really cool. The stunts were amazing and the audience interaction was nice. I do have to say that the food was awful. We were served mini chickens (I guess that’s what they are called) a head of broccoli and a roll. The roll was the best part of the meal. Unlimited Pepsi to drink was included in the price but if you want you can order a “real†drink from the bar.

    After the show we make it back to the Monte Carlo. We gamble for an hour (I win about $200 on my new favorite slot Double, Triple, Diamond Deluxe with Cheese and then the Preggers lady is exhausted so we call it a night.

    We wake up at 7:30 to get ready for our 9:00 am spa appointments at The Orleans. I had the 90 minute facial ($90) which was incredible and Rob (being a Virgin to spa treatments) starts out slow and receives the 25 minute back and neck massage ($45) and a pedicure ($55). He LOVED the pedicure but was not impressed with the massage. The spa itself had the basic amenities but the prices were great.

    After the spa we head over to check out the Palms since we have never been here before. I don’t know what I was expecting but I was not impressed. We ate at the Palms Buffet. I thought it was awful. They had a “Salad Bar†which consisted or lettuce, shredded carrots and Ranch dressing Rob found tomatoes for me at another station. I was disappointed to say the least.

    After the Palms we head back to the strip. I wanted to get some shopping in but Rob wanted nothing to do with that so I sent him to Gameworks while I hit The Grand Canyon Experience (I remember getting deals here in the past but not this time) M&M world (Gotta get my Ethel M now that we have no more Fannie Mae) and The Coke Store. I have time before I have to meet Rob so I head back to the MC and play My Rich Uncle Slot and hit for 5000 credits ($250) Yeah! Rob and I hook up back at the room to get ready for the highlight of the Trip: ELTON JOHN! Of course we have some sandwiches before we get ready!

    We cab it over to C. Palace. Play a little slots there and then go see ELTON JOHN. The only thing I can say is WOW! This show was great. I really enjoyed the show, the music, the visuals were crazy, and you did not know where to look first. Souvenirs were obnoxiously expensive but I still purchased a program, t-shirt and a photo of Rob and my self at the “Red Pianoâ€. Totally worth it.

    After the show we hoof it over to the Bellagio to check out the fountain show. This show is amazing. I can’t get over how beautiful this is.

    We then go downtown. I was a little disappointed as the construction going on and Binions closed (they re-open tomorrow) it just seemed wrong. We go back to Monte Carlo, grab a hot dog from Nathan’s (YUCK, I guess I am just a Chicago girl even with my hot dogs) and call it a night at 2:00 am.

    Last day, boo hoo, we have some juice and a sweet roll, we pack up and check out at 11:00 am. (Note: We saw on the news that the Sigfried & Roy sign was coming down at the Mirage and being replaced with Danny Ganz.) We have the bags checked and we head over to MGM to grab lunch at Emril’s Fish House. We started with calamari (to die for) I had the Cream of Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper soup (YUMMY) and Rob had the Gumbo (We were not impressed) I had crab cakes for my meal (Delish!) and Rob had a filet (I have had better) served on mashed sweet potatoes (MMMMMMMM MMMMM good).

    We decide to go back to LV Hilton so Rob can check out the Star Trek experience. I know nothing about Star Trek and I have to say that this was really cool. The 4D show was neat and the other ride I could not experience b/c of my delicate condition but Rob said it was great.

    Time to go back to the Hotel and pick up the bags to head for the airport. Sniff, sniff.

    Our flight was delayed about an hour do to plane change. We finally board and start to head to take off then the plane goes back to the terminal to let 2 really drunk guys off the plane. We finally take off and enjoy yet another uneventful flight.

    Overall we had a wonderful trip. I LOVED staying at the Monte Carlo (I heard no plumbing noises) and we came home with enough money to buy the baby furniture! That makes me feel like a winner.
     
  2. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

    Joined:
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    Coming home with enough money to buy baby furniture--that sounds like a great trip!!! Glad you didn't let things like strep throat and pregnancy keep you from having a great time!!
     
  3. Dougie

    Dougie I am IN!

    Joined:
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    Great trip, and glad to hear the good report about the MC. I am anxious to see Elton John, but my trips never happen while he is there. Better work on my planning.

    How was buffet, etc at the MC? We love the Excalibur show. The food is suspect, but the show is awesome for my boys.

    Thanks for putting this together.

    Baz
     
  4. pezarino

    pezarino Guest

    Great trip report! The suite you stayed in sounds really cool, free food and drinks are always a plus. I printed a copy of your TR to keep as reference when planning my next trip. We always stay downtown, but plan on a few days on the strip next trip. Sounds nice...
     
  5. Mia4071

    Mia4071 Tourist

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    Thanks for the report!! Sounds like you guys had a good time & with the win [​IMG] whoo hoo [​IMG] cool. The room you were describing sounds so nice. I wouldn't mind paying that much to have munchies & drinks through out my entire stay, I will keep that in mind next time booking [​IMG]
     
  6. Dutchguy

    Dutchguy Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Another positive Vegas experience! I'm glad to see that you liked the MC. My first MC stay will be in mid-May. The Monaco Club sounds like the kind of place my friends and I would get tossed out of.
     
  7. DavidB

    DavidB Tourist

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    [​IMG]
    Wonderful report, Lisa. Thanks for taking the time to write it and then share it with us.

    There's lots in there that people can benefit from, both on the positive (do it!!) and the negative (avoid it!!) sides.

    I have to admit I really chuckled at your description of the meal at the Excalibur show. I think this is the first time I've seen Cornish hens described as "mini chickens."

    Last but definitely not least, best of luck with the pending addition to your family. Hope all goes very well!!
     
  8. hard_eight 24

    hard_eight 24 Tourist

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    Nice report Lisa! It's wonderful when the luck is riding in your favor. Seems to make a lot of the little things seem that much better. It must have been that Vegas was smiling upon you to give a little kick start to the "college fund"

    Nathan's hot dogs don't compare to some deep dish Chicago pizza! Go Cubs!
    [​IMG]
     
  9. ilovevegasbaby

    ilovevegasbaby Tourist

    Joined:
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    Thanks for the report!
     
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