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Trip report 3/16 - 3/21 2011

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by spunky96, Mar 24, 2011.

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  1. spunky96

    spunky96 Low-Roller

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4

    My Trip Report

    Here is my trip report for my Vegas vacation 3-16 / 3-21
    I’ll try to keep this report organized so it’s easy to follow and read but I’ll warn you it’s a long one:

    Flights:
    Jet Blue out of NY was on time and was a smooth ride. They got us in to Vegas a few min. early. As usual security, boarding and take off was a good experience.
    Coming home our flight was a bit delayed because of bad weather in NY. We boarded the plane 30 min. late and once we pulled away from the gate the pilot made an announcement that we would be another 30 min but within a few seconds corrected himself and told us we were cleared for take off.
    After being told it may be a bumpy ride up it wasn’t too bad and we made it to NY in 4 hours and on time!!
    My husbands over head light wasn’t working on our flight to Vegas but luckily I brought a book light so he could read and on our flight home our seats wouldn’t recline. Once home I sent an email to Jet Blue to let them know and within minutes we were given a credit for a future flight.
    Southwest – to L.A. for the night was just ok a few minutes late and that annoyed me. On our return trip to Vegas our flight with Southwest was on time but it was the bumpiest flight I had ever been on and scared me half to death. The plane took such a drop while gaining altitude I thought we would die. Everyone on the plane screamed and flew in the air. Thank god it was only 45 minutes!!! The terminal in L.A. isn’t great. So not too thrilled with Southwest. I did take advantage of the EB check in and liked that. It beats the old way Southwest used to use to board the plane.

    Hotels:
    Our first night we stayed in The Orleans. We arrived at 10:15pm (I called the day before to let them know we would be arriving late and to make sure I would get a non smoking room since I have asthma) and check in was easy. Since it was only for 1 night we booked a regular room and didn’t try to upgrade upon check in BUT to my surprise were given an upgrade to a suite without even asking. We were on the 17th floor facing Tropicana Ave. When you enter the room there is a livingroom, glass dining table and bar area with stools. The bedroom was big with a nice size closet and clean. The bed was really comfy and we were pleasantly surprised. We got a good rate for this place and were happy. Immediately after checking out our room we went to the casino. Good, cheap gaming. We spent quiet a bit of time here. The sportsbook was decent and I loved the non smoking area. My husband was supposed to get drink tickets when he placed his bets and we didn’t realize this at first until the waitress told us and got us some. My husband then had to ask for his drink tickets when he placed his bets there.

    Our second night we checked into our timeshare a short walk away, the Tahiti. Since it was a busy week we couldn’t check in till 2pm so just spent time at the Orleans. Clean, big, comfy units. We have a 1 bedroom unit that can sleep 4. It’s right next door to Denny’s, Starbucks and Quiznos. There is a Walgreens at the end of the block as well where you can buy a few supplies needed for your unit. We bought coffee and creamers and a few snacks there. We were there for 3 nights. They offer a shuttle to the strip but after 1am you need to take a cab back to the Tahiti since the shuttle stops. They also offer a shuttle to the supermarket at 8am every day but we didn’t take advantage of that.

    Our last night we checked into Planet Hollywood. We reserved the hollywood hip room for 1 night. We had to check out of the Tahiti by 11am so we went straight to PH to check our bags and see if there was a room ready for us. Again to our surprise there was and were told we got a free upgrade to a suite since they were booked solid. At this point I have my fingers crossed hoping to have a room facing the Bellagio fountains. When we were told to take the north tower elevators I was ecstatic. We were on the 17th floor in room 1732 I believe. We go in and the room is unbelievable!!! King sized bed, floor to ceiling windows with a view of the strip and Bellagio fountains!!! Our bathroom was huge with a big soak tub that had a window and view of the strip. Very clean and impressive and no $20 trick needed. You can check out using the tv in your room which we did and since our flight wasn’t until later on in the afternoon we checked our bags downstairs. When we went to retrieve them the baggage handler couldn’t find them and that set off a little bit of panic in me. We went to the back with him and eventually found them.

    Entertainment:
    We saw the Frank Caliendo show. He was great and pretty funny. His impersonations are unbelievable. We also went to L.A. on Friday to see the Lakers (hubby is a huge fan) which was pretty cool.
    On Saturday we saw Bon Jovi. I’m a huge fan and they put on a good show.
    Sunday we went to the wax museum. Most figures were pretty life like except for Jon Bon Jovi and Bruce Sprinsteen, those figures were awful!!!! It’s a good place to go to kill about 90 min in the afternoon.


    Gaming:
    We played roulette and mostly in the Orleans and NY/NY which is where we had the most luck. PH wasn’t very lucky for us. Played a few slots but lost money within minutes and I wanted to get more play time so I tried roulette which was better. Loved the Green Machine though.

    Restaurants:
    The Café- The Orleans had breakfast there was pretty good and prices were good also went for late night appetizers which were good.
    Il Fornaio – in NY/NY we had a very late dinner there. Good food, good service and prices were ok. Since it was midnight they had closed the inside seating area and we were forced to sit outside which was loud but it’s Vegas so it was ok.
    StripHouse – PH , I loved this place. My steak was awesome and service was great and our waiter friendly and helpful.
    La Creperie – We shared an apple crepe for dessert. Wow this was pretty good and huge!!
    The other places we ate at were just regular places or we ordered room service.

    Cabs:
    Never had an issue with any drivers. Always pleasant and friendly. The line to get a cab at the airport was horrendous though but moved quickly. Our driver asked if we wanted to take the freeway to the Orleans and I told him how to go since I got advice on these boards about not getting tunneled, thanks again!!!
    We had one driver who stopped the meter at every red light and took some short cuts. One driver did tell us the taxi industry is hurting. Too many cabs drivers in Vegas and one driver wasn’t thrilled when he had to take us from the Orleans to the Tahiti because it was such a short ride, oh well!!
    You can only get cabs from hotel lobbies and they are not allowed to drop you off on the street because they can get fined. Coming from NY this is strange to me.

    Kids:
    I know this is a touchy subject here and personally I would never bring my own to Vegas. Since it was spring break we saw quiet a few kids big and little. The porn slappers respected the parents holding their kids hands and didn’t hand out any cards to them. The kids we saw all looked happy and having a blast. Some parents did look a bit frazzled since it was a busy time of year and the crowds were bigger but all in all I came to the conclusion that no matter where you bring your kids they seemed happy as long as they are on a family vacation. It wasn’t pool weather either since the temps were in the low 60’s but the kids I saw all looked like were having a good time regardless of Vegas being an adult playground.

    Link to pics:
    http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/sparkly96/Vegas%202011/
     
  2. jdub7

    jdub7 Tourist

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    Nice report. Thanks for the pics. Looks like your upgrades were great! Nice $2500 win!!! Lakers game looked fun also. Thanks for sharing!!:beer:
     
  3. tcocona

    tcocona Low-Roller

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    It Was Loud But It't Vegas

    Spunky 96 ; I loved your subject comment saying it was O.K..If more people would take your realistic view I believe they would be happier in Vegas!!!!! I applaud You!!!!

    Tcocona
     
  4. Indyjaybird

    Indyjaybird Tourist

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    Really enjoyed reading your report! Nice free upgrade at Planet Hollywood :thumbsup:
     
  5. spunky96

    spunky96 Low-Roller

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    Thank you.
    To me Vegas is Vegas and you are on vacation to have fun. You can't sweat the small stuff. In Vegas people will generally be loud and sometimes rude or obnoxious. I just laugh it off and move on. I dont think having a dinner in a loud place is too uncommon there. You gotta just roll with it and to me thats what Vegas is about.
     
  6. spunky96

    spunky96 Low-Roller

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    The $2500 win was a combined effort for hubby and me. I bet on an NCAA 6 team parlay (i only learned what that was recently lol) and didnt win that, then bet on a horse with the hubbys name and won that all in the same day. In fact it was St Patty's day and although i'm not Irish i had the luck of the Irish on my side :thumbsup:
     
  7. Chuppa76

    Chuppa76 Low-Roller

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    Loved reading your TR! Thanks for sharing!

    Pics looked great as well!! I'm a huge Bon Jovi fan and have seen them 5 times in Aus, but I missed them by 2 weeks in Vegas which I was bummed about! Looks like an awesome concert!! Lakers game looked cool too!!

    Chups :wave:
     
  8. spunky96

    spunky96 Low-Roller

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    I'm glad you enjoyed my TR.
    Oh noooo sorry to hear you missed them in Vegas!!! Are you part of the Fan club btw??
    Yes it was an awesome show. The first time i saw them in Vegas. I normally dont travel outside of my area to see them but the hubby wanted to go to Vegas around that time and i wasn't gonna stop him :wink
    The Lakers game was pretty cool and i'm not a basketball fan.
     
  9. LaRae

    LaRae Low-Roller

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    Nice read. Thanks for all the pics!
     
  10. ATXTX

    ATXTX VIP Whale

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    spunky - is that your timeshare or did you rent it? Sounds like you guys had a blast.
     
    When we Were Young
  11. VegasDiva

    VegasDiva VIP Whale

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    Loved the report and all the pics :)
    seems like you both had a marvy time :)
     
  12. spunky96

    spunky96 Low-Roller

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    That was our timeshare.
     
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