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Simply MAGICAL: Dead Week, Christmas, NYE, Post-NYE, etc

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Snowbelle3, Jan 6, 2013.

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  1. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2011
    Messages:
    2,711
    Location:
    East
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    11

    My Trip Report

    My smartphone broke just in time for my trip, so most of my pics are taken on a dinosaur phone (ie., not that clear).

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    It was another primarily solo trip. I had long since told the fam from June that I would make my first trek to Vegas during Christmas time this year so they understood; plus the boyfriend traveled internationally to see his fam and he understood.

    This was hands-down my favorite trip yet! And I wanted to do a detailed day-to-day of this glorious 17 day trip, which was initially only supposed to be 11 days. But getting ready for school on Monday, I have to rejog my motivation.

    Being back home is seriously giving me withdrawal symptoms, down from that high! I have never experienced it quite like this. For some reason, it's always hard for me to write a winter report, because my motivation is so low.

    But here’s goes something…

    Circumstances

    I stayed at 10 different hotels but only because I came to Vegas crazy early. I left home because all the students left and it was creepy and scary, so what better way to feel safe and sound than in Las Vegas?! I literally hopped on the next flight out six days early! When I landed in Vegas, that’s when I started getting accommodations. I may have paid $100 total for those extra six days. Viva Las Vegas!

    Transformations

    I really enjoyed the slow pace of dead week and felt overwhelmed and claustrophobic once Dec 24th rolled around, but thankfully I spent the next couple days secluded at Wynn although it felt helter skelter in their too. The transformation of Christmas into NYE was crazy but then once Jan 1 morning rolled around, it was like super dead week, 2x dead week. I am assuming everyone with a hangover was still sleeping. But it remained that way for the rest of the trip until Jan 4.

    Hotels

    Excalibur 12/18-12/20- I had some random bonus complimentary rooms that I had never had before, so I jumped on it. Too bad the charging of the resort fee is really true. So, “complimentary” easily turned into $40 for two nights (oh yeah and I upgraded to the widescreen rooms for free just by asking yay! I think I tipped $5).

    It boosted my morale and my mood and everything. This was my first Vegas trip that I kind of did on-the-fly which probably made it most exciting. I randomly decided that I was going to Vegas and the next morning I was in Vegas. Talk about a way to send your mind reeling…in a good way.

    And for the first time, I took things slow and easy for once. I wasn’t a jack rabbit, at least not in the beginning. I actually spent time in the room.

    Shocking, I know right. Great time. Ex has a great coupon booklet with free drinks, free nightclub entry, gaming chips, food court deals, etc.

    I really like the airy, resort feeling to Excalibur with the whimsical don’t-take-itself-to-seriously feel with its connections to slightly more upscale Luxor and upscale Mandalay Bay. It really makes for a super resort feel in a Chuck E Cheese’s kind of a way!

    Imperial Palace 12/20-12/22-I paid $20 for 2 nights, including a Friday, so what the hey. My thread about IP, excuse me the Quad, is really enough. Never seen IP so disgusting. But the gateway to the Quad is now officially open from the side of Harrahs. And apparently Carnaval Court is being upgraded.

    El Cortez 12/22-12/23- How have I not known that EC is so cute? It’s like tropical meets vintage. I paid $30 for a Saturday night which came with $15 slot credit and $15 dining credit and I was happy. If I am to stay downtown, I would not mind staying here….well only one day. I have a threshold for downtown stays. If I am winning downtown (which I was not this time around) , then it’s easy to stay. But once I am losing, the only entertainment there for me is food (or perhaps I am missing out on an world of downtown entertainment). Plus the downtown rooms just don’t fit my fancy generally.

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    Four Queens 12/23-12/24-I always said I hated these green and yellow puke rooms but they recently remodeled, so now the beds are red and white. I got to view the room before staying so that’s how I know, and it was comfy. I am still not crazy about the décor but since it was a filler night, there was no reason to complain. The night was $26 bucks and it came with a free breakfast and a fun booklet with 2 for 1s all over the property including the food.

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    Circus Circus 12/24-12/25-Last trip I was saying how much I hate Circus Circus. My, how things change. I still very much hate the trek to the back of the property, running over kids, to get to check in and then hunting for your room, through the mountain of kids. BUT I finally got the chance to stay in the Casino Tower Room King…you know, the purple one. And OMG it is one of my favorite rooms!!! Beautiful and comfy. It costs me $66 including resort fee…and I just love it and would pay for it again.

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    Like Ex and Four Queens, CC is another property with a remarkable fun booklet. I learned a lot from this trip including not to love properties too much and not to hate them too much either because they will shock you. This day was the original day my trip was supposed to start, and I had already prepaid for Imperial Palace on bookit.com which I could not cancel, but after back-to-back motel-looking rooms, I needed a bright, beautiful room to counteract my previous ambiance or lack thereof. The casino tower king was A PERFECT room to do just that.

    Plus, I have given up on IP after the experience I had with the manager, who also gave me a hard time on another trip. It’s so sad because it was my favorite property. My, how things change. I guess there was no perfect time then now to be done with IP since it won’t be quite the same soon. But if I happen to need another filler night like I needed on this trip, it’s still possible lol.

    Wynn 12/25-12/27- Can I say Yes!? Yes! And Yes! Everything décor-wise was perfect. The food was meh. Overpriced and overrated. And I knew because I had just tasted food that tasted better than here and much cheaper places. Being here was truly magical though. My sister had decided a couple days prior to join me on Christmas and she just got the last $350 flight from the east coast last-minute—the next cheapest flight would have been $695. Lucky! Missed the meeetup because my sister made a surprise trip and, like I was in the beginning, she was wary of meeting people she did not know...so forgive me. But my sister is also someone who likes to relax on vacation, which is not necessarily my style on a Vegas trip. We spent a lot of time in the room this time because of that. She does not smoke, drink, gamble, party, eat (much), or spend much money. But it was nice to see her lovely face! But truly, we spent a lot of time in the room because she was still wrapping up her paper for a course in her MBA program. I am grateful to have had the experience of traveling both solo and with a companion but this experience also reminded me why solo tripping is so much fun!!!! I got 2 nights for $300 total with a $75 resort credit which I used for dining.

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    room

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    our view

    While I would easily stay at Wynn again, I think cheaper luxury like Mandalay may be better for me because at least I have cheap tasty food within walking distance at Ex and Lux but certainly MB room will never compare to Wynn. Perhaps the new Delano hotel that is taking over THE Hotel may be my new spot. (THEhotel is super dark for no reason. See below.)

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    The hotel elevator entrance

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    The Hotel


    Excalibur 12/27-12/28- My sister followed me over here and she liked it too. She thought that Wynn’s bed was “too comfortable.” She said, and I quote, “it feels like I’m sleeping on a cloud.” She figured it is not right that they should make you not want to leave…she is a busy woman, you know. She reeled with happiness for the 2 free drinks in the Excalibur fun booklet, because she figured she does not drink but she would drink if it’s free. But the cool thing is that we ended up with 3 fun booklets because I never used the previous one for free drinks, and we got a new one because they gave us the wrong (standard) room and had to give us another one when they gave us the right (contemporary) room which I had already pre-paid. Lots and lots of free drinks (no play necessary)!
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    Our room had the best view ever!

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    We also used the other goodies in the booklet. Also, having seen the standard room at Ex (due to the mistakes of the front desk), it reminds me of the Skyrise rooms in CC which I did not like, so I do not plan to stay there pretty much ever. It's not ugly but it makes me feel moody.

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    Gold Coast 12/28-12/29- We got a complimentary upgrade to the premium room (I tipped $5). I warned her that this room may feel like a downgrade from the previous rooms but she certainly liked this room more than Excalibur’s. Gold Coast premium room really does feel cool and nice. My sister checked out the next morning.
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    Main Street Station 12/29-1/1 –I was back solo again. While MSS room felt like an upgrade from other downtown rooms I had encountered, it still felt bleh to me because I do not like the green color scheme. It makes me a bit…sad. Lol. I really loved all the vintage touches though just like in El Cortez.

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    Fortunately for me, I did not stay here much. I hopped a Megabus ride to LA and then to San Fran for a couple days and was back in time for NYE!

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    I went to Mandalay Bay Eyecandy to chill out until the countdown but I had gotten so sick on my San Francisco trip that I completely missed the countdown by 5 hours, falling asleep at MSS around 8pm! I woke up at exactly 12:30a and had completely missed all the festivities and could hear nothing. Really a bummer…this was part of the magic I was supposed to feel.

    Flamingo 1/1-1/4- They were charging $40 for early check that quickly rose to $50 and I was so sick that I just paid the $40 to get into my room. They still charged people with a TR card because it was a holiday. I got a Go room with a pool view. I really liked the décor of the room but something about it was just off. Was the room too small, or the beds too large, and too jam-packed with stuff, making it claustrophobic? Were the ceilings too low, removing what would have been a resort feel? Were the lights too creepy, creating less of a romantic retro feel and more of a scientific lab feel? Perhaps it was just haunted by a ghost. Whatever. I do not know but I found myself thinking that I probably would not come back unless the price was really really right.

    I turned off all the lights and opened the curtain to take the picture. lol

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    The 2 free breakfast buffets that came with my room, which I ate over two days, were righteous. The Paradise buffet is tasty but too bad it’s far too expensive to be worth it. I got one of them close to lunch time so I got both breakfast and lunch—another score.

    The original goal of the trip was to find out my favorite places to stay and so I chose some of my favorite rooms in Vegas which included (then) IP, Wynn, GC, Ex, and potentially Flamingo. But my analysis now shows that my favorite rooms in Vegas thus far is the premium room in GC, contemporary room in Ex, Casino Tower King (king room only) at Circus Circus, and the standard room in Wynn. While I am not crazy about the MB room, the MB property is a favorite property of mine. After a review of the Wynn, Encore, Caesars, Flamingo, Ex, Lux, and MB spa, I like the MB spa for looks the best.

    Again, coming in December limited what I could do but this time around I felt like I could still do most things. I still miss pool weather!

    Gaming

    For the first 6 days, I pretty much stayed even because I started my trip playing downtown in order to get the two ACG coupons for Golden Gate and possibly build with them. I had $400 coin-in over 4 hours and I came up even. They gave my both the $10 sign up bonus and the $25 bonus with the $200 points ACG coupon. Plus I got a blackjack using the $25 matchplay ACG coupon. I played at Four Queens and La Bayou and I was having a good time although my favorite machine at La bayou was not hitting.

    Afterwards, I played at Gold Coast for the free buffet for 200 points coupon
    and I learned the grinding slot technique where I play on $20 bucks at 9 or 15 cents a spin for hours and hours until I get those 200 points. I still came up, so the meal was truly free. I also discovered nickel blackjack and penny keno at GC for myself on the gameking machines near the buffet, so now I know I can grind out for hours on 2 cent keno (and possibly even win $100 bucks if I’m lucky) when I am just playing to play or I want my money to go slow.

    I also went to Sam’s Town using the Harrahs shuttle, which is not actually a shuttle but a luxury bus that takes 30 minutes to get out there. I used the same ACG coupon out there. I could not win for anything. I wanted to use my grinder’s technique but I kept feeling lucky and thus playing higher (40 cents, dollars, etc) because I was out on Boulder. So much for Boulder. Caught the winter wonderland and water show. Neat.

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    One night I played at Gold Coast from 7p-6a, and I have never played that long in Vegas before. But I had a great time. The cool thing about GC is I can always find a table with good mojo, and I bounce around until I find that one. When there is no mojo, which is rarely the case, I do not lose/risk much because I usually buy in small to see how far a hypothetically “lucky” table can take me. I played BJ and pai gow and baccarat but especially pai gow. I had been trying to play craps all trip but it seems my favorite bet (the field) was just not hot on any of the tables or machines so I avoided it…the other bets do not just excite me in the same way. So Pai Gow was hot for me this trip. I bought in on one table for $35 and played for 5 hours and got up to $200. So, I was able to get my very first table buffet comp! Yay! While I was playing, they changed dealers every five seconds. It was delightful to see the extent to which I was winning.

    I was pretty much staying even until I started to play on the strip though. That is how it always goes for me. I kept most of my bankroll for the first 4 days, but then the first minute I decide to try the strip, I lose. And it was awkward where I first tried my hand on the strip: Planet Hollywood. I used a couple slot machines that sucked money and then a big wheel machine that continued to suck my money and then I got on a $25 dollar table with a $100 buy in….and proceeded to lose all that money in a matter of 5 minutes. Yeah, I felt dejected, no doubt about it. But I had to pick myself back up!

    The losing streak however continued when I went downtown to stay at El Co and Four Queens. I thought FQ was a fav casino for me but nooooo, nothing wanted to win for me this time around. I was excited to learn about the $1 craps machine at FQ but since it didn’t favor the field, I will stick to nickel BJ machines. Slot-wise, El Co never liked me but it was proving to not like me table wise too…I played $5 pai gow (an amazing find) and lost, $3 BJ and lost, $3 craps and lost, $5 BJ and lost, $5 baccarat (another amazing find) and lost. Lucky me I only bought in for $10-20 at a time lol. Well at least El Co can boast about those awesome table limits!

    I played over at LVH for the first time and dropped $100 in an hour. I could not find a reason to stay any longer. We will see if they toss me a room or not.

    I did not play at IP or Circus Circus, but I played at Wynn. Wynn was great! I found some hot machines so I was happy. I hit my only big hit the WHOLE TRIP here for $270 on a MJ machine including 2 different bonuses. The ticket however was not working on the machine or at the cashier and so there was this big anxiety-producing ordeal in which a slot manager had to get involved and verify stuff. Yikes! But I got my money yay. I dropped $900 coin-in (all slots, usually low bets) in 4 hours and I ended up with $15 comp at the drug store (and I was just too excited), so we will see what they offer me in the future…if they do.

    I accidentally played at Ex casino, which has not been great luck to me, because I was waiting for my sister to finish her paper and proceeded to lose $150 like always…went back up to the room at 8pm and fell asleep while she was writing and never woke up until morning. Well, at least I had an amazing view/sunset to fall asleep too. Me and my sis did end up doing a lot though like touring casinos, shopping at Ross (which she loved), eating a couple of places, trying different rooms, watching a comedy show, going to a couple bars when she finally finished the paper, gambling a little. We even signed up for the Cosmo 100 for 100 deal on her name, and I used my money (because she hates to lose money). I quickly lost $200 on a $5 Wheel of Fortune. Why are those machines so dead at Cosmo? I was really in a funk, because you would think I would have at least had one winning combo. Thankfully, she got the 100 free play and a $10 signing bonus. Well, when she played on the free play, she won $140 using several different slot machines. She handed it over to me and I gave her $20 bucks lol.

    But one of the greatest discoveries in Excalibur casino was the Cops and Donuts slot near the food court escalators. It was paying out consistently. I should have stuck to this machine. I remembered someone mentioning it on here, so I was happy to find it…and to find that it was good.

    When I stayed at MSS, I played at California and Fremont for like $200 of coin-in in like a half hour because nothing was hitting for me. This was also shocking because Fremont is usually hot for me. I could not even play for my 3 day NYE comp because the slots were wayyy too cold. I did not feel so bad though because I am not a big fan of DT rooms and DT Boyd rooms especially. I guess, based on this trip, I could not make the blanket statement of playing is good until I get on the strip. It was really a toss-up everywhere. ..except of course on the strip if we don’t count Wynn mostly lol.

    Whenever I was losing horribly during the trip, I turned to my pre-paid slot play coupons at Tropicana or Palms. The deal is $40 for $25. I won back $60 from my Palms coupon and $140 from my Tropicana coupon! It was worth it. There were some slots on the wall at Tropicana near the coffee café especially the dragon one that was hitting every minute. People were betting 30 and 40 cent on all the slots on that wall and winning hundreds of dollars. I was loving it!

    I also accidentally played at Flamingo, which is not very good for me, and just proceeded to lose and lose but at first at won…it was like that turned all the machines off. Grrr.

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    My final day in Vegas I had almost 70% of the initial bankroll I brought left, so I was flying high. That was probably the most I have ever brought home minus a $900+ winning trip at MB in the past. I was excited considering it was an abnormally long impromptu trip. Loving it! So, I decided to splurge a little. I spent the whole day at GC just playing their (terrible) slots and I am not sure why I did that. GC tables are OK but their slots are another story. But I still had fun on the $140 I budgeted to splurge because I left with almost all the money I started with (only because I mixed some BJ and pai gow in later lol). It wasn’t until I went across the street at Palms that I lost it all on their slots. At first I was winning at the palms but I should not have exposed my BR over there long. I hit like 45 free spins on a 25cent bet and won $45 bucks so I was happy but then everything after that was lose lose lose. No wonder I never quite trusted Palms even though I could win there. Palms is not a property you wed; it’s definitely a hit-it-and-quit type of scenario. Next time, I know.

    Shows

    Tape- This was at the LV community theatre at 2pm on a Sunday and I thoroughly enjoyed it as always because I enjoy plays most of all.

    MJ Live-This was FANTASTIC! He really looked like MJ and the room is just beautiful—there are no bad seats. I would definitely see it again.

    Riviera Comedy Show-FREE is the best. I got two free tickets for me and my sister from the ACG coupons. It was certainly a highlight of the trip. Rib-cracking laughter. I really need to watch more comedy shows!

    Jersey Boys-AMAZING! I was just blessed to see so many great shows this time around. I was shocked that I could actually watch a Broadway show with no background information and enjoy it. It was probably because it was an old-fashioned tale which makes my heart swoon. Plus the music was epically enjoyable which I could have never expected.

    Beatleshow-I enjoyed it. I think I enjoyed the BEE GEES cover in Excalibur a little better. It lacked umph. But enjoyable.

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    Entertainment

    Flamingo spa-The ACG book even had a free spa ticket, so since I had two books last year, I used it for me and my sister to both get a free spa pass. It was quite relaxing. Unless it’s $10, I do not think it’s worth it though. Nice small cute lounge area, nothing fancy. Great steam room and sauna. The hot tub was so hot though that the manager had to turn it off because it was beyond legal limits…which sucked because it was my only opportunity the whole trip to use something pool-like to relax. It was both of our first times to try a sauna or a steam room so it was a nice intro definitely.

    Massages – I tried some of those foot spa places on the strip and I tried to get the back massages for like $20 for 20 minutes and it was just straight painful. No matter how softly I asked them to do it, it just came out hurting. And this was at 2 different places too.

    Tropicana Cinemas-I went to see dollar movies on a Tuesday. I went to see a couple scary movies but some characters there freaked me out so I left early. They may have been regular people but they spooked me out lol. The first scary movie I saw was nice though.

    Brenden Theatres-Me and my sis went to see This is 40 at Palms theaters. I thought it was pretty OK but she really enjoyed it.

    Lake of Dreams show (Wynn)-It was funky, cute, whimsical. Certainly not worth a trek all the way to Wynn to see, but if you are staying, it is pretty neat to watch every 15 minutes in the evening because each one is different.

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    Cleopatra’s Barge (Caesars)– Visiting here is a long time coming. Nice ambiance. Chill group. No cover? Sounds good to me. I liked it.

    Eyecandy (MB)- Beautiful lounge with a big TV screen and alright DJ? I will be back as long as they keep the no cover.

    Mixx (MB)- It has a pretty view of the strip but the top-of-the-world feel can be stomach-churning if you can not handle that type of thing. Free until midnight I think.

    Bond (Cosmo)- right at the entrance of Cosmo. Beautiful but meh.

    Chandelier (Cosmo)- No cover, triple-story club with free chairs encased in a chandelier? Hey, I will be back.

    Heart Bar- Nice music, center-stage, with no cover. I basically checked out most of these bars and lounges by walk-through.

    Fremont East bars and lounges- I was supposed to check these places out but I never got around to it. Perhaps next time when it’s hot out.
    Bill’s lounge Karoake- Fun times to be had here but I still miss IP Karoake.

    Fashion Show Mall/Forum Shops Mall- Tried out these shops for the first time. Fashion show seemed boring. I liked the Forum Shops...

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    ..and I even like the caesars show near the Cheesecake factory. It includes water, fire, light, and sound, and a little acting….its pretty cool and very creepy! lol

    Ross- No good finds this time around.

    Dealertainers-I never get tired of these!

    Laundry- Did my laundry at Wild Wild West (though I did not stay there)! This was my luggage for the entire trip...

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    a backpack and a big purse

    Hey, I had three pairs of shoes, 3 jackets, 2 blazers, 4 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, and 7 blouses...pack light. Do laundry. :thumbsup:

    Laundry's great when you are able to play blackjack while you wait...and oh yeah get another red velvet puppy sundae at Dennys (in WWW)!

    Hostel Search- I looked at several different vegas hostels to see if they could ever be good options if it’s an expensive night in Vegas. I found them to be gross and unbecoming, but for one expensive night it could work. Otherwise the $11 hostels may be too expensive when I can sometimes find a $7 weekend night at the Quad.

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    All of these hostels which you would have to share with total strangers, which are supposedly very fun, but seemed to me very dungeon-like, are all in no-man's land on LV blvd....

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    I walked through no man's land and I felt very vulnerable in the daylight! Thankfully I had my hoodie on...less vulnerable I guess lol.


    Restaurants

    Du Pars (Golden Gate)- They had huge fabulous pancakes for $6! This was a new introduction to downtown food and I was loving it.

    Le Thai (Fremont East)- Largely overpriced Thai. Super average Thai. Watery curry. Nothing, in my opinion, to write home about....so I won't.

    Serendipity 3 (Caesars) - Craptastic. $20 for spaghetti with no flavor? Gross. Frozen hot chocolate was nice but way too expensive at $10.

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    Cheesecake Factory (Caesars)- Spaghetti with meat sauce was a bit salty but certainly edible.

    Sugar Factory (Paris) - Chicken and waffles tasted great but would never spend that much for it.

    Terrace Pointe Cafe (Wynn)- GIGANTIC pancakes for $20, very fluffy and great-tasting but I could just go to Du Pars and get it for $6. The difference in taste was not that great that it requires such an uprate.

    In-room dining (Wynn) - Spaghetti and meatballs, bleh (you can see a trend here...I like my spaghetti)! But the service was out of this world! They forgot my meatballs so they brought up a second full dish of spaghetti (with meatballs) for free (they even threw in chocolate-covered strawberries!!)...too bad they both tasted bland as ever. I realize I have to actually search through expensive food in order to find the great-tasting ones but when I find the great-tasting ones I still have a hard time justifying the price. Lol

    Buca di Beppo (Excalibur) –The Rigatoni was amazing! And it was given to my sister and I for free because a little boy discovered a colony of ants (where the hell did they come from?) at the table right next to me….after we finished eating. Yikes!

    Food Court (Excalibur)- Great upgraded food court and if you check in to their room, they give you a booklet of coupons including 2 for 1s at popeyes, mcdonalds, hot dog on a stick, cinnabon, etc…keeps costs down. They also have a nice Krispy Kreme and Pizza Hut. Had a little smogasboard of fast food.

    Pink Hot Dogs (Planet Hollywood)- The hot dog was alright but I would never pay $5.99 for one. I had a groupon.

    Dennys (near Riviera) – You know I had to make at least one stop. Well, it was to get those delicious red velvet puppy sundaes with the cream cheese crizzle icing. $2 bucks. Yay!

    Firelight Buffet (sam’s town)- I got it comped because I played the ACG coupon of $200 for a free buffet. I lost and lost in their casino, which was a shock, considering they are supposed to have great payout. I saw the Christmas wonderland show which was a delight. And the buffet was just meh. I wouldn’t pay for it.

    Ports-o-Call Buffet (gold Coast)- I ate here 2 times comped. Once for the ACG coupon and another for 6 or 7 hours of $10 pai gow over night at Gold Coast. I heart pai gow! I enjoyed this buffet even though I have usually talked crap about it. Why? I love their moist pound cake…especially on Sundays. Everybody’s buffet apparently tastes better on Sundays.

    Carnival World Buffet (Rio)-I got to combine the discount from my TR card, the acg coupon, and my TR points to get a meal for 2 for me and my sister. This is my favorite buffet. Not sure what else to say lol. I also discovered for myself the half-price Rio breakfast, lunch, and dinner with tix4tonight. I only pay $2 service charge at the tix4tonight location, and they give me a voucher, and when I want to go to Rio buffet (within 7 days of purchase), I give them the voucher and pay $11.99 for breakfast or $12.99 for lunch and something else ridiculously good for dinner. This was such an amazing find for me! And I need to take advantage of it next time. Breakfast is usually $16.99 with a TR card, so it definitely makes a difference!

    Main Street Buffet (does it have a name?) – Was quite alright. I ate here twice. I would eat here if I had to. I was here on a comp during the NYE weekend. Just like others, the food is particularly good on Sundays.

    Bacchanal Buffet (Caesars) – Did not get to try it. The line was too long. And the line on the inside to get food was too long. And well the food….the verdict is still out. I didn’t get to try the Wynn buffet either though because when I went it was $40 almost all day for the holiday from Dec 25-29. I would like to keep that it mind for next time: holiday prices lasted for four days (even the Rio was hyper expensive but we got all those discounts).

    Magnolia Veranda’s (Four Queens) – Got a free breakfast here because it came with a free breakfast promo at check-in with egg, hash browns toast and it was yummy! I would certainly pay for food here. The price is right.

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    Café Cortez (El Cortez) – Why didn’t anyone tell me about this 24 hr café? I feel so lost. I had a breakfast burger with fried egg and bacon and it just made my trip! I hope to try the Binion’s hangover burger next time, which is like the same thing (but I should have that 2 for 1 ACG coupon for the Binion’s burger)!


    Folaf Nigerian Cuisine –This is the only Nigerian restaurant in all of Vegas but I think this was my BEST find all trip. If anyone is interested in Nigerian dishes at all, this place is very very right. All of the food was magnificent. I ordered from here twice. Once I came for a sit-down (which I would not suggest because it seems to be in a bad area…at least do not come at night). Another time I ordered to my room at Flamingo (but they charge a $10 delivery charge, which is understandable considering their neighborhood and a taxi from there is $18 bucks). Both times, fabulous. I ordered joloff rice, suya, moi moi, plaintain, goat meat, etc. They even had meat pie, poff poff and chin chin although I did not get a chance to try it. Exciting! Their joloff rice is $12.99 which is pretty reasonable. I just may eat here exclusively next time. I kid, I kid….but I could be serious.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 6, 2013
  2. JosieCat

    JosieCat VIP Whale

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    Great TR. I loved the pictures. 17 days, WOW. I'm not sure I'd live through that :). Thanks for posting!
     
  3. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

    Joined:
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    Thanks for the write-up and pics.

    Question on the Four Queens remodel - last time I stayed there I had the new bedding but everything else was the same in the room.

    Have they done a full remodel on some rooms? Looks like you had a new armchair/table, and new desk chair (instead of those horrible wooden police station interrogation chairs I'm used to).

    Anyone else have info on FQ remodel?


    Also - first time I've ever read a bad review of Le Thai. Surprised.
     
  4. AbFab

    AbFab Low-Roller

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    Great TR and pics! :thumbsup:
     
  5. mcluekm

    mcluekm Tourist

    Joined:
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    Trips to Las Vegas:
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    Enjoyed you TR and photos.
    I'll be doing a 10 day solo trip this spring so I especially appreciated the details about food and bars.

    You mentioned that you did laundry at the Wild Wild West. Is this the one at Days Inn on Tropicana (near NYNY and the Trop)?
    I'm looking for a good place to do laundry near the Orleans, and it sounds more fun to eat and gamble, instead of sitting inside a laundromat. Is this a good place to go -- safe to leave your clothes there? Is it reasonably priced?

    Thanks
     
  6. dw2121

    dw2121 Low-Roller

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    Great Report!!! Thanks for sharing.
     
  7. jpw711

    jpw711 Is that your cat?

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    Wow, 17 days in Vegas.:nworthy:

    Great report, nice pictures, enjoyed the food reviews.
     
    No reason to go home yet.
  8. LV2GAMBLE

    LV2GAMBLE Certified LOW Roller

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    Thanks for the great read! Enjoyed your TR. Wow, you really had a long trip and many hotels. Nice reviews. Can't believe your small luggage and that you fit as much as you did. Crazy!!:woohoo:
     
  9. LolaDoggie

    LolaDoggie VIP Whale

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    Fantastic trip report. As always. Thanks for posting it. I'm glad you had a good time.
     
  10. BeeeJay

    BeeeJay President of The Red Lobster Hostess Satisfaction

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    Super interesting report, a great read, and great pics!
     
  11. Tbone3336

    Tbone3336 VIP Whale

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    17 day trip! That is awesome! Thanks for the great report and all the details and pics! Don't know if I would survive 17 days, but would love to try one day.

    Thanks again!!
     
  12. Londonlady

    Londonlady Guest

    Really enjoyed your trip report!!! Packed full of interesting information!! I had NO idea there is a Nigerian restaurant / take out place!! I don't think I will check it out, I can get it for free at home :licklips:
    You also packed wisely sort of like you are on a covert mission!
     
  13. Blonde_4_ever

    Blonde_4_ever LasVegas4ever.com

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    Hey, I had three pairs of shoes, 3 jackets, 2 blazers, 4 dresses, 2 pairs of pants, and 7 blouses...

    I can't believe you had all that shoved in a backpack! Amazing.

    Enjoyed the report.

    Yes Royal Flusher...on my Oct trip I was in a renovated 4Q room that had all new bathroom fixtures and new bedding and curtains etc.
     
  14. mcluekm

    mcluekm Tourist

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    OK I checked out the hotel website and clued into the laundry thing:)
    So no need to answer. (I couldn't find how to delete my earlier post.)
     
  15. RodneyK

    RodneyK Tourist

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    Wow, so many different places, great report!
     
  16. sco5123

    sco5123 VIP Whale

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    Thanks everyone :D I really had a lot of fun and I am shocked that I was able to get as much detail down. So glad you enjoyed it!!

    I usually wear 2 out of the 3 jackets and hold the other in-hand. All the blouses and dresses get rolled (not folded) into balls to preserve space (this requires some ironing down the line) in my purse. Jeans and pants are also rolled and the first stuffed at the bottom of my backpack, along with blazers (and other garments, accessories, makeup, electronics/laptop, etc). Flat shoes are placed at the top of the backpack because it's malleable and heels are placed in the purse (because it's really that deep lol). Sneakers are usually worn in tow.

    I have to pack light to move that many times. Check in and out was a REAL hassle when it more than one of us but alone it was fairly smooth.

    I added a Four Queens pic.

    As for the laundry, their laundry is not exactly all-access but at the very least I had been THINKING about staying there. But it's very open and rather safe. But then again, what is safe? lol At your own risk I guess. It was like $2 bucks each or less and I paid $1.60 for detergent at the gift shop. The best option is to do laundry in a hotel you are staying in (if even for a night) with a laundry room. I hear super 8 has one (near Ellis Island) but I do not know much about it. But I have stayed at WWW before and the beds are sweet with free wifi and free Dennys breakfast everyday. WWW is $20 on a weekday on hostelworld.com.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 7, 2013
  17. pikabu

    pikabu Low roller, but always enjoy the ride!

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    Thanks for the most interesting TR! Will reread it again in a few days; so much great detail!
     
  18. sabrina

    sabrina Low roller

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    what a great trip! Thanks for posting. Have you tried the Spaghetti and meatballs at Dennys? We think its tasty!
     
    Seinfield
  19. DBear

    DBear VIP Bear

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    Nice TR! Places I probably wouldn't venture out to myself. Very interesting.
     
  20. Mali

    Mali Tourist

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    Thank you for the great detail and pictures in your TR.

    Really appreciate reading reports like this as I can note down areas to visit/see/eat that are new to me.

    We're off to Vegas for 10 days at the end of the month so will be doing a fair bit of exploring again.
     
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