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Valentines Cosmo w/ Monte Carlo bonus night (2/12-2/18)

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by BayouBengal, Feb 18, 2014.

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  1. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    My Trip Report

    Back in November I ended up taking the bait on the Cosmopolitan's Cyber Monday deal for a Valentines trip with the girlfriend. In 2012 we stayed one night in the 1 Bedroom terrace and wanted to stay in it again. I'm all set with no resort fee, $75 food & bev and a late check out.

    She had some United miles left over from her dad so we booked on points but were due to arrive on Wednesday night while my reservation wasn't until Thursday. I say book it and we will figure something out like get an inexpensive room somewhere like Monte Carlo, NYNY, etc.... Before I can do that, she gets an email from the Cosmo for 2 free midweek night in a terrace studio, SCORE! So that's booked and we're actually double booked in the Cosmo but I say let's sort it out at the front desk once we get there and perhaps they can help us out with it.

    So we work most of Wednesday and head out on a late flight with a connection at LAX getting into LAS just before midnight. I reserved a limo with Presidential and it was top notch. Carey was our driver and was super professional and courteous. The gf loved it, I didn't tell her I had the limo reserved until she saw my name on Carey's iPad. We get in, enjoy our champagne and have Carey take us down the strip for a few minutes while we finish our champagne. So another endorsement for Presidential Limo!

    We get to the Cosmo and find that the Autograph Lounge is closed, no big deal, as it's nearly 1am on Wednesday night. So I go onto the front desk. We explain our situation and ask if we can get our reservations combined but not lose any comps. Our front desk clerk was super helpful and it turns out her parents live in the burbs of where I live now and I live right by the university she attended. They were able to combine our reservations but there was a small problem. There were no Terrace Studio or Terrace 1 Bedrooms available. So they place us in a City Room. But to make up for that, we are given an additional $50 food and bev comp as well as one of my nights comped which was worth about $200. And the resort fee that was supposed to be a part of her reservation never showed up on her credit card. Bonus!

    We’re pretty beat so we hit the hay to get a decent start for Thursday. The City Room as Cosmo is pretty nice. There isn’t a balcony but is certainly a very nice room. We end up in an accessible room so the shower is a bit weird with the seat and being one big room with just a curtain for the shower.

    I’ll write up Thursday and Friday tomorrow.
     
  2. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Thursday

    Thursday is when the fun was to start. We get up at a decent hour and head to The Henry for breakfast. Twice before I’ve gotten the short ribs benedict but decided to change this up and go with the corned beef hash. It was darn good.
    Time to hit the tables. I spot a $5 craps table so I buy in for $200. From the start it was brutal. I’d put $5 on the pass and back it up with max odds and placing the 6 & 8 if they weren’t the point. At best we were hitting maybe one or two numbers before 7-out. Several 2, 3, 12’s on the come out too. So I go find the girlfriend who was messing around on a couple of slot machines but not hitting anything either. We head over to pick up a few provisions like a bottle Bullit Bourbon, Coke Zero and a couple of tall boys to dull the pain of the recent craps session. Our new room is now ready and it’s time for the girlfriend’s Rent The Runway appointment.

    So, back downstairs to gamble until my friend that lives in town picks us up for dinner. Things are turning around! I hit my first straight flush of the weekend on a Super Time Pay machine. I was only playing nickels but it really helped psychologically. After a few well times bonuses and decent paying hands I cash out my $20 for $40. Sometimes you take wins where you can get them. I move onto the Ghostbusters slot. Put in another $20 and quickly hit the Stay Puft Free Spins. That’s a $28 hit and a few decent pays later I cash out another $40. Now it’s time for dinner and we head downtown.

    The Container Park is pretty darn cool. We are looking for a Philippine restaurant but he doesn’t recall the name and we can’t find it. We try Le Thai but it’s a 45 minute wait so we end up at Pizza Rock. Very impressed. We shared a New Yorker pizza. I really enjoyed the sweetness of the ricotta on the pizza. I’ll visit again when I find myself downtown. We make a quick walk through The D’s vintage machine floors, I toss in a few quarters but no luck.

    We head back to The Cosmo as my friend has work in the morning.
    Back at the Cosmo it’s back to Super Times Pay. I promptly hit Quad Queens and another Straight Flush. I cash out with a small profit and head to the roulette table. Settle in at a $10 table and proceed to make back most of what I lost that morning. Now time for bed



    Friday

    Breakfast at the crepe place in Monte Carlo since Jean Phillipe in Aria was slammed. We head to NYNY to redeem some myVegas freePlay. I cash in $35 worth. I find a $1 slot that takes 2 coin max and play that down. I leave with about $43. The gf hit a bonus on her first spin on Lobster Mania and leaves with around $70 after she plays her free play. I decide to give their $10 roulette table a go but I get abused and tap out. I try my luck at $5 Let It Ride but I get beat up pretty good and decide if I’m going to lose money I should do it at the casino where I’m staying. Back to the cosmo please.

    We both have $100 free play at Cosmo. Both end up with $100+ in cash after playing that down. GF goes upstairs to get ready for dinner at Prime. I proceed to hit a $63 win on Ghostbusters and $30 on Monopoly.

    Dinner at Prime is solid as usual. I go different with beef short rib while gf goes traditional with the filet. I should have gotten the filet as well. The ginger sweet potatoes are an excellent side. Though after dinner I wasn’t feeling well, I kept burping and just wasn’t comfortable so it’s an early night.
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2014
  3. olivia.glossing

    olivia.glossing Tourist

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    How did the Rent the Runway appointment/experience work for your girlfriend? Worth the time/effort/$? I've been curious about this and am considering for my next trip.

    Thanks for any feedback.
     
  4. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    Would love to hear about this too!
     
  5. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    She loved it. She ended up getting earring to go with it as well. She's strongly considering using them in the future from home as they send the dresses via FedEx. The consultants seemed really helpful in determining what type of dress you want and the right type for your body and event. They are in touch with you prior to your arrival and pick out a couple different dresses for you to try.

    The last half of the TR coming soon!
     
  6. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Forgot to add that on Friday we hit up Book and Stage for some video poker. Even with subpar paytables at 25c JoB, getting drinks from there kind of makes up for that. The two old fashioned I had were very good while the gf had a spicy bloody mary and a bacon mary. Both of hers were damn good and I'm not big on bloody marys. Nice and spicy. I left down $40 and she up $10 so I basically paid for the drinks, haha.

    Saturday

    Feeling much better I get the usual morning coffee from Va Bene while the gf showers up and gets ready. We slept in a bit so we decide to hit lunch early and made our normal trip to Holsteins. SOlid burger as usual, I went with fun-ghi and she went with rising sun which is my usual. I liked mine but I will switch back to Rising Sun next visit.

    Now it's craps time! I find a $10 table with the same pit boss as last time I played. I only buy in with $150 and the gf with $100. But what a run we had. Start off basic with $10 pass line with single or double odds. Got to slow play with a small buy in. A couple of points hit along with a few 6 and 8 places. Then Steve the dealer comes along and takes care of us by pressing up our bets when appropriate until we get to $30 6 and 8's. A couple of my Buys on 4 and 10 hit. After one short hour, I walk with $650 and her with $525. Damn that feels good. I've bought in for that much before and walked away wounded, haha.

    We celebrate our good fortune with drinks at Vesper. As luck would have it our bartender is from near where the gf is from. And then a lady thats just down the bar form us is from a small town near where I grew up but a different part of the state where the gf and bartender are from. Menu has changed so be warned. My favorite the Mulberry is no longer on the menu. Time for dinner so we head upstairs to Blue Ribbon. It was very busy. The service really suffered. The pieces we got I thought were very average and not worth the price.

    Back to the casino for some video poker, SUPER TIMES PAY. GF goes on to hit a royal flush. Best I get are 2 straight flushes. I end up bouncing around to a few slots. Ghostbusters is good to me for a little bit. Then it's over to Big Buck Hunter Pro. It drained me. I even hit a bonus when I had max bet. Bonus paid CRAP. Maybe $8. I was a big toasted at this point and fed in an extra $60 that I shouldn't have. So I find the gf and we play roulette. Make a quick hit and run there before heading to Bond for some blackjack. Time for bed.....
     
  7. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    A Royal?? Nickels or better than nickels? :evillaugh

    Thanks for sharing!
     
  8. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Hard to beat a hot craps table as ones experience while in Vegas. :beer:
     
  9. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    It was a nickel royal. Not going to complain about $200 on a $20 buy in. We had some serious ADD this trip. Not sure on time per machine, but it'd be 2 to 3 drinks and bounce. Though at Book & Stage I was prepared to settle down. Though I had a nice buzz after the 2nd Old Fashioned. After I switched over to video blackjack for a minute just to change things up, I accidentally hit the max bet button and at 25c level, that's $25. :grrr: If I'm betting $25/hand it better be at a table not this stupid machine. I draw a 20 to the dealer 18 and win. Thank god. That win actually pulled me even for that session:faint: I finish the old fashion and get a water to go!

    Gonna write up Sunday, Monday soon. haha. I've got my folio to remind me of when I ate where.
     
  10. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    That was pretty much my entire trip with a few exceptions. My g/f usually plays slots and never plops herself in one place.
     
  11. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Ok, here is my lazy ass Sunday and Monday reports.

    Sunday is our last full day. I had kept suggestion to go see O but the gf never was gung ho and on board so I just let that one go. We walk to Ceaser's and try to redeem some freeplay that was supposed to available according to her Total Rewards account. Though the offer did NOT say you had to book a room there, the Total Rewards people insisted it was only valid if you booked a room package. Took them about 15 minutes to figure it out. This was for all of $15 in freeplay. Ultimately Caesar's got $0 from both of us.

    Sunday night we finally hit up Wicked Spoon. It's excellent as usual. Luckily these were comped. $50 is pretty damn rich for a buffet but yet it's so damn good.

    As for gambling we head over to Bond. The roulette table is only $10 and there's two spots open. We snag them and buy in. Pretty decent run. I'm splitting for the most part with a few straight up bets. But I'm quickly getting bored and I'm building up a nice buzz. I color up and head over to the blackjack table. I find a 8 deck shoe 3:2 table for $15. I go to work. And here we encounter the blackjack ******. He asks about surrender, double after split, etc... So at first I assume he's a legit player. So BJ****** is at 1st, me 2nd and other guy at 3rd. ****** and I get fairly pedestrian hands of hard 17 or 18. Other guy gets a pair of 9's.....he splits. I think for a second trying to recall basic strat. I'm buzzed and I don't have it 100% down pat but sounds good to me. Well, BJ****** loses his damn mind. This particular hand, doesn't work out so well for us as dealer wins. A few hands later he loses it again he sees a double on 9 vs 6. I win the hand, color up and go to bed. Let people play in peace.

    On the upside the gf was being a wallflower while I played and the waitress was bringing her Fiji water when all she asked for was just water. She tipped well when we were at roulette before. A smile and a tip goes a long way, don't forget that!

    Monday

    We have a late check out for 1pm. We shower up and hit Va Bene together. We play through about $40 of super times pay each together. Nothing doing. Damn. No big hits for after my two early straight flushes and quad Queens. We go upstairs grab our luggage and drop it off at bell desk and get lunch at The Henry. Corned beef hash and eggs are SOLID! I go to the high limit room, talk to the host on duty. He's able to knock off another $125 which is appreciated.

    For you comp hounds, I saw him type in .35 when he was punching numbers so I think it's safe to say that Cosmo does 35% of ADT. He wouldn't tell me my exact ADT but he did say I was rated at $30/hand for 8 hours. Working backwards from what I remember playing it seems about right.

    Some more VP post lunch. Limo is scheduled to pick us up at 3:30 for a 5:30 flight. As I'm in line to hand the bellman our claim ticket, she's checking flight status on the United App. It says canceled. She has a slight freak out moment. She had been kidding the night before that she could change our flight to Tuesday for $50. And now it says we are on the 6am flight for Tuesday. Well, limo is here already so we may as well take it to the airport. I paid for the damn thing already, haha. We get to McCarran and we see a line that's off to the side and it's everyone on our flight. We are in line for almost 2 hours. When we get to an agent, they try to set us up at either South Point or a Hampton Inn near the airport and a 6am flight getting back to my home airport at 2pm. I say NO to all of that. So I'm missing another day of work, fine, I can deal with it and shift stuff around with meetings. But I am not waking my ass up at 3am to make a 6am flight to get home after 2pm. Put me on a later flight please. So now my hotel options are South Point and Hampton Inn? What if I don't take it and book on my own? We get $150 in travel vouchers and I book Monte Carlo for $80.

    Off to the MC we go. I use the VIP Checkin like a boss, Gold Status for the win! The only thing it's even good for. I jump on wifi in the room, send out the work emails that I need to do and cancel meetings. It's off to Chin Chin at NYNY. Honestly, I like it better than Blue Ribbon at Cosmo. Come back to MC and we hit up a few slots to kill some time. I hit a $180 win on some random slot. Cash out! GF decides to go to bed but BayouBengal isn't done with Vegas yet! DAMN CRAPS TABLE! I get worked over pretty good there. So I limp away with my few dollars and hit the black jack table. I proceed to win back what I lost at craps. Color up!!! I get a McDouble from the Mickey D's in the MC food court and head upstairs.

    Tuesday, wake up. Coffee and head to airport to go home.

    On flight back we were already scheming our next trip. Seriously considering 2 or 3 nights downtown next trip. Perhaps at The D.
     
  12. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Good finish! I'm still kicking myself a bit for not voluntarily staying in Vegas longer. And screw that BJ guy, 99 is split except 7, T, or A. And he got pissed over doubling 9 vs. a 6??? Really???
     
  13. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    I think he was "showing off" for his girl. He wouldn't sit at the table and the girl was hanging on his arm. You're at a table in Bond.....not the Talon Room. And regardless, noone cares what you bet. Luckily that was about the only ass I had to deal with. One guy kept spilling his Red Bull on the Roulette table but that was about it. Has the Cosmo ever had drink holders at the table? I didn't see a single one this trip. Struck me as odd.
     
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