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Semi live TR May 25 -28 Anniversary and Bday trip

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by Suekel, May 25, 2014.

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  1. haswhit

    haswhit Low-Roller

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    Where in Cosmo is the secret pizza?
     
  2. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Secret Pizza is up two sets of escalators from the Casino floor. Use the ones by the Chandelier Bar. When you get off at the top, walk straight ahead down an unmarked hallway to the left of ..... damn, one of the restaurants. Jaleo maybe?

    It was sooooo good.

    I'm going to try to update this with a more complete TR in the next couple of days. There were some good times (party bus with a stripper pole that took us downtown and back, a Straight Flush on 3CP) and some not so good times (my boneheaded husband drinking WAAAAY too much Monday and spending his entire Birthday Tuesday in the room sick as a dog. Had to cancel all Bday plans).

    Overall a decent trip, but my days of going with a group of 8 are over for now. It's just too much coordinating and texting "Where are you" and all that. We are thinking about sneaking away for a just the two of us trip in July based on a comp offer from Cosmo, if we can catch a good SW sale. I told him he owes me a trip back since a lost nearly a whole day this trip tending to his hangover.
     
  3. kittyglitter_mm

    kittyglitter_mm Low-Roller

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    Sorry to hear about your husband getting so sick. You should've taken him to the new place at MGM that can cure hangovers. Revie maybe? Can't remember the name. Looking forward to reading the details. You definitely deserve to go back!
     
  4. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    In place of starting another thread with a full TR, I'm just going to add more details and some thoughts here.

    Sun 5/25/14

    A, N, R and I all flew out of Austin on SWA. 3:55 departure close to on time. R and I had Early Bird and were able to get aisle seats across from one another, when A and N got on they sat with me in my row. Worked out well. Thanks to a VERY nice poster on this board who can name himself if he chooses, we had some soon to expire drink coupons to use. During the flight, R got 2 beers, A and I ordered Vodka rocks two times and mixed it with Red Bull we bought at the airport. N was fighting the tail end of a cold so opted for just soda. FA was very nice and friendly, for 6 drinks total she only took the 4 close dated coupons. We tried to tip her, she resisted, but A insisted (she's a bartender) and the FA relented. I know we've discussed this topic here before so thought I'd share that tidbit.

    Arrived in Vegas on time around 5PM, and tried to herd the younger girls quickly toward baggage claim. They didn't know it be we'd reserved a limo to the hotel. It was funny, I pointed to the driver and said to A "Hey look, a limo for someone with the same last name as R and I". She was all "Well, it's not THAT uncommon a name...." She didn't get it at all til I told her it was our driver. They were very excited. Booked a 6 person limo and got a HUGE stretch SUV. R had ducked into the Liquor Library and got some OJ, so we had mimosas during the ride and really enjoyed it. It's funny, because we are fairly low rollers, but the girls think we are some kind of VIP's. It's all relative I guess.

    Check in at Bally's was quick and easy. We booked our room under my name, and the girls room under R's name and TR account. Then when SIL decided to join in on Monday, we booked her room under A's total rewards account. She is a micro low roller but still saved them nearly 50% of the rate without any log in. Anyway, we used the Platinum check in line, and the two rooms we checked into Sunday were both able to upgrade to Jubliee Kings with a view for no cost beyond a $20 tip to the very nice clerk. Dropped our bags in the room and met back downstairs for our traditional "one drink and a $20 thru VP right after arrival" at the Casino Bar.

    After a drink or two, it was around 7:30 and we headed out in search of some dinner. Ren and M were due in around 11 so we had some time to kill. Walked through Cromwell and Flamingo to the Linq, and ended up at Yardhouse for dinner. It was very good and definitely hit the spot. After dinner, walked through Quad to Harrah's. Decided to stop at Carnaval Court, got carded and wristbanded, found a place to sit, got ignored for 10 minutes and said screw in and left. None of us were feeling it and A really wanted to go to Toby Keith's, where we'd had a fun time on our last trip. TK's was pretty dead at that hour, but we had a couple drinks anyway. While we were there, Ren and M texted that they landed so we headed back toward Bally's.

    Got back, they checked in and paid an upgrade to move to Jubilee Tower (booked their trip last minute thru Priceline, which may have something to do with it). We spent the rest of that night gambling, drinking and chatting at Bally's before turning in.

    Up next, Monday.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  5. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Monday, May 26th. This was a long, but fun, day.

    Up, showered and out the door around 8'ish. A, N, Ren and M were planning to spend time at the pool, so R and I got some alone time. Split a Bfast sandwhich from Nosh, played some VP, then wandered over to Cosmo to try to earn some comps there. Sat at Book and Stage and played and had some drinks there til R's sister B texted that they had landed and were getting into a cab. I had told her what directions to give the driver and they had no problems, fare about $21 after tip.

    They arrived and met us at Sully's Bar. R took Al upstairs to drop their bags in our room, since they needed A there to check into their room plus it was not even noon yet. We played for a bit at Sully's which is where, 15 mins after sitting down, Al hit 4 aces with a kicker for $500. Lucky! He was very excited, as they aren't huge gamblers at all. We cashed out there and took them back over to Cosmo, which they'd never seen before. They loved it. Sat at Queue bar and played VP for a while and chatted about plans for the day. The rest of the group texted us that they'd had enough sun and were hungry, so they agreed to come meet us for Secret Pizza. Since there were 8 of us, we got a whole pie, along with a few random slices. A got the white pizza which she let me taste, it was really good! When we walked in there was no line, but by the time we got our pizza it was packed, line down the hall. Scarfed down everything, and we all agreed it was awesome.

    Decided to go back to Bally's to freshen up and for the pool people to shower, with a plan to meet up around 6 to head downtown. It occurred to me that we'd need 2 cabs, and it might be not much more to get a limo, so I went out to talk to one of the doormen. He said he could call someone and for $10 per person plus tip we could do a limo. Cleared that with everyone, and once they all came down, went back to him and he made a call. Gave him $10 fo arranging it. He said rather than a limo it would be a party bus which was fine with us.

    Driver got there within 5-10 minutes, we loaded up and it was AWESOME. Room for at least 8 more people, and there was a stripper pole in the middle of the bus, which led to some really fun pics, including one of my nearly 70 year old SIL posing on the pole. I sent that to her 22 year old granddaughter, who nearly killed herself laughing.

    Super fun ride to downtown, we were all cracking up, the music was blasting, dancing at the stop lights, etc. Totally worth the price and then some.

    Driver dropped us off at the Nugget and we all kind of split up for a bit. Al and B did something at the Nugget, R and I went to Binions for some VP, the rest of the gang went to explore a bit. All met back up after some time and stumbled into the Fremont. Al and I sat at a 3 Card Poker table, I played for nearly 2 hours on $100 and walked with $50 of it. R, Ren, M, A and N were able to get a $5 BJ table to themselves (not sure if it was 3:2) and he taught them all to play. A REALLY wanted to try BJ on this trip, so glad they were able to do that. Overall, had a really fun time there.

    Now, as you read upthread, R was SUPER hungover on Tues, his Bday. Looking back, I know exactly where things went wrong. When they finished BJ, he and A walked up to the 3CP table where I was still playing, and they each had a BIG double vodka redbull. I tasted it and it was STRONG. That was the beginning of the path to noowhere for R, and A was pretty badly hanging the next day too.

    Called our driver to see if he could take us back to the strip, he was there in no time, and we had him take us to Cosmo. I tell you, it was a bunch of silly drunks stumbling out of that party bus when he dropped us off. Ended up back at Queue Bar with the lovely Nicole bartending. She is R's favorite. I have no idea how long we played, drank, laughed etc there, but I know R had at least a couple other mixed drinks and a bunch of beer.

    M was obsessed with trying to go to a club, and said he knew someone who could get us in Hakkasan. R and I said "No way, thanks", and needless to say my 70 yr old in laws weren't interested either. So we all headed back to Bally's, and Ren, M, A and N changed and headed out for MGM while we stayed behind. I recall going to the Tequila Bar for late night eggs (paid with points), and then R hit the wall hard and went to bed around 1. I stayed down another 20 minutes or so losing $ in machines before realizing I had no business being up, and finally crashed.

    Next - Tuesday May 27 - the day that sucked.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  6. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Tues May 27th - R's Bday

    I woke up around 8, amazingly not hungover. I really made a point during this trip to drink a ton of water, which I think made a big difference. I tried to get R to do the same, but he never listens to me.

    I showered and all that, then asked him if he wanted to get up. I could tell he was hanging some but didn't think it was that bad. I told him to chill out in bed for a while, I was going downstairs. Ren and M texted that they were going down too, we all grabbed something at Nosh again. M went straight back up to the room, he wasn't feeling great either. Ren and I hung out at the Casino bar for an hour or so playing and drinking Ketel Screwdrivers. R showered and came down, but I could tell he was still hurting. Got him a ginger ale, tried a Bloody Mary, finally told him to go back to bed, since he needed to feel better by that evening for his Bday plans.

    Oh, a note from Monday night - everyone hated Hakkasan, said it was too crowded, could hardly move, hard to get a drink etc. I managed not to say "I told you so". I'm sure those places are fun if you have a reserved table and some space though.

    A and N wandered off to do something, so Al, B, Ren, M and I went out to visit some casinos. None of them had seen Cromwell yet so we went through there, pretty quiet at that point. Played a couple machines, lost. Went to Flamingo where Al and I decided to try 3CP. Bought in with a hundred and was felted in about 15-20 minutes. Couldn't win shit. Tried my luck at both Quad and Harrah's, kept losing.

    I could tell Al was getting tired from the walking and the heat, so we headed back to Bally's to check on R. He was still in bed, with a trash can by the side, said he'd been trying to throw up for a couple hours. A came by the room with some Pedialyte for him, but it didn't help. Party bus was due to pick us up again around 4:15 to take us to Mandalay Bay for dinner and then Mix lounge for R's bday, and at this point it was coming up on 3, so I just asked R what I should do. He said if I could cancel things it would be better, but if not he would "try". So I cancelled the bus and dinner reservation. I felt bad for him but was annoyed too.

    A and N had tickets for MJ1, so they left around 6:30 to have dinner somewhere, still go to Mix and then go to their show. Ren and M joined them for the Mix part of the plan. R and Al had tickets for Jersey Boys so they went off for dinner at Cafe Iles St Louis at Paris (which they actually loved). R and I wandered a bit but by 7'ish he was all moping and feeling sick, so we just went back. At this point I was pretty pissed at his inability to rally (I swear he's usually Mr "I can drink all night and get up the next day and go"), so we just went to bed. At 7 freaking 30. I could've gone back out to meet up with Ren and M, but I was just just in a pissy mood, between R's hangover and a completely shit day gambling wise.

    So that was R's craptastic Bday, and it kind of sucked.

    Up next - last AM and heading home.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  7. Second_To_None

    Second_To_None Low-Roller

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    nice trip report - really sux when you drink so much and are totally out of it the next day!!! Especially in Vegas - that is a total waste! At least there were a few hits (Aces, etc.) here and there to keep you afloat. I can't blame you for wanting to go back solo as opposed to going with so many people. It does get rather annoying with the constant text messaging "where are you? what's the deal? what next? bla bla bla".
     
  8. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Wed May 28th - Going home day.

    Needless to say, R and I were wide awake around 6:30 AM, so we got up, showered, packed etc. Left bags in the room and went downstairs. Went over to Paris and played for a while, trying to get something good going, but lost. Around 9 we decided to take another stab at 3CP at Bally's. Sat at and empty table and bought in with $100 each. 4th hand, I hit a Straight Flush! Finally something good!! R and I each had some straights and 3 of a kinds to keep us playing for quite a while. More people joined the table, and they were pretty fun, so it was a good time. I'd put $150 in my pocket so I could walk with at least a little win. I only played the 6 card bet once in a while, and on one of them I got a 3 of a kind and the dealer had a pair, so in addition to winning the 3oak, I won the 6 card full house. When all was said and done I played a couple hours and cashed out $155.

    Got our bags and dropped them with the bell desk for an hour or so, checked out and then played some last VP at Sully's Bar while waiting for everyone to meet back up. A,N,B,Al,R and I were on the same flight home, while Ren and M had a later one. I had return limo service, picked us up promptly at noon for our 2PM flight, and we were back in Austin by 7 or so, with the time difference.

    So, in summary, it wasn't a bad trip, we had a ton of fun on Monday. That being said, after 4 trips in a row having other people with us, we are ready to go back just the 2 of us. I told R after the Bday debacle that he owed me a make up trip (kiddingly, mostly), so when the latest SWA sale came out we looked at it and decided to book another trip Labor Day weekend, which is my Bday. I can guarantee I will not spend it hungover in bed either!! :Þ
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
  9. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Unfortunately, the Aces were my brother in law's hit, not mine! But I was super excited for him, so it's all good.
     
  10. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    Easy. None. Double up has no house edge.

    And great report! Thanks for sharing!
     
  11. Second_To_None

    Second_To_None Low-Roller

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    LOL!!!

    Glad you hit SOMETHING - even if it was a small hit... better than nothing!
     
  12. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    That brings up another note I forgot to make - the combined gambling budget for R and I was around $2500, which included my "In Case of Emergency, Break Glass" envelop with about $600 in it. We came home with almost $1200 unspent, as well as a good portion of our non gambling spending money too. Because we were wrangling other people quite a bit, and because of the lost hangover day, we didn't gamble quite as much as usual. I used points on some of our meals. Plus, my husband had some good $100-$200 hits here and there that kept him from spending all his daily alotments. So the trip wasn't a gambling disaster by any means, it just was that one annoying day when it seemed like I couldn't hit ANYTHING.
     
  13. Suekel

    Suekel VIP Whale

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    Edited - had second thoughts about posting someone's pic without their knowledge.
     
    Last edited: Jun 4, 2014
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