Braving the Excalibur: "Semi-Live" Trip Report 6/27 - 6/29

I started another thread about my cold feet for an upcoming stay at Excalibur. Well it's now Friday and, thanks to various board members, my feet have been sufficiently warmed. A few people in that thread mentioned wanting to hear how the trip went, so here's my first shot at a trip report, coming to you "semi-live" from my buddy's bachelor party. I can't promise that all the gory detail will make it to this report due to potential legal and recollection complications. My goal is to update this report at least once each day. Beyond that, no promises.

A little background, 5 thirtysomething dudes are headed out from various mid-sized Midwestern cities to celebrate a grad school buddy who is getting married next month. As I said in the other thread, we are all staying at Excalibur. I don't know much about the place, I think Harry Potter lives there or something. Just a quick 2 night trip, so the plan is to hit em hard and fast and get out of town Sunday morning. I'm the only total degenerate in the group, the rest live more balanced lives. As far as I know. I'm not sure exactly what type of room I have booked, but I will attempt to smile/wink/bribe my way in to the best room in the castle. How much should I offer to upgrade to one of those pointy turrets in the middle? You know, the Disneyland towers topped with primary colors? Think $20 will do it?

Right now I'm sitting in a lovely Southwest 737, due to land in Paradise around 4:30pm Pacific Standard Time. (Bonus: my flights this weekend will qualify me for the coveted Companion Pass for the remainder of 2014 and all of 2015, giddy up) Maybe a side goal of the trip will be to find a random companion to fly around the lower 48 with for the next 18 months? Not many promising options on this flight unfortunately, oh well, there's always the flight home.

No real plans for tonight outside of eating, drinking, gambling, and stupiding our way up and down the strip. Tomorrow will include watching and wagering the all-South American slate of World Cup games, possibly some pool time mid-day (until one of us is railroaded out for punting a rugrat), followed by sushi and a gentlemen's club in the evening. Interspersed, of course, with more than our fair share of questionable decisions.

Here's my short list of predictions of where we'll venture this weekend:
MGM
Bellagio (maybe finally get that men's room shoe shine I've been forgetting to remember for years)
Cosmo (and likely secret pizza)
Mandalay Bay (because I vaguely remember enjoying the property, but am usually not south enough to stop in)
Cromwell (because shiny and new)
O'Shea's (also new-ish to us)
In n Out
Excalibur pool
Shibuya
Rhino
Plenty of low-roller Blackjack
As much time at the Craps table as tolerable
Hit and run single 0 Roulette.

Places we won't be going:
The Fun Dungeon
Dick's Last Resort

That's about it. I'm pretty excited to be headed back to Vegas. Time to start using those SWA drink coupons, cocktails!

Cheers.

 

sounds like fun. Just it is too hot right now. A few of my friends rolled in on Thursday and Had a blast except for the HEAT.


keep us updated.

 

Ah the heat, I personally like it, but the bachelor is actually the sweatiest skinny person I know, I hope he brought a change of clothes.

 

The Fun Dungeon is the worst named place in Vegas, it SHOULD be the kinda place that would be the FIRST place you go for a bachelor party

 

Ask for a Tower 2 room (contemporary room)

Dont try the $20 trick as its only $10 a night to upgrade to the comtemporary room. If you cant get the free upgrade, just pay the $10 a night for the comtemporary room...night and day from the standard rooms

 

Thanks for keeping us updated! Looking forward to hearing more...

 

After a nice and bumpy summer descent, we've landed in Sin City. I kinda hope my cab tries to "tunnel" me to Excalibur, that'd be quite bold really.

Next stop, castlemania to find the boys.

 

Have fun!!!!

 

My guess is he does try to tunnel you. Maybe we should let cabbies do what cabbies do and give them $10 every time they tunnel us. Punish them financially like the NFL to players or cops to speeders. Doesn't make sense we get in a cab and have awkward tension on the whole ride if you call the cabbie out on it right from the get go. Enjoy the ride, take a picture of the license at the end and tell them your price.

 

Good choice and have a blast!

 

Sounds like you guys will have a ball! Thanks for posting the events....really look forward to your updates...oh...and good luck!!

 

Nice... Im at the MGM with a buddy for the weekend, I think well be wandering around that way tonight - but not IN the Trashy Castle.

 

Have a great time at the wonderful Dickscalibur in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada!

 

Never been there...but the sign always gave me a smile for some weird reason. Maybe it's the name?



And apparently they are about hats...


I have been to the "Fun Dungeon" though. They have an addiction of mine known as "Crazy Taxi".

Have a good trip!!!

 

Ok team. Made it through night 1.

The rest of the crew had made it in to town before me. I checked in around 5pm with absolutely no line. The lovely Adi was so kind to give me a free upgrade to a contemporary view room. I'm in tower 2 looking back over the colorful turrets and across to MGM. The room is surprisingly nice! As somebody who frequently travels internationally for work, we Americans are spoiled. This hotel room is nicer than many 4 star dated rooms I've stayed in throughout Latin America and Eastern Europe. Not sure that's a great comparison but regardless the room is fine. No safe or minibar, but it compares favorably to the Luxor room I had a few years back and an awful Monte Carlo room I had once upon a time.

Anyway the castle is pretty busy. Lot of people here milling around. One extra friendly bday girl insisted that we cannonball from her Hennessy bottle on the elevator ride down from my room, so that was a wonderful and terrible first Vegas drink. Yikes.

Gambling has been decent for night one. Lost a hundred slowly at let it ride to start here at the castle. The groom-to-be won about $250 at the table so that was great. Threw some craps over at o'sheas and cashed out up 175 after about 90 minutes of treading water followed by one decent roll. Then dropped a few hundred back at blackjack at the Cromwell and Cosmo. Cromwell is fun. Not a ton of people in there but I like that it kinda still feels like bills due to the casino layout. Made some friends there who came with us to Cosmo. Good times. Played at the Bond pit at Cosmo. Good drink service. They have some fizzy girly peach Moscow Muley drink that hits the spot. The new friends love it. Georgia peach maybe?!

Wandered our way back and now I've officially been up 24 hours. Gonna grab about 5 hours of sleep then get a run in. 5 miles down to Wynn and back. I might pop in and see Popeye since I probably won't make it all the way back down. The. World Cup and pool and more boozing.

Pretty much low rolled it tonight but it was a blast with the group. Might take a few shots at roulette or quarter blackjack tomorrow but tonight was plenty of fun playing $10 hands with the group and drinking and being idiots.

Ok sleep.

 

Sounds like an awesome time so far!

 

Back at McCarren and SWA was nice enough to let me jump on an earlier flight home. Thanks Southwest!

Saturday was a blur. Woke up around 7 and sweated out a run down to Wynn and back. Stopped in at Wynn to get a drink of water from a drinking fountain and see the new (old) $28 million Popeye. He was guarded by two Wynn Purple Coats. Not much to say on the statue other than $28 million really?

After the run I grabbed a breakfast sandwich from Schlotsky's in the Excalibur food court. I had forgotten about Schlotsky's, it certainly did the trick. It was certainly warm for a 7am run, but mostly in the shade of the east side casinos. Had to take a slight detour through TI due to sidewalk closure around the construction on the corner. Enjoyed the early strip traffic of runners/walkers and drunks. I was a blend of the two.

Found two of the crew and spent about an hour at the pool. Pool was nice, a fair share of kiddies splashing around. Pretty uneventful overall. Went back inside to catch the second half of Brazil-Chile. I didn't bet that game but did lose $50 betting Uruguay to win at +180. I thought maybe Forlan could conjure up some of his old magic. I was wrong.

After watching the games we hit the table. A few in the group found some luck at let it ride. Me and one other went to in n out to grab a burger and then across to the Trop for a decent craps roll where I cashed out up just over $200.

Spent most of the late afternoon low rolling blackjack and let it ride before grabbing a power nap around 7.

Dinner was at shibuya and was great as usual. Maybe a little expensive fr what you get but it is quality sushi and it's Vegas.

The post dinner strip club trip happened. That's about all to say there.

After the rhino we spent an hour or so at MGM before people started crashing. I made it til about 3. Completely exhausted this morning but it was worth it.

Gaming wise I finished about 400 down. Mostly due to BJ and let it ride. Didn't really bet big this trip as it was more about hanging out and going wherever the group was feeling.

I'm sure I left out some details, but that's the best I can recall right now.

Next trip is later this summer. Right now I'm in no hurry to get back, but that'll last about a week.

Cheers.

 

Nice solid weekend report and sounds like you had a good time.

 

Excellent, sounds like it was a great trip!

Companion pass = win. I have one myself!

I read your other thread on cold feed about the Excalibur. Now that it is under your belt, are you glad you stayed at Castlemania?

 

Quick and to the point, sounds like fun!