3/1/2008
Starts snowing Friday night and we're schedule to leave for the airport at 11 AM. It finally starts slowing down at about 8 AM, so I run out with the snowblower to discover Karen's son, Marc, is plowing the driveway! I do a little trimming with the snowblower and run in to get ready to leave. Karen comes in her 4 WD SUV, loads Gerry and me up and we are off! Roads are fine, flight is about 10 minutes delayed coming in from BWI. I usually try to book non-stops, but this time we have a flight that stops in Nashville (we saved $145 each by booking this)...we don't have to change planes, but it does add an hour and a half to our trip. A very long boring flight!
Get in on time, wait almost half an hour for our luggage and it's not even busy! Pick up our rental at Dollar (PT Cruiser) and head to Caesars. Our room is in the Palace Tower this time and my host has sent up a nice fruit basket, plus boxes of snacks like pistachios, trail mix, etc. and some very welcome bottles of water. We don't even bother unpacking, just throw the cases in, run down to the casino and have a snack at the food court and go and play
I like to play 3 and 5 hand BP, so I sit down at one of my favorite machines (yes, it's short pay) and in the first half hour I draw an Ace, Jack and Ten of spades, hold them and fill in on one line for a royal....nice way to start and I thought this was an omen of things to come (well, I've been wrong before<g>). Threw another $100 in there and when I lost it went to bed at 1 AM, ahead at least the first day!
3/2
Up after 4 1/2 hours sleep, my time clock is apparently still on Eastern time and it's Vegas - who wants to waste time sleeping! Played $1 BP while waiting for Gerry & Karen to come down and managed to run up a few bucks here, too....now I'm really convinced that this is "the trip". When we convened we decided we would have our ritual steak and eggs at Sam's Town this morning so we headed off there. This was NASCAR weekend and there were plenty of fans at the Fresh Harvest Cafe....waited almost half an hour to get seats. On the way in, we saw a Chevy from Alberta in the valet park with all the Dale Earnhart, Sr. logos on it - "Mr. Goodwrench" etc.and the plate read "NTIMD8R' - Karen's family are all fans so we took several pictures of it. Breakfast was good, as always, and we played for a couple of hours. That's when I started learning that this wasn't really "The Trip" as the bucks got vacuumed up
Stopped at Bellagio on the way back to see the conservatory display and take some pictures. Very pretty and the rat is actually cute. One of the dollar progressives was up to $5,916 so I decided to invest a little time in it. Managed to play close to two hours on $200 but I lost it eventually and decided it was time to return "home". Best thing about this stop was having one of their excellent Cable Cars while I was playing - I haven't had any that taste as good as the ones here!
Back to Caesars for registration for the slot tournament for me. Their welcome registration is getting worse with each tournament - some crudites with dip, some cheese and a few cookies - I can remember when they used to offer the equivalent of a buffet at the registration. They are definitely making cuts in the amenities at Caesars! Gift for the tournament was two very nice spa robes.
We played for awhile then grabbed a sandwich at the food court - adequate. Played a couple of hours longer and all got tired of losing so off to bed by midnight.
3/3
This morning we opted for Payard for breakfast - good choice. We all had the eggs Benedict with French ham on a croissant, yummy! Very good coffee, too, and cost was something close to $60 for the three of us. Would definitely make a return trip here.
After breakfast it was time to play the first round of the tournament, I didn't do too badly, score was 10,790 so I'm hopeful about the next round.
We hang around Caesars (they're no dummies when they put these tournaments on<g>) until time for the next round, at which I score a decent score again 10,380. After that, Karen and I are off to Qua Spa.
I had a pass for two for the "Roman Rituals"...it's not a spa treatment, it's just use of the spa - normally it's $45 each so Karen and I got in for free. Gerry didn't want to go. We only planned on spending two hours there, but we're definitely going to make a return trip and spend an entire afternoon there - fabulous. Come in to a raised section with 3 pools, one is tepid with little bubbles, a hot one with intense jets and then an ice cold one....we used two, went up to our knees in the cold one and zipped right out. Also enjoyed a cedar dry sauna, an herbal steam room (my favorite - steam with eucalyptus that just made my sinuses feel so good), an arctic room - room is 50 degrees and snow falls from the ceiling (just like sitting on my front porch in February<ggg>). Showers have a rain type head and spray from the sides, too, plus a dressing room with every kind of stuff you can imagine, lotions, hair sprays, mousse, etc. Beautiful tea room to relax in and they'll make you herbal teas - also have a bar with fruit juices, water, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. I'm telling you, Karen and I had to be dragged out of there! Both of us were sorry that we told Gerry we would meet her back at the room at 6:30.
Headed down to the Palazzo after that and Grand Luxe in the Palazzo for dinner - we're very familiar with the size of portions here and were going to just order appetizers and split a salad but we saw some great looking sandwiches going by and opted for that. Good choice - a burger, a chicken breast and a chicken salad sandwich - and we couldn't finish those off. Went and played at Palazzo afterwards - I'm not really crazy about the "feel" of the casino, but they do have 9/6 JoB and smoke levels are bearable there. I was interested in giving them an hour or two of play on the dollar VP to see if any offers are forthcoming. I really need to play somewhere where the paytables are better than Caesars. Played for two hours and managed to walk away up about $75 (one of the few winning sessions this trip).
The valet park here is a lot easier to use than the Venetian - hate their valet
Glad we took the car tonight as it is cold and windy out there! At Caesars the casino is a little quieter as the weekend people have gone. Not that it helps me, another losing session
Karen wakes me up at 4 AM because Gerry hasn't returned (our friend Gerry is a little bitty thing and we worry about her<g>) - we're going to get dressed and go downstairs looking for her, but I call on her cell and fortunately she picks up. She's having a great time chatting with some young people who are playing next to her and has lost track of time....said she's on her way up. Threatens us not to tell her husband or my husband (who will blab to her husband) about how late she came up....what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas<ggg>.
3/4
This morning Gerry manages to get out of bed at 6:30 (don't know how she can do it on 2 hours sleep!) - we're going to have breakfast at Cafe Lago and meet Del (Sonntex). Have a very enjoyable hour and a half, good food, good company, nice leisurely breakfast with a lot of chatting, primarily about our May trip to New Orleans. Del gave us lots of helpful info, thanks! I look forward to catching up with you again on a future visit. BTW, Cafe Lago is a very decent breakfast choice; not a huge variety but nice quality breakfast items including the made to order omelet station.
After that I play my last session and score another 10,300 which should be enough to get something in awards,.
After a very filling breakfast we decide it's time for a visit to Wynn. I just love this place and wish I played up to a level that would result in comp rooms from them. I do get offers that are the run of the mill ones, room for $119 and $100 in slot play and I have taken advantage of them in the past. Last trip when we stayed there two nights they comped me one of the nights and some of the food. I'm leaning toward actually paying for a room there (gasp!) because they still offer some decent VP and cost of the room would offset what I'm losing by playing at Caesars. We spend hours here and it's one of the few sessions this trip where I actually make a few bucks - many, many 4 to a royal without completing one and I'm getting frustrated!
Head back to Caesars for the awards - I place 91st out of 930 players and get $200 and am happy to get anything! Dinner is pretty decent, a buffet with a good variety to choose from. I do have to say that Harrah's far surpasses Caesars in the food department at tournaments! When I've played there, they've always got the Range set up for brunch, plus a sit down dinner for the awards.
I play for a couple of hours at the quarter 3 play - I'm sitting there chatting away with the guy playing next to me when he says "nice" and I see that Jack and Queen of clubs that I held have now been joined on one line by the rest of the royal family. Decide to quit then as it's one of the few times I can go to bed ahead for that day.
3/5
Our last full day and we have a date to meet Doris (AppleGreenJade) at Red Rock Station for lunch. Another very fun visit - I think you can all imagine what 4 women yakking at the same time sound like<g> - the time just flies by before it's time to head our separate ways. I look forward to seeing Doris on my next visit - as a resident I'm sure she'll be around most of the time when I'm in town.
We play at Red Rock Station for a few hours, oops, my bad, Gerry and karen play - I just keep feeding those bills in! This was just one of the worst sessions on record. Gerry and karen win there so at least we're not total losers when we leave.
I headed to the business center to print our boarding passes - they did let me print them for free (Diamond card) but they said they are no longer doing that - a heads up to anyone who's planning on using it. You can print your boarding pass at the Diamond Lounge if it's during their hours, but otherwise you have to use one of those little kiosks to do it (Caesars has one near the High Roller Slot room in the Palace Casino). I know they have these at places like Boulder Station, but I think it's tacky that Caesars is doing that - another cost cutting move like the lack of turn down service. Hello, it's supposed to be a luxury hotel!
We wanted to just grab a fast bite before the show so we had crepes at Payards - I had the savory crepe with ham and gruyere and it was very filling and tasty - nice option when you're in a hurry.
Tonight we're going to see Bette Midler so I have to head to the box office for 3:30 to pick up our tickets. We loved her show! Funny, good voice, sang all her old standards "When a Man Loves a Woman" was spectacular, plus "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", etc. Still has a potty mouth - as she describes the show "it's hits, tits, and glitz"<g>. Nadeen got us superb seats (Front Orch. Box 4)- in the VIP box, 10 or so rows back from the stage, dead center....8 seats away from us was Dick Clark and his wife! Nadeen told me that if we had come in early Saturday she could have arranged for us to meet Bette Midler after the show and have our picture taken with her! Of course, I now have to do this again My sister in law Carol wants to see her, so we may do a rerun in the summer. We've seen Celine in this venue and I enjoyed Bette a lot more.
Play after the show was more of the same blood letting
3/6
Our flight doesn't leave until 4:40 PM so we have most of the day to enjoy. We head back to Wynn, deciding that we'll have brunch at the buffet before heading for the car return. Karen had earned two buffets and I just asked for a comp for one....he gave me a line pass for two(?) thought that was weird, but only charged my comp account for one. As always, some very nice choices, so we enjoyed a leisurely brunch. Played for a couple of hours after that, the only winner was Gerry at this session - she was playing "Wizard of Oz" and a couple of her other penny favorites and managed to cash out with almost $300 so she left on a good note.
When we returned the car we planned on using the bag check in at the facility but their computers were down so we just hauled our bags on to the bus and off we went. Flight was on time and only 3/4 full so we had a very comfortable, sleepy ride home. Got in at 12:30 AM to a cold and clear night and I was home by 1:30 AM.
Closing thoughts - This is the first time in a long time that we haven't had lunch at The Palm, usually it's our ritual lunch the first day. Things just didn't work out that way. Also still trying to get to Rosemary's for lunch one of these days. Next trip will probably be when Cher is there, I've already received an offer for tickets and room for her premiere, but I'll be in New Orleans that week, so will have to catch her later. Came home up $300, yes, it's possible to lose almost two royals in 5 days<g>, at least my bankroll was preserved. Next trip I have planned is New Orleans 5/2 to 5/5, first time I've been there so I'm looking forward to it.
Sandy
Starts snowing Friday night and we're schedule to leave for the airport at 11 AM. It finally starts slowing down at about 8 AM, so I run out with the snowblower to discover Karen's son, Marc, is plowing the driveway! I do a little trimming with the snowblower and run in to get ready to leave. Karen comes in her 4 WD SUV, loads Gerry and me up and we are off! Roads are fine, flight is about 10 minutes delayed coming in from BWI. I usually try to book non-stops, but this time we have a flight that stops in Nashville (we saved $145 each by booking this)...we don't have to change planes, but it does add an hour and a half to our trip. A very long boring flight!
Get in on time, wait almost half an hour for our luggage and it's not even busy! Pick up our rental at Dollar (PT Cruiser) and head to Caesars. Our room is in the Palace Tower this time and my host has sent up a nice fruit basket, plus boxes of snacks like pistachios, trail mix, etc. and some very welcome bottles of water. We don't even bother unpacking, just throw the cases in, run down to the casino and have a snack at the food court and go and play
I like to play 3 and 5 hand BP, so I sit down at one of my favorite machines (yes, it's short pay) and in the first half hour I draw an Ace, Jack and Ten of spades, hold them and fill in on one line for a royal....nice way to start and I thought this was an omen of things to come (well, I've been wrong before<g>). Threw another $100 in there and when I lost it went to bed at 1 AM, ahead at least the first day!3/2
Up after 4 1/2 hours sleep, my time clock is apparently still on Eastern time and it's Vegas - who wants to waste time sleeping! Played $1 BP while waiting for Gerry & Karen to come down and managed to run up a few bucks here, too....now I'm really convinced that this is "the trip". When we convened we decided we would have our ritual steak and eggs at Sam's Town this morning so we headed off there. This was NASCAR weekend and there were plenty of fans at the Fresh Harvest Cafe....waited almost half an hour to get seats. On the way in, we saw a Chevy from Alberta in the valet park with all the Dale Earnhart, Sr. logos on it - "Mr. Goodwrench" etc.and the plate read "NTIMD8R' - Karen's family are all fans so we took several pictures of it. Breakfast was good, as always, and we played for a couple of hours. That's when I started learning that this wasn't really "The Trip" as the bucks got vacuumed up
Stopped at Bellagio on the way back to see the conservatory display and take some pictures. Very pretty and the rat is actually cute. One of the dollar progressives was up to $5,916 so I decided to invest a little time in it. Managed to play close to two hours on $200 but I lost it eventually and decided it was time to return "home". Best thing about this stop was having one of their excellent Cable Cars while I was playing - I haven't had any that taste as good as the ones here!
Back to Caesars for registration for the slot tournament for me. Their welcome registration is getting worse with each tournament - some crudites with dip, some cheese and a few cookies - I can remember when they used to offer the equivalent of a buffet at the registration. They are definitely making cuts in the amenities at Caesars! Gift for the tournament was two very nice spa robes.
We played for awhile then grabbed a sandwich at the food court - adequate. Played a couple of hours longer and all got tired of losing so off to bed by midnight.
3/3
This morning we opted for Payard for breakfast - good choice. We all had the eggs Benedict with French ham on a croissant, yummy! Very good coffee, too, and cost was something close to $60 for the three of us. Would definitely make a return trip here.
After breakfast it was time to play the first round of the tournament, I didn't do too badly, score was 10,790 so I'm hopeful about the next round.
We hang around Caesars (they're no dummies when they put these tournaments on<g>) until time for the next round, at which I score a decent score again 10,380. After that, Karen and I are off to Qua Spa.
I had a pass for two for the "Roman Rituals"...it's not a spa treatment, it's just use of the spa - normally it's $45 each so Karen and I got in for free. Gerry didn't want to go. We only planned on spending two hours there, but we're definitely going to make a return trip and spend an entire afternoon there - fabulous. Come in to a raised section with 3 pools, one is tepid with little bubbles, a hot one with intense jets and then an ice cold one....we used two, went up to our knees in the cold one and zipped right out. Also enjoyed a cedar dry sauna, an herbal steam room (my favorite - steam with eucalyptus that just made my sinuses feel so good), an arctic room - room is 50 degrees and snow falls from the ceiling (just like sitting on my front porch in February<ggg>). Showers have a rain type head and spray from the sides, too, plus a dressing room with every kind of stuff you can imagine, lotions, hair sprays, mousse, etc. Beautiful tea room to relax in and they'll make you herbal teas - also have a bar with fruit juices, water, fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. I'm telling you, Karen and I had to be dragged out of there! Both of us were sorry that we told Gerry we would meet her back at the room at 6:30.
Headed down to the Palazzo after that and Grand Luxe in the Palazzo for dinner - we're very familiar with the size of portions here and were going to just order appetizers and split a salad but we saw some great looking sandwiches going by and opted for that. Good choice - a burger, a chicken breast and a chicken salad sandwich - and we couldn't finish those off. Went and played at Palazzo afterwards - I'm not really crazy about the "feel" of the casino, but they do have 9/6 JoB and smoke levels are bearable there. I was interested in giving them an hour or two of play on the dollar VP to see if any offers are forthcoming. I really need to play somewhere where the paytables are better than Caesars. Played for two hours and managed to walk away up about $75 (one of the few winning sessions this trip).
The valet park here is a lot easier to use than the Venetian - hate their valet
Glad we took the car tonight as it is cold and windy out there! At Caesars the casino is a little quieter as the weekend people have gone. Not that it helps me, another losing sessionKaren wakes me up at 4 AM because Gerry hasn't returned (our friend Gerry is a little bitty thing and we worry about her<g>) - we're going to get dressed and go downstairs looking for her, but I call on her cell and fortunately she picks up. She's having a great time chatting with some young people who are playing next to her and has lost track of time....said she's on her way up. Threatens us not to tell her husband or my husband (who will blab to her husband) about how late she came up....what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas<ggg>.
3/4
This morning Gerry manages to get out of bed at 6:30 (don't know how she can do it on 2 hours sleep!) - we're going to have breakfast at Cafe Lago and meet Del (Sonntex). Have a very enjoyable hour and a half, good food, good company, nice leisurely breakfast with a lot of chatting, primarily about our May trip to New Orleans. Del gave us lots of helpful info, thanks! I look forward to catching up with you again on a future visit. BTW, Cafe Lago is a very decent breakfast choice; not a huge variety but nice quality breakfast items including the made to order omelet station.
After that I play my last session and score another 10,300 which should be enough to get something in awards,.
After a very filling breakfast we decide it's time for a visit to Wynn. I just love this place and wish I played up to a level that would result in comp rooms from them. I do get offers that are the run of the mill ones, room for $119 and $100 in slot play and I have taken advantage of them in the past. Last trip when we stayed there two nights they comped me one of the nights and some of the food. I'm leaning toward actually paying for a room there (gasp!) because they still offer some decent VP and cost of the room would offset what I'm losing by playing at Caesars. We spend hours here and it's one of the few sessions this trip where I actually make a few bucks - many, many 4 to a royal without completing one and I'm getting frustrated!
Head back to Caesars for the awards - I place 91st out of 930 players and get $200 and am happy to get anything! Dinner is pretty decent, a buffet with a good variety to choose from. I do have to say that Harrah's far surpasses Caesars in the food department at tournaments! When I've played there, they've always got the Range set up for brunch, plus a sit down dinner for the awards.
I play for a couple of hours at the quarter 3 play - I'm sitting there chatting away with the guy playing next to me when he says "nice" and I see that Jack and Queen of clubs that I held have now been joined on one line by the rest of the royal family. Decide to quit then as it's one of the few times I can go to bed ahead for that day.
3/5
Our last full day and we have a date to meet Doris (AppleGreenJade) at Red Rock Station for lunch. Another very fun visit - I think you can all imagine what 4 women yakking at the same time sound like<g> - the time just flies by before it's time to head our separate ways. I look forward to seeing Doris on my next visit - as a resident I'm sure she'll be around most of the time when I'm in town.
We play at Red Rock Station for a few hours, oops, my bad, Gerry and karen play - I just keep feeding those bills in! This was just one of the worst sessions on record. Gerry and karen win there so at least we're not total losers when we leave.
I headed to the business center to print our boarding passes - they did let me print them for free (Diamond card) but they said they are no longer doing that - a heads up to anyone who's planning on using it. You can print your boarding pass at the Diamond Lounge if it's during their hours, but otherwise you have to use one of those little kiosks to do it (Caesars has one near the High Roller Slot room in the Palace Casino). I know they have these at places like Boulder Station, but I think it's tacky that Caesars is doing that - another cost cutting move like the lack of turn down service. Hello, it's supposed to be a luxury hotel!
We wanted to just grab a fast bite before the show so we had crepes at Payards - I had the savory crepe with ham and gruyere and it was very filling and tasty - nice option when you're in a hurry.
Tonight we're going to see Bette Midler so I have to head to the box office for 3:30 to pick up our tickets. We loved her show! Funny, good voice, sang all her old standards "When a Man Loves a Woman" was spectacular, plus "The Rose", "Wind Beneath My Wings", etc. Still has a potty mouth - as she describes the show "it's hits, tits, and glitz"<g>. Nadeen got us superb seats (Front Orch. Box 4)- in the VIP box, 10 or so rows back from the stage, dead center....8 seats away from us was Dick Clark and his wife! Nadeen told me that if we had come in early Saturday she could have arranged for us to meet Bette Midler after the show and have our picture taken with her! Of course, I now have to do this again
My sister in law Carol wants to see her, so we may do a rerun in the summer. We've seen Celine in this venue and I enjoyed Bette a lot more.Play after the show was more of the same blood letting
3/6
Our flight doesn't leave until 4:40 PM so we have most of the day to enjoy. We head back to Wynn, deciding that we'll have brunch at the buffet before heading for the car return. Karen had earned two buffets and I just asked for a comp for one....he gave me a line pass for two(?) thought that was weird, but only charged my comp account for one. As always, some very nice choices, so we enjoyed a leisurely brunch. Played for a couple of hours after that, the only winner was Gerry at this session - she was playing "Wizard of Oz" and a couple of her other penny favorites and managed to cash out with almost $300 so she left on a good note.
When we returned the car we planned on using the bag check in at the facility but their computers were down so we just hauled our bags on to the bus and off we went. Flight was on time and only 3/4 full so we had a very comfortable, sleepy ride home. Got in at 12:30 AM to a cold and clear night and I was home by 1:30 AM.
Closing thoughts - This is the first time in a long time that we haven't had lunch at The Palm, usually it's our ritual lunch the first day. Things just didn't work out that way. Also still trying to get to Rosemary's for lunch one of these days. Next trip will probably be when Cher is there, I've already received an offer for tickets and room for her premiere, but I'll be in New Orleans that week, so will have to catch her later. Came home up $300, yes, it's possible to lose almost two royals in 5 days<g>, at least my bankroll was preserved. Next trip I have planned is New Orleans 5/2 to 5/5, first time I've been there so I'm looking forward to it.
Sandy
