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Anniversary Trip - Nov.11-16

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flexodog

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My first TR.Bear with me as I stumble through this.This was my wife's first time in Vegas and we decided this would be a great place to come for our tenth anniversary to renew our vows.

Flew out Seattle on SWA and arrived an hour late because they gave our plane to another flight and we had to wait for a replacement.Not only that,but they changed our gate,so that the whole Southwest cattle call all had to rush out to change locations.Sucks when you had a C pass and couldn't even sit with your wife on the flight down.Anyway,we get in and head to the Orleans.Cabbie seemed really pissed when I said "no tunnel".Sorry Bud,not my problem.Slipped the desk clerk a twenty for a high strip view and close to an elevator.Really worth it.Gotta say I like this place.Spacious room,very clean,friendly staff and easy to navigate.Only down side is I couldn't win anything there to save my soul at BJ or quarter JOB VP.
That night we had primo tickets for Celine Dion,who my wife worships.I wasn't real gung-ho about it,but I have to admit the show was sensational,and needless to say,my wife was in heaven.Since my wife,who I'll call G,had never gambled,except to buy lottery tickets at home,wanted to take the plunge,I got her started on slots.G found this incredibly boring,so I taught her to play VP.Well,this was a lot better.Now she was making decisions on each play and she was hooked.I created a monster,but what the hey.
Next day was our tenth anniversary.We had a package booked with the Little White Chapel,and were picked up by limo for the ceremony.A little bubbly and a great ride.The pictures,music and ceremony were tastefully done and G cried before it was over,just like the first time.Return limo ride was to the Mirage,where we had dinner at Kokomo's.An amazingly good meal.Hugest and best prime rib I've ever had.No way I could finish it,and believe me,I can pack it away.G went for a combo filet and breaded lobster tail.An incredible meal at "market price",which turned out to be $90!Ouch,but what the hell.Should have asked.By the way,the lobster bisque we had for starters was amazing.Anyway,how we managed the free dessert was beyind me.After dinner,it was over to the Venetian for a romantic private gondola ride,then back to the Orleans for a nice conclusion to the evening.
Next day began the exploring of opulent strip hotels G had only heard about.If the hotel had a theme she loved it,especially Paris and NYNY.She had to ride the Manhattan Express coaster,which we both thought was pretty good.By this time G was getting really "Vegasized".It was like,"Where are my poker machines and bring on the White Russians".
By the time the next day rolled around,G had a new favorite place.Believe it or not,it was the Tropicana.It was the comps that got her.For very minimal play,we ended up with free Rick Thomas tickets,free Folies Bergere tickets,two good quality t-shirts and a few coffee shop meal comps.By the way,we also checked out the show at the Comedy Stop.Three performers,and we laughed our bloody asses off at all of them.Highly recommended.
Mingled in all this is the usual amount of shopping for the family souvenirs.How G got all that stuff into our bags for the flight home is beyond me.When all was said and done,I didn't really scratch my gambling jones,but the good news is that G is a convert,and it won't require arm twisting to get her back there.Flight home was much more uneventful.Now that I'm back,I'll have to feed my fever on the boards for a while.

Random Thoughts

Really liked the Orleans.Had a great half price weekday Mastercard rate that saved a good chunk of change.Their strip shuttle also ran very well.
If I could get a good rate on a tower room,I'd consider the Trop next time.Friendly service with an old Vegas feel.Good comps.
Never made it downtown.If I was going alone,I'm sure that is where I'd be.At heart I'm really not a strip guy.Down there,my party animal side would probably emerge.
Is it just me,or does anybody else just want to slap a porn slapper?Man,are they annoying!It's tough enough walking the strip on weekend evenings without having to dodge that crap.
Sorry for the long read,and many thanks to the board regulars from whom I've learned quite a bit in the last few months.Can't wait to get back.
 
Wife's first time gambling? Let me know when she hits the craps tables!

I love it when a woman shoots craps for the first time. I dunno... it's always been good luck for me when they throw the dice the first time.

I'm going to see if my wife will roll 'em in a couple weeks!
 
The first time I took my wife to a craps table the stick man pushed over the dice to her and she picked them ALL up in her hand. Everyone at the table looked in amazement and then the Boxman told her to “shoot em.†We ALL had a good laugh when she did, especially her. Needless to say, we had a fun time and I think we even made a few dollars.
She still plays craps at least once every trip we go and she still laughs when the stickman offers her the dice but now she only throws two.
 
Sounds like you had a great time. The Orleans is a great place to stay. It also sounds like you had a great meal too - what does breaded lobster tail taste like?
 
You are so right FDog about the old style feel of the Trop. You will have to get G. downtown next trip to give her a completely different Vegas experience. Nice report!
biggthumpup.gif
 
Thanks for the trip report Flex, you really did it up in style. I have never stayed at the Trop but I like the casino there. Even the cheesy circus acts were entertaining.

I guess sin city has corrupted another one, welcome to the club G :D
 
Nice report, and good info about the Trop. That's the way comps are supposed to work - a little something that makes you feel wanted as a customer. Good job getting her going on the VP - smart.
 
Milehi,G tells me that breaded lobster tastes like a real good crab cake except fifty times better.Her dinner was so big,she couldn't finish hers either.Thanks everybody for the nice replies,and yes,G agrees that downtown is definitely on our next agenda.
 
Great report Flex!! One thing tho how were the comps at the Orleans cause me and the wife are planning on staying there next time?
 
Thanks Red Sox.First of all,I have to say that I didn't play enough to generate much anyway.But I do know they are a little tight.Slot comps are calculated on the amount you win,not the amount you play. To me,this makes no sense.It should be the other way around.I don't have specific knowledge on table comps,but I hear they're a little tighter than other places.On the other hand,when you check in you will get two extremely good coupon books.2 for 1 in the showroom,meal discounts,free spa visit,loads of free drinks for both the Orleans and other Coast properties.If you want,you can even use the drink coupons from other hotels in the Orleans as well.What G and I did one night was go to Brendan's Irish Pub there.No cover,great band,and we drank practically all night for free.That night,we had a group of Marines in dress uniform there.The house and the band bought them three rounds of shots.For the rest of the night,customers kept sending rounds over.Those guys never bought a drink all night and got thoroughly plastered.We had a great time.
I would say you'll love the rooms,the ambience and the coupons given.Hell,maybe you'll get your gambling mojo going there.But if you don't,the shuttle works well and there's always other places to throw around your gambling dollars.Have fun and good luck!
 
P.S. Red Sox,
Orleans also has great graveyard coffee shop specials.Cab fare from the Barbary Coast to the Orleans is about $9-10.We hung out at the Trop,and from there it was about $8-9.Not that bad.Keep in mind that the last shuttle is at 12:30AM each day.Hope some of this helps.
 
flexo --

good TR indeed !
congrad's on your anniversary !
..the shuttle from the Orleans to (i think its the?) BC - was it often full ? And, does it make a round-robin w/ other hotels ? - or just the two you talked about.
There's nothing more lucky than a virgin dice-roller. Period.
I'm glad you had a good time. Anything 'bout the Orleans hotel room you ESPECIALLY liked or didnt like. Mostly, i hear 'its a good sized room, but simple'. So, i guess im in the DARK.

mK
 
flex

Thanks for the reply on the breaded lobster. That makes sense now that I think about it, once again, glad you had a great trip.
 
Mr. K,
The shuttles are basically a triangulation of th Orleans,the Gold Coast and the Barbary Coast.They hold 25 people,and while they occaisionally were crowded,we never actually missed one for the numbers.What we liked of course was how central the location of the BC was.
I guess what I liked best about the room was a couple of things.First,the bed was excellent.The mattress was firm,but not too firm,and we both slept like logs.The pillows were a little small,but very nice.And lots of them.We had five in the room.Maid service was excellent.When we arrived,G decided we needed more hangers.I called housekeeping,and they brought more up within five minutes.I gave her a nice tip,and after that the maid service was all I could ask for.What made the room bigger was having a nice sitting area with a sofa,chair and coffee table.The little window in the shower was kind of neat also.You just felt like you had room to move around without bumping into things or each other.{In the room,not the shower!}All in all,a great value for the money.By the way,we had the lunch buffet twice and thought it was a solid value for $6.95.Also tried Big Al's Oyster Bar.Terrific linguine with white clam sauce.Tons of clams.G had the jambalaya,liked it,but it wasn't hot enough for her.Just fine after she loaded it up with hot sauce.

Anyway,I hope some of this helps.Have fun!
 
Red Sox/Jay,

We just got back 11/16 from the Orleans also. Trip report is still in progress.

Re: comps at the Orleans, they had signs up by the slots that said that 4000 points = $12. We used our slot points at checkout and essentially got one night free, although we had some points on our account from last year. I was told they also could be used in the restaurants and gift shop if desired, and maybe at the spa too. Again, it's not a great comp system since you get points based on winnings, not on what you gamble. Not sure how it works at the tables. All the Coast Casinos are on one card now, which is nice.

Re: the shuttles, we didn't use them this year, but as of last year, they had one running a loop between the Orleans and the Barbary Coast, another between the Orleans and the Gold Coast (so you can check out the Palms and Rio as well as the GC), and there's a third that runs between the GC and the BC. There's also a shuttle between the BC and the Suncoast in Summerlin if you want to venture WAY off strip! The down side to the shuttles is that they don't run 24 hours a day and you spend valuable Vegas time waiting for them!

Have fun!

[ November 22, 2004, 08:53 AM: Message edited by: Coecat ]
 
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