JR Swift
VIP Whale
Well it has been almost a week so I figured I'd go ahead and post the OTR (obigatory trip report.) I can't say that this trip was the most exciting on record but there was some fun times and it is always good just to be in Las Vegas.
We (cast of characters on this trip is myself and JT) flew out of Kansas City Monday morning and arrrived in Las Vegas about 12:30 PM local time. Kind of a bumpy ride but not too much "air" on the flight so I didn't mind too much. Picked up our bags and headed for the cab line, which was long but moved quickly. Off to the Orleans where we were checked in 5 minutes after we walked in the door. Had a room very similar to what I had last July in the older tower facing the Strip. Absolutely nothing bad to say about the room. Nice and big with a decent sized bathroom and a nice sitting area with a couch big enough to sleep on and a comfy chair.
We spent the first night at the hotel. I had a couple of free buffets which we used at the Monday night Seafood Spectacular. OK...it really isn't all that spectacular but it isn't bad. The seafood itself is pretty good with crab legs, shrimp, oysters and clams and it all tasted pretty good and created no unpleasant digestive issues. Overall there is nothing wrong with the Orleans buffet. It isn't bad...it just isn't that good either. The food is just kind of there and isn't seasoned well at all. Still it was free and it hit the spot. Placed a $20 bet on Illinois in the sports book and we sat around and watched the game. Not only did I lose my $20 but I had to watch that "turncoat" Roy Williams win a national title. After that we gambled for a while and ate the $2.99 Steak and Eggs before heading for bed.
Tuesday we were up fairly late and, after messing around in the casino for a while (JT playing blackjack...myself video poker), we decided to catch a cab down to the Bellagio. Once there, we figured we might as well eat at the buffet. There was no line and JT had never had it before. I hadn't eaten there in years and wondered if it would be as good. I have to honestly say that this was the best buffet either one of us have ever had. Unlike the Orleans, everything was perfectly seasoned and just tasted great. I think we both went through four plates and left both stuffed and happy. On the way out, we stumbled into the 3PM fountain show. Despite this being his third trip, JT had never seen the fountains. It was my good luck that the 3PM show is Con Te Partiro, my absolute favorite one. It was beautiful as always and I almost cried. My companion was suitably impressed and wanted to come back and see it again.
We did the touristy thing most of the rest of the afternoon, spending a fair amount of time checking out the Forum shops and the Mirage. He had also never seen the Volcano or the "Atlantis" show so we took those in along the way. Towards the end of the afternoon, we wandered across the street and ended up hanging out at Harrah's for a while. He saw a Let It Ride table as we walked in and his weakness got the best of him. I found a nickel Multi-Strike video poker game and figured I'd try it. I have to say that this game is great fun and addictive but the swings back and forth are pretty dramatic. Drink service was great and I played for a couple of hours and cashed out a few bucks ahead. It was right after this that we discovered the $1 Michelob bottles at Casino Royale. This would be the equivalent of a "filling" station the next two days. We might hang out at the Venetian or Harrah's but JT at least usually always had at least one bottle of Michelob on hand at all times. If we weren't really gambling much, we'd just go get more. Played some penny slots for a while at CR and then walked through the Venetian and over to TI. Along the way I picked up a cheap cigar and proceeded to really annoy (just guessing) tons of nonsmokers with my noxious fumes over the next hour or so. It started to get late and we were hungry again so we caught the shuttle back to the Orleans, only to discover that the coffee shop was closed. We finally grabbed a sandwich at the Subway and headed for bed. As it turned out, we would need the rest.
...to be continued.
[ April 16, 2005, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: JR Swift ]
We (cast of characters on this trip is myself and JT) flew out of Kansas City Monday morning and arrrived in Las Vegas about 12:30 PM local time. Kind of a bumpy ride but not too much "air" on the flight so I didn't mind too much. Picked up our bags and headed for the cab line, which was long but moved quickly. Off to the Orleans where we were checked in 5 minutes after we walked in the door. Had a room very similar to what I had last July in the older tower facing the Strip. Absolutely nothing bad to say about the room. Nice and big with a decent sized bathroom and a nice sitting area with a couch big enough to sleep on and a comfy chair.
We spent the first night at the hotel. I had a couple of free buffets which we used at the Monday night Seafood Spectacular. OK...it really isn't all that spectacular but it isn't bad. The seafood itself is pretty good with crab legs, shrimp, oysters and clams and it all tasted pretty good and created no unpleasant digestive issues. Overall there is nothing wrong with the Orleans buffet. It isn't bad...it just isn't that good either. The food is just kind of there and isn't seasoned well at all. Still it was free and it hit the spot. Placed a $20 bet on Illinois in the sports book and we sat around and watched the game. Not only did I lose my $20 but I had to watch that "turncoat" Roy Williams win a national title. After that we gambled for a while and ate the $2.99 Steak and Eggs before heading for bed.
Tuesday we were up fairly late and, after messing around in the casino for a while (JT playing blackjack...myself video poker), we decided to catch a cab down to the Bellagio. Once there, we figured we might as well eat at the buffet. There was no line and JT had never had it before. I hadn't eaten there in years and wondered if it would be as good. I have to honestly say that this was the best buffet either one of us have ever had. Unlike the Orleans, everything was perfectly seasoned and just tasted great. I think we both went through four plates and left both stuffed and happy. On the way out, we stumbled into the 3PM fountain show. Despite this being his third trip, JT had never seen the fountains. It was my good luck that the 3PM show is Con Te Partiro, my absolute favorite one. It was beautiful as always and I almost cried. My companion was suitably impressed and wanted to come back and see it again.
We did the touristy thing most of the rest of the afternoon, spending a fair amount of time checking out the Forum shops and the Mirage. He had also never seen the Volcano or the "Atlantis" show so we took those in along the way. Towards the end of the afternoon, we wandered across the street and ended up hanging out at Harrah's for a while. He saw a Let It Ride table as we walked in and his weakness got the best of him. I found a nickel Multi-Strike video poker game and figured I'd try it. I have to say that this game is great fun and addictive but the swings back and forth are pretty dramatic. Drink service was great and I played for a couple of hours and cashed out a few bucks ahead. It was right after this that we discovered the $1 Michelob bottles at Casino Royale. This would be the equivalent of a "filling" station the next two days. We might hang out at the Venetian or Harrah's but JT at least usually always had at least one bottle of Michelob on hand at all times. If we weren't really gambling much, we'd just go get more. Played some penny slots for a while at CR and then walked through the Venetian and over to TI. Along the way I picked up a cheap cigar and proceeded to really annoy (just guessing) tons of nonsmokers with my noxious fumes over the next hour or so. It started to get late and we were hungry again so we caught the shuttle back to the Orleans, only to discover that the coffee shop was closed. We finally grabbed a sandwich at the Subway and headed for bed. As it turned out, we would need the rest.
...to be continued.
[ April 16, 2005, 11:27 AM: Message edited by: JR Swift ]
