MGM 4/29-5/2 LONG

Well we are back and we had an awesome time in Vegas! I'm not that good at trip reports, but here it goes!

We left Thursday morning from Dallas. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 740am. We arrived at the airport at around 630am and by the time we mad our way through the LONG security line, they were starting to board the plane. We got to the gate just in time!

The flight was ok, all I could think of was getting off of the plane to have a cigarette! We stopped in the smoking room at the airport while waiting for our bags. I played $1 into the video poker machine and walked out of there with about $6.50. An omen of the good things to come!!

We went over to check in at the MGM desk in the airport at around 930am. Guess what??? I slipped the clerk a $20 and said "Do you have any available upgrades? It is our anniversary." (which it really was). His eyes got huge and he said "sure, let me see what I can find!" He then said he had a jacuzzi suite (the Celebrity Spa Suite) but it was still occupied and that we would have to check back at around noon to see if it was ready -- or we could go with the regular room. Hmmmmm let me think about this for a minute -- LOL Needless to say we were more than happy to wait for the jacuzzi suite.

We then caught the shuttle to the MGM, checked our bags and then had lunch at the Studio Cafe. I ordered the burger (which was very good) and my husband had the Monte Cristo. A little bit on the greasier side than other restaurants, but it was still good. Great service and very fast. Our bill was around $27. When we got finished it was around 1145am so we decided to go to the desk to check on the room. We had a really nice lady at the front desk who said that the one that was actually being held for us on the 13th floor was still not ready, but that she had one on the 10th floor that had just been cleaned. We took that one and she gave us our keys.

Now, everyone complains that you have to walk forever to get to the elevators at the MGM. I have to disagree. It is not a very far walk at all from the front desk to the Grand Tower elevators. There are signs everywhere and it is not that had to find your way around. Our room however was at the very end of the hallway. At first it seemed like forever to get to the room, but we got used to it and didn't mind the walk. The suite has a sitting area with a sofa and chair, work table and coffee table. A rectangular entertainment center separates the area with the bed and the sitting area. There is a wet bar with a sink and underneath that is a mini refrigerator. That really comes in handy to keep bottled drinks and leftovers cold for a midnight snack. The Jacuzzi is in the bathroom – it would’ve been cool if it were in the room itself, but I guess beggars can’t be choosers! Our view sucked, we could see the roof and it was not looking towards the strip. One of the lights in the bathroom kept flickering on and off, and the glass sliding door on the closet was broken and off the track. Some travelers might complain about these things, but it didn’ bother me. Someone asked if there were irons and ironing boards in the room – there were both in the closet when we arrived.

After scoping out the suite, we decided to go see a movie first. We have small kids at home so seeing a movie in a movie theatre is a rare occurance. We saw “Walking Tall†with the Rock. It was ok…my husband liked it . After the movie, it was time to gamble a little. We played some slots at both MGM and NYNY. Didn’t win much. I think the most I won was about $60 on nickels, but I think I had probably put in more than that. We got stopped as we were coming into NYNY by a man saying we could get $85 tickets to see Zumanity for only $20 each. We agreed to take the timeshare tour the next day so that we could get our tickets. We wanted to see that anyway.
We went down and tried to see the Bellagio fountains but they were not working because it was very windy. We did go into the Bellagio and saw the conservatory – something that I have never seen. It was very nice. We were just tired and windblown so we decided to forget about a nice dinner and just go by the food court and get Subway. Almost $17 for 2 foot long subs!!!! A veggie and an Italian. I couldn’t believe that!

The rest of Thursday is a bit of a blur, as I had a few too many drinks (one Cosmo, two Cosmo, three Cosmo FLOOR!). I know that we sat in the sports book and watched the Mavericks/Spurs game (what a GREAT game, but a SAD loss for our Mavs!) and lost more money on slots. I think we played a few hands of BJ, and won a little bit. I remember visiting the Excalibur and the Tropicana. I remember the Tropicana was a complete dump. I am sorry, I didn’t like it all. Thank goodness for the fridge in our room, I was able eat the rest of my sandwich before bed! We finally went to bed around 4am and were about $300 down for the day.

We woke up on Friday bright and early at 730 am so that we could attend that timeshare presentation. So, with the first “bags of Vegas†developing under my eyes, the first thing we did was head for Starbucks at NYNY which was across from where we had to meet for the presentation. Out comes this lady who races us and about 7 other couples downstairs and out to the bus area. There we board a bus that takes us to where the timeshare thing is going on. We make a right on Tropicana and head down a few miles. This place is called Tahiti Village and they are supposed to be opening a new resort on the strip soon.

Every couple ends up getting assigned a specific sales person that will sit with them at this tiny table in the “big roomâ€. I was actually relieved when I saw ours because he didn’t look as stuffy and pushy was some of the others. He was about 5’3â€, with an earring, probably in his mid to late forties and has hair that comes down a little bit past the collar. Then he introduced himself and said that he was very new at this job. His name was Dusty Lamb and he said he was a long time screenwriter for the TV show “Drew Carey†but he decided to retire from that business and move out to LV with his fiancé who also sells time shares. He really was a nice guy, I didn’t feel pressured at all with him.

My husband didn’t want to open his mouth at all so I did all the talking for us. When the time came for a couple to volunteer, they mentioned free dinner and so I shot my hand right up. I could make a fool of myself for 10 minutes for a free dinner! My husband about freaked. He is not as extroverted as I am! This other couple and us had to answer stupid and obvious questions about “vacationing†from this cheesy guy who should be the host on the Price is Right or something. After that humiliation was over I waited for my free dinner coupon……he brings it to us about 10 minutes later…..a free buffet at, The Sahara !!!! NO!! I’d rather eat that cheesy guy’s boxer shorts that have the buffet at the Sahara. I was disappointed.

They finished the presentation part of it and then we were left with Dusty to talk about ownership. We went to see the units and I have to admit they are really nice. I’m not going to go into all of the details of the very long time we spent there, but let’s just say…..they’re good. I was almost convinced into buying one. We were there almost 3 ½ hours, but finally I woke up and remembered that I work for a hotel chain (Hyatt) and I can get free nights anytime, anywhere around the world ….. why would I need a timeshare that I can only use 2 weeks out of the year? I could tell that Dusty was very disappointed. Her really though he had a sale with us! I felt bad about that, but we were so hungry, we just wanted to collect our show tickets and get the hell out of there! We asked the driver to take us to the Fourum Shops so that we could have lunch.
We went to eat at the deli inside the shops. We love that place. I had a cup of clam chowder (excellent!) and a potato knish. My husband had the clam chowder and a ham and cheese sandwich. Our bill was right at about $20. One of our cheapest meals! After lunch we decided to go into the Mirage and see if they had any more tickets for either Danny Gans or Dana Carvery that weekend. We walked through and when we got to the ticket counter, there was a huge line!

We did a bit of playing (since our MGM players card works there too) before leaving the casino. My husband took $100 to play at Craps and I had my $100 to play, well….I wasn’t sure where. I walked by this 50 play double bonus video poker $1 slot. I put in my hundred and after a few deals, I turned it into $417! This is where it gets really sad, and you Vegas regulars reading this are going to think I’m a complete idiot!! I cashed out my coupon and was walking away from the machine, when I thought, “I just want to play just $20 more and see what I can do. I walk back to the machine and put my coupon back in. I meant to hit 20 hands but accidentally hit the “Max Bet†button. It took my credits down to under $20!!! I was SO upset, but at that point there was nothing I could do. I lost it all. It must’ve been God getting back at me for trying to be greedy. I almost cried, because $400 is about what we had lost so far.

I finally met up with my husband (afraid to tell him what happened). He doubled his money at the Craps table, but we were still down our $300. He asked me what happened to my $100. Hehe……I told him and BOY was he angry with me!!! We walked back not talking to each other to Caesars. He marches right over to a Craps table with $100 and says he is going to get our money back. This is where I not only redeem myself but the whole trip takes on a lucky turn!


I rolled for – and I am not exaggerating – 45 minutes to an hour. I realize at this point that I am a very lucky shooter. I was on our last trip too and this was no exception. A guy walked up to the table before I started rolling with $2500 in chips. He left when I was finally done and walked away with over $8K!! No, he didn’t tip me, but I got a nice “thanks!†LOL. One guy at the table did tip me $25. I thought that was really nice of him. I was making him a lot of money too. The pit boss was joking with me (yeah really….a pit boss joking….isn’t that something!?!) that my picture was circulating the casino and that I was going to be banned from shooting my entire trip LOL. He said that I actually impressed him and that he does not very easily impressed. We left the table with almost $400. My husband said he forgave me now for losing that other $400. Yeah, figures!

During our walk back to the MGM, it was almost 6pm and Big Elvis was finishing up his act. All I can say was WOW, what a voice! I am so glad I stopped in to listen for a few minutes. I tried to take his picture, but my camera is awful and they didn’t come out. Seeing him was about the ONLY thing on our Vegas to-do list that we actually did!

I must have a sign on my forehead that says “I want porn, give it to meâ€. I say this because I swear that those porn pushers were trying to give me more cards than my husband. Normally if you area a woman they will not even bother. NOPE! Not with me, I could’ve had a huge collection going if I had taken them.

We had reservations at Emeril’s for 6pm, but since we were stuck at that Craps table for quite a while, we realized that we were not going to get back in time for that. So, when we got back to the MGM, we went to the Player Club and asked for a free dinner. They said “no problem†and gave us 2 free Friday night buffets (a $50 value! LOL). Boy, there is nothing better than feeling important hehe….we were able to be seated before others because of our “VIP Line Pass†(ooohhhh, aaaawwwww….) There was just about everything on the Buffet. I especially liked the seafood salads and the vegetables. My husband loved the quesadillas. Steer clear of the crab legs though, they were all cut in half and put on ice so that the water from the ice seeps into the crab, making it one watery, nasty mess when you eat it. YUCK! The desserts were TO DIE FOR. I’m easy as far as dessert is concerned though, as long as it is edible!! LOL

After dinner we went upstairs and rested a bit to get ready for Zumanity at 1030pm. The lady who gave us our tickets told us that they start seating at 930 so to be there by 9 to avoid waiting in line. She also said that around 10pm, a comedian comes out first to do an opening act before the show. Well, at 9, the first show hadn’t even gotten out yet. We stood there and waited what seemed like forever. If you are in NYNY, check out the shop next to the Zumanity theatre. It is pretty cool….lots of R rated items….maybe even some X. It was really funny to see the different kinds of people coming out from the 7pm show. There were freaky looking people, but many people who looked way to “stuffy†to be caught dead seeing such a risqué show. I thought it was quite funny to do the people watching outside the theatre.

They finally let us in and the first place we went to was the bar inside the theatre. I ordered a “Zumanitiniâ€. A frozen cosmopolitan type drink. My husband had a beer. Almost $20 for the 2 drinks, yikes! Our seats were in the balcony but were very good seats. And after listening in on surrounding conversations, we realized that all of us “timeshare suckers†were up in the same area. LOL. The Zumanity theatre is amazing. I wish I had brought my camera…..beautiful colors, furniture, design, unbelievable!

Suddenly this good looking man in leather jeans, no shirt and a leather vest comes out and starts making sexual advances to women in the first few rows. He even goes so far as to lie down and starts humping one!! He really was funny, but I can imagine how embarrassed those ladies must’ve been! That must’ve been the comedian with the opening act LOL (guess that timeshare lady has not ever seen the show!). While all of this groping and humping is going on down below, a small man in costume (looked kind of like a bird) is sliding down the balcony stair-rails scaring the s*** out of people. One minute he’s there, one minute he’s not -- and he was pretty scary looking. Then the 2 fat twins come out – one below and one in the balcony…..dressed in French maid outfits with no skirts and only a thong on underneath the fishnets. They are serving strawberries to the audience while bending over and sticking their bare butts in your face. My husband had the pleasure of that – I just got a strawberry. LOL. Then the actual show starts…..it is hosted by a drag queen who is very funny. There is a live band that performs on a platform above the stage. They play all of the music throughout the show. There are many very suggestive acts in the show but truthfully we did not think it was as raunchy as everyone says it is. Not much nudity, and when you stop and look at the strength that these performers have, you really appreciate it.

I honestly fell asleep halfway through …that drink was really strong and there are plenty of moments where the music gets really slow and it is dark in the theatre. I’m pretty sure I slept through 2 acts, I’m such a loser. Don’t think that the show is boring, it’s not – I just was running on very little sleep and a lot of alcohol….not a good combination! The best act involved this blond lady in a skin tight white bodysuit….she was hanging from straps that were suspended from the ceiling. The act had this whole theme of sexual bondage….it was amazing what that lady could do with her body. I think it was the best in the show. The show ends with the entire cast and about 4 audience members bumping and grinding on a moving turnstile on stage. Very interesting. Overall we were not disappointed, it was a good and entertaining show.

After that we went to the Excalibur, Mandalay Bay and the Luxor. We played craps at the Luxor and the Excalibur. Again, my lucky shooting did the trick. We won at both casinos about $400 total and I left behind very happy craps players. I’m sure we could’ve stayed and won more but we were so tired, I just wanted to go back and go to bed. Again, we got to sleep around 4 – 430am!

Saturday was our last day and since our flight was leaving at 620 am on Sunday, we decided to sleep in Sat morning and then just stay up all night to catch our flight the next morning. We were staying up until wee hours of the morning anyway, and I was worried that if we lied down we would probably be so out of it that we would not hear the alarm clock and miss our flight.

We woke up at around 11am, got dressed and went to Rainforest Café for lunch. I love the Rainforest here in Grapevine, TX -- we take our kids there all the time. At MGM, the prices are about the same but I was not crazy about the service and they cooked my burger too much. Here at home they make it just right. It was ok. My husband wanted to see the Bellagio fountains before leaving so we walked down there again and we were able to see one showing. We then walked down to TI, too early for the “Sirens†show but just in time to get some buy one get one free coupons for Kahunaville. I made a b-line for there and ordered my Pain Killer, followed by a strawberry margarita with a double shot. They do have the best margaritas there. I was one happy camper. Then we wanted to see how the craps tables were (of course)…there were only about 3 players at this one that we started playing at, then they left and it was only us. Then I was shooting and people were watching, soon the table filled up. We were doing very good. This one guy was playing and it was around 5pm. He was shooting and on a serious winning streak. He mentioned that he was supposed to be getting married at 6pm!! He was dead serious…..I’m sure the little lady would be ok with the delay, especially after she saw how much he won!

We walked out of TI with some good winnings. Oh, I forgot to mention that we stopped back by the ticket counter at the Mirage just to find out that both Danny Gans and Dana Carvey were sold out for that night. We really wanted to see a show but we weren’t sure what to see. We walked around and went by the Aladdin to get a free baseball cap and mug, then on to the IP for our free picture with Elvis. Once back at the MGM, we bought some souvenirs and decided to get tickets for the 1030pm show of La Femme.

We had really been wanting to eat at Emeril’s so we called and found out that they still had room in the “café†area of their restaurant. We went there and we each had a glass of wine, one appetizer of BBQ shrimp (only 6 shrimp come on the plate, but they are GOOD!) and 2 steaks (awesome). Our bill was around $98 before the tip. My husband said it was the best steak he’s ever had. I think it was really good, however the outside of it was REALLY cooked…..it had that really salty burnt flavor. For most of the steak I cut off the top and bottom in order to eat it! There was a lady walking around taking pictures….we got one. The 5x7 we got cost $20. It came in a nice frame that says MGM Grand.

After stuffing our faces, it was time to go look at souvenirs before seeing La Femme. We did a bit of shopping and got some Starbucks. I was beginning to be a little sleepy with my full stomach. At the Zumanity theatre, they didn’t care if you brought in drinks…..so I didn’t think twice about carrying my Starbucks into the La Femme theatre. NOPE! I ended up gulping down half of it and throwing the other half of my $4.85 coffee away

The La Femme theatre is very different. It is small and cozy, and the stage looks tiny. Don’t let the seating map confuse you, there is not a bad seat in the house. Ok, the show starts and about 8 women come out dressed as soldiers (like in the changing of the guard) with nothing on except for a fluffy “puff†like thing covering their …..ahem….well….their “downstairs†area. Now, I was not expecting this to be a fully nude show…..but by taking a second glance at what I kept seeing underneath those fluffy puff things every time it bounced up and down….I thought, oooookkkkkaaaaayyyy . It was so funny. These women were awesome, the lighting was amazing, truly like nothing else you have ever seen. It is like watching a movie, but they are really there. It was a very high class show. About 1/3 of the way through the show I ordered the La Femme Punch. I had no idea what it was, but it came in a collector’s glass for $13.50. I took about 3 sips of that drink and I thought I was going to fall over. That had to have been the strongest drink ever. I should’ve had a daiquiri. LOL

After the show was over, we still had about 5 ½ hours to burn before we had to be at the airport. First things first, Starbucks!!! We were able to get about $30 back on our MGM slot card. I was really happy that we used it this year. My advice to anyone – get a SLOT CARD!!

Then I sat down at another 50 play video poker machine with a $20 and lost that quickly. Then I wanted to go play a different machine, so I got up and I noticed that my husband was putting in another $20 into the 50 play machine right next to him. While I am on my quest for the winning slot machine, my husband is playing that machine. Suddenly he comes up to me with a cash out coupon for $418. He knew when to walk away – we played slots no more, took the $418 and ran!

Ran straight to the Craps tables!! We stayed up playing craps until about 430am. Won another $200 or so, this particular table was up and down. Now I know that you Vegas regulars hate the “field bet†in craps, but I was standing next to this lady who would always put $10 in the field no matter what else she was playing on the table. She racked up SOOOO much money doing that it was not even funny. And, she wasn’t even placing other bets…most of the time all she did was place a field line bet. It was interesting!

Finally, we checked out and waited for the airport shuttle. I was amazed at the number of really strange looking people are waiting for a taxi at 5am on a Sunday morning. I was really tired and cranky so I was just waiting for one of them to bump into me or say something stupid. I saw some guy get escorted out in a wheelchair….he was toasted.

Our flight left at 620, we were delayed a bit on the ground but he made up for lost time and we arrived home at around 1130 Texas time. I missed it already and now I am trying to plan my next trip!

Afterthoughts:

- -Try the $20 trick, it really works!!
- -Utilize airport check in
- -Timeshare presentations aren’t all that bad, just keep saying “NO!â€, pick up your freebies and GO!
- -If you are a lady going to Vegas soon, please……MAKE SURE YOU WEAR CLOTHES THAT COVER YOUR BODY!!! I couldn’t believe the kinds of clothes on ladies at both the MGM and the NYNY. Tons of makeup and skin….must be in these days (even if it does make you look skanky – get some class ladies!).
- -If you win over $370 on any slot at any time – WALK AWAY! Greed is a sad, sad thing.
- -It is a long walk from the MGM to TI
- -Get to the airport early, the security lines are horrendous!
- -Leave your ATM card in the room - my husband had to confiscate mine because I kept going back to the ATM! LOL
- -Craps is my game and I am one hell of a lucky shooter...the players love me, the casinos hate me
- -Do not go to Vegas with the disillusion that you will come home a millionaire!!

We won enough money in craps to come home with just about the same amount that we left with. That means our trip was on Vegas this year, and I don’t know of any better feeling in the world!

I had everyone so excited about Vegas at work when I got back, that one of the guys has booked a trip for the end of May. He got a hell of a deal. Now, I’m trying to teach him craps in preparation for his trip. LOL

Well, one week and almost 5 pages later I am missing Vegas more than ever. My next trip will be with my mom….I’ve gotta go get busy planning it. If you have read this far – WOW….!!!!

Pictures can be viewed at http://www.jenn-and-david.com/vegas.html


Jenn

 

I think if we fly Jenn out to a T2V meet and have her roll the bones, it would pay off! Sounds like you had a nice trip, thanks for the report. Gonna stay away from those timeshare folks, though, it'd be hard not to kill one.

 

Great trip report.

There's nothing like playing craps. 45 minutes??? Wow, that's some streak you were on.

Too bad about your slot misadventures, but it looks like you made up for it with your time at the craps tables.

 

I would roll the dice for you guys anytime!!

Milehiman-
Yes, 45 minutes....the dealer at Caesars said (jokingly) that they were going to have to ban me from the craps tables!

[ May 11, 2004, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: weluvvegas ]

 

Great report. We are T-16 days. Can't wait. I enjoyed your pictures. I am curious why you would waste Vegas time on a movie. It has been a few years since my kids were little, but you traded gambling time for The Rock. I don't think that was a good trade. On timeshares, I own a couple of weeks at resorts in Colorado. I paid over $9000 for the first one through the developer and $1500 for the second one through the owners association. Before anyone pays full retail on a timeshare, check out the secondary market. I hope to find a hot shooter in 16 days. Thanks for posting your report!

 

great report! ever use those sahara buffet passes?? If not, i'll take them off your hands

 

Jenn, I feel your pain. My first meal ever in Vegas was the Sahara buffet. Of course, it was only up from there!!!
Where in Dallas are you? We live in Plano now. Lived in Lake Highlands before that.

 

Big Bob-

The movie was my husband's idea. We have 2 small kids and we don't get to go to the movies very often at home. We also figured it would keep us away from the tables for a while....trying to extend the bankroll. LOL But I agree, it was not a very good trade.....that's what I get for letting my husband make a decision! hehe

tvon-

I think I still have them somewhere, let me look and I will let you know. I don't mind sending them to you, e-mail me at [email protected]

cterral-

I live in Grapevine, not too far from you!

 

Good report and thanks for the pictures too! I do have to admit that I've never heard of anyone going to a movie and eating dinner at Subway on their first day in Vegas. But I know how it is. You plan your trip for months, and then when you actually get there, all of your plans change. Thanks for the great description of Zumanity. I hope to check it out next time.