Monte Carlo Dec 30th 2012 - Jan 3rd 2013

Flight
We flew on a direct flight out of Orlando on SWA’s new 737-800. It’s not my first time on this aircraft but I have to say it is a major improvement for SWA. Our flight home was delayed about 20 minutes due to a last minute gate change so everyone had to make a mad dash from C3 to C14.

Room
We took a cab to the Monte Carlo and had no problems checking in. We were given a room on the 28th floor all the way down the end of the hallway. It was a tad bit of a hike but not too bad. The MC is designed similar to Paris so the main thing is to be sure to get on the correct elevator. The room could use a good remodeling. It has taken some abuse with holes in the lamp shades and the bathroom tile needs work but the room was decent enough.

Bad Start
Somehow I managed to snag my shorts on something on the airplane and I ripped a hole large enough to see my boxers. It was pretty bad and once we got to our room I started snapping pictures so I stepped into the tub get a wide shot of the bathroom and when I stepped out I slipped and fell and practically slid all the way out into the hallway outside the bathroom door haha. It scared the hell out of my gal-pal! Luckily the only thing hurt was my ego but it ripped that hole in my shorts so bad that I had no choice but to throw them away. So how does the old saying go? I lost my shorts in Vegas? Well it’s true!

Eli Roth’s Goretorium
I’m a huge fan of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando so call me a goofball but I had to check this place out. They did a pretty good job on the place but I feel they could have taken the theme a little farther. Without giving anything away the theme is an old abandoned Hotel Casino that is now haunted to put it mildly. It was pretty gory. It’s one of those things you’d maybe do once to say you’ve done it.

Food
The MC’s Big Belly Buffet is small compared to other buffets and it’s a bit expensive for the size but the food was good. We also ate at The Café a few times and it was ok for what they have to offer. The food court as you can imagine was a madhouse offering lower budget food for the masses. We ate there once. We also ate at a number of different places up and down the strip but I’m not a fine dining guy so it was mostly sandwiches like; Grilled Cheese, Chicken or Turkey for me.

Monte Carlo Spa
I used the Spa one day and it was fine. But if it’s been newly remodeled then the designer was stuck in a time warp. I’d say it was maybe on par with Luxor or Paris although I haven’t been to either in several years. But it was ok for the price. I know the gym is included in the resort fee but some places will charge you another $15 - $40 for the spa access. This was $10.00 and decent enough to soothe away some tired muscles in the hot tub and steam room and just relax. Yeah it wasn’t high class but I didn’t expect it to be.

Casinos
We hit the usual places such as; NYNY, MC, Aria, Cosmo, Bellagio, Caesars, MGM, P-HO, Paris, Bally’s, Venetian, Palazzo, Wynn, Encore and a few off the beaten path such as Golden Nugget, The D & Red Rock. I’ve come to the conclusion that out of all those locations – I cannot stand Cosmo's and P-HO's casinos for some reason. I liked NYNY better this time around but I still can’t win there. I'm not a downtown kind of guy but I was surprised at the Golden Nugget. Some areas of the casino were still old looking but they've done a nice job with the renovations. I managed to pull $500 out of a $1 WOF at Caesars and funny thing is we wouldn’t have even gone to Caesars if it wasn’t for the fact that my friend’s iPhone was messed up so we took it to the Apple Store in the Forum Shoppes. They were able to fix it for her and I have to say that they were the nicest bunch of Apple Store employees I’ve ever met. And I’ve been to several all over the USA and the UK.

NYE
As you can imagine it was crazy out in the streets and the people were all liquored up and feeling no pain. It’s always funny to watch drunks as long as they are just having fun and not causing any trouble. The fireworks were awesome. We were standing just outside of MC and we could see the fireworks all the way down the strip. It was a bit tough getting back in the casino with all the people standing around and stumbling over all the discarded Beer Bongs but we made it and the whole casino was one big happy party! I'd never seen it that packed before!

Day Trip
On Jan 1st we rented a car and drove up and down the Strip so I could do some videotaping. Then we drove out to Red Rock and actually went bowling. I haven’t bowled in about 20 years and my highest score was maybe a 68. But who cares it was fun and there was an old couple that seemed to get a kick out of all my gutter balls. I mean the little kids in the lane next to us did better than me haha. But it was fun. After that we drove downtown and went to the Golden Nugget and The D. But I mainly wanted to videotape the lights at the Fremont Street Experience and then afterwards we drove back up the Strip so I could get some night shots.

Conclusion
Vegas is going through another "Ugly Phase" as I call it with construction projects along the Strip. It doesn't make for good picture taking. As far as The Monte Carlo goes I like the location but I doubt I would stay there again only because it was on my bucket list of resorts to stay at and now that I can say; Been There - Done That it’s time to move on down the road. I’ve always liked the casino and the food was decent but I did feel like I was slumming it a tad bit as far as the room goes. So with that said I’ve fulfilled my curiosity and I'm glad I can now scratch the Monte Carlo off my to-do list.

 

Thanks for reporting! I was wondering when the NYE reports would start showing up!

 

I enjoyed your report. Sorry about your shorts but good that you didn't hurt yourself falling. I totally agree with you about sort of slumming it in the rooms at Monte Carlo, but I sure do love the location & find myself back there more often than I expect. Nice job on your WOF hit. Sounds like you guys had a well rounded trip and lots of fun. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

 

Thanks for your report. As far as the "Ugly Phase" of Vegas I honestly can't say I remember a time over the last 8-10 years when Vegas wasn't in an Ugly Phase as far as construction projects all over the strip - and often times over the last few years those were stalled projects which were even uglier to look at. I do remember when this wasn't an issue, that was prior to all the condo construction, city center, ultra-lounges, pool clubs, etc.

 

thanks for the report sounded like you had a fun but goofy trip.

 

I see you will be staying at Red Rock soon. I think it's a nice looking well designed Resort. For those living in that area I think it must be a great place for the entire family to visit with Dining, Bowling, a Movie Theater, Arcade etc.
The one thing I failed to mention in my Trip Report is that I feel the typical $1 Slot Machine is becoming harder to find. Sure they are out there but even at Red Rock I noticed more of the penny and nickel machines of what I call
novelty games. Personally I like $1 Slots that offer a Progressive such as WOF or Double Jackpot.
One game at Red Rock that I found to be fun to play that resulted in a decent win was called Monsters. I pulled about $350 out of that game playing Max Bet. If you like hunting down and capturing famous Monsters like Frankenstein,
The Mummy, The Invisible Man, The Creature from The Black Lagoon and The Wolf-Man etc (all with a price on their heads) then it is a fun game to play with some fun bonus rounds.

 

Great trip report! I can't remember where on the plane I ripped my shorts, but I did the same thing on a SWA's plane. I do remember having to step back to pull my shorts off of a piece of metal sticking out, but at the time did not notice they were ripped. So weird, I'm going to be looking around when I board next time...

 

Great report! Can't wait until I can give mine in a few weeks!

 

Nice report, thanks for taking time to post. Is there a way you can post pix or video of the fireworks, that would be cool.

Also, thanks for the input on the Monte Carlo, I might have 2 free nights there and nice to know some details about the rooms.

 

Thanks for the report.

Here is a look at the 2013 Vegas fireworks.


http://youtu.be/s2P0XZxS0jM

 

I am really looking forward to staying at RR after spending a few hours there in the fall. I have gotten hooked on DDB and I like to mix it up with most any kind of slots, so I know their casino floor will keep me happy for a couple of days before I move to the Strip. I agree that the $1 slot seems to be disappearing, along with 3-5 line quarter machines. I will be looking for the Monsters

 

I really enjoyed reading your trip report, thank you!
On my next trip I will also stay at the Monte Carlo and now I'm even more looking forward to it!

 

Thank you so much, I really enjoyed that!