My little but honest trip report...

In a nutshell...6/8 to 6/18 (we are 40"s plus couple, no kids)

Stayed at GN for 5 days. The pool was very crowded, could hardly even swim or move around and very few seats available by 10 ish. i had a gold room overlooking pool. The hideout looked dead and boring, practically no one there...daybeds were all available. the Gold room was extremely hot, we asked twice to fix AC..still hot. The bathroom was kinda cramped and was a pita to get in and out of tub. The shower also made a loud booming noise everytime we turned it on. The service was quite good though, (especially the maids) everyone was on top of things and quite helpful. The older men bartenders need to smile though..cmon guys, stop being so grumpy!
Ate at the grotto..decent food. But triple georges (Restaurant.com) and magnolias (four queens) blew it away. we got a 2 for 1 for magnolias by pulling the free slot and signing up. Get the Ribeye! freakin delicious and at only 11.95 using the 2 for 1 you are in baby!! now we're talking! freemont experience was cool, gotta love the Doors show, it was a 70's theme all week..freakin awesome.
I played VP at freemont, 4 queens, main st, and cortez ok in all these places..stayed consistent. Hubby played BJ at cortez and won 1500, but went back next week and lost 1,000. oh well....
Ate at hash-a-go go...OMG the size of plate was huge, food was pretty tasty..and cant beat the restaurant.com cert!
I actually liked staying downtown. You cannot go wrong with the prices. But if it's pool action you want, i really think there was just two many people at the GN...but ok stay overall.
Moved to Tropicana, the new paradise rooms. Ahhhh...the room was nice, clean, and the window opened a crack, which was great cuz it aired it out...but the awesome thing was the pool!! I was in heaven! no crowds, can swim throughout without no hassle!!!!! it was beautiful. I was going to rent a cabana, but unfortunately did not care for them. It was basically a hut with some shade...for $100 they need to upgrade those a bit better. There were plenty of seats by the pool anyways though...service was good, except for tickets, I wanted to change my dates, and it seemed no one knew what to do..bit of a hassle. so customer service has to have a bit better communication. Also, there is really no place to eat except the deli, the coffe shop closes early and you are pretty much stuck with the deli. bring some food or expect to eat there if you get hungry after 10..I lost at VP..only Full pay was in a carousel $1 machines to the left of the table area. They were extremly tight...so what did I do? I took everyone's advice and went to the Palms!! and yes, I did win..everyday..I'm a small gambler...so playing some VP for a few hours and leaving with my meager $50 win everyday was great!! That is my new spot. They also have many Double Up VP there too, i know, I know, what a rip, but it was fun to double my money once in a while...and a couple times it worked. Noticed I said a "coupl" times ha ha. The waitresses were friendly and efficient. And boy they made an awesome virgin Pina colada!!! Gotta luv the palms. I went to Rio just to check things out, and Lord Jesus that buffet line was soooo long. We actually video taped it.we thought it was funny..Thank God I did not get the 24 hour pass...that was ridic....
Saw 4 shows. Ka was freakin awesome...had row J seat 7-8 103 (I think) man these were the seats!!! excellent view..I was sooo happy. Plus I got them for $50 from travelzoo promo. I am very big on seating, and dont let anybody tell you different. the view was perfect (1st row would have sucked though) Then we saw Carrot Top ...oh man, I was LMAO the WHOLE time..totally worth it..this guy was hysterical...go!! trust me funny as hell.
Seen CHER..at Ceaser's .our seats were mezzanine row D section 101 (to the side) but I gambled when I bought at ticketmaster and went for seats 116-117 Score! they were in fact Isle seats and NOT near the wall. But sorry to say Cher, the concert was not that great. The live monitor was a joke, couldnt see anything, and in between her sets, we were succumbed to the "life and times of Cher" videos, ect. Pretty self -indulgent if you ask me. If I wanted to see a show about the life and times of Cher, I would have bought her autobiography. but she did sing well, and I still love her. Last was Paul Rodriguez, at the trop. The seats we were given right up front, literally hurt my and hubby's ass all night. very uncomfortable. They were like buffet seats...and sorry to say...he was not that funny. Sorry Paul, but I think you got a mere chuckle out of me to say the least. Will I ever see a show at the tiffany theater again? not unless I bring my Bingo chair pad with me. Ouch. And I was in the sun all day too..double ouch. Yes, it's a "dry" heat. I ate at Rainforest Cafe..it sucked, the food was over fried and not tasty. I ate at Taco's and Tequila at the Luxor (restaurant.com) this place was very good.
other than that, i only lost $300 my whole trip gambling..see I dont gamble, do I? I had a great time! for you wifi people you can use free wifi at the krispy creme on freemont (near 4 queens i think) by the way. It's outside cafe seating. Worth it. We also rented a car, and getting around was a breeze. we used Frank Sinatra, and Industrial Blvd to get around quickly. worked like a charm. I also went to the "world's largest souvenir shop" on strip downtown. (had too, comon it was the largest...) This place was a joke. $5 a Tshirt, when you can get the same thing 5 for $10 elsewhwere. ...I found better deals downtown or even on the strip outside PH. Save your money. Ok that's it. I miss you already

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Nice Tr, Thanks

 

All pools are PACKED

Summertime is pool time.

You can BRIBE a poolboy to "find" some chairs.

KA is a great show. Glad you liked it.

 

nice read .. thanks!

 

Nice TR!

 

Very helpful. Thanks.

 

Enjoyed your report - thanks for posting!

 

I don't care how "small" or "big" of a gambler you are, a $50 win every day is a good result in about anyone's book!

Good stuff. Thanks!

 

I echo your sentiments re: Rainforest Cafe. Doesn't sound like it's changed much since I last ate there (1999).