KenoMom
07-23-2006, 11:35 PM
With a 13 day trip, this is a long read and hopefully some information for those of you who are looking forward to your own Vegas trip.
This trip was originally set to begin on July 12th but my 17 year old was attending a summer program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, so adding a few more days instead of returning to Virginia sounded like a great idea.
We set out for Boston on July 7th on Jet Blue...our first experience with this airline. Absolutely wonderful. Arrived in Boston and checked into the Back Bay Hilton. Ran up to Berklee to grab a hat for my son and then headed ultimately, to the Dave Matthews concert at Fenway Park with Sheryl Crow as an added bonus. (Son is now excited to discover that the show we attended is now slated to become the next Live cd). Rather ironic to go to Boston to see a Virginian who I used to watch for free in the "old" days when he first started out; even stranger that my son is a bigger fan.
I mention this side trip because I started my Vegas trip in very sore condition. If you were there at the concert and you saw the lady flying onto the concrete, that was me. A woman tripped me and down I went. I slammed face forwards onto the stadium seat and then flipped over and landed on my butt and hip on the concrete stairs. I am so glad that I was able to refuse medical treatment and even happier that this was not the section that I was seated in. I don't know who was more embarrassed....me with everyone staring at me or my 17 year old who is standing at the top of the section and desperately wanting to pretend that this is not his mother! 14 days later, the bruises are still healing!
The next day I get my son settled at school and then head to Boston's Logan airport for a nonstop flight to Vegas....now we're talking! 13 days of fun with my cousin from Hawaii, a son occupied and a hubby back home working for my gambling money - what can be better? <G>.
Checked in only 6 hours before the flight...how's that for timeliness? Had to stand around for 2 hours because baggage cannot be checked until 4 hours prior to flying. Flight was uneventful which is always a plus for this fearful flier. Due to television issues with DirectTV - the nerve of them only getting sports channels - JetBlue gave everyone free movie access. Watched The Sentinal. Arrived 30 minutes early which now gave me a 1 hour start on my cousin's flight from Honolulu. Took the Thrifty Shuttle to their parking lot (I preregistered online so that I didn't have to stand in the lines) and as I predicted, the cheaper cars were gone and I got to pick from a variety of cars that ranged from SUV's to minivans and finally to a Suzuki wagon with all of 8 miles on it. I chose that one since we had heavy suitcases and the higher sitting up of other vehicles were proving a pain to negotiate the suitcase. Drove to Terminal #2 where my cousin arrived around 11:30 pm. The nice part about being there this late was that at Terminal #2, you were able to pull the car to the side and wait without being asked to move.
On to The Orleans for the next 4 nights - (Saturday to Wednesday)
Check-in was quick and we received a certificate for 2 free buffets as well as 2 coupon books. Got a nice room on the 2nd floor with inside courtyard. This is always nice because it's quiet and the lack of much sun in that area allows for a darker room. Naturally we can't just go to bed, so we played video keno until about 3 am. No luck tonight but we have many nights ahead. As usual, the rooms are nice and big with a couch, chair and two beds. The bed is perfect for my backside which has now become one massive bruise. Internet is $10.99 per computer for 24 hours. Surprised my cousin with a small coffee pot and coffee fixings for her coffee crave....more surprised to discover that The Orleans now offers one in the room with one free cup of coffee free. Additional cups are $1.75 for coffee; $1.50 for tea.
Sunday, July 9th:
Reception on the cell phone is somewhat limiting in our inner courtyard room, we've found already. By 11 am, we find ourselves headed to Terribles for some serious video keno. Stop by the players card area to get our new updated Terribles card and then decide to eat at the café upstairs before we forget about food. Using comp dollars that were on my cousin’s card, we order the Steak dinner that features steak, baked potato, steamed veggies, salad and a glass of wine. Also ordered the wonderful bread pudding to share. Total cost for this meal - $5 for 2 people. I love this place! Headed down to get serious with video keno and literally 20 minutes later, I hit 8 out of 9 numbers for $1195. Naturally Terribles still hand pays and I have to tip two people (why do you spend time looking for one person but when you hit a jp, they're all around you???). Gave my cousin the usual $20 good luck tip (we do this when we win more then $1000) and played a little more.
Decided that since I'm already a big winner, I'm going to do the one thing that I wanted to do if cost wasn't a factor -- Elton John Tickets. Headed to Caesars Palace where the valet spaces were full and ended up parking at the forum shops parking lot (this parking is just the beginning of a trend we begin to notice) and got tickets for Wednesday night. Played a little at Caesars. Really wanted to win the radio cooler that they were offering but realized that in order to win required 200 points at their place only (not the Harrah properties combined) and came to the realization that $1000 in 3 days was not going to happen at one casino. Headed back to the Orleans where we grabbed a sub (using our coupon) from Subway and headed to a slant top keno machine to eat and play at the same time. Enjoyed the 80's music from the live entertainment.
Monday, July 10th:
Got on the road at 11 am and headed for Red Rock Casino. What a beautiful casino, much nicer then even Green Valley. Pleased to see the food court concept, again featuring one of my favorite Vegas offerings - Fatburger. Grabbed food and headed for the slant top keno machines. This hotel is so spacious and airy; yet intimate at the same time. Other food court offerings included Ben and Jerry's, Starbucks, Villa Pizza and Panda Express. A Tropical Smoothie will open shortly. There must have been a dance competition happening because we saw many, many young girls in dance outfits. Also had a video arcade and movie theatre as well as the kids center. Nice size poker room (filled) as well as sports betting area. This hotel wins the award for best slot seats! There were levers on the bottom of the chair to raise or lower it to your height (don't you just hate it when your legs hang from the chair?). On many of the upright machines, you would also find slant rests for your feet. Like the Bellagio, all of the machines are built with matching cabinetry (black in this case). Managed to play for 4 hours and only lose $40. Headed back to the Orleans where we grabbed our buffet dinner which happened to be seafood night. I'm not a seafood person but there was plenty of other items to be offered.
Tuesday, July 11th:
Drove down to MGM to watch the lions as they offer photos (fee) with the cubs on Tuesday mornings. Arrived too late to view the cubs but were able to still enjoy the bigger lion play ball with the animal handlers. Played a little video keno but the machines weren't plentiful and the payouts were a little different. Headed next to the Palms where we discovered many of our favorite keno machines had been removed (including the one that had given me a jp last year). Ended up staying for only 1 hour and then went back to the Orleans where we ate at the cafe. Back to Terribles that evening for more gaming (no jp this time) and their late night special of steak and eggs. Returned to the Orleans, sat down to gamble and my cousin hits her own jp of $1195. We're now even!
Wednesday, July 12th:
Moving day. This time we're headed to the downtown and a 4 night stay at Vegas Club. It's been about 7 years since we've stayed at this hotel - usually staying at Main Street. For some strange reason we haven't been receiving offers at Main Street lately, so we are taking advantage of the Vegas Club's offer....Wednesday is $39, Thursday and Friday are free, Saturday is $39. Very nice room in the North Tower that features a view of the rooftop pool at the Plaza down the street (it was always busy with people, probably because of the intense heat out there). Spacious room is similar to the size of the Orleans. We head downstairs to run over to the California and a visit to the coffee shop. My cousin gets her usual crab melt and I get the chili rice. Great "comfort food". Walk over the crosswalk to Main Street and play a little before returning to Vegas Club to get ready for our Elton John show. For a review of this show, check out the shows section where I've posted my thoughts to this. Again the valet is full so we proceed to the forum parking area again. Begin to notice "Diamond/Platinum Valet" signs as well as notices that if you are in this level, they'll still accommodate you in spite of the full valet area. Played a bit at Caesars and then headed over to Paris for our anticipated steak dinner with crepes at the coffee shop. Suddenly we realize that this is not going to be a good trip - it's now a Harrah's property and the night owl specials are no longer available. In fact, the crepes are not even listed over in the coffee shop. The steak, however is still there....for $22.95 versus the usual 10.95 for late night dining. I’m sorry….no way will I pay $22.95 for a steak in a coffee shop! We speak to the hostess who confirms that Harrah's has chosen to eliminate the late night deals (including the prime rib/crab leg offering). Sadly we leave, wondering if our upcoming 5 night stay at Bally’s should be changed (decided to just leave it as is). I get the bright idea to go to Ellis Island, where I’ve heard that they offer a great Steak dinner. Honest to goodness, it’s the first time that I wondered why I decided to try a particular casino! It started with turning into the parking lot which is shared by a Motel 6. Lying on the street near a parked car is a guy on his back. I actually ignored this and got out of the car – intent on going inside the casino. I think we walked about 50 feet inside the place and then decided that this was not going to happen. My cousin still laughs about this part of our trip and we returned instead to Terribles for another late night dinner of steak. They now hand my cousin her own pot of coffee as we are seated at our "usual" table. Play some more at Terribles and then return to Vegas Club for about an hour of playing.
Thursday, July 13th:
After a very sleepless night, I call housekeeping to report that my bed needs to be fixed. The fall in Boston is definitely bothering me, but the broken springs in the mattress aren’t making things better either. They are wonderful about not only replacing my own mattress, but the one on my cousin’s bed. Bless them! Head to Main Street for a light lunch at Triple 7. At this point, we have crazy schedules and weird eating habits. My cousin eats a hot fudge sundae and I get the flat pizza bread with marinara sauce and a salad. We love this place and are sorry that we don't have a hearty appetite yet to enjoy more. Video keno is pretty good this afternoon with a $20 lasting about 2 hours on the slant top machines near the valet parking area. Head over to California and Vegas Club for more video keno. Late afternoon finds us at Sam's Town for more video keno (Note: I updated all of my video keno thoughts in another area on the boards - the gambling questions area). Took in the Buffet at Sam's Town. Unfortunately it was a quick visit as they close up to switch over for dinner and they make everyone leave to ensure that you don't get dinner for the lunch price. This meant that in our case, we had 30 minutes to eat but that was fine, we didn't need to eat much anyway. Played more keno and then headed back downtown for stops in Freemont and Fitzgeralds. Noted the 1/2 price tickets where my cousin remarked that since I bought Elton tickets with my winnings, she wanted to go to one of "those guy dancing shows" with her own winnings. I still have no idea what possessed me to agree and we decided to get tickets when we end up on the Strip on Sunday – in other words, I’m stalling in hopes that she’ll forget about this idea.
Friday, July 14th:
Spend a leisure day in the downtown casinos as it is way too hot in this town - as much as 110 degrees and the wind hits you with hot air that has 98% convinced me that hubby might be right about not retiring to Vegas. I’ve seen people on the NYNY roller coaster and I still can’t believe that they would ride it in this heat. Imagine 108 degrees of heat coming at you while moving at a high rate of speed! Ran a few errands in search of baby gifts for the newest member of our family - my cousin's granddaughter. Stopped at Fashion Mall to search for watches "Cars" for the two grandsons of hers and end up driving out to the Mall to a Disney store - the only place that seemed to carry the Cars series. Returned to downtown for another meal at California and to enjoy the great music sounds on Freemont Street. Caught one of the Sky shows and saw the saxaphone man now featured in the sky show. Cool! Great music from the saxaphone man, a group playing oldies (i.e., Beatles) and a group playing great hard rock - especially 80's rock. Rounded out the evening with more video keno at Vegas Club and hanging around outside to watch a Japanese rock group filming a video in front of the Plaza. The filming went until at least 4 am. I really love the downtown area in spite of the dinginess. They are really doing a nice job of slowly cleaning up much of this area.
Saturday, July 15th:
Played back at Orleans as well as downtown. I can't even remember where we ate on this day! Got ready to head to the Mirage for Love, The Beatles. A wonderful show that I discuss in detail under the Shows section of this forum. Played some video keno before and after the show but the bar stool type seats with no backs were a deterent from playing too long. Parked at the North Valet area near the nightclub which proved to be a wise choice as the wait for getting our car was very short.
Sunday, July 16th:
Check out for our move to Bally's - 5 nights - the final hotel on our trip this time. We stop first at Palace Station which we had never visited before. Happily discovered many video keno machines and add this casino to our “next visit” list. Head on to Ballys - Hmm....another Diamond/Platinum Valet area. Check into the hotel and we get upgraded to a Jr. suite to give us more room for our 5 night stay. 25th floor that overlooks Flamingo Road, the room offers 2 beds, small loveseat and chair. I’m thrilled to have internet access available again. First stop after checking in is to the Italian restaurant over at Paris. I’ve been looking forward to their pizza again. Again, we’re on a weird eating plan here with my ordering the pizza and my cousin getting the crepe that she had yearned for on Wednesday night when we tried the Café. Again, we’re starting to see the Harrah’s influence with much regret. While change is sometimes good, I would prefer more of a wait and see to access what the public would prefer. Gone are the wonderful rolls that this Le Provincial served. Even more startling was the depletion of the wide variety of baked goods at the bakery, the disappearance of the ice cream area and the little area in the bakery where candies and other things were sold. In fact, they took the entire area where you used to sit and watch people stroll by and converted it into a Diamond/Platinum VIP lounge. Now there are two of them – one at Bally’s (near the registration desk) and one in Paris. I have to say that while Diamond and Platinum holders may be happy, this is starting to bug me. Stroll through Paris and discover a slot tournament ($20 buy-in) and decide to come back during the week and get in it one day to try it out. Try to reidentify the location of video keno machines that have once again been moved around and play a bit. No major luck so we head back to Bally’s. After a nap, we decide to head to the Sidewalk Café at Bally’s for a small meal. At this point we’re starting to get testy with the Strip prices and with a club sandwich costing $9.95, we become mutinous and head for valet parking for a quick drive to Wendy’s. Sometimes it’s nice to go back to what you do at home. Spend the evening playing video keno near the live band bar. The guys are always great and they play until 3 am. It says a lot when 3 am comes along and the place is still packed with people all over the dance floor. The cell phone rings at 2 am which is always a bad sign. Turns out my son found his way to the beach with a group of kids from the summer program in Boston and proceeded to get badly sunburned (I had no idea they could even find a beach in Boston, much less find it on the subway!). Spend the next couple of hours dealing with his trip to the ER.
Monday, July 17th:
Start off the morning with a change in hotel rooms. At 3 am we deal with a busted AC unit and decide at 10 am that this is not going to get any better. Fortunately the room across the hall is available and we move. We even took a chair from the room with us when we discover that the room across the hall is missing theirs. I’m sure that if security was looking on their cameras, they were trying to figure out what these women wanted that chair for! We had lucked out with a refrigerator also and that came rolling along with us also. We’re now in the inner corner of the hotel that if you look sideways, will provide a view of the Eiffel Tower as well as the Bellagio water show. Cool! The only problem is that cell phone service is again problematic by the inner courtyard (note….try not to get inner courtyard locations anymore). After getting all situated in our new room, we start the Passport Stamp game with no instant wins at any of the places we visit. Started with Paris/Bally’s and then to Flamingo where we get our first gift for completing 3 stamps – a beach bag from Flamingo. Wisely ask what the other hotels are giving away so that we can plan where our next “win” will be. Headed to Imperial Palace – planned to go to the Board Gathering but we overshot our timing. Played keno at IP but left when we couldn’t get on the machines that offered decent payouts. Made additional stops at Harrah’s and then the Venetian where again, we played video keno next to a live music bar and then had lunch at the food court. Stopped in at the new Blue Man Group gift store where I was fortunate to discover a pair of used mallets available for purchase. My son will definitely be thrilled with this gift. Decided to try out the subway since our feet are tired, but after walking to the entrance at Imperial Palace, we balked at $5 per person for the short distance that we still had to go. Oh well, the walk is good for us anyway and since we haven’t won any more jp’s, we can save a little money too. End up driving back to Terribles for more video keno and another meal.
Tuesday, July 18th:
We’re getting bored. The video keno isn’t paying out as often as we are used to seeing. We’re growing tired of the cost of meals on the Strip and honestly the public distinction between the total reward levels is beginning to bug us big time. We’re tired of waiting for our vehicle when literally 5 diamond/platinum people get served beforehand and we’re just tired of the changes to things that we always enjoyed about Bally’s and Paris. I’m also starting to get worried because this morning is the moment I’m dreading….my cousin is still intent on buying tickets to one of the guy shows! So we head out first to the half price ticket location and Thunder from Down Under is not on the list. I’m happy but she decides that we should just drive to Excaliber and she’ll buy tickets there. There is simply no getting around this problem and I’m committed to going with her. We head to Excaliber and grab VIP table tickets for the Wednesday 10:30 pm show. I’m hoping that it’s been put off so long and so late that maybe she’ll get too tired. Play some video keno at Excaliber and add this to our return list. We then head out to Rio for a wonderful buffet at the Carnival World (see my review under restaurants), but a disappointing video keno session. Seems Harrah’s is not only bent on changing the dining experiences, but also the payouts. I balk at playing a machine that is now only offering 50% of the original payoffs (we went from $2500 for 9 out of 9 numbers to $1000 for the same win). Head over to Caesars to complete our 6 stamps and we get a visor. Play a little more video keno. Dinner tonight is back at Orleans at the coffee shop and a promise of trying to repeat the jp win that my cousin had. Doesn’t happen but we each get two different 7 out of 9 wins for about $80 each.
Wednesday, July 19th:
Decide to use one of our coupons and visit the Flamingo buffet. Very disappointed as I was in the mood for more lunch offerings as opposed to the breakfast foods on hand. Move over to the Aladdin which has removed many of their video keno machines during the makeover that’s in progress. I’m hoping that they bring them back when the changes are finished. Run out to Toys R Us to buy another baby item and head back to Bally’s to get ready for our evening with the boys from Down Under. Have I mentioned that I’m not enthusiastic about this?
Now close your eyes or scroll down is you don’t want to read about the rest of this evening. After a stop at In and Out Burger (we always see the packed cars there but are trying it for the first time ourselves. Verdict: We prefer Fatburger better), we head to Excaliber. We play about 2 hours of video keno before heading to the show. We have the end seats at Table 5. This table is right smack in the middle of the front part of this show. I am feeling way too old for this and totally out of place. Weirdly there are 4 guys who come to this show….3 are gay and the 4th guy is coming with his wife. So much for the emcee’s comments about the only things you won’t see here are boyfriends and husbands. In fact, I don’t think any of the guys even went near the woman with her husband the whole evening, despite the reviews that say they include everyone in the audience.
So where did they go throughout the evening? One very funny audience participation scene had 3 women on stage to act out a climatic scene. We knew the winner immediately when one large, black woman on stage started with “oh daddy”. I don’t know what was funnier, her imitation or the reaction of the emcee when she was doing her impression. Priceless!
But try as I might, I couldn’t hide. It was like the deer in the headlights when suddenly one of the dancers comes out into the audience and grabs my hand. He drags me up on stage and I am just dying of embarrassment. I won’t go into details but my cousin was in tears and if I had been the touchy, feely type, I had the only opportunity of anyone in the place to determine personally if there was another g-string under the first one. I can laugh about this now but I remember thinking that hitting a jp was better then the situation that I was sitting in (literally). It was definitely a weird sensation after 20 years of marriage and I have more then done my part in being accommodating to my cousin’s choice of entertainment on our trip.
Thursday, July 20th:
The last day…..last showdown…last hurrah. First stop is to sign up for the slot tournament at Paris. $20 buy in while neither of us won, we at least got a cute stuffed turtle for signing up. Now my cousin has one for each of her grandsons. Went upstairs at Bally’s and enjoyed the Big Kitchen Buffet and then grabbed our Ballys stamp and then headed to Caesars for yet another stamp. Ran into the Forum Shops for a stop at Bernini’s where the gauzy skirts were reduced 80% (got two for $12 each) and to Diesel for a shirt for my son (I should wish for a discount <G>). Back to Paris to get our 3rd gift – this time the t-shirt. Played at Bally’s and ran back to Rio for another visit to the buffet that we had enjoyed earlier in the week. Ended the evening with another stop at Terribles where we discovered for the first time, the T-Bone Steak special ($7.99). We’ve previously gotten the other steak special. No jp winnings again, but we’ve had a good time getting plenty of 6’s and 7’s so it’s all fine.
Friday, July 21st:
After paying $25 to get a confirmed seat for earlier flights, I head to the airport to head back to Richmond. East coast delays ground our flight for 45 minutes which allows me to get a phone call from my cousin who is still playing video keno at Bally’s before her own flight. Seems she had to better my own record and pulled out yet another 8 out of 9 jp for $1175 on the bank of video keno machines near the live music bar at Ballys. It’s the machine that she has played over and over on a hunch that week. Finally board the plane (headed to JFK first) and after taxing to the runway, we are pulled aside with news of airport closings. After conferring with traffic control, we head to JFK and with a relatively bump free flight, we end up doing the landing circle for 40 minutes around JFK airspace. Forced to land at a cargo airport in Connecticut for refueling needs, we spend 2 hours on the process; much to the chagrin of several passengers who would prefer to deplane here as it’s much closer to their home. Back up in the sky, we finally land at JFK around 1:30 am – 5 hours late. Dodging the gentleman across from me who literally starts a fist fight when trying to jump ahead of people to deplane, I luck out and discover that the flight to Richmond is still going to happen at 2:15 am! So 4 am finds me arriving finally at home, minus my luggage which arrives the next day.
Observation about Harrah takeover:
I must admit to being extremely disappointed at the changes that I have always enjoyed at Paris/Ballys. The eliminating of low cost dining for late nights, the decrease in pastry offerings and the change in keno payoff amounts were really bothersome. But over the course of 13 days, the blatant distinction of the total reward levels bothered me the most. I estimate that I spent approximately $4000 just in gambling money alone, but because of the tight machines and the drastic distinction in payoff amounts on the machines, there was absolutely nothing to encourage me to spend my money all in one organization’s casinos. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never been happy with treating people differently and the “class” differences that are being instituted by Harrah’s Total Rewards sadden me. If you were a platinum/diamond player, you are probably thrilled at the new offerings, but as a gold level player, it really does rub you the wrong way. At first I thought that it was something that I might want to aspire to for future trips but in the end I was just so fed up with waiting for others to be served that came long after me, that my thoughts turned more to a “where can I stay in the future”. When I’m told that 200 points takes $1000 worth of play and then I am told that 500 points is worth $2.50 in comps, it’s hard to imagine that my $4000 spent in only one place would have amounted to anything in the end. The funny thing is that I’ve never cared much about comps. I have never asked for a slot host or asked for free meals, I just take the hotel rates that are offered to me and plan my trips accordingly. But when it becomes a situation where my desire to move forward (i.e., in a line, getting a car, etc.) is affected by what “level” my players card is, then it just gets my back up and I just feel like throwing in the towel versus becoming a higher level player.
I realize that Vegas has this incredible need to reinvent itself to stay current, especially in light of so many areas in the US becoming their own gambling meccas. I also realize that the new trend is for the 20’ somethings who are cash poor except when it comes to shopping and drinks. So maybe the real problem is that I’m no longer the Vegas clientele. I’m truly not interested in Vegas as a “destination” but rather as my beloved gambling spot, where I can hide away from the wife, mother and volunteer roles in my everyday life by cozying up to a good video keno machine. It’s almost like I’ve been fooling myself to think that Vegas would always remain the same Vegas that I love. Probably what I ended up realizing the most from this trip was that I am happiest back where I first started in Vegas – downtown or on the off-strip areas where I can use the majority of my funds for gaming and not on all the incidentals.
This trip was originally set to begin on July 12th but my 17 year old was attending a summer program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, so adding a few more days instead of returning to Virginia sounded like a great idea.
We set out for Boston on July 7th on Jet Blue...our first experience with this airline. Absolutely wonderful. Arrived in Boston and checked into the Back Bay Hilton. Ran up to Berklee to grab a hat for my son and then headed ultimately, to the Dave Matthews concert at Fenway Park with Sheryl Crow as an added bonus. (Son is now excited to discover that the show we attended is now slated to become the next Live cd). Rather ironic to go to Boston to see a Virginian who I used to watch for free in the "old" days when he first started out; even stranger that my son is a bigger fan.
I mention this side trip because I started my Vegas trip in very sore condition. If you were there at the concert and you saw the lady flying onto the concrete, that was me. A woman tripped me and down I went. I slammed face forwards onto the stadium seat and then flipped over and landed on my butt and hip on the concrete stairs. I am so glad that I was able to refuse medical treatment and even happier that this was not the section that I was seated in. I don't know who was more embarrassed....me with everyone staring at me or my 17 year old who is standing at the top of the section and desperately wanting to pretend that this is not his mother! 14 days later, the bruises are still healing!
The next day I get my son settled at school and then head to Boston's Logan airport for a nonstop flight to Vegas....now we're talking! 13 days of fun with my cousin from Hawaii, a son occupied and a hubby back home working for my gambling money - what can be better? <G>.
Checked in only 6 hours before the flight...how's that for timeliness? Had to stand around for 2 hours because baggage cannot be checked until 4 hours prior to flying. Flight was uneventful which is always a plus for this fearful flier. Due to television issues with DirectTV - the nerve of them only getting sports channels - JetBlue gave everyone free movie access. Watched The Sentinal. Arrived 30 minutes early which now gave me a 1 hour start on my cousin's flight from Honolulu. Took the Thrifty Shuttle to their parking lot (I preregistered online so that I didn't have to stand in the lines) and as I predicted, the cheaper cars were gone and I got to pick from a variety of cars that ranged from SUV's to minivans and finally to a Suzuki wagon with all of 8 miles on it. I chose that one since we had heavy suitcases and the higher sitting up of other vehicles were proving a pain to negotiate the suitcase. Drove to Terminal #2 where my cousin arrived around 11:30 pm. The nice part about being there this late was that at Terminal #2, you were able to pull the car to the side and wait without being asked to move.
On to The Orleans for the next 4 nights - (Saturday to Wednesday)
Check-in was quick and we received a certificate for 2 free buffets as well as 2 coupon books. Got a nice room on the 2nd floor with inside courtyard. This is always nice because it's quiet and the lack of much sun in that area allows for a darker room. Naturally we can't just go to bed, so we played video keno until about 3 am. No luck tonight but we have many nights ahead. As usual, the rooms are nice and big with a couch, chair and two beds. The bed is perfect for my backside which has now become one massive bruise. Internet is $10.99 per computer for 24 hours. Surprised my cousin with a small coffee pot and coffee fixings for her coffee crave....more surprised to discover that The Orleans now offers one in the room with one free cup of coffee free. Additional cups are $1.75 for coffee; $1.50 for tea.
Sunday, July 9th:
Reception on the cell phone is somewhat limiting in our inner courtyard room, we've found already. By 11 am, we find ourselves headed to Terribles for some serious video keno. Stop by the players card area to get our new updated Terribles card and then decide to eat at the café upstairs before we forget about food. Using comp dollars that were on my cousin’s card, we order the Steak dinner that features steak, baked potato, steamed veggies, salad and a glass of wine. Also ordered the wonderful bread pudding to share. Total cost for this meal - $5 for 2 people. I love this place! Headed down to get serious with video keno and literally 20 minutes later, I hit 8 out of 9 numbers for $1195. Naturally Terribles still hand pays and I have to tip two people (why do you spend time looking for one person but when you hit a jp, they're all around you???). Gave my cousin the usual $20 good luck tip (we do this when we win more then $1000) and played a little more.
Decided that since I'm already a big winner, I'm going to do the one thing that I wanted to do if cost wasn't a factor -- Elton John Tickets. Headed to Caesars Palace where the valet spaces were full and ended up parking at the forum shops parking lot (this parking is just the beginning of a trend we begin to notice) and got tickets for Wednesday night. Played a little at Caesars. Really wanted to win the radio cooler that they were offering but realized that in order to win required 200 points at their place only (not the Harrah properties combined) and came to the realization that $1000 in 3 days was not going to happen at one casino. Headed back to the Orleans where we grabbed a sub (using our coupon) from Subway and headed to a slant top keno machine to eat and play at the same time. Enjoyed the 80's music from the live entertainment.
Monday, July 10th:
Got on the road at 11 am and headed for Red Rock Casino. What a beautiful casino, much nicer then even Green Valley. Pleased to see the food court concept, again featuring one of my favorite Vegas offerings - Fatburger. Grabbed food and headed for the slant top keno machines. This hotel is so spacious and airy; yet intimate at the same time. Other food court offerings included Ben and Jerry's, Starbucks, Villa Pizza and Panda Express. A Tropical Smoothie will open shortly. There must have been a dance competition happening because we saw many, many young girls in dance outfits. Also had a video arcade and movie theatre as well as the kids center. Nice size poker room (filled) as well as sports betting area. This hotel wins the award for best slot seats! There were levers on the bottom of the chair to raise or lower it to your height (don't you just hate it when your legs hang from the chair?). On many of the upright machines, you would also find slant rests for your feet. Like the Bellagio, all of the machines are built with matching cabinetry (black in this case). Managed to play for 4 hours and only lose $40. Headed back to the Orleans where we grabbed our buffet dinner which happened to be seafood night. I'm not a seafood person but there was plenty of other items to be offered.
Tuesday, July 11th:
Drove down to MGM to watch the lions as they offer photos (fee) with the cubs on Tuesday mornings. Arrived too late to view the cubs but were able to still enjoy the bigger lion play ball with the animal handlers. Played a little video keno but the machines weren't plentiful and the payouts were a little different. Headed next to the Palms where we discovered many of our favorite keno machines had been removed (including the one that had given me a jp last year). Ended up staying for only 1 hour and then went back to the Orleans where we ate at the cafe. Back to Terribles that evening for more gaming (no jp this time) and their late night special of steak and eggs. Returned to the Orleans, sat down to gamble and my cousin hits her own jp of $1195. We're now even!
Wednesday, July 12th:
Moving day. This time we're headed to the downtown and a 4 night stay at Vegas Club. It's been about 7 years since we've stayed at this hotel - usually staying at Main Street. For some strange reason we haven't been receiving offers at Main Street lately, so we are taking advantage of the Vegas Club's offer....Wednesday is $39, Thursday and Friday are free, Saturday is $39. Very nice room in the North Tower that features a view of the rooftop pool at the Plaza down the street (it was always busy with people, probably because of the intense heat out there). Spacious room is similar to the size of the Orleans. We head downstairs to run over to the California and a visit to the coffee shop. My cousin gets her usual crab melt and I get the chili rice. Great "comfort food". Walk over the crosswalk to Main Street and play a little before returning to Vegas Club to get ready for our Elton John show. For a review of this show, check out the shows section where I've posted my thoughts to this. Again the valet is full so we proceed to the forum parking area again. Begin to notice "Diamond/Platinum Valet" signs as well as notices that if you are in this level, they'll still accommodate you in spite of the full valet area. Played a bit at Caesars and then headed over to Paris for our anticipated steak dinner with crepes at the coffee shop. Suddenly we realize that this is not going to be a good trip - it's now a Harrah's property and the night owl specials are no longer available. In fact, the crepes are not even listed over in the coffee shop. The steak, however is still there....for $22.95 versus the usual 10.95 for late night dining. I’m sorry….no way will I pay $22.95 for a steak in a coffee shop! We speak to the hostess who confirms that Harrah's has chosen to eliminate the late night deals (including the prime rib/crab leg offering). Sadly we leave, wondering if our upcoming 5 night stay at Bally’s should be changed (decided to just leave it as is). I get the bright idea to go to Ellis Island, where I’ve heard that they offer a great Steak dinner. Honest to goodness, it’s the first time that I wondered why I decided to try a particular casino! It started with turning into the parking lot which is shared by a Motel 6. Lying on the street near a parked car is a guy on his back. I actually ignored this and got out of the car – intent on going inside the casino. I think we walked about 50 feet inside the place and then decided that this was not going to happen. My cousin still laughs about this part of our trip and we returned instead to Terribles for another late night dinner of steak. They now hand my cousin her own pot of coffee as we are seated at our "usual" table. Play some more at Terribles and then return to Vegas Club for about an hour of playing.
Thursday, July 13th:
After a very sleepless night, I call housekeeping to report that my bed needs to be fixed. The fall in Boston is definitely bothering me, but the broken springs in the mattress aren’t making things better either. They are wonderful about not only replacing my own mattress, but the one on my cousin’s bed. Bless them! Head to Main Street for a light lunch at Triple 7. At this point, we have crazy schedules and weird eating habits. My cousin eats a hot fudge sundae and I get the flat pizza bread with marinara sauce and a salad. We love this place and are sorry that we don't have a hearty appetite yet to enjoy more. Video keno is pretty good this afternoon with a $20 lasting about 2 hours on the slant top machines near the valet parking area. Head over to California and Vegas Club for more video keno. Late afternoon finds us at Sam's Town for more video keno (Note: I updated all of my video keno thoughts in another area on the boards - the gambling questions area). Took in the Buffet at Sam's Town. Unfortunately it was a quick visit as they close up to switch over for dinner and they make everyone leave to ensure that you don't get dinner for the lunch price. This meant that in our case, we had 30 minutes to eat but that was fine, we didn't need to eat much anyway. Played more keno and then headed back downtown for stops in Freemont and Fitzgeralds. Noted the 1/2 price tickets where my cousin remarked that since I bought Elton tickets with my winnings, she wanted to go to one of "those guy dancing shows" with her own winnings. I still have no idea what possessed me to agree and we decided to get tickets when we end up on the Strip on Sunday – in other words, I’m stalling in hopes that she’ll forget about this idea.
Friday, July 14th:
Spend a leisure day in the downtown casinos as it is way too hot in this town - as much as 110 degrees and the wind hits you with hot air that has 98% convinced me that hubby might be right about not retiring to Vegas. I’ve seen people on the NYNY roller coaster and I still can’t believe that they would ride it in this heat. Imagine 108 degrees of heat coming at you while moving at a high rate of speed! Ran a few errands in search of baby gifts for the newest member of our family - my cousin's granddaughter. Stopped at Fashion Mall to search for watches "Cars" for the two grandsons of hers and end up driving out to the Mall to a Disney store - the only place that seemed to carry the Cars series. Returned to downtown for another meal at California and to enjoy the great music sounds on Freemont Street. Caught one of the Sky shows and saw the saxaphone man now featured in the sky show. Cool! Great music from the saxaphone man, a group playing oldies (i.e., Beatles) and a group playing great hard rock - especially 80's rock. Rounded out the evening with more video keno at Vegas Club and hanging around outside to watch a Japanese rock group filming a video in front of the Plaza. The filming went until at least 4 am. I really love the downtown area in spite of the dinginess. They are really doing a nice job of slowly cleaning up much of this area.
Saturday, July 15th:
Played back at Orleans as well as downtown. I can't even remember where we ate on this day! Got ready to head to the Mirage for Love, The Beatles. A wonderful show that I discuss in detail under the Shows section of this forum. Played some video keno before and after the show but the bar stool type seats with no backs were a deterent from playing too long. Parked at the North Valet area near the nightclub which proved to be a wise choice as the wait for getting our car was very short.
Sunday, July 16th:
Check out for our move to Bally's - 5 nights - the final hotel on our trip this time. We stop first at Palace Station which we had never visited before. Happily discovered many video keno machines and add this casino to our “next visit” list. Head on to Ballys - Hmm....another Diamond/Platinum Valet area. Check into the hotel and we get upgraded to a Jr. suite to give us more room for our 5 night stay. 25th floor that overlooks Flamingo Road, the room offers 2 beds, small loveseat and chair. I’m thrilled to have internet access available again. First stop after checking in is to the Italian restaurant over at Paris. I’ve been looking forward to their pizza again. Again, we’re on a weird eating plan here with my ordering the pizza and my cousin getting the crepe that she had yearned for on Wednesday night when we tried the Café. Again, we’re starting to see the Harrah’s influence with much regret. While change is sometimes good, I would prefer more of a wait and see to access what the public would prefer. Gone are the wonderful rolls that this Le Provincial served. Even more startling was the depletion of the wide variety of baked goods at the bakery, the disappearance of the ice cream area and the little area in the bakery where candies and other things were sold. In fact, they took the entire area where you used to sit and watch people stroll by and converted it into a Diamond/Platinum VIP lounge. Now there are two of them – one at Bally’s (near the registration desk) and one in Paris. I have to say that while Diamond and Platinum holders may be happy, this is starting to bug me. Stroll through Paris and discover a slot tournament ($20 buy-in) and decide to come back during the week and get in it one day to try it out. Try to reidentify the location of video keno machines that have once again been moved around and play a bit. No major luck so we head back to Bally’s. After a nap, we decide to head to the Sidewalk Café at Bally’s for a small meal. At this point we’re starting to get testy with the Strip prices and with a club sandwich costing $9.95, we become mutinous and head for valet parking for a quick drive to Wendy’s. Sometimes it’s nice to go back to what you do at home. Spend the evening playing video keno near the live band bar. The guys are always great and they play until 3 am. It says a lot when 3 am comes along and the place is still packed with people all over the dance floor. The cell phone rings at 2 am which is always a bad sign. Turns out my son found his way to the beach with a group of kids from the summer program in Boston and proceeded to get badly sunburned (I had no idea they could even find a beach in Boston, much less find it on the subway!). Spend the next couple of hours dealing with his trip to the ER.
Monday, July 17th:
Start off the morning with a change in hotel rooms. At 3 am we deal with a busted AC unit and decide at 10 am that this is not going to get any better. Fortunately the room across the hall is available and we move. We even took a chair from the room with us when we discover that the room across the hall is missing theirs. I’m sure that if security was looking on their cameras, they were trying to figure out what these women wanted that chair for! We had lucked out with a refrigerator also and that came rolling along with us also. We’re now in the inner corner of the hotel that if you look sideways, will provide a view of the Eiffel Tower as well as the Bellagio water show. Cool! The only problem is that cell phone service is again problematic by the inner courtyard (note….try not to get inner courtyard locations anymore). After getting all situated in our new room, we start the Passport Stamp game with no instant wins at any of the places we visit. Started with Paris/Bally’s and then to Flamingo where we get our first gift for completing 3 stamps – a beach bag from Flamingo. Wisely ask what the other hotels are giving away so that we can plan where our next “win” will be. Headed to Imperial Palace – planned to go to the Board Gathering but we overshot our timing. Played keno at IP but left when we couldn’t get on the machines that offered decent payouts. Made additional stops at Harrah’s and then the Venetian where again, we played video keno next to a live music bar and then had lunch at the food court. Stopped in at the new Blue Man Group gift store where I was fortunate to discover a pair of used mallets available for purchase. My son will definitely be thrilled with this gift. Decided to try out the subway since our feet are tired, but after walking to the entrance at Imperial Palace, we balked at $5 per person for the short distance that we still had to go. Oh well, the walk is good for us anyway and since we haven’t won any more jp’s, we can save a little money too. End up driving back to Terribles for more video keno and another meal.
Tuesday, July 18th:
We’re getting bored. The video keno isn’t paying out as often as we are used to seeing. We’re growing tired of the cost of meals on the Strip and honestly the public distinction between the total reward levels is beginning to bug us big time. We’re tired of waiting for our vehicle when literally 5 diamond/platinum people get served beforehand and we’re just tired of the changes to things that we always enjoyed about Bally’s and Paris. I’m also starting to get worried because this morning is the moment I’m dreading….my cousin is still intent on buying tickets to one of the guy shows! So we head out first to the half price ticket location and Thunder from Down Under is not on the list. I’m happy but she decides that we should just drive to Excaliber and she’ll buy tickets there. There is simply no getting around this problem and I’m committed to going with her. We head to Excaliber and grab VIP table tickets for the Wednesday 10:30 pm show. I’m hoping that it’s been put off so long and so late that maybe she’ll get too tired. Play some video keno at Excaliber and add this to our return list. We then head out to Rio for a wonderful buffet at the Carnival World (see my review under restaurants), but a disappointing video keno session. Seems Harrah’s is not only bent on changing the dining experiences, but also the payouts. I balk at playing a machine that is now only offering 50% of the original payoffs (we went from $2500 for 9 out of 9 numbers to $1000 for the same win). Head over to Caesars to complete our 6 stamps and we get a visor. Play a little more video keno. Dinner tonight is back at Orleans at the coffee shop and a promise of trying to repeat the jp win that my cousin had. Doesn’t happen but we each get two different 7 out of 9 wins for about $80 each.
Wednesday, July 19th:
Decide to use one of our coupons and visit the Flamingo buffet. Very disappointed as I was in the mood for more lunch offerings as opposed to the breakfast foods on hand. Move over to the Aladdin which has removed many of their video keno machines during the makeover that’s in progress. I’m hoping that they bring them back when the changes are finished. Run out to Toys R Us to buy another baby item and head back to Bally’s to get ready for our evening with the boys from Down Under. Have I mentioned that I’m not enthusiastic about this?
Now close your eyes or scroll down is you don’t want to read about the rest of this evening. After a stop at In and Out Burger (we always see the packed cars there but are trying it for the first time ourselves. Verdict: We prefer Fatburger better), we head to Excaliber. We play about 2 hours of video keno before heading to the show. We have the end seats at Table 5. This table is right smack in the middle of the front part of this show. I am feeling way too old for this and totally out of place. Weirdly there are 4 guys who come to this show….3 are gay and the 4th guy is coming with his wife. So much for the emcee’s comments about the only things you won’t see here are boyfriends and husbands. In fact, I don’t think any of the guys even went near the woman with her husband the whole evening, despite the reviews that say they include everyone in the audience.
So where did they go throughout the evening? One very funny audience participation scene had 3 women on stage to act out a climatic scene. We knew the winner immediately when one large, black woman on stage started with “oh daddy”. I don’t know what was funnier, her imitation or the reaction of the emcee when she was doing her impression. Priceless!
But try as I might, I couldn’t hide. It was like the deer in the headlights when suddenly one of the dancers comes out into the audience and grabs my hand. He drags me up on stage and I am just dying of embarrassment. I won’t go into details but my cousin was in tears and if I had been the touchy, feely type, I had the only opportunity of anyone in the place to determine personally if there was another g-string under the first one. I can laugh about this now but I remember thinking that hitting a jp was better then the situation that I was sitting in (literally). It was definitely a weird sensation after 20 years of marriage and I have more then done my part in being accommodating to my cousin’s choice of entertainment on our trip.
Thursday, July 20th:
The last day…..last showdown…last hurrah. First stop is to sign up for the slot tournament at Paris. $20 buy in while neither of us won, we at least got a cute stuffed turtle for signing up. Now my cousin has one for each of her grandsons. Went upstairs at Bally’s and enjoyed the Big Kitchen Buffet and then grabbed our Ballys stamp and then headed to Caesars for yet another stamp. Ran into the Forum Shops for a stop at Bernini’s where the gauzy skirts were reduced 80% (got two for $12 each) and to Diesel for a shirt for my son (I should wish for a discount <G>). Back to Paris to get our 3rd gift – this time the t-shirt. Played at Bally’s and ran back to Rio for another visit to the buffet that we had enjoyed earlier in the week. Ended the evening with another stop at Terribles where we discovered for the first time, the T-Bone Steak special ($7.99). We’ve previously gotten the other steak special. No jp winnings again, but we’ve had a good time getting plenty of 6’s and 7’s so it’s all fine.
Friday, July 21st:
After paying $25 to get a confirmed seat for earlier flights, I head to the airport to head back to Richmond. East coast delays ground our flight for 45 minutes which allows me to get a phone call from my cousin who is still playing video keno at Bally’s before her own flight. Seems she had to better my own record and pulled out yet another 8 out of 9 jp for $1175 on the bank of video keno machines near the live music bar at Ballys. It’s the machine that she has played over and over on a hunch that week. Finally board the plane (headed to JFK first) and after taxing to the runway, we are pulled aside with news of airport closings. After conferring with traffic control, we head to JFK and with a relatively bump free flight, we end up doing the landing circle for 40 minutes around JFK airspace. Forced to land at a cargo airport in Connecticut for refueling needs, we spend 2 hours on the process; much to the chagrin of several passengers who would prefer to deplane here as it’s much closer to their home. Back up in the sky, we finally land at JFK around 1:30 am – 5 hours late. Dodging the gentleman across from me who literally starts a fist fight when trying to jump ahead of people to deplane, I luck out and discover that the flight to Richmond is still going to happen at 2:15 am! So 4 am finds me arriving finally at home, minus my luggage which arrives the next day.
Observation about Harrah takeover:
I must admit to being extremely disappointed at the changes that I have always enjoyed at Paris/Ballys. The eliminating of low cost dining for late nights, the decrease in pastry offerings and the change in keno payoff amounts were really bothersome. But over the course of 13 days, the blatant distinction of the total reward levels bothered me the most. I estimate that I spent approximately $4000 just in gambling money alone, but because of the tight machines and the drastic distinction in payoff amounts on the machines, there was absolutely nothing to encourage me to spend my money all in one organization’s casinos. Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve never been happy with treating people differently and the “class” differences that are being instituted by Harrah’s Total Rewards sadden me. If you were a platinum/diamond player, you are probably thrilled at the new offerings, but as a gold level player, it really does rub you the wrong way. At first I thought that it was something that I might want to aspire to for future trips but in the end I was just so fed up with waiting for others to be served that came long after me, that my thoughts turned more to a “where can I stay in the future”. When I’m told that 200 points takes $1000 worth of play and then I am told that 500 points is worth $2.50 in comps, it’s hard to imagine that my $4000 spent in only one place would have amounted to anything in the end. The funny thing is that I’ve never cared much about comps. I have never asked for a slot host or asked for free meals, I just take the hotel rates that are offered to me and plan my trips accordingly. But when it becomes a situation where my desire to move forward (i.e., in a line, getting a car, etc.) is affected by what “level” my players card is, then it just gets my back up and I just feel like throwing in the towel versus becoming a higher level player.
I realize that Vegas has this incredible need to reinvent itself to stay current, especially in light of so many areas in the US becoming their own gambling meccas. I also realize that the new trend is for the 20’ somethings who are cash poor except when it comes to shopping and drinks. So maybe the real problem is that I’m no longer the Vegas clientele. I’m truly not interested in Vegas as a “destination” but rather as my beloved gambling spot, where I can hide away from the wife, mother and volunteer roles in my everyday life by cozying up to a good video keno machine. It’s almost like I’ve been fooling myself to think that Vegas would always remain the same Vegas that I love. Probably what I ended up realizing the most from this trip was that I am happiest back where I first started in Vegas – downtown or on the off-strip areas where I can use the majority of my funds for gaming and not on all the incidentals.