Orleans Trip Sept 29th - Oct 5th

[Mr. Papageorgio]

This will be my first trip report but hopefully not my last. I will apologize now for any "inaccuracies" although I'm sure those more experianced will be helpful and point out any details that I may have missed.
Here we go.

Day One
We had booked a car to the airport through Olympic Transportation. The car arrived early and the driver was very personable. So we arrived at Newark early and checked our bags curbside. We had printed out our boarding passes online so we were good to go.
We boarded our flight, which was a Continental 757. We had decided to get aisle seats because experiance shows that a window seat usually means we get trapped in by someone that falls asleep or makes it seem like it's too much trouble to move.
The flight was probably "bumpier" than I've seen in a while. We had the seatbelt light on for most of the trip. The Captain came on and announced if we went higher then it would only get worse. Not really a problem because I'm not really one for walking up and down aisles whilst in flight.
Our stewards, were two of the worst I've ever had on a flight to anywhere. Terse, aloof, just downright rotten. Everytime they came around, for drinks, snacks, etc. It seemed like it was just a huge inconvenience to them. What was convenient was the fact that they were missing thier name tags. :mad:
Still, not gonna spoil my day. We're on a plane to Vegas!! :)
We landed about half an hour early and had to take the tram to the other side of the airport to get to baggage claim. It took no time at all to get to baggage and our cases were practically the first ones out.
I was all ready to hit the Taxi ranks at a run but Mrs. PapaGeorgio had other ideas. She said that we couldn't leave just yet as she had booked a Limo to take us to the Orleans. However, with everything being early for us it meant that we had to wait for the Limo Driver. A wait that was more than worth it.
The Driver, Jim, from Presidential Limousine, was there on time and showed us the way back to the car. Here he served us Champagne, gave Mrs. P a rose and took us for a really great ride around the strip. I cannot say enough about Jim. He was informative, funny and cared alot about the service that he provided. It was the perfect beginning to a stay in Vegas.
As soon as the Limo pulled up to the Orleans the bellhop was there to take our luggage.
We checked in with ease, our room was ready and waiting for us. It was even the view that we had requested. High, strip view. Our room was on the 18th floor and we loved it. It was clean, spacious and very comfortable. We called down for our luggage and got that squared away as quick as possible.
We were in Vegas and the slots were calling.
We had signed up for Club Coast cards in advance and had had them mailed to us so we were armed and ready.
We explored the Casino floor and marvelled at the amount of bars in one place. Okay, so I marvelled. Hey, I'm on vacation. I dragged Mrs. P into Brendan's Pub for a pint of SnakeBite. Being English, it was a drink from my youth. The bar itself was quiet with the time of day but there managed to be at least one or two people who were feeling no pain.
We then ventured to the slots and saw some old favorites and decided to play. It wasn't long before we heard the waitress come around asking for drink orders. I've heard it said that you should tip $1 for a couple of drinks but that just doesn't seem right to me so I always tipped $2 for two drinks. It could be why we were never long without a drink or why the waitress always smiled at us. Who knows.
Someone said somewhere that the waitress outfits at the Orleans were very short, they were right. What they didn't say, or were too polite to, was that the whole outfit was very small. I cannot in good conscience say more. Mrs. P will kill me. :D
We had a coupon for Don Miguels. 2-1 Fajita dinner from the American Casino Guide (ACG). The food was great and the service was just as good. The Keno lady even stopped to help us get our first picture together.
After eating as much as we could, there's always leftovers isn't there, we made our way to the MGM. Our Taxi was $7.50, tip not included.
We had been to the MGM before but had not spent much time at the slots.
We found machines that were to our liking and parked ourselves as we waited for the Howie Mandel Show that we were going to see at the MGM Theater.
We must have been lucky because we were on a direct route for where the waitresses go for drink orders. Again we never waited long to have a drink in our hands.
As the doors opened at the Theater we made our way in and were seated by an usher. Our seats were right next to the stage albeit off to the right. We were seated at a table that was not very big and it had four chairs around it. Seemed like we'd be making friends that night. The place filled up and a couple that are older than my parents took that seats next to us.
We chatted before the show and Mrs. P and the other lady discussed the finer points of NJ grinders and pizza.
The show started with another comedian, whose name escapes me. He was rude, crass, abusive........in all the right ways. We all were laughing at his take on life and his kids. At one point I looked over to our older table companions and this older lady that I'm sure is someones Grandmother looked as if she was about to wet herself. She had tears running down her face and was laughing hysterically.
We ordered drinks and it was nice to keep a tab running through the show. I might add that the drinks were a little overpriced but they were worth it.
Howie Mandell came on and was a big hit with everone at our table. He was funny, intelligent and well worth the price of the ticket. I'd like to say that I'd see him again but we only do a couple of shows when in Vegas and we like to keep it new. Otherwise I would have seen Penn and Teller again this year.
After a great show we made our way back to the Orleans and headed upstairs. Security guard/s are stationed near the elevators at all times so you have to show your room key to get near them.
We decided to call it a day so we could get an early start the next day.

Who knew I could babble on so much??? I'm gonna finish here and start on day two tomorrow. Thanks for reading! :D

[Mrs. PapaGeorgio]

Someone said somewhere that the waitress outfits at the Orleans were very short, they were right. What they didn't say, or were too polite to, was that the whole outfit was very small. I cannot in good conscience say more. Mrs. P will kill me. :D



No worries sweetie! I was ogling just as much as you!! ;)

[Mr. Papageorgio]

Well here we go with the 2nd part.

Day 2
We took an early morning cab ride to the Paris to enjoy thier breakfast buffet.
The line was not very long,although, it included some young female clubbers who could have shown a little more decorum. Somethings you just don't need to hear, repeatedly, before breakfast.
The food was excellent as usual and the service was really very good.
We played for a short while at the slots after breakfast before heading to the Aladdin.
We both signed up for players cards before we hit the slots and were given $5 free play. It seems that there was a mix up "activating" this bonus but with a trip to the players club had it all sorted out.
The slots were kinda cold for us so we then made our way to the MGM where we recouped our losses and actually made out ahead.
From there it was to the HardRock. Neither of us had been there before and were looking forward to seeing what the fuss was all about.
We signed up for cards and settled in to play some slots. Drink service here was great although I have no idea what it would be like at night when things were in full swing. The waitress outfits here were very sexy. Mrs.P even pointed that out to me. :)
We took a cab to Ellis Island where we would be having dinner after we left.
Ellis Island is a smaller establishment but not without its own charm. After signing up for players cards,( can you tell at this point that we are collecting them?) we were given all kinds of freebies for joining. CD wallets, cushions and playing cards.
We went to the restuarant fully armed with the knowledge of the Steak special (and our 2 for 1 coupon from ACG). The restuarant was not very busy and our waitress was happy to serve us. The meal was one of the best. The steak was perfect and the green beans couldn't have been fresher if you'd grown them yourself.
After having a couple of drinks at the bar after dinner we played some slots and decided that it was time to start heading back to the Orleans.
We walked to Bally's to catch a taxi, which turned out to be quite the walk and made a mental note not to do that again. We will definately go back to Ellis again. You can't beat it for the price and the atmosphere.
Our cab driver on the way back to the Orleans left alot to be desired. The driver was rude and mean. He made a comment about a pedestrian that had been hit the night before and killed. In his opinion it didn't matter much because another "wave" of tourists would be there to take this persons place. Mrs. P let him have it with both barrels as we were disembarking at the Orleans.
Mrs. P headed up for an early night, I walked up with her to the room and then went back down to have a drink or two at the bar.
Played Video Poker at the bar that faces the live band. I can't remember the name of it. Then decided to join Mrs. P.

Day 3
Took in the buffet at the Orleans (using yet again another ACG coupon). It was very good for the price.
We had booked massages at the Spa. Something we hadn't done before.
After we had dressed down into robes, separate locker rooms, we waited for our massuesses. We had booked the Cajun Two-Step which is a couples massage, probably to make us feel more at ease.
Halley and Adrian gave us a very relaxing workout for 50 minutes and it felt like 10 minutes had passed. All good things come to an end.
We went up to the room to get cleaned up rather than shower in the Spa and I had to get across the road to the Budget rental dealer to pick up the car that we had reserved.
It's only across the road but it's a wide road. Better to walk down the road and cross.
I parked the car in the main parking lot and we took a taxi to NY NY.
We had been before and pretty much knew the layout of the place so we headed towards the bars to buy a drink. We ended up at the Times Square Bar because the baseball game was in progress and they had several T.V.s. As it happens we stayed until the end of the game and never even hit the slots.
We walked to the Luxor, a place that I'd been hoping to see, finally getting some play time. We didn't wander too far around but settled in for some gambling and drink service. The slots were pretty good to us and we had alot of fun.
By now it was getting towards dinner time and we had plans to go to Bahama Breeze. Another place that we had visited before and had liked immensely.
Mrs. P had bought me a giftcard for B.B. for Christmas. She likes to think ahead.
The decor is really relaxing and our waiter helped us make choices for our drinks. A plus in my book that he was knowledgable about the drinks Mrs. P was asking him about.
We ordered the Habanero Wings for a starter to share, let me tell you, when they say hot, they mean hot. Tasty still.......but hot. It creeps up on you.
Mrs. P ordered the Chicken Santiago, while I had the West Indies Ribs. The food was great and the service matched it. I'll have to wait to see if I get another card this Christmas.
The staff helpful as ever even called for a taxi for us to take us back to the Orleans.
We had tickets for the Arena that night to see REO Speedwagon & Styx. Growing up in England I was not as familiar with the bands as Mrs. P was.
We found our seats in the spacious arena and the show started on time, REO went on for an hour and a half and then there was a 30 min wait while they rearranged things for Styx. The show was very good and I did recognize some of the songs but I started to lose interest halfway thru the Styx set. Mrs. P realized this and so we left. We were both actually tired so after a little more slot play we decided to head back to our room.

That's all for now. I'll resume tomorrow! :)

[GREGRIO]

My my my...sounds like you guys are doing everything right...
standing-by for the rest!

[Mr. Papageorgio]

Sunday we took our rental car and our Google Maps and headed out to Mira Lago, located in Henderson. We had been there the previous year for the Sunday Champagne brunch and had had a really good time.
We arrived early because we wanted some time to take pictures before our reservation time. The scenery is quite something.
We finished our photo taking and were still early but this was no problem and were seated on the patio overlooking the golf course. The food was incredible and our only regret was not having more room to sample all the goodness that the chefs had created. We did make sure that there was ample room to visit the chocolate fountain. Everything tastes better with chocolate flowing over it. We used a 25 dollar off dining certificate from Restaurant.com for our brunch.
From there we drove up the road to the Casino Monte Lago. Not a big place but the atmosphere was relaxed and they had our new favorite slots. We were becoming big fans of the Men in Black and StarWars slots. We played for a while with mixed fortunes and decided to take a walk around the "village" stores.
Back on the road and we had directions to the Green Valley Ranch. We'd seen this place on TV and heard great things from other message boards. It's located at the back of a purpose built mall and was a fair sized casino. We, however, took a dislike to it from the moment we went up to the counter to sign up for cards. The woman behind the counter had an attitude that made us think that this might have been a mistake going there.
The slots were cold and the drink service non-existent. Two thumbs down in our book so we headed back to the Orleans.
At the Orleans we spent a couple of hours playing slots and then headed to Big Al's for some "Chowda" and an Oyster Shooter before getting a taxi to Fremont.
We walked up the street but our 1st stop was La Bayou where Mrs. P wanted to get a 1/2 yard Margarita. They will put an extra shot in for $1 but were warned to try it first because the drinks are on the strong side as it was. Well she was right. The drink had a kick to it.
We went to the Four Queens and signed up for cards and sat down to play some slots. The nickel Price is Right was very good to me and the drinks at the bar were incredibly cheap by Vegas standards. It was hard to tear myself away when it was time to go and I think that we both had settled in out minds that this was a probability for a hotel on our next trip.

The next morning we had breakfast at the Courtyard Cafe. The eggs I ordered could have been better but Mrs P's breakfast was to her liking.
Returned the rental car and then caught the shuttle service to the Barbary Coast. If you have the time to wait for a shuttle then it is well worth it. Figuring that you are saving about $7-$8 each time that you use it. I did tip the driver on my way out but it didn't seem like many of our fellow passengers were doing the same. That's a shame. You tip taxi drivers and pay the fare.
While not having all the glitz of some of the newer casinos I did like the relaxed atmosphere and the older decor. People playing slots were like a small community unto themselves. We shared a few laughs with the ladies sitting next to us.
We walked over to the Flamingo and played for a while there. Not hitting much we decided to take a walk through the habitat. There are penguins, flamingos, etc. So we took pictures before heading over to Ceasars where we had made plans to meet up with an English couple that we had met on another message board.
We strolled the forum shops and sat at the bar in Planet Hollywood, our meeting place. We arrived early as usual, during Happy Hour, and settled in for a couple of drinks while we waited to make friends. The service was not as fast as I would have liked considering that the bar was pretty much empty except for the waitstaff who were BSing.
After the arrival of our friends we had a couple more drinks. I would have prefered moving to another bar but I wasn't exactly sure what time we would be going to dinner. Our new friends M & B were great!
We walked over to the Cheesecake factory and were told that it would be a 40 minute wait. No big deal, M & B suggested taking a walk up to their room and having a drink there. They were staying at Ceasars.
M had budweiser in a cabinet, not refrigerated or Vodka. I opted for the warm bud. Vodka it seems tends to ruin my good feeling Mojo.
Mrs. P loved the bathroom with it's jacuzzi and the room had floor to ceiling windows and a view of Bellagio and the street. It really was quite the room.
So, now with warm buds in hand we set off back downstairs to the C.F.
Even though they were very busy our waiter was very attentive. We hardly had to wait for anything and still felt as if we were not being rushed. The portions, which I'd been warned about, were huge. I didn't think I'd ever not be able to finish a burger(ranch burger that is). The women somehow had saved room for a piece of cheesecake. I really can't plan that far ahead.
Mrs. P had the Praline Turtle CheeseCake, I however could only manage a taste of it.
After settling a very reasonably priced bill we walked back to the taxi ranks and said goodnight to two friends I hope that we are lucky enough to meet again.

[Mrs. PapaGeorgio]

What happened to Tuesday? Our last and most wonderful day in Vegas? I think the "P" in Mr. P stands for procrastinator! ;)

[Mr. Papageorgio]

A long time coming but our last day. :(

We started our day back at the Courtyard Cafe. This time Breakfast was very good, with the exception of a few loud people at one table.

We spent the day at the Orleans playing various machines and just pretty much hanging out because we had dinner reservations at the Bellagio to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary.
After deciding that we should go upstairs to get changed for our dinner Mrs. P discovered that the box of knee high nylons that she had brought for the occasion had gone missing.
The box had sat on top of her shoes all week and now that she needed them it looked as if the maid had picked them up and thrown them away. Disaster. For you guys out there, like me, you have no idea what this means. Disaster.
Apparently, to stop the shoes rubbing a wicked blister on her foot she needed these knee highs, also to complete the look of the outfit. My suggestion was that if we got to the Bellagio she could buy more.
We hightailed it downstairs to the gift store at the Orleans to see if they had such an item. They didn't. :eek:
We took a cab to the Bellagio and came across a store for intimate lingerie.
She bought a pair of Spanx knee highs, which the sales lady put in a fancy bag and even put the receipt inside a card. Sheesh.
A trip to the bathrooms and Mrs. P was smiling again. Disaster averted.
We were still early for our reservation which was at Prime so we went and played Video Poker at one of the bars. Drinks were expensive so it made sense to put $20 into the Poker Machine. We had a couple of drinks and watched some of the baseball game that was on the T.V. Mrs. P came out $40 better off.
With 5 minutes to go we made our way to the escalator that led down to where Prime is located.
We had asked for a view of the fountains when we made our reservation but all the window tables were gone. The Maitre d was very apologetic about that and showed us to a very comfortable booth that had a view of the entire front of the restuarant. He said that this was a booth that he himself preferred and I can see why. The view was better than a window table.
Our waiter/s came and we were served drinks and our dinner in a fashion that made us feel niether neglected or rushed.
Mrs. P had a steak that made MY mouth water and I ordered the Rack of Lamb. The sauces served on the side were just incredible.
I had my reservations about going somewhere where they say jacket preferred but I must say it was well worth it. Also no children under 5 are allowed. The atmosphere was something else and for a special occasion it was perfect.
When we had first sat down we had told the waiter that we would like to reserve a seat on the patio after dinner. So with our meal finished we were shown to a table on the patio looking over the fountains. This is quite a different view from the one you see from the street. You are a lot closer and a lot less crowded.
We ordered a bottle of Champagne and started looking through the dessert menu when the waitress that was running the patio brought out a dessert plate for us. Complimentary due to our anniversary. It even had "Happy Anniversary" written on it in chocolate. Well that was a very nice touch in my book. It cost them little to do it and I've not stopped telling everyone I know how great it is to eat at the Prime.
Other couples were having their picture taken by the waitress, in between fountain shows, so we decided to do the same. My camera batteries were starting to die so we had to restart a couple of times and in the end(when we got home) found that the picture was really very unflattering to the both of us. What a time to look bad for a pic. :mad: Oh well. Another reason to go back and have another one taken.
We must have seen the fountains at least 4-5 times before we left. All in all we were there for about 3 hours between dinner and the patio.
We headed back to the Orleans where we changed into something more comfortable and headed down to have a few drinks and play some last slots.
The following morning we took a taxi to the airport and boarded our flight to go home. Mrs. P nudged me because one of the pissy attendants from our flight in happened to be on our flight home too. His mood was not changed either.
We were met at the airport by the limo service(Olympic) and drove back to reality.
Wow. It's amazing the details that you'd never think you'd remember but you do.
I had fun with this trip report, I know it won't be my last. If you have questions or comments let me know.

[Beaniepups]

A long time coming but our last day. :(

We started our day back at the Courtyard Cafe. This time Breakfast was very good, with the exception of a few loud people at one table.

We spent the day at the Orleans playing various machines and just pretty much hanging out because we had dinner reservations at the Bellagio to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary.
After deciding that we should go upstairs to get changed for our dinner Mrs. P discovered that the box of knee high nylons that she had brought for the occasion had gone missing.
The box had sat on top of her shoes all week and now that she needed them it looked as if the maid had picked them up and thrown them away. Disaster. For you guys out there, like me, you have no idea what this means. Disaster.
Apparently, to stop the shoes rubbing a wicked blister on her foot she needed these knee highs, also to complete the look of the outfit. My suggestion was that if we got to the Bellagio she could buy more.
We hightailed it downstairs to the gift store at the Orleans to see if they had such an item. They didn't. :eek:
We took a cab to the Bellagio and came across a store for intimate lingerie.
She bought a pair of Spanx knee highs, which the sales lady put in a fancy bag and even put the receipt inside a card. Sheesh.
A trip to the bathrooms and Mrs. P was smiling again. Disaster averted.
We were still early for our reservation which was at Prime so we went and played Video Poker at one of the bars. Drinks were expensive so it made sense to put $20 into the Poker Machine. We had a couple of drinks and watched some of the baseball game that was on the T.V. Mrs. P came out $40 better off.
With 5 minutes to go we made our way to the escalator that led down to where Prime is located.
We had asked for a view of the fountains when we made our reservation but all the window tables were gone. The Maitre d was very apologetic about that and showed us to a very comfortable booth that had a view of the entire front of the restuarant. He said that this was a booth that he himself preferred and I can see why. The view was better than a window table.
Our waiter/s came and we were served drinks and our dinner in a fashion that made us feel niether neglected or rushed.
Mrs. P had a steak that made MY mouth water and I ordered the Rack of Lamb. The sauces served on the side were just incredible.
I had my reservations about going somewhere where they say jacket preferred but I must say it was well worth it. Also no children under 5 are allowed. The atmosphere was something else and for a special occasion it was perfect.
When we had first sat down we had told the waiter that we would like to reserve a seat on the patio after dinner. So with our meal finished we were shown to a table on the patio looking over the fountains. This is quite a different view from the one you see from the street. You are a lot closer and a lot less crowded.
We ordered a bottle of Champagne and started looking through the dessert menu when the waitress that was running the patio brought out a dessert plate for us. Complimentary due to our anniversary. It even had "Happy Anniversary" written on it in chocolate. Well that was a very nice touch in my book. It cost them little to do it and I've not stopped telling everyone I know how great it is to eat at the Prime.
Other couples were having their picture taken by the waitress, in between fountain shows, so we decided to do the same. My camera batteries were starting to die so we had to restart a couple of times and in the end(when we got home) found that the picture was really very unflattering to the both of us. What a time to look bad for a pic. :mad: Oh well. Another reason to go back and have another one taken.
We must have seen the fountains at least 4-5 times before we left. All in all we were there for about 3 hours between dinner and the patio.
We headed back to the Orleans where we changed into something more comfortable and headed down to have a few drinks and play some last slots.
The following morning we took a taxi to the airport and boarded our flight to go home. Mrs. P nudged me because one of the pissy attendants from our flight in happened to be on our flight home too. His mood was not changed either.
We were met at the airport by the limo service(Olympic) and drove back to reality.
Wow. It's amazing the details that you'd never think you'd remember but you do.
I had fun with this trip report, I know it won't be my last. If you have questions or comments let me know.


Thanks for sharing your excellent trip report. Enjoyed it very much! :D

[wam]

papa and skyy, sounded like you had a great trip and hope the tips were helpful for your stay at the orleans. tell us more about the orleans spa??:)

[Mrs. PapaGeorgio]

Wam,

We only did the Cajun 2 Step (couples massage). Unfortunately we didn't have time to use the other facilities that were offered to us. The staff was very courteous and made us both feel right at ease. In fact I was babbling so much the massage was over before I knew it!

The Orleans was a great experience and I'm looking forward to spending some time there again. Hopefully we'll get some good offers ;).

[btodd22]

Thanks for your report, great detail.......I loved reading it!!:)

[wam]

skyy, you will get mailers all the time. great rates, $70 for two nights. unbelievable. isn't it a nice little place and i hear that halley is one of the best in the spa. did you have her or did mr papa?? what did the two step cost you?? when are you going back??

[Mrs. PapaGeorgio]

skyy, you will get mailers all the time. great rates, $70 for two nights. unbelievable. isn't it a nice little place and i hear that halley is one of the best in the spa. did you have her or did mr papa?? what did the two step cost you?? when are you going back??

I LOVED the Orleans! With all there was to do in Vegas I found myself missing the Orleans while we were out carousing the Strip.

Mr. P had Halley, she was the quieter of the two. I had Adrian who was also very good. I think total for the 2-Step was $150 and we tipped both girls $20 a piece.

I don't think we'll be back to Vegas until late October of 2006. Both my husband and I celebrate a birthday at the end of October and hubby will be reaching a milestone. We're planning on spending his 40th out there.

If you have any other questions feel free to PM me anytime :):)

[debb0223]

Great report - great times! Now I'm thinking of the Orleans for next time!