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Loved the commute! It takes me 2-1/2 hours to get to Atlantic City. Only 1 hour to get to the Sands. And no traffic!
Wasn't really enthralled with the Casino. The Sands went the cheapest way possible -- no decor. It's just a big warehouse with all exposed steel beams and heating ducts and a bunch of slot machines plopped on the floor. No ambiance at all. It was difficult to tell the difference between the parking garage and the interior of the casino. But once you begin to play, you really don't notice your surroundings that much.
The machines are all brandy new and beautiful. No old, decrepit, broken down slots here. But the downside is that they allow smoking through most of the casino, and while it is nice to sit down at a pristine new slot machine, it's disgusting when you are surrounded by stinky, overflowing ashtrays. Your hands and clothing also reek of cigarettes after playing. GROSS!!!
While they do not allow table games in Pennsylvania yet, they did have really cool virtual blackjack and virtual roulette. I actually enjoyed the virtual roulette so much better than real roulette, as I didn't have to scramble to try to place my bets while reaching over other players and knocking peoples chips all over the place. And the payouts are automatically generated by computer, so the game moves along much faster. I hope they keep these virtual setups even after they get real table games.
There are not enough restaurants to support the crowd, and it's not like AC where you can just go out the door to the next casino and eat there. You are pretty much stuck at the Sands no matter what. The restaurants are also poorly run. We stood on a long line waiting for a table, while we counted no less than 6-8 empty tables at all times. That's just aggravating.
Also, everywhere we looked there seemed to be patrons having heated discussions with waiters and restaurant managers with complaints ranging from poor service, to poor food and billing errors. Very unprofessional. The food was mediocre, and when I asked for chopped chicken livers at the Carnegie Deli, the waitress made a face like she was going to hurl and said "Ugh. We don't serve that here."
I saw very little evidence of comps. I got only $5 for signing up for a Sands card -- AC offers so much more. But then the Sands has no adjacent casinos competing for your business.
Basically, I would not return to the Sands unless they had Poker, as my husband plays Poker and I play the slots, and until Poker is available, there is no reason to go. However, once they get Poker it will be a tough call. If I had an entire weekend to play, I would definitely go to Atlantic City. So much more to do there! But I have been caught in too many traffic jams on the Garden State Parkway where my 2-1/2 hour trip home from AC turned into 5 hours, and that is real torture. It's nice to know that you can jump in your car at 3 pm on Saturday, drive to Bethlehem, and be home by 10 or 11.
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Wasn't really enthralled with the Casino. The Sands went the cheapest way possible -- no decor. It's just a big warehouse with all exposed steel beams and heating ducts and a bunch of slot machines plopped on the floor. No ambiance at all. It was difficult to tell the difference between the parking garage and the interior of the casino. But once you begin to play, you really don't notice your surroundings that much.
The machines are all brandy new and beautiful. No old, decrepit, broken down slots here. But the downside is that they allow smoking through most of the casino, and while it is nice to sit down at a pristine new slot machine, it's disgusting when you are surrounded by stinky, overflowing ashtrays. Your hands and clothing also reek of cigarettes after playing. GROSS!!!
While they do not allow table games in Pennsylvania yet, they did have really cool virtual blackjack and virtual roulette. I actually enjoyed the virtual roulette so much better than real roulette, as I didn't have to scramble to try to place my bets while reaching over other players and knocking peoples chips all over the place. And the payouts are automatically generated by computer, so the game moves along much faster. I hope they keep these virtual setups even after they get real table games.
There are not enough restaurants to support the crowd, and it's not like AC where you can just go out the door to the next casino and eat there. You are pretty much stuck at the Sands no matter what. The restaurants are also poorly run. We stood on a long line waiting for a table, while we counted no less than 6-8 empty tables at all times. That's just aggravating.
Also, everywhere we looked there seemed to be patrons having heated discussions with waiters and restaurant managers with complaints ranging from poor service, to poor food and billing errors. Very unprofessional. The food was mediocre, and when I asked for chopped chicken livers at the Carnegie Deli, the waitress made a face like she was going to hurl and said "Ugh. We don't serve that here."
I saw very little evidence of comps. I got only $5 for signing up for a Sands card -- AC offers so much more. But then the Sands has no adjacent casinos competing for your business.
Basically, I would not return to the Sands unless they had Poker, as my husband plays Poker and I play the slots, and until Poker is available, there is no reason to go. However, once they get Poker it will be a tough call. If I had an entire weekend to play, I would definitely go to Atlantic City. So much more to do there! But I have been caught in too many traffic jams on the Garden State Parkway where my 2-1/2 hour trip home from AC turned into 5 hours, and that is real torture. It's nice to know that you can jump in your car at 3 pm on Saturday, drive to Bethlehem, and be home by 10 or 11.
Read the full Casino Review