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I just returned from a weekend at Vegas with my wife Tanya, who was there for a Nursing Conference at the Venetian. I also had my free buffet for two at the Tropicana courtesy of this site. Thank you Steve!
6/24
I departed via Southwest from FLL at 7 a.m. and arrived on time in LAS at 9:05. A short Taxi ride later, Tanya was at her conference and I was leaving the luggage with the bell station at Harrah's before checking in for 2 comped nights.
After playing the dollar slots a bit and and stopping with a $20 profit, my first mission was to find the shortest path from the Venetian to Harrah's without spending too much time in the heat. Walking from the lobby outside the bus departures at Harrah's, there is a sidewalk leading to a parking garage at the Venetian. Inside, the elevator takes you directly into the shops. On the way out, I stopped for the foot long hot dog at Casino Royale for $2. I should note that a drink is $2.50, more than the hot dog itself.
Once the convention was over for the day, we caught an early dinner at Harrah's buffet using a 2 for 1 coupon. At 5 p.m. there was no line. This is the second time we have eaten here, and consider it to be a middle of the road option. The sushi is terrible, but the Mexican station is good. Crab legs and shrimp were also good, but there was a (rather large) lady in front of me picking out all of the claws and joking with the chef about it. It wasn't too funny for the rest of us in line though!
After dinner is was time for check in. I heard the rooms in the Mardi Gras tower were rennnovated with flat screen TVs and and were nicer than the ones in the Carnival Tower. I requested one and was given the last non smoking room with one queen on the 11th floor. The room did not appear to have any new features, but was very clean and had a decent view of the Mirage Volcano. It was very soundproof as well, except for the guy whistling in the hall at 3 a.m.
We grabbed two 3-day monorail passes for the last event of the night, KA at the MGM Grand. This was our first Cirque show and we were very impressed. The stage is a wonder to behold as it moves in ever angle and the performers are clearly at the top of their class.
6/25
Using my shortcut, Tanya was able to get to the Venetian early and get one of the standby slots for one of the most popular sessions. I used my free time on the dollar slots back at Harrah's and ended down $80 for the day. I also discovered a free spin slot machine, that looks like the one at Planet Hollywood, right outside the entrance of the Casino at the Carnival Court. I won a plastic necklace, but they do have free drinks and slot play as well.
I went on a walk through the strip to the Flamingo the redeem a coupon for 2 tickets to Dirk Arthur. I was told free tickets were not available until the following week. I then caught the monorail to the MGM Grand to see if the shuttle was still running to the Hard Rock outside of the West Wing Bar, but found that it no longer made that route. On the walk back, I found a voucher for 2 tickets to Vinnie Favorito, but later found that he was not performing during my stay.
Dinner this night was at the Flamingo buffet using another 2 for 1 coupon, which I consider to be a notch above Harrah's but still middle of the road. They seemed to have closed one whole area of the buffet near the entrance. The oriental station is better than Harrah's and the crepe station is a nice touch. After finishing, we grabbed two pink cotten candy's on the way out.
Walking over the Planet Hollywood, I saw that they changed their free spin slot into a Press Your Luck game, like the old game show. You can stop on a price square, and if you don't get a whammy symbol, you can give up your prize and try again, keeping whatever you get on the second try. I struck out, but saw prizes ranging from $10-$250 in free play, free drinks, and a Macy's mystery prize.
On the way back, we used a 2 for 1 Eiffel Tower admission at 6:45 (the admission goes up at 7). You can enter anytime before 7:30, so we were able to go up and see the Sunset while the fountain show was playing at the Bellagio.
6/26
This day was my 31st birthday, and it was also the day I had to move my luggage from Harrah's to my comped room at PH, but not before playing a few more slots and stopping down $15. Using the monorail, I was able to cut the distance somewhat, but it was still quite a trek in the heat.
The conference was over early that day, and we were also due to attend the Ribbon of Life benefit show at the Paris Theater. Asking the Total Rewards desk how to get to it, we were given a rude answer of "its in the back", which was actually their Jubilee Theater. We eventually found it on our own just by walking through the shops to the Paris Lobby. One fun celebrity encounter was passing Sigfried in the showroom lobby. The show itself was 3 hours long and involved many of the performers on the stop donating their time. We saw George Wallace, the cast of the Lion King, Fantasy at Luxor, and many other each performing one 10 minute act.
After the show was over, we went into a very long line at the PH check in at 4 p.m. Our room was on the 21st floor and had a nice partial view of the Bellagio Fountains and a good view of the strip in general. Our room was themed after Robocop and had several glass cases with props and posters.
The big event for that night was a private party, courtesy of Teresa from the LV Tripadvisor forums. The party was held at the Foundation Room of Mandalay Bay, which as an absolutely stunning view of the entire strip from the top floor. The club itself is low key and relaxing. I really enjoyed meeting the members from their forum and swapping adventure stories.
On the way back, we stopped in the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand. Seeing a long line, we found open seats at the bar. It was a bit of a surreal experience, as the bartender was having fun with an Australian couple next to us. He kept recommending Margaritaville to them and asking if they knew who Jimmy Buffet was (they did not). He proceeded to sing Jimmy Buffet songs until they would admit they knew who he was. I used a coupon for a free appetizer of chicken quesadillas and also ordered a thin crust pizza. Both were average, but very filling.
6/27
We had a departure at 3:55 p.m., but that left plenty of time to use our 2 free buffets from the American Casino Guide for the Tropicana. Arriving at 10:45, we got to try a bit of breakfast and the lunch they brought out shortly after 11 a.m. This was our best meal on the trip. Everything was fresh and properly cooked. I sampled fresh fruit, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and enjoyed it all. I did not try it, but there is also an omlet station with a chef. At lunch, they brought out gourmet pasta, jumbo shrimp, sushi, beef skewers, rice, and pork chops. The beef skewers were a bit overcooked. The jumbo shrimp were great though, similar to the ones they sell at the Palms at Caesars for $2 a piece. The rice and pork chops were good as well. The atmosphere at Nikki Beach really feels tropical. The remodel has paid off for them.
Before departing, we stopped in the Cosmopolitan to sign up for their players club and were each given $10 in free play, of which we were only able to get $5 back out. We also stopped at the PH one more time to play their Press Your Luck machine, and I finally won a prize, the Macy's mystery prize. I thought it was going to be something big after they insisted on escorting me in, but it was just a Macy's gift card with a random value, $10 in my case.
6/24
I departed via Southwest from FLL at 7 a.m. and arrived on time in LAS at 9:05. A short Taxi ride later, Tanya was at her conference and I was leaving the luggage with the bell station at Harrah's before checking in for 2 comped nights.
After playing the dollar slots a bit and and stopping with a $20 profit, my first mission was to find the shortest path from the Venetian to Harrah's without spending too much time in the heat. Walking from the lobby outside the bus departures at Harrah's, there is a sidewalk leading to a parking garage at the Venetian. Inside, the elevator takes you directly into the shops. On the way out, I stopped for the foot long hot dog at Casino Royale for $2. I should note that a drink is $2.50, more than the hot dog itself.
Once the convention was over for the day, we caught an early dinner at Harrah's buffet using a 2 for 1 coupon. At 5 p.m. there was no line. This is the second time we have eaten here, and consider it to be a middle of the road option. The sushi is terrible, but the Mexican station is good. Crab legs and shrimp were also good, but there was a (rather large) lady in front of me picking out all of the claws and joking with the chef about it. It wasn't too funny for the rest of us in line though!
After dinner is was time for check in. I heard the rooms in the Mardi Gras tower were rennnovated with flat screen TVs and and were nicer than the ones in the Carnival Tower. I requested one and was given the last non smoking room with one queen on the 11th floor. The room did not appear to have any new features, but was very clean and had a decent view of the Mirage Volcano. It was very soundproof as well, except for the guy whistling in the hall at 3 a.m.
We grabbed two 3-day monorail passes for the last event of the night, KA at the MGM Grand. This was our first Cirque show and we were very impressed. The stage is a wonder to behold as it moves in ever angle and the performers are clearly at the top of their class.
6/25
Using my shortcut, Tanya was able to get to the Venetian early and get one of the standby slots for one of the most popular sessions. I used my free time on the dollar slots back at Harrah's and ended down $80 for the day. I also discovered a free spin slot machine, that looks like the one at Planet Hollywood, right outside the entrance of the Casino at the Carnival Court. I won a plastic necklace, but they do have free drinks and slot play as well.
I went on a walk through the strip to the Flamingo the redeem a coupon for 2 tickets to Dirk Arthur. I was told free tickets were not available until the following week. I then caught the monorail to the MGM Grand to see if the shuttle was still running to the Hard Rock outside of the West Wing Bar, but found that it no longer made that route. On the walk back, I found a voucher for 2 tickets to Vinnie Favorito, but later found that he was not performing during my stay.
Dinner this night was at the Flamingo buffet using another 2 for 1 coupon, which I consider to be a notch above Harrah's but still middle of the road. They seemed to have closed one whole area of the buffet near the entrance. The oriental station is better than Harrah's and the crepe station is a nice touch. After finishing, we grabbed two pink cotten candy's on the way out.
Walking over the Planet Hollywood, I saw that they changed their free spin slot into a Press Your Luck game, like the old game show. You can stop on a price square, and if you don't get a whammy symbol, you can give up your prize and try again, keeping whatever you get on the second try. I struck out, but saw prizes ranging from $10-$250 in free play, free drinks, and a Macy's mystery prize.
On the way back, we used a 2 for 1 Eiffel Tower admission at 6:45 (the admission goes up at 7). You can enter anytime before 7:30, so we were able to go up and see the Sunset while the fountain show was playing at the Bellagio.
6/26
This day was my 31st birthday, and it was also the day I had to move my luggage from Harrah's to my comped room at PH, but not before playing a few more slots and stopping down $15. Using the monorail, I was able to cut the distance somewhat, but it was still quite a trek in the heat.
The conference was over early that day, and we were also due to attend the Ribbon of Life benefit show at the Paris Theater. Asking the Total Rewards desk how to get to it, we were given a rude answer of "its in the back", which was actually their Jubilee Theater. We eventually found it on our own just by walking through the shops to the Paris Lobby. One fun celebrity encounter was passing Sigfried in the showroom lobby. The show itself was 3 hours long and involved many of the performers on the stop donating their time. We saw George Wallace, the cast of the Lion King, Fantasy at Luxor, and many other each performing one 10 minute act.
After the show was over, we went into a very long line at the PH check in at 4 p.m. Our room was on the 21st floor and had a nice partial view of the Bellagio Fountains and a good view of the strip in general. Our room was themed after Robocop and had several glass cases with props and posters.
The big event for that night was a private party, courtesy of Teresa from the LV Tripadvisor forums. The party was held at the Foundation Room of Mandalay Bay, which as an absolutely stunning view of the entire strip from the top floor. The club itself is low key and relaxing. I really enjoyed meeting the members from their forum and swapping adventure stories.
On the way back, we stopped in the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand. Seeing a long line, we found open seats at the bar. It was a bit of a surreal experience, as the bartender was having fun with an Australian couple next to us. He kept recommending Margaritaville to them and asking if they knew who Jimmy Buffet was (they did not). He proceeded to sing Jimmy Buffet songs until they would admit they knew who he was. I used a coupon for a free appetizer of chicken quesadillas and also ordered a thin crust pizza. Both were average, but very filling.
6/27
We had a departure at 3:55 p.m., but that left plenty of time to use our 2 free buffets from the American Casino Guide for the Tropicana. Arriving at 10:45, we got to try a bit of breakfast and the lunch they brought out shortly after 11 a.m. This was our best meal on the trip. Everything was fresh and properly cooked. I sampled fresh fruit, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, and enjoyed it all. I did not try it, but there is also an omlet station with a chef. At lunch, they brought out gourmet pasta, jumbo shrimp, sushi, beef skewers, rice, and pork chops. The beef skewers were a bit overcooked. The jumbo shrimp were great though, similar to the ones they sell at the Palms at Caesars for $2 a piece. The rice and pork chops were good as well. The atmosphere at Nikki Beach really feels tropical. The remodel has paid off for them.
Before departing, we stopped in the Cosmopolitan to sign up for their players club and were each given $10 in free play, of which we were only able to get $5 back out. We also stopped at the PH one more time to play their Press Your Luck machine, and I finally won a prize, the Macy's mystery prize. I thought it was going to be something big after they insisted on escorting me in, but it was just a Macy's gift card with a random value, $10 in my case.
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