Tues 27 March 2007
Took off early from Edinburgh and arrived in Heathrow at
1pm. We made our way to terminal 3 where we had a quick bite to eat before
boarding our next flight on United. We got off to a bad start when Jim’s TV and
headphones didn’t work. They couldn’t change our seat so no films for him! (I
did offer to swap seats with him so he could watch a film but he didn’t want
to). I watched A Night at the Museum, The Prestige and Dreamgirls, which were
all very good. We had 2 meals on board – chicken and veg with salad and a roll
followed by ice cream – then a snack before landing of filled roll, crisps and
a Twix. Our flight from Chicago to Las Vegas was very turbulent and the captain
had to climb to a higher level to give us some relief after suffering it for
over half an hour. It’s a wonder we didn’t all throw up! Caught the shuttle bus
to the Imperial Palace and booked in. The girl had to put us in a room at the very rear
of the hotel for one night only as we booked in so late at night, but she’s
reserved us a better room for the remainder of our holiday. She also gave us 2
free breakfast buffets, 2 free dinner buffets and 2 free drinks at the bar. We
nipped next door to Burger King for a quick bite to eat then fell into bed
exhausted at 2.30am as we have been up for 26 hours!
Wed 28 March 2007
Woke up at 6.20am, had showers and made our way to the
breakfast buffet because for some strange reason we were hungry again. I
started off with porridge then scrambled eggs, bacon, sausages, corn beef hash
and French toast followed by a plate of fresh fruit (being good) and then some
orange cheesecake and a choc chip cookie (being bad). We then walked to the
Flamingo and wandered round the Wildlife Habitat (the penguins have been moved
to Dallas Zoo) and the pool
and played a little while in the casino. We then went to Harrah’s for a little while to pass the time whilst we waited for our new room to be ready. At 2pm we went to the key pick-up and were given the key to our new and improved room on the 16th floor facing Caesar’s Palace and the Rio. Our room is split into 2 with settee and chairs in one part and king size bed in the other, also 2 balconies and 2 TVs.
We unpacked and then went for our free dinner buffet. Then it was time to go out for the night – we decided to start off at Caesar’s Palace but enjoyed it so much we stayed there most of the night. We finished off the evening in Harrah’s listening to the duelling pianos. Got to bed at about midnight.
and played a little while in the casino. We then went to Harrah’s for a little while to pass the time whilst we waited for our new room to be ready. At 2pm we went to the key pick-up and were given the key to our new and improved room on the 16th floor facing Caesar’s Palace and the Rio. Our room is split into 2 with settee and chairs in one part and king size bed in the other, also 2 balconies and 2 TVs.
We unpacked and then went for our free dinner buffet. Then it was time to go out for the night – we decided to start off at Caesar’s Palace but enjoyed it so much we stayed there most of the night. We finished off the evening in Harrah’s listening to the duelling pianos. Got to bed at about midnight.
Thurs 29 March
We were awoken early as the alarm clock had been set at 7am
by the person who was in the room before us, so we decided to get up and go
down for our 2 for 1 (ACG coupon) breakfast buffet. We were so tired after it
that we went back to bed and slept till 1pm! We then got ready and went to see
the hotel pool. The weather is a bit cool (66F) but we sat beside it for a wee
while before setting off for the Venetian.
Jim joined the players club and received $10 free slot play (ACG coupon) and turned it into $13.85 cash! We then wandered round the Grand Canal Shoppes and exchanged another ACG coupon for a fun book containing other coupons which included a free bottle of water in one shop and free fries from Nathan’s. After our freebies we wandered up the strip and popped into Walgreen’s to top up the phone card. We stopped off at the Riviera for a while and then made our way up to the Sahara for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon). We then went back to the mini-market that we visited last year beside the Sahara to use the internet for $5 an hour. After that we managed to run for a Deuce bus, which took us back to the Flamingo for $2 each. Spent the rest of the night in the Flamingo playing slots and drinking till 1am.
Jim joined the players club and received $10 free slot play (ACG coupon) and turned it into $13.85 cash! We then wandered round the Grand Canal Shoppes and exchanged another ACG coupon for a fun book containing other coupons which included a free bottle of water in one shop and free fries from Nathan’s. After our freebies we wandered up the strip and popped into Walgreen’s to top up the phone card. We stopped off at the Riviera for a while and then made our way up to the Sahara for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon). We then went back to the mini-market that we visited last year beside the Sahara to use the internet for $5 an hour. After that we managed to run for a Deuce bus, which took us back to the Flamingo for $2 each. Spent the rest of the night in the Flamingo playing slots and drinking till 1am.
Fri 30 March
Had breakfast in McDonald’s and then returned to our room
for showers. We then sat by the pool as the weather is much warmer today. We
went to The Mirage to book tickets to see Love and wandered round the hotel for
a while looking at the Beatles memorabilia and the white tigers.
Then it was time to set off for our walk to Terribles. We signed up for the slot club and got a free t-shirt each and then waited till after 4pm to go for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon). Played a few slots when we were finished eating but our money didn’t last long. We had a couple of free drinks from the bar (fun book) and went and sat in the race and sports book to drink them. Then we walked back to the strip and visited Bally’s and then Paris. When we left Paris we watched a couple of fountain shows at the Bellagio
before coming back to the Imperial Palace. We enjoyed the Dealertainers (croupiers who dress up like celebrities and every so often go up onto a podium to sing like them) and went to bed at 2am.
Then it was time to set off for our walk to Terribles. We signed up for the slot club and got a free t-shirt each and then waited till after 4pm to go for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon). Played a few slots when we were finished eating but our money didn’t last long. We had a couple of free drinks from the bar (fun book) and went and sat in the race and sports book to drink them. Then we walked back to the strip and visited Bally’s and then Paris. When we left Paris we watched a couple of fountain shows at the Bellagio
before coming back to the Imperial Palace. We enjoyed the Dealertainers (croupiers who dress up like celebrities and every so often go up onto a podium to sing like them) and went to bed at 2am.
Sat 31 March
Had breakfast from McDonald’s in our room this morning then
lay beside the pool for an hour. We then phoned home before setting off down
the strip. First stop was the Bellagio where we watched 2 fountain shows and
visited their conservatory.
We then strolled down to the Monte Carlo where we had a 2 for 1 meal in Nathan’s (ACG coupon). We then visited New York New York, MGM and Planet Hollywood/Aladdin before watching 2 more fountain shows. We then made our way back to the Imperial Palace and spent the night watching the Dealertainers and playing the slots.
We met a couple from Manchester who now live in Blackpool and spoke to them for a couple of hours. We finally got to bed at 2.30am.
We then strolled down to the Monte Carlo where we had a 2 for 1 meal in Nathan’s (ACG coupon). We then visited New York New York, MGM and Planet Hollywood/Aladdin before watching 2 more fountain shows. We then made our way back to the Imperial Palace and spent the night watching the Dealertainers and playing the slots.
We met a couple from Manchester who now live in Blackpool and spoke to them for a couple of hours. We finally got to bed at 2.30am.
Sun 1 April
Got up at 8.30am and had a brisk walk down to Terribles for
our free breakfast which turned out to be champagne brunch! When we got back to
our hotel we were so tired that we went back to bed and didn’t wake up till
3.50pm! Showered and went for something to eat at Panda Express then wandered
down to Planet Hollywood/Aladdin to play their free slot tournament. I scored
over 5,000 and qualified for a free mug! We then had a drink and made our way
back up the strip to The Mirage to see the Cirque Du Soleil show Love based on
the Beatles music. It was spectacular but not as good as Le Reve last year.
Mon 2 April
Got up at 7am and went for a quick breakfast at McDonald’s
before catching our 8.15am bus to Laughlin. Our driver, Alvin, gave us a
running commentary of sights on the way there and was a bit of a comedian. We
arrived at Laughlin at 10.20am and wandered along the Colorado River. We booked
a river boat cruise for 11.30am which took us upstream to Laughlin Bridge and
then downstream to Harrah’s Hotel before returning us to the Edgewater Hotel.
We had a leisurely walk along the river as far as the River Palms Hotel and
then returned to the Colorado Belle for a pizza and coke followed by a 3
flavour ice-cream.
We then walked over the to factory outlet shops and then had a quick look round Aquarius Hotel. Our final stop was the Ramada Express where we had a free ride on their train which goes right round the hotel.
Then it was time to catch our coach back to Las Vegas. Our journey back was just as enjoyable as our journey to Laughlin. Alvin put a video on of a comedian who was very funny which passed the time quickly. We got off the bus at Planet Hollywood/Aladdin and went in to have our free slot pull and 5 minutes slot tournament. This time Jim won a mug! Had a few drinks and played slots there before making our way to Burger King in O’Sheas for a very late dinner.
We then walked over the to factory outlet shops and then had a quick look round Aquarius Hotel. Our final stop was the Ramada Express where we had a free ride on their train which goes right round the hotel.
Then it was time to catch our coach back to Las Vegas. Our journey back was just as enjoyable as our journey to Laughlin. Alvin put a video on of a comedian who was very funny which passed the time quickly. We got off the bus at Planet Hollywood/Aladdin and went in to have our free slot pull and 5 minutes slot tournament. This time Jim won a mug! Had a few drinks and played slots there before making our way to Burger King in O’Sheas for a very late dinner.
Tues 3 April
Went back to Burger King for breakfast and then had an hour
beside the pool. Relaxed in the casino watching the Dealertainers whilst the
maid made up our room then went for showers. In the afternoon we set off to
walk to the Hilton.
Jim entered a slot tournament for the over 55s and did very well. He was lying 3rd or 4th after the second session but ended up out of the winner places. We then went for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon) before walking to the Sahara for our free slot pull and then half an hour each on the internet. We caught the monorail back to the Imperial Palace and had a couple of drinks whilst playing the slots.
Jim entered a slot tournament for the over 55s and did very well. He was lying 3rd or 4th after the second session but ended up out of the winner places. We then went for our 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon) before walking to the Sahara for our free slot pull and then half an hour each on the internet. We caught the monorail back to the Imperial Palace and had a couple of drinks whilst playing the slots.
Wed 4 April
Got up at 7am for our bus trip to Primm. Had breakfast in
the Burger Palace in our hotel and then set off at 8.15am. The bus journey
wasn’t as comfortable as the air conditioning was on full blast and I was
frozen (didn’t bring a cardigan this time) plus the driver put a really noisy
western film video on for us to watch as his microphone was broken. Arrived at
Primm at 9.15am and the bus dropped us off at Buffalo Bill’s. We had a wander
round and then took the monorail over to Primm Valley Resort. After a look
round there we found a display of Bonnie and Clyde’s car (the one they were
shot and killed in) and also Al Capone’s car.
We took another monorail to Whiskey Pete’s.
Had a look round there then went back to Primm Valley Resort where Jim watched the football and I played slots. At 2pm we had a quick look round the factory outlet shops (we forgot they were there or we would have gone sooner). After that we had our free buffet lunch – more food!
Our bus left at 3.15pm and we were subjected to the second half of the noisy film (minus picture as it had malfunctioned). We were glad to arrive back at Planet Hollywood/Aladdin for our free slot pull and 5 minutes slot tournament – no prizes this time. We then watched a fountain show and went into Paris for a while for a coffee. We then popped into Bill’s to see Big Elvis sing – and yes he is really big (has to sit down to sing). After that it was the Flamingo and then back to our hotel to open my birthday cards and presents.
We then went to Subway/Burger King for a late dinner. We spent our night in Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and Imperial Palace.
We took another monorail to Whiskey Pete’s.
Had a look round there then went back to Primm Valley Resort where Jim watched the football and I played slots. At 2pm we had a quick look round the factory outlet shops (we forgot they were there or we would have gone sooner). After that we had our free buffet lunch – more food!
Our bus left at 3.15pm and we were subjected to the second half of the noisy film (minus picture as it had malfunctioned). We were glad to arrive back at Planet Hollywood/Aladdin for our free slot pull and 5 minutes slot tournament – no prizes this time. We then watched a fountain show and went into Paris for a while for a coffee. We then popped into Bill’s to see Big Elvis sing – and yes he is really big (has to sit down to sing). After that it was the Flamingo and then back to our hotel to open my birthday cards and presents.
We then went to Subway/Burger King for a late dinner. We spent our night in Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace and Imperial Palace.
Thurs 5 April
Got up late and just managed to catch breakfast in
McDonald’s. We then spent time at the pool before showering. We booked tickets
for Vinnie Favorito at O’Sheas for tonight at 9.30pm. We then caught the
shuttle bus to The Orleans. We strolled round and then had a 2 for 1 dinner
buffet (ACG coupon) and then caught the shuttle bus to the Gold Coast and
walked to the Palms to use our $10 free slot play (ACG coupon) which we turned
into $11.70 cash. Then it was time to catch the shuttle bus back to the hotel
and change for our 9.30pm show. We bought 2 lagers for $1 each and took them up
to the showroom. Vinnie was very funny and picked on nearly all of the audience
including us! We got our free t-shirt and CD which Vinnie signed. We then
returned to our hotel and spent the night playing slots and listening to the
Dealertainers. Got to bed at 2.30am.
Fri 6 April
Got up late and had breakfast in Subway. We then spent an
hour at the pool sunbathing before having showers. Then it was time to go to
the Mac King Comedy Magic Show. He was just as good as last year. We then
changed and caught the Deuce bus downtown. When we arrived we picked up our
free fun books and went for our 2 for 1 buffet at the Plaza (ACG coupon). After
that we watched daredevil motorcyclists perform amazing jumps at the end of
Fremont Street.
We then went to the Golden Nugget to sign up for our $10 of free slot play each from the fun book. I won $16.40 and Jim won $13.40.
We only watched one lightshow as there was a group playing so they must have cancelled the 10pm one. (It’s the weekend of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is being held downtown so there are all sorts of entertainment on). We caught the Deuce bus back to our hotel and played the slots and watched the Dealertainers for the rest of the night. Went to bed at 2.30am.
We then went to the Golden Nugget to sign up for our $10 of free slot play each from the fun book. I won $16.40 and Jim won $13.40.
We only watched one lightshow as there was a group playing so they must have cancelled the 10pm one. (It’s the weekend of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which is being held downtown so there are all sorts of entertainment on). We caught the Deuce bus back to our hotel and played the slots and watched the Dealertainers for the rest of the night. Went to bed at 2.30am.
Sat 7 April
Got up late again and went for breakfast at Subway. Spent an
hour at the pool and actually managed to go in for a swim today!
We then got changed and caught the shuttle bus to the Gold Coast. It’s a Rockabilly Weekend so everyone was dressed up in clothes from the 1950s. We watched the ten pin bowling for a while before going over to the Rio. On the way over we noticed loads of old American cars and hundreds of people in the parking lot – part of the Rockabilly weekend.
We watched the 4pm Masquerade in the Sky Show and looked round a $10 shop before catching the shuttle bus back to Harrah’s.
We returned to our room to change and then walked down to Ellis Island for dinner. We both had the Steak Special (cream of broccoli soup and steak with all the trimmings for $4.95 each). We then walked back to our hotel and played the slots and watched the Dealertainers again.
We then got changed and caught the shuttle bus to the Gold Coast. It’s a Rockabilly Weekend so everyone was dressed up in clothes from the 1950s. We watched the ten pin bowling for a while before going over to the Rio. On the way over we noticed loads of old American cars and hundreds of people in the parking lot – part of the Rockabilly weekend.
We watched the 4pm Masquerade in the Sky Show and looked round a $10 shop before catching the shuttle bus back to Harrah’s.
We returned to our room to change and then walked down to Ellis Island for dinner. We both had the Steak Special (cream of broccoli soup and steak with all the trimmings for $4.95 each). We then walked back to our hotel and played the slots and watched the Dealertainers again.
Sun 8 April
Got up, had showers and met Roy and Jess (our American
friends) at Treasure Island for buffet breakfast at 9am. We chatted for quite a
while and then we left them at 11am so that they could go golfing. We then
walked all the way up to the Sahara stopping off at the Wynn and the Riviera
(for a rest). We had coffee in McDonald’s and then had an hour each on the
internet. We then spent some time shopping for souvenirs in the Biggest Gift
Shop in the World before returning to our hotel on the monorail. We set off in
plenty of time to meet Roy and Jess and on the way down to the MGM we called in
at Planet Hollywood/Aladdin to do our usual free slot play and slot tournament.
We were gobsmacked when Jim’s free pull won us tickets to see “Stomp Out Loud”.
By the time we’d exchanged the piece of paper given to us for a voucher to take
back to the box office we were running late again! We arrived at Fiamma
(Italian Restaurant in the MGM) at 7.35pm only 5 minutes late. We had a drink
at the bar first and then took our seats at the table for our meal. Jess did
the ordering and loads of plates arrived and we all had a bit of everything.
After our meal we took the monorail to Bally’s and watched a couple of fountain
shows as Roy hadn’t seen the fountains before. We then walked back to our hotel
and were looking forward to showing Roy and Jess the Dealertainers but it was
very quiet in the casino and we only heard a couple of singers perform. We had
one drink and said our goodnights. Jim and I had a quick session on the slots
and won $15 for a change!
Mon 9 April
Got up and had breakfast in McDonald’s then spent an hour at
the pool and I had another swim. We then went down to Planet Hollywood/Aladdin
and had another pull on the free slot. To our utter amazement I was lucky
enough to win 2 tickets to Stomp Out Loud this time plus $5 slot play. Then Jim
pulled it and he won a souvenir of an Aladdin tote bag! We did some souvenir
shopping in the Miracle Mile Shops before walking up to Paris to go up the
Eiffel Tower with a 2 for 1 coupon from the fun book for joining the Imperial
Palace Players Club. The view from the top was amazing and we stayed up long
enough to see the first fountain show of the day at the Bellagio.
We then walked back to our hotel and phoned Roy and Jess to let them know we had booked for the 6pm performance of Stomp and arranged to meet them at the showroom at 5.30pm. The show was very good and after it was finished we decided to go to the buffet in the hotel.
We ate too much once again and then walked back to our hotel watching one fountain show on the way. We said our goodbyes to Roy and Jess and went upstairs to pack. We had one final go on the slots and stayed up way too late.
We then walked back to our hotel and phoned Roy and Jess to let them know we had booked for the 6pm performance of Stomp and arranged to meet them at the showroom at 5.30pm. The show was very good and after it was finished we decided to go to the buffet in the hotel.
We ate too much once again and then walked back to our hotel watching one fountain show on the way. We said our goodbyes to Roy and Jess and went upstairs to pack. We had one final go on the slots and stayed up way too late.
Tues 10 April
Got up and had showers before our quick visit to the Auto
Collection on the 5th floor of our hotel.
We then had a quick breakfast in the Burger Palace with our comps and used the rest up in the gift shop. We checked out and caught the shuttle bus back to the airport. Our flight was a bit late taking off and landing in Chicago so we had a bit of a rush to get to our connecting flight for Heathrow. The flight went well and I actually managed to get about 3 hours sleep after watching the film Freedom Writers and having a meal of beef, vegetables and potatoes plus choc cake. We had quite a long wait for our next flight to Edinburgh but it was on time.
More photos:-
We then had a quick breakfast in the Burger Palace with our comps and used the rest up in the gift shop. We checked out and caught the shuttle bus back to the airport. Our flight was a bit late taking off and landing in Chicago so we had a bit of a rush to get to our connecting flight for Heathrow. The flight went well and I actually managed to get about 3 hours sleep after watching the film Freedom Writers and having a meal of beef, vegetables and potatoes plus choc cake. We had quite a long wait for our next flight to Edinburgh but it was on time.
More photos:-
