LAS VEGAS TRIP REPORT APRIL/MAY 2011
Tuesday 26 April
Arrived at Edinburgh airport at 8.45am and checked in for
our flight down to London. A friend arranged for us to access the BA lounge so
had a bite to eat and a drink before heading off to our departure gate. Our
flight took off on time and we landed in London about an hour later. We made
our way to board our next flight to San Francisco which is delayed. The girl on
the United desk said that if we missed our connection in SF they would book us
onto a later flight to Las Vegas. Change of plan – we were paged back to the
United desk and they strongly advised us to let them re-route us via Chicago as
there is no guarantee that the SF flight wouldn’t run much later as the plane
hadn’t even arrived yet. We reluctantly agreed so now we have to spend 3 hours
in Chicago and won’t get into Vegas until 23.10 on an American Airlines flight.
I only hope our luggage flies with us and arrives in Chicago. Our flight time
was 9 hours – I’m sure we’ve flown from London to Chicago quicker than that. We
then queued for ages at passport and immigration before thankfully collecting our
luggage and heading off to find the AA check in desk. We checked our luggage in
again and discovered that our flight was delayed by over half an hour whilst it
waited for connecting flights. We finally arrived in Las Vegas just before
midnight, collected our luggage and caught the half past midnight 108 bus which
dropped us off outside the Stratosphere at 1am. We checked in and the chap on
registration gave us an upgrade to the Central Tower. The room is lovely and
has a flat screen TV, fridge and a huge bathroom.
Not much of a view except the
bottom of the Tower as we’re only on the 6th floor. We unpacked and had a bite
to eat in McDs before phoning home. Had a quick gamble on the slots before
finally going to bed at 3.45am.
Wednesday 27 April
Woke up at 9.15am and had breakfast in McDs, then walked
down to the Sahara for a quick look round. No free slot tournament now sadly as
it closes it’s doors for the final time on 16 May. Caught the 204 to Valleyview
and changed to the 104 to walk to the LV Advisor’s offices to collect our
Members Rewards Voucher Book with all our coupons for 2 for 1 buffets. We then
walked down Valleyview to the Gold Coast and Jim watched the end of the Real
Madrid V Barcelona football match. We then used a LVMR coupon for play $10 get
$10 free play, which resulted in a $6 profit thanks to a John Wayne slot.
Bought our usual litre and three quarter bottle of vodka in their gift shop
before catching the 202 and the 108 back to the Stratosphere and relaxed for an
hour or so before getting changed and heading to Terribles for a 2 for 1 buffet
(ACG coupon $8.99 plus tax). Walked to Svenson after running $10 through a slot
in Terribles ($7.50 loss) (We were going to try to play $10 in each casino we
visited this trip but after losing on the first attempt I’m not sure we’ll
stick to it) and caught the 108 bus to the Bonneville Transit Center and bought
30 day bus tickets for us both. ($30 for Jim as he is a senior and $65 for
mine) Caught the Deuce bus back to the Stratosphere and bought some beer and
soft drinks for our fridge in the garage next door. Had a gamble on the slots
before bedtime. The slots are definitely tighter than last year as our money
didn’t get us much play time.
Thursday 28 April
Woke up at 6.45am and decided to get up and have an early
breakfast at McDs. We then had showers and sat at the pool for an hour and a
half. Had an hour on the internet in the store next to the Sahara Hotel and
then caught the 204 and the 107 over to Arizona Charlie’s for a late 2 for 1
lunch buffet (ACG coupon $6.99 + tax) Caught the 107 bus to Downtown and
watched the new zip line ride and then called into the Plaza to see what was
happening with it. We spoke to a security guard and he showed us photos of the
new bedrooms and concierge and registration areas on his mobile phone. They
have spent $60 million on the remodelling and the grand opening is on 17
August. After a quick visit to the California we caught the Deuce back to the
Stratosphere. Had lots of drinks in the casino and played the slots till
midnight and were actually in profit at the end of the night.
Friday 29 April
Slept till 9.50am and went to McDs for breakfast. I tried
the new item on their menu – fruit and maple oatmeal (porridge to us) and it
was delicious. We then went up to the pool but it was far too windy and cold so
we chilled out in our room for a bit and watched highlights of the Royal
Wedding. Walked down to the Riviera to check out the price of the food in the
Queen Victoria Pub and also the buffet. Received a new players card as our old
one was out of date. Nipped over to McDs to use the free wifi before walking
down to the Wynn via Walgreens for cough medicine and to try to book tickets
for Le Reve for a friend back home. Bad news – they are on a 2 week vacation
when she is here. We then caught the SDX to the Luxor to enquire about Criss
Angel tickets. The chap told us that it’s not really a Cirque show although
they own it, so it’s really just a magic show. We decided against it and caught
the Deuce up to the Riviera for a 2 for 1 buffet (LVMR coupon) The journey took
50 minutes! The buffet wasn’t up to much but it was OK for 2 for 1. Caught the
Deuce back to the Stratosphere and chilled out before going down to the casino.
Spoke to Carol on the registration desk and she was really pleased to see us.
After we’d spoken she was going on her lunch break – she was working 6.30pm to
2.30am. I don’t envy her working those kind of hours. We played slots till
about midnight.
Saturday 30 April/Sunday 1 May
We’re really choked with the cold and coughing like mad. Up
till now we’ve struggled through with it but it’s now getting us down and we just feel exhausted
all the time. Had my oatmeal in McDs again – wish they served this at home, and
after showers we caught the 204 at Sahara eastbound and changed to the 111 at
McLeod/Pecos. After 45 minutes we arrived at Green Valley Ranch. As soon as we
got there we noticed that lunch buffet was $6.99 and dinner was $12.99 so we
decided to go for a late 2 for 1 lunch (LVMR coupon). We then had a look round
the hotel and went out to their pool area which was very impressive – lots of
fresh flowers, a pool with a sandy beach, a beautiful white bridge over a pool
and a view of the Strip in the distance.
We took loads of photos and then went
up to the parking garage which had wonderful views of the mountains and the
Strip in the distance. When we left the casino we had a quick look at the
shopping area opposite the casino called The District, before catching the 5pm
111 bus and transferring to the 204 at Sahara. Bought some tonic water,
cranberry juice and a jug of water in the Biggest Gift Shop in the World and
headed back to the Stratosphere. Relaxed in our room until it was time for the
slots. Got to bed at about midnight and I slept for about an hour before waking
up coughing. I took some cough medicine and then sat beside the door to the
room reading so as not to disturb Jim. Don’t know how many tissues I got
through – probably a small tree’s worth! At about 4am Jim woke up so I went
back to bed and managed to sleep intermittently until about 6.45am when Jim got
up to go to watch a soccer match at the Sports Book and asked if I wanted
breakfast. He brought me some oatmeal and orange juice in bed as I was starving
– having eaten nothing since 3pm yesterday. Jim went to watch his soccer and I
managed to sleep till about 10am. Still felt lousy so stayed in bed until 1pm.
Jim feels really bad as well – we make a right pair. Got dressed and caught the
204 over to the Palace Station. Sat in the Sports Book for a while to rest and
then went up to the Feast Buffet and had a 2 for 1 Sunday Brunch (LVMR coupon
$9.99 + tax) When we came back down we thought we’d have $10 on the slots. We
ended up cashing out $32 thanks to some loose slots and $20 won on the random
Jumbo Reel bonus. We then caught the 204 back to the Strip and walked to the
CVS Pharmacy and spent all our winnings on cold cure, cough medicine, a nose
inhaler and menthol cough sweets. Rested for a while in our room before heading
down to play the slots. Turned on the TV just prior to leaving the room to
discover that US Navy Seals killed OBL.
Monday 2 May
Slept from midnight until 8.45am and got up and had
breakfast in the McDs at Sahara. Went back to the Strat and phoned home. We
were so exhausted with our colds that we then went back to the room and slept
for another couple of hours. We then sat at the pool for a while before
catching the 108 to the BTC and then the 106 to Texas Station for a 2 for 1
buffet (LVMR coupon $9.99 + tax)
We then had a look round the casino and went
next door briefly to Fiesta Rancho before catching the bus back to the Strat.
Had another disastrous night at the slots.
Tuesday 3 May
Had a good nights sleep and didn’t wake up till 11am. Thank
goodness we seem to be improving healthwise. Had brunch in McDs and then sat at
the pool for a while. Made a couple of phonecalls home and then caught the SDX
to the Cosmopolitan. Signed up for a players card and received $10 each in free
play. Jim made $4.65 off his on a Monkeys slot and I made $11.57 off mine on a
Cats slot – thanks Cosmo! Had a long wander round and took loads of photos –
the hotel is really beautiful and quite different from anywhere else.
We then
walked past the Bellagio, watched the fountains and then crossed over to
Bally’s where we walked up to the Flamingo to book free tickets for Dirk Arthur
Wild Magic at O’Sheas on Monday using a coupon from a free magazine. We then
went to the Imperial Palace 2 for 1 buffet (LVMR coupon $18.99 + tax) before
walking through the Carnival Court. There was a $1 million slot pull at Harrahs
so we tried our hand at it. Jim won a $20 dining food voucher and I won a LV
souvenir. We then walked over to the Mirage
briefly stopping to watch the
volcano erupting. Took the tram to TI and then the walkway to the Fashion Show
Mall, then the walkway to Wynn where we caught the SDX to Downtown. We spoke to
Gloria and Ivy, the lovely cocktail waitresses, in the Golden Gate and they
remembered us from last year. We accumulated 100 points actually gaining $2.67
in the process and then used our ACG coupon to get $25 free play. We split it
into 5 x $5 on 5 different slots and came away with a profit of $16.22 –
wonders will never cease. We then caught the SDX back to the Stratosphere and
retired for the night.
Wednesday 4 May
Jim brought breakfast from McDs to our room and then we had
showers and watched CNN about the debate about releasing photos of OBL. Went
down to the Sports Book and Jim watched the 2nd half of the Manchester United
soccer match whilst I read my book. Went to the pool for an hour before
catching the SDX to the Fashion Show Mall. Walked through TI and caught the
tram to the Mirage where we booked tickets for LOVE for my friend back home
(LOVE was her second choice after Le Reve). We then walked through Caesars into
the Bellagio where we visited the Conservatory.
We then popped into the
Cosmopolitan again to use their free wifi before going to the Hard Rock Cafe
where we had our prepaid meal. (We paid for it with cashback from our credit
card travel pounds). We both had the honey glazed chicken sandwich with
coleslaw, fries, bacon and cheese. What a huge plateful we got. We ordered tea
to go with it which was renewed 2 or 3 times. Our dessert was a huge piece of
chocolate cheesecake with cream. We couldn’t even finish it.
We caught the SDX
outside back to the Stratosphere. We got chatting to 2 girls from Louisiana on
the bus, who were going to go up the Strat Tower so we showed them where to go
and ended up going up the tower with them. They were really nice girls and
after we’d seen all there was to see at the top we asked them if they wanted us
to take them Downtown and show them around down there. They were up for that
and we got there about 9.30pm so showed them the zip line first and then went
up to Binions where we all had our photos taken with the $1 million. We moved
further up towards the Plaza and watched the Chinese gentleman making copies of
peoples faces out of clay. Then the 10pm Queen lightshow came on so we watched
that. We then went down to collect our photos from Binions and we were going to
leave the girls to have something to eat but they decided that they were really
tired and wanted to go back to the Bellagio. We all hopped on the SDX and said
goodbye when we got off at the Strat. They were so grateful for everything we’d
done for them as they wouldn’t have gone Downtown without us. We played slots
until 1.45am
Thursday 5 May
Awoke at 11.20am and the phone was flashing. We discovered
that they wanted us to change our room as the Fire Service were coming in to
check that room. We moved up to the 23rd floor same room number and now have a
beautiful view of the Strip, the pool and all the Sky Jumpers who hurl
themselves off the top of the tower every few minutes.
Caught the SDX to the
Cosmopolitan and spent some time on the free wifi checking emails. Walked over
to City Center and spent ages walking round taking film and photos.
We then
walked down to the Hard Rock Cafe to catch the SDX bus back to the Strat to get
changed to go Downtown. Went to the Golden Nugget for a 2 for 1 buffet (LVMR
coupon $18.99 + tax) before walking down to El Cortez to use a $10 free play
from the LVMR book and a $10 free play from the ACG. Jim won $6.25 from an
Uncle Sam slot and I won $3.50 from a Da Vinci Diamonds slot. We then walked up
to the 4 Queens to use a $10 free play (LVMR book) – played it on Benny’s Big
Game slot and won $6. Then it was on to the Golden Gate to accumulate 100 points
on my card this time and get $25 free play (ACG coupon) Total profit overall
was $12.45. We then walked over to the Vegas Club and used a $5 free play
coupon (ACG) and $6 free play from our points. We made $9.63 on a Noah’s Ark
and a Kitty Glitter slot. Caught the SDX back to the Strat and watched the sky
jumpers for a while from our bedroom window. We have a live feed of the jumpers
on channel 31 so we know when to look out for them! We can also hear the
screams as they go past!
Friday 6 May
Had breakfast in our room then showered and spent an hour at
the pool reading and playing their beanbag game.
We then spent an hour at the
internet cafe and then phoned home from the Sahara. Caught the 204 over to
Boulder Highway and then the 107 down to Sam’s Town. Went in to see if a friend
of a friend, Ann, was working in Bogart’s Leather store but she had finished
for the day so we went back outside and caught the 107 back up to Boulder
Station where we had their 2 for 1 buffet (LVMR coupon $9.99 + tax). Caught the
107 and then the 204 over to Palace Station as Jim has entries in the draw at
8.15pm. We played slots for a while waiting for the draw. No luck on the draw
but we were $11.15 in profit on the slots. Caught the 204 back to the Strip and
walked back to the Strat via the garage for water and cranberry juice. Played
slots with the usual outcome.
Saturday 7 May
Got up late and had lunch in McDs at Sahara and checked our
emails. We then headed off to Sam’s Town again to meet Ann at the Bogarts
Leather store. We chatted with her for about 20 minutes until her shift
finished. She was ever so pleased to have finally met up with us. Caught the
107 up Boulder Highway but it broke down just before it got to Fremont Street
so we had to wait for the next one. Got off at the BTC and caught the Deuce to
the Strat. Visited the nearby Burger King for a BOGOFF whopper, fries and 2
senior teas $7.20 inc tax) before coming back to our room to rest and change to
go Downtown to watch the Elvis Tribute contest. Arrived at Fremont Street about
8.30pm and watched the first few Elvis impersonators before walking up to the
Golden Gate for some slot play. Walked back down to the Elvis stage to see the
final result (Johnny Fortuno won) and then caught the SDX back to the Strat.
Sunday 8 May
Jim got up at 8am to watch the Manchester United v Chelsea
soccer match and brought breakfast back to the room when it had finished. He
then went back to sleep whilst I read my book. We had showers and caught the
SDX to the Fashion Show Mall and walked through to Trump Tower.
Had a quick
look round at the registration area and the gift shop before walking back to
the FSM and caught the SDX to the Tropicana. Had a look at the pool area as we
thought it had been upgraded but it looked just the same to us. Walked over to
NYNY in time to catch the new WAX bus all the way to the Sun Coast, where we
had planned to use the 2 for 1 buffet coupon in the LVMR book but unfortunately
we were unable to use it on a holiday – today is Mother’s Day but we didn’t
know it was classed as a holiday. Had a good look round and then caught the
next WAX bus back to the BTC and the SDX to the Strat. Had our meal in Burger
King again (BOGOFF on the chicken sandwich) and a Hershey’s Sundae Pie for me
and a caramel sundae for Jim. Went for a look round the general store next door
and bought more cranberry juice and some 7 Up. Rested in our room until it was
time to gamble. Started off really well on a Shrimpmania slot with a bonus
round for over $20 and then it just went downhill from there as usual.
Monday 9 May
Walked over to Burger King for breakfast. Jim likes it
better than McDs but I prefer the oatmeal/porridge in McDs. It’s a lot cooler
today and it’s raining on and off with big black clouds all over. Caught the
SDX to the BTC and then the 402 to Sunset Station and walked to the 99c store
and then on to Walmart for various items to take home with us. Caught the 402
back to the BTC and then the SDX to the Strat. Got changed and headed off on
the 108 to Terribles for a 2 for 1 buffet (LVMR coupon) and then caught the 202
to the Strip and walked up to O’Sheas for our free show – Dirk Arthur Wild
Magic. We’ve seen him before at the Tropicana about 5 years ago. His act was
very similar and all of his illusions were amazing. He works with tigers,
leopards, a goose, a hen, some doves and a budgie. Due to the small theatre he
now works in he has had to stop the illusion where he makes a helicopter
appear. We walked back to Paris and caught the SDX to Downtown and went to the
Golden Gate where I ordered a hot chocolate with Baileys to warm me up. We also
gambled in the California and the Vegas Club. Today has been the coldest day we
have ever experienced in Las Vegas. It’s down in the 40s tonight with a very
cold wind. During the day it might not even have got up into the 60s.
Tuesday 10 May
Had breakfast in Burger King again then went back to the
Strat for showers. Caught the SDX to Downtown and looked round the souvenir
shops before going for a game of bingo in the Vegas Club – no luck at all. It
cost us $9 each and that was the cheapest. As we had just missed our bus we
decided to walk to the BTC and jump on the 106 there. We took that bus to
Fiesta Rancho and joined the players club and received $3 free play each. I
made $3.30 from mine and Jim make $1.33 from his. We then had their 2 for 1
buffet (LVMR coupon $7.99 + tax). Had a good look round Fiesta and discovered
that it has an ice rink – first one we’ve seen in Las Vegas. There were lots of
children having lessons on it when we were there. Caught the 106 back to the
BTC and then the Deuce to the Strat. We were so exhausted that we had to have a
sleep before we went Downtown. Spent some time in the California and chatted to
Tita, the cocktail waitress, who remembered us from a couple of years ago. Then
nipped into Binions to play on all of our cards to keep them going. We then
caught the SDX bus back to the Strat and spent a little while on the slots.
Wednesday 11 May
Had breakfast in McDs at Sahara and then sat at the pool for
an hour before going up the Tower. Watched a couple of sky jumpers and enjoyed
the view.
It’s lovely and sunny today and the temperature is so much warmer. We
met 3 girls from Livingston (just outside Edinburgh where we live) at the top
of the Tower and chatted to them for quite a while. They had walked all the way
from NYNY where they were staying. We bumped into them again coming down in the
lift so we took them over to the SDX bus stop and showed them where to buy
tickets. They were really grateful as they couldn’t face the long walk back.
They got off at the Fashion Show Mall to check out TI, Mirage, Palazzo and
Venetian. We went on to the Cosmopolitan to find a pay phone to phone home but
they didn’t have any so we had to go next door to the Bellagio. We then walked
up to NYNY and we were going to catch the 201 to the Orleans but the WAX bus
came first so we took it to Downtown, where we had a 2 for 1 buffet for Main
Street Station (internet coupon $10.99 + tax) Had a go on the original Wiz of
Oz slot and a new slot called Little Shop of Horrors and came away -$15. Caught
the SDX bus back to the Strat and packed our cases. We then went down for our
final gambling session and it was no different to all the others ending in a
loss. Got to bed at 1am and have to be up at 8am in the morning.
Thursday 12 May
Had the worst nights sleep ever as I had a severe pain in
the heel of my right foot. Strangely, it seemed to ease if I got up and walked
about on it for a few minutes so that’s what I had to do just about every hour.
Got up at 8am and Jim brought breakfast to the room from McDs. We then checked
out and caught 9.04am 108 bus to the airport. We checked in and cleared
security and caught the tram to our departure gate. Our flight was half an hour
late taking off and it took 5 hours to get to Newark. No free food on the
flight so when we arrived in Newark we were starving. We had something to eat
from Auntie Anne’s and then checked the departure board again only to discover
that our flight is now 2 hours delayed as the original plane has been taken out
of service due to a mechanical fault. The replacement plane is coming in from
Orlando and won’t be arriving until 11pm. Continental then decided to issue $6
food vouchers to everyone – terrific – we’ve just eaten. We waited as long as
we could and took the long walk to McDs as all the food outlets at our gate
closed at 10pm. Our plane took off just after midnight and they served a meal
quite quickly into the flight, which I wasn’t able to eat much of. Slept for
some of the way home and managed to eat breakfast of melon and a croissant with
butter and jam. Finally landed just after midday to cloudy skies and rain!
Pluses
Wonderful comfortable beds in the Stratosphere and both
rooms we had were great.
All the 2 for 1 buffet coupons we had certainly saved us a
load of money
Really loved the Cosmopolitan – every hotel should have wifi
thoughout
The SDX is a real bonus as the Deuce on the Strip is so slow
Minuses
Having such awful colds for most of the first week
The weather was a bit iffy – one day warm the next day cool
with high winds
The slots are definitely a lot tighter than previous years
I think Downtown is definitely getting too crowded with
look-alikes and living statues. You can hardly move for them all
It was a mistake to book 3 flights going over instead of our
usual 2 with Continental. We won’t do that again just to save a small amount of
money