Las Vegas Sept/Oct 2013
Monday 16 September Day 1
Took off from Edinburgh airport at 7.45am for our short
flight down to London Gatwick. We were served a delicious cooked breakfast of
bacon, sausage, mushrooms, tomato and scrambled eggs followed by a roll with
butter and marmalade. Landed at 9am and found our way through Gatwick to
departures and then through security again. Took off on time with an estimated
flight time of 10 and a half hours. Filled in our customs form and then watched
the film Identity Theft. We were served a meal of salad, chicken and mushroom
casserole with pear belle helene for dessert (pear in chocolate mousse). I then
had a sleep for about an hour and then watched The Internship which was quite
funny. After a while we were served sandwiches, a scone with clotted cream
& jam and a drink. We have both felt really quite cold on this flight so
have been grateful for the blanket provided. Can't wait to land and feel the
sunshine. Landed half an hour late and luggage took forever to come through. On the way through from passport control to the baggage carousel there are some wonderful photos of old Vegas on the wall. I decided to take some photos of them before I heard the announcement to say no photography!
We caught the shuttle to terminal 1 and waited for 45 minutes for a bus. So much for the local buses running on time. We checked in and a nice chap on registration gave us an upgrade to a Select room so we have a safe in our remodelled room which is very handy as we have brought a netbook with us for the first time. Had a lie down when we got unpacked but for some strange reason couldn't sleep. Went for a walk to McDs for a bite to eat and to access the free wi-fi to send emails home and collect chips on myvegas! Spent a couple of hours in the casino and amazingly we were up $20. Went to bed at 11.30pm (7.30am uk time) totally exhausted. No doubt we will wake up at about 4am ........
Tuesday 17 September Day 2
We caught the shuttle to terminal 1 and waited for 45 minutes for a bus. So much for the local buses running on time. We checked in and a nice chap on registration gave us an upgrade to a Select room so we have a safe in our remodelled room which is very handy as we have brought a netbook with us for the first time. Had a lie down when we got unpacked but for some strange reason couldn't sleep. Went for a walk to McDs for a bite to eat and to access the free wi-fi to send emails home and collect chips on myvegas! Spent a couple of hours in the casino and amazingly we were up $20. Went to bed at 11.30pm (7.30am uk time) totally exhausted. No doubt we will wake up at about 4am ........
Tuesday 17 September Day 2
Can't believe I slept until 6.30am! We can hear shuttle
buses beeping outside our window and freight trains sounding their horns so if
they start to keep us awake we might ask for a change of room but we'll give it
a few days and see how we get on. Had showers and then breakfasted in McDs. For
those of you who haven't read one of my trip reports before we have breakfast
at McDs every morning as I love the fruit and maple oatmeal - (porridge to me)
and Jim likes his sausage burrito. We have 2 senior hot teas with them and
sometimes some chocolate chip cookies as well all for $5.37 - not a bad deal.
You have to economise if you are here for 24 nights and are booked for 23
nights for next April as well! Walked back to the Strat and relaxed at the pool
before watching a soccer match from home. Ended up having a sleep in our room
for a couple of hours as we were exhausted. Walked along to the Biggest Gift
Shop in the World and caught the Sahara Express to Palace Station for a 2 for 1
buffet. We were just in time for the lunch price so only paid the bargain price
of $7.56 for the 2 of us! Had a quick gamble on their slots and came out $5.75
up. Caught the Sahara Express back to the Strip and then the Deuce to Downtown
where we used $10 free play in El Cortez (won $7.26), $10 free play in 4 Queens
(won $5.58), $5 free play in Las Vegas Club (won $2.05), $5 free play in the
Plaza (won $1.10) and $10 free play in Binions (won $8.85). Jim bought a litre
and three quarters bottle of vodka in the Gift shop in the California for
$13.51 - not Smirnoff but once you add a mixer he says he can't taste the
difference. Took the SDX back to the Stratosphere and gambled for about 3 hours
losing just over $10 so not too bad.
Wednesday 18 September Day 3
Was awoken early by "Casey Jones" tooting his horn on the
6.30am freight train to goodness knows where and the shuttle buses reversing
outside our window. Wandered round to McDs for breakfast and tried to Skype our
son back home but the netbook battery ran out in the middle of the call as we
had forgotten to charge it up - doh! Nipped into the 7/11 for a newspaper and
then spent time at the pool. Watched the end of a soccer match in the Race and
Sports Book and then caught the SDX to Bonneville and transferred onto the BHX
(Boulder Highway Express) to Boulder Station.
Had a look round and lost $5 on the slots then had a late lunch buffet ($8.64 LVA Members Reward coupon 2 for 1). Caught the BHX bus back to Bonneville and then the Deuce back to the Stratosphere. We nearly fell asleep on the bus back so we decided to have a short nap which turned into 2 hours. Gambled in the casino for a few hours and managed a short meet up with Carol from registration before she started work at midnight.
Had a look round and lost $5 on the slots then had a late lunch buffet ($8.64 LVA Members Reward coupon 2 for 1). Caught the BHX bus back to Bonneville and then the Deuce back to the Stratosphere. We nearly fell asleep on the bus back so we decided to have a short nap which turned into 2 hours. Gambled in the casino for a few hours and managed a short meet up with Carol from registration before she started work at midnight.
Thursday 19 September Day 4
Breakfasted in McDs and tried to Skype home again - the
signal isn't very strong but we eventually got through with audio only. We've
been trying to log into myvegas every day to get our daily spin but it takes
forever to load up so we might have to abandon that idea. Spent time at the
pool then snoozed, showered and caught the SDX to the Bellagio to pick up our
premium tickets for "O" for tonight courtesy of myvegas. Walked
through a part of the Bellagio we hadn't seen before past all the conference
rooms and the Gallery of Fine Art which brought us out at the tram station
where we caught the tram to Monte Carlo and then crossed over to the Hard Rock
Cafe for our prebooked prepaid meal. We used cashback from our Thomas Cook
credit card to pay for it. Jim ordered the BBQ pork sandwich and I plumped for
the bacon cheeseburger. After our dessert of ice-cream we crossed back over to
the Monte Carlo and watched the 6.15pm Blue Man Group nightly parade round the casino.
Caught the tram back to the Bellagio and took our seats for our show. All I can say is WOW what a show! We saw it about 5 years ago and either they have changed it so much that I hardly recognised any of it or my memory is really really bad. It was like seeing a brand new show and our premium seats were just perfect – 5 rows from the front. Walked over to Paris and caught the SDX and we were back at the Stratosphere in no time at all. Gambled for a few hours and we were up a little bit.
Friday 20th September Day 5
Caught the tram back to the Bellagio and took our seats for our show. All I can say is WOW what a show! We saw it about 5 years ago and either they have changed it so much that I hardly recognised any of it or my memory is really really bad. It was like seeing a brand new show and our premium seats were just perfect – 5 rows from the front. Walked over to Paris and caught the SDX and we were back at the Stratosphere in no time at all. Gambled for a few hours and we were up a little bit.
Friday 20th September Day 5
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool. Went for a snooze
and then redeemed our free buffet for 2 at Circus Circus courtesy of myvegas.
Caught the Deuce to Caesars Palace and walked down to Ellis Island for play $10
get $10 free play ($8.46 profit). Walked back up to the Strip and caught the
Deuce at Paris back to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours and was down
quite a bit.
Saturday 21 September Day 6
Had breakfast and checked our emails then caught the SDX to
Bonneville and then the BHX to Sam's Town to see our friends Ann and David who
work in the Bogarts Leather store there. We chatted for nearly an hour before
crossing over Boulder Highway to shop in Walmart. Jim bought trainers and I
bought some socks. We then walked up to DDs Big Lots further up Boulder Highway
and had a look round before catching the BHX back to Bonneville and then the
Deuce to the Strat. Bought a meal in McDs and took it up to eat in our room.
Fell asleep again for a couple of hours then showered and gambled for a few
hours.
Sunday 22 September Day 7
Caught the Deuce to the Viva McDs beside Slots a Fun this
morning to see if we could get a better Internet connection. We found it much
faster and emailed our son to say that we would Skype him tomorrow from there.
Spent some time at the pool but it was very windy so we didn't stay long.
Relaxed in our room and fell asleep again as we were awoken very early this
morning with the sound of the wind and doors banging. Caught the SDX to
Downtown and played the 3pm bingo session at the Plaza. No luck as usual!
Walked along to Main Street Station for their 2 for 1 buffet (LVA Members
Rewards coupon $11.88 for 2 of us) and enjoyed it as we always do. Thought we
would try some different slots from the Strat but ended up losing $10 in MSS
and $5 in The California so we decided to go back to the Stratosphere where we
gambled for about 3 hours only losing about $5.
Monday 23 September Day 8
Monday 23 September Day 8
Caught the Deuce to the Viva McDonalds at Slots a Fun for
breakfast and to skype our son back home. It's totally amazing to be able to
see him and speak to him on the other side of the world. Spent some time at the
pool and then caught the SDX to Downtown and did some filming. This is the
first day since we came that the camcorder has been out of the safe! We
returned to our hotel for showers and a snooze before catching the 108 bus to
the Silver Sevens (formerly Terribles) for a 2 for 1 buffet (ACG coupon total
$9.72).
Caught the 202 bus up to the Strip and filmed and took photos of Caesars Palace, The Quad, the volcano at the Mirage, The Venetian, The Palazzo and The Wynn. Caught the Deuce back to the Stratosphere, had a rest and then gambled for a few hours - hardly any wins at all so we were in minus figures as usual.
Tuesday 24 September Day 9
Caught the 202 bus up to the Strip and filmed and took photos of Caesars Palace, The Quad, the volcano at the Mirage, The Venetian, The Palazzo and The Wynn. Caught the Deuce back to the Stratosphere, had a rest and then gambled for a few hours - hardly any wins at all so we were in minus figures as usual.
Tuesday 24 September Day 9
Caught the Deuce along to the Viva McDs at Slots a Fun for
breakfast and to catch up on emails. Caught the Deuce back to the Strat and
spent time at the pool. Took a walk along Main Street to where they filmed The
Hangover III and took some photos then went into the store in which some of the
filming took place.
It sells gamblers supplies and has some old pinball machines. We got talking to the proprietors about all the coupons you can use in Las Vegas plus the facebook game myvegas which they didn't know anything about. We then walked further along to Charleston and caught the 206 bus to Arizona Charlie's Decatur for a 2 for 1 buffet ($9.10 total with ACG coupon). Walked over to Walmart to buy socks for me and nail gel for a friend back home then caught the 206 bus back to Bonneville and then the Deuce to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours and we were in profit for a change!
It sells gamblers supplies and has some old pinball machines. We got talking to the proprietors about all the coupons you can use in Las Vegas plus the facebook game myvegas which they didn't know anything about. We then walked further along to Charleston and caught the 206 bus to Arizona Charlie's Decatur for a 2 for 1 buffet ($9.10 total with ACG coupon). Walked over to Walmart to buy socks for me and nail gel for a friend back home then caught the 206 bus back to Bonneville and then the Deuce to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours and we were in profit for a change!
Wednesday 25 September Day 10
Had breakfast and then went down to The Mirage to book
tickets for Michael Jackson One at MB. We got chatting to the girl in front of
us in the queue and it turned out she comes from Edinburgh as well and was
brought up in a house not far from where we live now. She had also been playing
myvegas and was going to see Zarkana and had already seen Love plus like us she
has a buffet for 2 at Aria. We then sat in the Mirage race and sports book so
that Jim could watch a bit of the Manchester United v Liverpool soccer match. I
passed the time using the MLife free Internet access to send a few emails.
Visited the Sugar Factory to pick up my free box of popcorn courtesy of
myvegas. The assistant made it fresh for us and we got chatting to her about
myvegas. She only found out about it when the Sugar Factory became a partner
and has been playing since then.
We caught the Deuce back to the Strat and spent some time at the pool then after a quick visit to the fitness centre we caught the 108 to Bonneville and then the WAX bus to the Suncoast for a 2 for 1 buffet (LVA Members Reward coupon $14.04 total).
We caught the Deuce back to the Strat and spent some time at the pool then after a quick visit to the fitness centre we caught the 108 to Bonneville and then the WAX bus to the Suncoast for a 2 for 1 buffet (LVA Members Reward coupon $14.04 total).
Very nice buffet with a selection of sorbet flavours for dessert.
Caught the 6.09pm WAX bus back to Bonneville and then the Deuce to the Strat. Only lost about $8 on the slots over a 3 hour period so not too bad.
Thursday 26 September Day 11
Had breakfast and Skyped our son again in the Viva McDs next
to Slots a Fun. Walked back to the Strat as there was a severe shortage of
Deuces and spent time at the pool. Went down the Strip and had our pre-booked,
prepaid meal at the Hard Rock Cafe and as it was windy and quite cold when we
came out we just caught the SDX back to the Strat and relaxed and watched TV
until it was time to go down to gamble. Only lost $11 on the slots so not a bad
result for 3 hours gambling!
Friday 27 September Day 12
Walked to the Viva McDs at Slots a Fun and met a couple from
Scotland on the way there that we had met last year in Las Vegas. We chatted to
them for a while before going for breakfast. Spent a short time at the pool
before catching the SDX to Bonneville and then the HDX to Boulder City. It took
about an hour and a half to get there and we weren't sure what we would find
when we did get there so it was an expedition into the unknown! We asked the
driver to let us off at the city centre however when we got off the bus we were
a bit lost so we asked a chap who was taking his baby for a walk where to go
and he was very helpful. He told us to walk through the adjacent park and climb
some steps to see a beautiful view of Lake Mead which we did.
We then walked further along the main street which had lots of interesting sculptures. There were many Indian craft shops and curious museums. When we felt we had seen everything we went back to the bus stop and caught the bus back towards Las Vegas. We got off at the Fiesta Hotel & Casino in Henderson and went in for their buffet with a 2 for 1 coupon (LVA Members Reward). After a look round the casino and a quick gamble on a couple of slots we caught the 7.10pm bus back to Bonneville and then the SDX to the Strat. We were back in our room by 8pm. Had showers and then gambled for a few hours.
We then walked further along the main street which had lots of interesting sculptures. There were many Indian craft shops and curious museums. When we felt we had seen everything we went back to the bus stop and caught the bus back towards Las Vegas. We got off at the Fiesta Hotel & Casino in Henderson and went in for their buffet with a 2 for 1 coupon (LVA Members Reward). After a look round the casino and a quick gamble on a couple of slots we caught the 7.10pm bus back to Bonneville and then the SDX to the Strat. We were back in our room by 8pm. Had showers and then gambled for a few hours.
Saturday 28 September Day 13
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool. Took time out to
do some laundry and relax before having a light dinner in McDs instead of a
buffet. Gambled for a few hours and saw someone winning a progressive jackpot
of $242,803.41 on a 25c wheel of fortune slot. She was playing $3 a spin. As
you can imagine there was a lot of cheering and shouting before all the
Stratosphere personnel turned up.
Sunday 29 September Day 13
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool.
As we had run out of sun screen we decided to go to Walmart on Boulder Highway to get more and also buy more nail gel for a friend at home and cigars for one of Jim's friends back home. Caught the bus back and went straight to Circus Circus for our second free buffet courtesy of myvegas. We then walked back to the Strat fell asleep, showered and gambled for a few hours.
As we had run out of sun screen we decided to go to Walmart on Boulder Highway to get more and also buy more nail gel for a friend at home and cigars for one of Jim's friends back home. Caught the bus back and went straight to Circus Circus for our second free buffet courtesy of myvegas. We then walked back to the Strat fell asleep, showered and gambled for a few hours.
Monday 30 September Day 14
Had an early breakfast and caught the bus down to the
Hawaiian Marketplace where we met up with a couple from England that we had got
to know via the competition forums that I frequent. I had mentioned about
myvegas and they started playing along and as they were here the same time as
us we arranged to meet up with them as it was their first time in Vegas. We
took them over to the Monte Carlo to pick up their MLife cards and then took
the tram to Crystals, Aria and then the Bellagio.
We then visited the Cosmopolitan and crossed over to Planet Hollywood and had a bite to eat in McDonalds.
We then visited the Cosmopolitan and crossed over to Planet Hollywood and had a bite to eat in McDonalds.
We then walked up to Paris and through to Ballys then over the
walkway to the Flamingo to see the Wildlife Habitat. We saw the
Dealertainers in the Quad, walked past the Carnival Court through Harrahs
and on to the Venetian and the Palazzo. We caught the Deuce outside the
Wynn up to the Stratosphere and showed our friends the wonderful view from
the top of the Tower and all the thrill rides
before putting them on a Deuce down to Circus Circus so they could
have their buffet there courtesy of myvegas. We nipped down the road to
Burger King for a bite to eat then rested for a while before going
down to gamble for a few hours.
Tuesday 1 October Day 15
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool. Had showers and
watched some TV about the US government shutdown then caught the Deuce down to
Aria for our dinner buffet for 2 courtesy of myvegas. The buffet is $33.99 plus
tax (I think) and to be honest I don't think it's worth that amount. The soup
was barely warm as was the little basket of fish and chips that we both had.
The desserts were delicious though.
We then caught the Deuce down to the MGM Grand to see Ka courtesy of myvegas. We saw it about 3 or 4 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it once more. We then walked through to the monorail where we both had 1 free ride courtesy of myvegas which took us to the old Sahara stop where we caught the SDX round to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours.
We then caught the Deuce down to the MGM Grand to see Ka courtesy of myvegas. We saw it about 3 or 4 years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it once more. We then walked through to the monorail where we both had 1 free ride courtesy of myvegas which took us to the old Sahara stop where we caught the SDX round to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours.
Wednesday 2 October Day 16
Had breakfast and relaxed at the pool. Jim watched the 2nd
half of the Manchester United soccer match in the race and sports book while I
watched a bit of TV. Had a snooze and then caught the 108 bus to the Silver
Sevens (formerly Terribles) for a 2 for 1 buffet ($9.72 LVA Members reward
coupon). Caught the 202 bus to Caesars Palace and walked past the Bellagio
fountains and listened to Elton John's Your Song before catching the SDX to
Excalibur. We then walked along to Hooters and played $10 of free play (LVA
Members Reward coupon) through and came away with $6.67. Walked back to
Excalibur and caught the free tram to Mandalay Bay to see the Michael Jackson
One Cirque Du Soleil show.
It was amazing as are all the Cirque shows but also very emotional for us as our son, Scott, who passed away 3 years ago, aged 25, was a big Michael Jackson fan and one of the songs we had played at his funeral was Man In The Mirror, which was in the show and featured a hologram of Michael Jackson. We both walked out with tears in our eyes. Gambled for a few hours when we got back to the Stratosphere and watched someone winning $900 from a 1 line 10 x bet for a total cost of just 10cents!
It was amazing as are all the Cirque shows but also very emotional for us as our son, Scott, who passed away 3 years ago, aged 25, was a big Michael Jackson fan and one of the songs we had played at his funeral was Man In The Mirror, which was in the show and featured a hologram of Michael Jackson. We both walked out with tears in our eyes. Gambled for a few hours when we got back to the Stratosphere and watched someone winning $900 from a 1 line 10 x bet for a total cost of just 10cents!
Thursday 3 October Day 17
Walked down to the Viva McDs at Circus Circus again for
breakfast then walked back to the Stratosphere and lay at the pool for a while.
Caught the SDX to Fremont Street and walked around all the souvenier shops
until it was time to catch the 106 bus to Texas Station for a 2 for 1 buffet
(LVA Members Reward coupon $10.80). Came out of Texas Station and nearly got
blown away with the high winds which had got up. Caught the bus back had
showers and gambled for a few hours.
Friday 4 October Day 18
Had breakfast at the Viva McDs and Skyped our son. Caught
the Deuce down to the Mirage and picked up our 2nd box of popcorn at the Sugar
Factory before crossing over
and walking back up to the Venetian to see the gondolas on the inside canal which has now reopened. Walked through the Palazzo and over to the Fashion Show Mall to buy some Clinique items for a friend back home. Caught the Deuce back to the Stratosphere and rested in our room. We skipped the pool today as it's still quite breezy and the temperatures have dropped down into the low 70s. Decided to have a game of bingo so after a quick bite to eat in McDs we set off for the Plaza downtown. As per usual no wins for us but we enjoyed our game nevertheless. Popped into Binions and Jim bought a fleece jacket for $15 in their "blowout" sale.
Watched the 7pm light show which was the very patriotic "Proud to be an American/God Bless the USA" and then caught the SDX back to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours with the usual result.
Saturday 5 October Day 19
and walking back up to the Venetian to see the gondolas on the inside canal which has now reopened. Walked through the Palazzo and over to the Fashion Show Mall to buy some Clinique items for a friend back home. Caught the Deuce back to the Stratosphere and rested in our room. We skipped the pool today as it's still quite breezy and the temperatures have dropped down into the low 70s. Decided to have a game of bingo so after a quick bite to eat in McDs we set off for the Plaza downtown. As per usual no wins for us but we enjoyed our game nevertheless. Popped into Binions and Jim bought a fleece jacket for $15 in their "blowout" sale.
Watched the 7pm light show which was the very patriotic "Proud to be an American/God Bless the USA" and then caught the SDX back to the Stratosphere. Gambled for a few hours with the usual result.
Saturday 5 October Day 19
Had breakfast and lay at the pool for a while as it's
slightly warmer today. Went to the Plaza for the 3pm bingo session but no luck
once more. Caught the BDX down to Sam's Town for their 2 for 1 buffet (LVA
Members Reward coupon total $10.80). it wasn't until we got in line that we
discovered that it was steak night. We were pleasantly surprised by the choice
of steak offered - sirloin or rib-eye and you could choose from rare, medium
and well done. Jim had sirloin well done and I had rib-eye well done and they
were both delicious and very tender. In fact we would go as far as to say they
were the best steaks we have ever eaten. Caught the BDX back to Bonneville and
then the Deuce back to the Strat. Gambled for a few hours and we were actually
in profit by $12 at the end of the night for a change.
Sunday 6 October Day 20
Got up an hour early to meet Carol who works on the
Stratospere registration for breakfast in McDs. She does the graveyard shift
from midnight to 8am so had just finished work. We sat and had a wonderful chat
with her and it was lovely to get to know her better. We usually get to say a
quick hello to her just before she starts work.
We then spent time at the pool and did some more laundry. Had a bite to eat in the McDs at Sahara and we thought we'd stumbled across an episode of Cops as we could see a situation developing outside the window across the street with lots of police cars. After a while a cop van with K9 arrived so we presumed this was the dog handling team. When we left there was a helicopter circling overhead and a paramedic van plus a fire engine had also arrived. We didn't discover what had happened as the SDX arrived and we took that to the Bellagio where we filmed the conservatory and a fountain song (Viva Las Vegas) before walking along to the Monte Carlo to film the Blue Man Group parade at 6.15pm. They go once round the casino then they stop at the entrance to their theater to play for a little while then back into the exit of their theater where they came out from. We then crossed the road and caught the Deuce back up to the Strat and gambled for a few hours.
We then spent time at the pool and did some more laundry. Had a bite to eat in the McDs at Sahara and we thought we'd stumbled across an episode of Cops as we could see a situation developing outside the window across the street with lots of police cars. After a while a cop van with K9 arrived so we presumed this was the dog handling team. When we left there was a helicopter circling overhead and a paramedic van plus a fire engine had also arrived. We didn't discover what had happened as the SDX arrived and we took that to the Bellagio where we filmed the conservatory and a fountain song (Viva Las Vegas) before walking along to the Monte Carlo to film the Blue Man Group parade at 6.15pm. They go once round the casino then they stop at the entrance to their theater to play for a little while then back into the exit of their theater where they came out from. We then crossed the road and caught the Deuce back up to the Strat and gambled for a few hours.
Monday 7 October Day 21
Had breakfast and then caught the SDX to the South Strip
Transit Center where we changed to the 117 which took us to South Point. We'd never
been on this route so it was a journey into the unknown. The bus stopped just
across the street from South Point but we noticed a 117 travelling back to the
Strip pulled right into South Point so we'll be able to catch it back to the
Strip right outside.
Had a good look round the hotel and casino and when we came across Benny Binion's statue I remembered that they had taken it to South Point a few years ago. With him being sat on top of a horse it kind of fits in with the rodeos that they hold in their arena area. We watched people playing ten pin bowling and then wandered round the pool area and all the dining places before catching the 117 back to Town Square where we transferred onto the SDX and rode it as far as the Fashion Show Mall. Visited the Clinique counter again in Macys to buy more cream for a friend back home and then had a Subway meal in the food court. Caught the bus back to the Strat and watched some TV before gambling for a few hours.
Had a good look round the hotel and casino and when we came across Benny Binion's statue I remembered that they had taken it to South Point a few years ago. With him being sat on top of a horse it kind of fits in with the rodeos that they hold in their arena area. We watched people playing ten pin bowling and then wandered round the pool area and all the dining places before catching the 117 back to Town Square where we transferred onto the SDX and rode it as far as the Fashion Show Mall. Visited the Clinique counter again in Macys to buy more cream for a friend back home and then had a Subway meal in the food court. Caught the bus back to the Strat and watched some TV before gambling for a few hours.
Tuesday 8 October Day 22
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool. Took the SDX and
the BHX bus down to the Walmart on Boulder Highway and then popped into Sam's
Town to see our friend Ann again. Chatted for a while and then caught the BHX
up to Arizona Charlie's where we had a 2 for 1 buffet (LVA Members Reward
coupon total $11.66). Took the BHX and the Deuce back to the Strat and relaxed
and watched some TV before gambling for a few hours.
Wednesday 9 October Day 23
Had breakfast and met up with friends from the UK in the
Plaza Hotel where they are staying. We walked round to the California Hotel and
boarded the ftee shuttle to Sam's Town. Our friends had never been there before
so we were showing them the easiest way to get there. We made a quick visit to
Walmart across the road from Sam's Town before showing them round the ten pin
bowling alley, cinema and casino. We watched the 2pm Mystic Falls water show
and then had a cup of tea in McDs until it was time to catch the shuttle bus
back to Downtown. We said goodbye to our friends and did a bit of souvenier shopping
before returning to the Strat for their buffet (free with the comps we've
earned with gambling). We did the majority of our packing and gambled for a few
hours.
Thursday 10 October Day 24
Had our last breakfast in McDs then had showers before packing
the remainder of our things and checking out. Had a little gamble to pass the
time then had a quick bite to eat before catching the 108 bus to the airport.
Our flight took off 15 minutes late and we were served beef with rice followed
by cheesecake. I watched 2 films - The Heat with Sandra Bullock and The Big
Wedding with Robert De Niro. Slept for about 3 hours on and off before being
served breakfast of a croissant with strawberry jam, a cereal bar and some
craisins (dried cranberries). Landed at London Heathrow 40 minutes late and we
were panicking that we would miss our connection to Edinburgh so we rushed as
fast as we could through flight connections only to be told at passport control
that our connecting flight was running 20 minutes late thank goodness. When we
got to the gate it was further delayed as a plane was having to return to
Heathrow with problems so there were a long line of planes waiting to take of.
We eventually took off an hour and a half late but we were only one hour 10
minutes late landing at Edinburgh so we caught up a little bit of time.
FINAL THOUGHTS
We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of our trip and will
always book trips of 23 or 24 nights from now on as opposed to 16 or 17 as we
have done in the past.
Our 30 day bus passes cost us $32.50 each as we travel for
half price being over 60.
We eventually got used to the noise of the trains and the
shuttle buses reversing so didn’t ask for a change of room. We find the beds so
comfortable that I wished we could have taken ours home with us.
As we are very low rollers and only gamble for entertainment
we only gamble 10 cents a spin. We were only in profit a few nights - other
nights we only lost a few dollars and a couple of nights we were over our
allowance of $20 which we try to stick to every night. When we averaged it all
out over the 24 nights we lost approximately $13 a night between us which isn't
bad for 3 hours of entertainment!
We are not epicureans where food is concerned. We eat very
simply and we can always find something to eat at even the cheapest buffet so
we didn't spend an enormous amount on food over the 24 days we were there
especially as we had lots of 2 for 1 buffet coupons and free food from myvegas.
The staff in the Stratosphere are all very helpful and the
cocktail waitresses do a wonderful job especially Sommer, Melissa and Suzie who
served us with a smile and always had time for a friendly chat with us.
Only 26 weeks until our next trip to Vegas and it can't come
quick enough.