Tuesday 4 April 2017
Caught the 11.25am flight from Edinburgh (Scotland) down to London Heathrow
and transferred to Terminal 3. Had some sandwiches and a cup of tea before boarding our flight at 16.40 to Las Vegas. Flight took off half an hour late but landed on time after a flight of over 10 hours.
Caught the Palace Station shuttle bus and checked in.
Had a brief gamble on the slots before retiring for the night.
Wednesday 5 April
Woke up at 4am but managed to get back to sleep until 7am.
Had our usual breakfast at McDs
then walked up to the Dollar Tree to purchase our 30 day reduced fare bus tickets ($32.50 each). Caught the SX up to Smart & Final to buy vodka and tonic then caught the bus back and bought water in the 7-Eleven next door to our hotel. Took part in the "My Generation" slot tournament then played a few slots so Jim could enter the slot tournament again. Had a nap as the time difference is catching up with us. Went to a late lunch at the buffet in our hotel with a 2 for 1 ACG coupon and part paid with our points (total $3.13). Picked up our free Starbucks coffee ("My Generation" offer) and drank it in our room. Gambled at night in the casino.
Thursday 6 April
Woke up early again. Had breakfast then relaxed at the pool for a while before catching the SX up to Decatur to look round some shops there. Visited Ross Dress For Less and the Dollar Store then crossed over and visited a 99c store where we bought potato chips and cookies for the room. Caught the SX back down to Valley View and then the 104 to the Las Vegas Advisor's offices to pick up our Members Rewards Books. Walked round to Spring Mountain and caught the 203 to Treasure Island and walked to the Mirage to pick up our tickets to the Beatles Love show for Monday night which were free courtesy of playing myvegas. Caught the tram back to TI and then took the 119 back over to the Palace Station where we had a late lunch buffet with a 2 for 1 ACG coupon (total $8.11 total). Gambled in the casino at night and hit a good bonus on Phaoroh's Fortune at the start playing just 15c which kept us going all night and we ended up $10 up ☺
Friday 7 April
We were awoken early again by the person in the next room talking loudly on his phone. Had breakfast then went to see our contact in VIP services to book our stay here in Autumn. He gave us a great rate so we were very happy. Caught the 119 to Tropicana and visited Hooters for us both to play $10 get $10 courtesy of the American Casino Guide. ($11.54 profit) We then walked along to the Tropicana where we booked to see Jesus Christ Superstar tomorrow at 2pm. It's a one off performance for charity starring some of the stars from shows on the Strip. Walked back to Koval and caught the 119 to Ellis Island where we both played $10 through then used coupons from the ACG and MRB to get $10 and $20 freeplay. ($27.97 profit) Caught the 119 back to the Palace Station and had a 2 for 1 buffet dinner (MRB coupon $9.73 total). Gambled in the casino at night.
Saturday 8 April
Had breakfast then played a session of bingo (no luck) before catching the 119 bus down to Tropicana to see the charity performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at 2pm. The whole cast were excellent especially the orchestra on stage. I enjoyed it more than Jim as I knew the music, having seen the show in London in the early 70s and bought the LP.
Caught the SDX then the SX back to our hotel and had a Subway for a change. Gambled in the casino at night.
Sunday 9 April
Had breakfast then caught the SX to the SLS and had a look round
The last three photos are of the carpets in the SLS
then walked to the new casino, the Lucky Dragon. We joined their players club and received $8 each free play which we turned into $10.60. Had a look round and took some photos
before catching the bus back to our hotel where we "what's apped" our son back home. Ate at the buffet in our hotel and gambled in the casino at night.
Monday 10 April
We were awoken at 6.30am by a very loud announcement in the room telling us that they were going to test the fire alarm. We got a real fright hearing the message and then just as we were going back to sleep the same thing happened again. We eventually got back to sleep only for the same announcement to come through about an hour later. We finally got up and called in at registration on our way over for breakfast. The girl told us that the announcement was only supposed to be put through to the lower floors and told us she was very sorry that we had been disturbed. She put a $25 credit on our room for food and beverage so we decided to visit the buffet instead of McDs for a change.
The weather is a lot warmer today so we spent time at the pool. Later on we got ready to go to the myvegas friends rocks meet at the Parlor Lounge in the Mirage. We all took along a goodie bag worth about $15 and these were all placed together for a draw. There was also a draw for myvegas merchandise. Some of the employees of myvegas were there who explained about the new version of myvegas which is coming soon. They also mingled with us asking if we had any problems with playing the game and if we had any questions about it or the rewards.
After a couple of hours the meet finished and we decided just to go to the Fashion Show Mall for a Subway meal as we were not hungry enough for a buffet after eating so much this morning. We then made our way back to the Mirage via the fountains at Wynn
and the flower display in the Palazzo.
We got to the Beatles Love showroom in good time and watched the 7pm performance.
We have seen this show about 6 or 7 times now and we notice something different each time we see it. We have been lucky to get free tickets for all those performances from myvegas apart from the first time we saw it and we will continue to see it (hopefully for free) each time we visit Las Vegas as it is our favourite show. We walked to the Fashion Show Mall and caught the 119 bus back to our hotel and gambled for a while.
Tuesday 11 April
Once again we were awoken early. This time it was a female knocking on our door looking for someone called "Freddie". One of these mornings we might get a lie in 😕 Decided to visit the buffet for breakfast again to use up the rest of our food and beverage credit.
Relaxed at the pool for a while then caught the 119 bus to the Strip and filmed and took photos in the Wynn,
Palazzo,
Venetian
and the Bellagio.
We also stopped off in Bally's to book tickets to see the Bronx Wanderers. We had a coupon for $15 off each ticket and we paid with our Total Rewards points ($76 total). Caught the bus back to our hotel and decided to eat at the new Chick-fil-A opposite the Palace Station which opened at the end of March. Every time we pass it there has been an extremely long line of cars at the drive thru so we wondered what was so special about it. The chicken was very tasty and tender and the waffle fries were delicious. The only draw back was that there were no hot drinks so no cup of tea for us. We had to settle for coke and lemonade.
Gambled in the casino at night.
Wednesday 12 April
Managed to get a good night's sleep for a change! Had breakfast in McDs and then took part in the "my generation" free slot tournament but neither of us scored very highly. Spent time at the pool then showered and caught the SX then the SDX to Treasure Island and booked tickets to see Mystere on Tuesday night. Took the tram to the Mirage and ate at the Cravings buffet for free courtesy of myvegas.
The buffet includes wine and beer so we each had a drink with our meal before catching the 119 bus back to our hotel. Jim took part in the "my generation" slot tournament again after earning 50 points on his card. No high score so not much chance of a prize this week. Gambled in the casino at night and we were $77 up after an incredible run near the end of the night 😁
Thursday 13 April
Had breakfast then caught the SX up to Decatur to visit the Dollar Tree to stock up on cookies and various other items! Returned to our hotel and Jim watched the first half of a soccer match before we set off on our journey to South Point via the 119, SDX and the 117. Once there we made our way to the Equestrian Arena where the 11th Annual Arabian Breeders World Cup was taking place.
It was very interesting seeing how they displayed each horse and then how they marked them in numerous categories. Passed Benny Binion's statue on the way out of South Point.
We caught the 117 then the SDX back to the Strip and ate for free at the Excalibur buffet courtesy of myvegas.
Passed by the Easter Bunny on the way out of Excalibur.
Caught the SDX up to Paris and exchanged another myvegas reward for 2 free bars of chocolate at Hexx.
Caught a Deuce up to Sahara and then the SX back to our hotel. Gambled in the casino at night - only one big bonus tonight on a slot called Betty the Yetti.
Friday 14 April
Had breakfast then relaxed at the pool. Did some laundry then watched some TV before going for a late lunch at the Palace Station buffet.
Took the SX to the Strip and walked up to the Stratosphere where we played on our cards to keep our points active. There was some kind of old banger car festival going on at the space opposite the hotel the following day but some of the cars were parked at the side of the valet area so we took some photos.
Caught the bus back to our hotel for the 8.15pm drawing but no luck again. Gambled in the casino at night with little or no luck 😢
Saturday 15 April
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool. Caught the SX and the SDX to Fremont Street where we both redeemed $10 free play at El Cortex ($11.26 profit MRB). We passed a bride and a groom who was wearing a kilt so we stopped to congratulate them and discovered that the groom originally came from Dunbarton in Scotland but had worked in Los Angeles for 10 years. Caught the Deuce to the Burger King near the Stratosphere and had our dinner there for a change
before returning to our hotel for the 8.15pm draw - no luck again. Gambled in the casino at night and broke even ☺
Sunday 16 April
Had a late breakfast as Jim was watching the Manchester United v Chelsea soccer match. Spent time at the pool then "what's apped" our son back home. Went to bingo but no luck then watched the 4.15pm draw - no luck - then nipped over to McDs for a bite to eat before returning to watch the 6.15pm draw - again no luck. Beginning to think our numbers haven't been entered 😕 Gambled in the casino at night.
Monday 17 April
Had breakfast then travelled to Fremont Street and did free play in the 4 Queens (total profit $16.46) and the Downtown Grand (total profit $10.77). Walked to Bonneville Transit Center and caught the 206 bus to Decatur where we visited the 99c store and Walmart. Next we walked along to Arizona Charlie's and had a 2 for 1 dinner buffet (ACG coupon total price $11.10).
Caught the 103 and the SX back to our hotel and rested before gambling in our casino at night.
Tuesday 18 April
Had breakfast and spent time at the pool then visited the gym for the second time this holiday.
Relaxed then showered and went for a late lunch buffet in our hotel then caught the 119 bus to Treasude Island so see the Cirque Du Soleil show Mystere.
It was the very first Cirque show that we ever saw (12 years ago) so we thought we would like to see it again. Compared to most of the other Cirque shows we found it a bit boring. The acrobats and performers were all very talented but it just didn't grip us like the Beatles Love does. Caught the Deuce then the SX bus back to our hotel and gambled in the casino at night.
Wednesday 19 April
Had breakfast then spent time at the pool. Took part in the my generation slot tournament before going Downtown to do free play at Binions ($11.27 profit) and the Plaza ($21.22 profit) and then had a 2 for 1 buffet at Main Street Station from the MRB (total $8.01 which included $5 redeemed from points).
Caught buses back to our hotel and gambled in the casino at night.
Thursday 20 April
Had breakfast then spent time at the pool. Caught the SX then the Deuce to Downtown then the HDX to Sunset Station. We visited the Walmart there to buy cigars for a friend back home then had a 2 for 1 late lunch buffet at Sunset Station (total $8.65 ACG coupon).
Caught the HDX back to Bonneville then the SDX and the SX back to our hotel. Gambled in the casino at night.
Friday 21 April
Up early this morning for our trip to Laughlin. Had breakfast and were picked up at 8.45am and taken to the main Gray Line departure depot where we transferred onto a coach. The journey took about one hour forty minutes and we were dropped off at the Golden Nugget. We were disappointed that there was no entertainment on the journey such as a film or an educational video about Laughlin.
This is a little town called Searchlight on the way to Laughlin - blink and you'll miss it!
We made our way through the casino to the Riverside Walk
and watched the jet skiers and water taxis going up and down the Colorado River.
We walked along past the Pioneer Hotel
and the Colorado Belle
to Edgewater where we signed up for the players club and were awarded $10 each in free play which we turned into $8.82. We then went for a 2 for 1 lunch buffet in Edgewater with an ACG coupon (total $11.89).
We then made our way to the Riverside casino where we joined their players club and gained free access to their auto collection display.
After we had filmed and taken photos we made our way back to the Golden Nugget to catch our bus back to Las Vegas. No entertainment on the way home either. 😞
I presume this is a statue of Don Laughlin who founded the town.
We were dropped off after the people getting off at Downtown and got back just after 8 pm. It has been 10 years since we last visited Laughlin so it was nice to go back and this time the trip was free courtesy of playing myvegas. Gambled in the casino at night.
Saturday 22 April
Had breakfast then spent time at the pool. We then had a video call via "what's app" with friends from back home. It's amazing that we now have the technology to do things like that. We showed them our room and the lovely view from our window and chatted about what we'd been doing. We then caught the SX then the 104 to the Gold Coast to play $10 get $10 for each of us from the MRB. (Total profit $12.76) We also swiped our cards after playing as there is a promotion on every Friday and Saturday where you are a guaranteed winner. Jim received 12x points and I received a free gift. I had the choice of a box of chocolate mints or a polo shirt so I took the polo shirt. We then had a 2 for 1 buffet dinner (total $16.49 MRB).
These horrible looking creatures are crawfish - I hope they taste better than they look but I didn't take the chance!
Caught the 104 along to the Orleans and played $10 got $10 there too from the MRB. (Total profit $26.95) Swiped out cards there too and Jim received a free buffet and I received a free 6" sub which we probably won't use. Caught the 104 then the SX back to our hotel. Gambled in the casino at night.
Sunday 23 April
Had breakfast then "what's apped" our friends who will be arriving on Tuesday for their first visit to Las Vegas. Spent time at the pool then did some laundry and relaxed in our room until the first ticket drawing to win a spin of the wheel. Our boarding pass numbers didn't come up once again so we went to the buffet with a 2 for 1 coupon (MRB $9.72 total).
Went down for the next draw but no luck there either. The partition came down tonight revealing the new bingo room. At the moment it is only open for team members to play but we managed to go in and have a look round in between sessions.
Gambled in the casino at night.
Monday 24 April
Had breakfast then relaxed at the pool. Showered and went for a late lunch at the buffet in our hotel.
Caught the 119 bus over to the Fashion Show Mall then the Deuce down to Caesars Palace then crossed over and made our way to Bally's to see our show, The Bronx Wanderers. The group is made up of a father and two sons and three other musicians. They started by singing songs from the 50s and 60s then did a Billy Joel song followed by a very good rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. Then the father (who looks as if he shares a hairdresser with Donald Trump 😄) went off and let the youngsters do a brilliant version of Uptown Funk. Before they finished the father introduced a few people in the audience including Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers who went up on stage and chatted with him.
They finished off playing some Frankie Valli songs and more hits from the 50s. All in all a great show for the money. Caught the buses back to our hotel and gambled in the casino at night. Our favourite part of the casino is now no more 😞 as they have switched off all the slots to make way for the Feast buffet which is being relocated from the second floor.
Tuesday 25 April
Had breakfast then lay at the pool for a while. Caught the 119 then the Deuce down to the Monte Carlo then walked down to Tropicana to catch the WAX bus to the airport to meet our friends from home who were coming to Las Vegas for the first time. We had made a big sign with their names on it and held it up as they came out of the baggage claim. Their faces were a picture and they were so happy to see us. We went up 2 floors in the lift and were just in time to catch the WAX bus to the MGM Grand where they are staying for their first night. They move to Aria tomorrow for the next 6 nights. We helped them with their luggage to their room and left them to freshen up. When we met up with them we caught the SDX up to the Wynn and showed them round there then on through the Palazzo, the Venetian (where we all had something to eat in the food court), the Mirage, the Forum Shops, Caesars Palace, the Bellagio where we watched a fountain show then visited the conservatory. We took the tram from there to Aria
and showed them where they would be checking in tomorrow then back on the tram to Monte Carlo where we crossed over and left them to walk back to their hotel. Caught the SDX and the SX back to our hotel and gambled in the casino at night.
Wednesday 26 April
Had breakfast then played a game of bingo (no luck as usual). We then took part in the my generation slot tournament. I came top in my session but will have to wait until later today to see if I have won anything. Collected our free Starbucks coffee and headed up to our room to pack. Showered and went for a late lunch at the buffet
then checked in on-line for our flights tomorrow. Caught the 119 then the Deuce to meet up with our friends at Aria where they are now staying. We caught the SDX to Fremont Street and showed them where to get their photo taken with one million dollars in Binions. We then walked down and showed them the Heart Attack Grill
before heading back up to the Golden Nugget to show them The Tank. Unfortunately the sharks had been moved temporarily to Mandalay Bay whilst the tank was being cleaned out. We watched one light show (Green Day)
before collecting their photo from Binions and catching the SDX back. We got off at Sahara to catch our next bus and said our goodbyes and left them on the bus to travel back to Aria. Checked the slot tournament results when we got back and was pleasantly surprised to win $25. I came 29th out of 50 😁 💰
Gambled in the casino for a couple of hours.
Thursday 27 April
Had breakfast then relaxed in our room and finished off our packing. We had a late check out until 2pm so we checked out at 1.45pm and caught the free Palace Station shuttle to the airport.
Our flight to London took off 40 minutes late so we thought we might miss our connection but we transferred to terminal 5 quite quickly and the queue to get through security wasn't very long so we didn't have to run.
Here are a few more photos that I took:-
This is one of the new doorways into the Palace Station.
This is the new wraparound screen on the side of the Palace Station.
This is a beautiful marble piano in the registration area of the MGM Grand.
Some of the trees waiting to be planted at Palace Station.
More landscaping and new casino doors.
The soon to disappear trains at Palace Station.
Shop just behind the McDonald's that we visit every morning - love the name 😀
Two photos from the D on Fremont Street.
A few good wins 😁
What a bargain 😮
Couldn't resist taking a photo of this one!
We had a wonderful trip as always and are looking forward to returning on 29th August for another 23 nights in fabulous Las Vegas 💖