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Tuesday
9th December Arrived
at Gatwick Airport nice and early courtesy of my brother and checked in within the
hour. Managed to get a bit of sleep once we got thru passport control and into
the departure lounge. Our flight was arriving in from Vegas half an hour
early so we were told that we would be boarding half hour early. Once
I had an hour or so's sleep we made our way to the usual gate (#32) and sat there
for about half hour wondering why the gate didnt say "Las Vegas", but "St. Lucia".
It was also not up on the screen telling us what gate it was going from.
In fact, it wasn't up on the screen at all. So we waited, until Neil thought
he would go back to
the main departure lounge and check out the main screens there. It's quite a
hike but he's a quick walker and was back within about 20 mins. He told me that
the plane was going from gate 19! Arghhhh.
So we picked up our hand luggage
and legged it, double quick, to the other side of the airport as it said on the screen
that our flight was boarding. When we arrived, we needn't have worried as there
weren't many people in the waiting area by the gate yet. As it turned out, there
was some maintenance that needed to be carried out on the plane before it was even
brought to the gate and we didn't board until after 11.30am - an hour late.
The flight was only a quarter
full which meant that pretty much everyone on the plane got a whole row of seats to
themselves and there were even rows of seats empty. This meant that after I
watched "Mamma Mia" I was able to lay down and get some more sleep. I woke
up with less than two hours of the flight to go, with a terrible back ache - planes
are so uncomfortable :0(
As
we were coming in to land, we saw three fire trucks with lights and sirens going and
they follwed us in !! So there was obviously something else wrong with the plane.
The landing wasn't great, there was deffinitely a problem, but the pilot landed and
we taxi'd to the gate, with all three fire trucks following by the side of the plane
right up until we stopped. They were still there when we departed too - I was
glad to get off that plane I can tell ya! Here is a short video of us just before
landing (unfortunately my battery gave in literally 50 seconds before touchdown so
the landing itself is not on it): Video
We got thru immigration in double
quick time as the flight was pretty empty and were in a taxi to the Paris Hotel in
no time. Checked in no problem, didn't get any complementary upgrades from the
miserable b**** at check in lol. This didn't matter though as the room was nice
enough with a view of the airport runway and other hotels just off the strip.
We unpacked, showered and were
off out onto the strip and heading to the Palazzo. This is a new casino that
we hadn't seen yet so we thought we would check it out. Very nice it is too.
We were really tired by now, after quite a hike from Paris to Palazzo so we headed
back to the ABC at Planet Hollywood for supplies and then went back to the room at
6pm and fell asleep. I set the alarm for 9.50pm and we were up and out again
by 10.15pm, exploring the casino and losing our money while we got hammered for $1
a beer. We got to bed at 1.30am - shattered and just glad to finally be in Vegas.
Wednesday
10th December Woke
at 7am and went straight for coffee at The Earl of Sandwich in Planet Hollywood.
Then took a nice slow walk to the MGM for another coffee at Starbucks as the
coffee at EoS was pants. We are still feeling the symptoms of not having enough
sleep and by 12 noon we are back in our room trying to get some more sleep and
finally catch up so we can enjoy the rest of the holiday.
I had set the alarm for 6pm and we were out of the room by 6.30pm and heading in the
direction of the Luxor. Lots of changes in this hotel since last year.
They now have "The Bodies" and "Titanic" Exhibitions that used to be at the Tropicana.
The IMAX is no longer at the Luxor as the exhibitions are in its place so no idea
where that has moved to. Will have to explore later in the trip as those rides
are good fun.
We then pottered around at NYNY and then went on to Monte Carlo stopped at the Panda
Express in the Food Mall for a bite to eat and then walked over to Ballys and found
a nice bar with video poker machines and got comped drinks for the rest
of the night before retiring to bed at 2am.
Thursday
11th December Woke
at 4am with stomach cramps and the sudden urge to leg it to the loo. It appears
that I have either gotten food poisoning or a really nasty tummy bug.
It is now 6pm so over 12 hours
have passed and I am still in a lot of agony. Neil has been looking after me
though and I have just had a bite of a banana and a couple of dry crackers.
I have been asleep for most of the day on and off between trips to the loo.
Why me god!!??!!
Neil has gone down stairs to
watch the NFL Thursday night game in the Sports Book so I am about to upload some
piccies. Not taken many though as have been too poorly to leave the room.
Will hopefully take some soon.
Friday
12th December 1am and
I am feeling strong enough to get dressed and go downstairs. Will just take things
easy downstairs in the casino before coming back for yet more sleep. Hopefully
when I wake in the morning, things will be back to normal - here's hoping!!
Woke at 8am feeling ravenous
with tummy grumbling for food. I felt like I could eat a horse and chase the
jockey! So we got dressed double quick and went to The Victorian Room at Bills
for Breakfast. I ordered poached eggs, pancakes and bacon - yuck, what an awful
combination - but it was delicious and a well needed meal. We finished our brekkie
and headed on North up the strip, back to the Palazzo and then onto Encore.
The new Mr Wynn building isnt' open yet but a guy inside the Wynn who stopped us going
up the adjoining corredor, told us that it was opening on December 22nd - Yippee,
we will be here on opening day. Lets hope they don't delay like the Palazzo
did last year, so we missed it and had to wait another year to see it.
I took a load of pictures inside
the Palazzo (those will be up on the site in the next few days), I also took this
short video of one of the free shows as well as these amazing girls who are dressed
up like trees and walk around the top section of the Hotel. We saw them on the
first day and I am glad they were there again so I could capture them at work.
They are on four stilts and their balance is amazing. Here is the video: Video
We walked back on the other side
of the strip, stopping in at TI and The Mirage. Nothing had changed in TI, it
is still a dump. The casino could do with a face lift. The Mirage has
some new decor. Lots of ceiling decor updates and the white tiger enclosure
as you enter on the left hand side has been moved and there is now an upmarket burger
bar. Might give that a go in a few days :-P
Decided that we should go back
to the room for an afternoon kip and by 4pm we were in bed fast asleep.
Woke up at 7.15pm. Write
a bit more of my report while Neil snoozes. We are off now to the Gold Coast to see
if we are in time to catch their evening buffet. Take the long walk from Paris
to Gold Coast and by the time we get there (about 9.20pm) it's closed.
Bugger. So we walk over to the Palms and get something to eat in their food
court outside the cinema area and then we go in and watch a movie. "The Day
The Earth Stood Still" was being shown for the first time tonight, so we opted for
that. Not bad, not bad at all.
We get a taxi back to the Paris
as I think we have done enough walking for today - about six miles I reckon and drop
off the free poster that we got from the cinema into our room and head straight back
out to the bar at Ballys that has Video Poker and that we like so much. Neil
pulls up a chair and I pull up one next to him. I try to put my money in but
it won't take it. Then I see that someone has left $23.50 in the machine
and that's why it won't take my money, because it is waiting to be dealt the next
hand.
We let the barman know that someone's
left money and ask him if we cash it out in case the person who's money it is returns
for it. He says "no, it's your money now, you play it - it's lucky money".
So I do as I am told heheh. 15 minutes later I hit a Royal Flush and scoop a
tidy profit of $1000. The barman gets a nice tip of $50 (to keep quiet in case
the person DOES come back lol). We spend a bit more time in Ballys then go back
to Paris and play a bit more and finally retire to bed at 5am.
Saturday
13th December Woke
at 10am. WTF! Went back to The Victorian Room at Bill's for breakfast
again. There was a 15 minute wait as it's Saturday and a load of people have
all arrived for the weekend. It's still not as busy as previous years here though,
the credit crunch must have hit a lot of people hard.
After breakfast we jumped in
a taxi and went to the Green Valley Ranch which is located about 20 minutes off the
strip. The taxi driver long hauled us as he was at the end of his shift (the
git) and it cost us $37 to get there when it should have been more like $30.
We spent a few hours at GVR and
also walked around the shops outside which was a bit of a mistake as there was a sand
storm fast approaching and we got a mouth full of sand as well as having eyes that
felt like they had been rubbed with sandpaper. It's quite an eary feeling being
in a sand storm. Everything feels claustraphobic and looks strange too.
You can't see very far into the distance either as the storm is about 50 feet in height.
We went back into the casino soon after, didn't want to stay out in it too long, although
all the locals seemed to not be too phased by it - I guess they are used to it.
We got a cheaper taxi back and
met the most amazing driver who had done and seen almost everything. He was
a pilot during the week, had seen most of America and came back to Las Vegas to drive
the taxi at the weekends. He was 68 years young and a millionaire to boot.
Back to the room to get 3 hours
sleep and woke at 7pm and headed out to find something for dinner. We stopped
by the Bellagio on the way to see how much tickets are for "O" as that's the show
we want to see on this trip. Turns out the show is dark until 23rd December
so we will probably go and see something else in the meantime and maybe go and see
"O" before we leave. I think the next best thing is "La Reve" at the Wynn but
we shall see.
Had a quick look around the Bellagio
Conservatory at their xmas decorations. They always do a fabulous job and this
year is just as good as previous years. It was absolutely heaving as its
Saturday night, so I will go back at a later date for piccies.
We then took a slow walk to the
tram at the Excalibur and then took the tram to the Luxor for dinner. We
thought that heading to the far end of the strip would be best as everywhere else
was busy on the way and would be an hours wait for food. We didn't reach the
Luxor until gone 11pm and the queue for dinner at the Pyramid Cafe
was small so we joined it and were seated after a 5 minute wait. We both got
a burger which was huge and which was impossible to finish. The food here is
well priced and always of good quality.
The walk back to Paris was a
long, slow one. Stopping via the usual places for a quick game on the slots.
We must walk approx 5 miles each day when we are in Vegas and it plays havoc with
your feet. We got back to Paris, dropped off some supplies to the room and then
went to our usual bar at Ballys for some Video Poker. So long as you play "Max
Credits" your drinks are comped and you don't have to wait for waitresses to come
and find you - which can sometimes take hours! We spent about 2 hours here,
chatting with the locals whilst we lost our money and headed to bed at 3am.
My feet need a rest.
Sunday
14th December It's
NFL Sunday and Neil is ready to rock! He has spent the last few days scouring
the Sports Books and placing bets where he can find the best odds and he's up and
out of the room by 9.30am to secure himself a seat downstairs in the Paris Sports
Book to watch the days games. There are usually three televised games each Sunday
I think, one after another, so he will be sat there for approx 11 hours lol.
He brought his NFL shirt with him that he brought when we went to the Wembley game
a few months ago, so he's dressed to impress.
I will be taking this alone time
to shop :-D
We met up again after the second
lot of games and went for a walk down the strip to take in the night air. It
is very quiet again as all the weekenders have now gone home. I had my camera
on me so too the opportunity of the quiet period to go and take some piccies of the
Bellagio decorations.
Afterwards, we walk back to Ballys
and our barman buddy, Steve, sets us up with a round of drinks and then another and
then another and then the rest of the night after that pretty much becomes a blur
:-p We got to bed at around 4am.
Monday
15th December OMG
the hangover of all time is visiting. Neil woke at 6.15am and went for a walk
- LOL! He came back after an hour and I was still asleep so he went for another
walk. He played some dice and got picked up by a hooker - which is nice.
She managed to wangle $2 out of him for her bus ride home. Ye, OK! Then
another, much younger (he reckons about 16yo) approached him whilst he was on his
merry way up the strip. On his way back, the same girl was being put into a
police car. Oops.
I was awake the second time he
came back, at 8am. Why am I not sleeping very well, that's what I want to know.
It must be all the excitement of being here! On his walk, Neil saw an advert
for some magician guy called Dirk Arthur who was performing at the Tropicana.
So we checked out the price online and it was a reasonable $27 so we decided to go
and see him at the 2pm showing later today.
We stopped at the Earl of Sandwich
on the way to pick up breakfast and then we got to the MGM for 11am which is when
the lions arrive for the day. We stayed and watched them for a while whist they
played with their handlers. Not sure I would want to be in there with them,
but these guys have known these lions since they were cubs and they treat them as
one of their pride.
It was raining just before we
left our room this morning and it is now pouring down outside. We work out the
quickest, driest route to the Tropicana from the MGM (trust me, there isn't one!)
and arrive soaking wet through.
I decided that I would sign up
for a reward card before we went to buy our tickets to see Dirk and I am glad I did
because when you sign up, you get a free T-Shirt (woop) and two free tickets to see
Dirk once you have earned 100 points on your reward card. So off we go to a
machine and within 20 minutes I have collected the 100 points required and not lost
a penny doing it. I went back a second time to the reward card
desk and asked for a second card and Neil racked up a load of points towards it ;-)
Thats not cheating, is it?
We hung around for half hour
before the show started and apart from being a bit cheesey it was actually quite good.
It's not a long show and Dirk has tigers and a panther that he has reared himself
that are also part of the show. There is some audience participation too,
so it's quite fun and he's quite the comedian as well as a magician.
We walked back to the Paris,
getting even more soaked, and I packed our cases as we move to the Monte Carlo hotel
tomorrow.
Going to go and watch tonights
NFL game in the Sports Book now and pretty much take it easy - which has been the
theme for this holiday so far. Maybe this week I will play some poker ?
The football got to half time
and Neil was losing his bet so we decided to walk to the Gold Coast to collect
Neils winnings from a few days ago and then have their buffet for dinner. The walk
there was a bitter cold one, the nights here now are really really cold and it started
to rain again so we got wet too. Once we got there we went straight to the sports
book to collect his winnings and then headed to the buffet. It was $25 for the two
of us and once we were sat and ordered our drinks we went to get food. I won't say
too much about the food as it was pretty awful. Everything was tasteless and not very
hot. Needless to say, we won't be having a buffet at the Gold Coast again.
We walked back to Ballys and
played some video poker and had an earlyish night as we were checking out in the morning.
Packed most of our stuff and will do the rest in the morning before we leave.
Can't wait to check out of the
Paris and get to our nice suite at the Monte Carlo. The location of the Paris is pretty
much one of the best but the casino itself isn't great, which is why we spent most
of our casino time at Ballys. It's just a short walk through the adjoining walkway,
you are there in about 6 minutes once you leave the elevators. As far as the room
goes, apart from the disappointing bath that didn't hold much water and the plug didn't
work so the water ran out while you were sat in it, the room itself wasn't bad. It
was always cleaned and the maids didn't bother you if you wanted a lie in, unlike
alot of other Vegas hotels we have stayed at. I would probably stay here again, but
the check in and check out staff need some lessons in customer service.
Tuesday
16th December Woke
up at 8am-ish and packed remaining stuff before going to Ballys for a coffee and to
play dice.
Got off to a reasonable start
at a $5 minimum dice table and then it all went pear shaped. Some guy joined the table
and told me to move as I wasnt playing! He also thought it necessary to poke me while
he spoke to me - he almost got a poke in the eye! So I went and lost $40 in the VP
machine while Neil stayed on and played. Went back to see how he was doing and he
was on his last few dollars out of his initial $100. By now it's 10.30am and we are
already $140 down!
We walk back to the Paris and
go up to our room to collect our already packed suitcases and go straight to the lobby
to check out as we have to be out by 11am. The computers are down so it's a bit of
a nightmare but we eventually get sorted out and head outside.
Getting a taxi would be about
$15 from the Paris to the Monte Carlo as the traffic is quite bad so we opt to walk
it. So, cases in tow, we make our way to the Monte Carlo and arrive at about 11.30am.
We weren't sure if we would be able to check in this early as check in is usually
after 3pm but we gave it a whirl. The lady on the check in was a really nice one and
once I had handed over my ID etc I cheekily asked for a complimentary upgrade from
our already nice Suite that I had booked. She said we might be in luck which usually
means she wants a nice tip ;-) So having given me the wink I got out a rather large
"tip" for her and she then proceeded to tell us she was putting us in a "Diamond Suite".
Once she hands over the keys, I hand over her tip and off we go to the room which
is on the 16th floor and has a mountain view. Would have like a strip view but you
can't have everything.
We walk into the room to find
a separate living area complete with wet bar, a huge bedroom with walk in wardrobe
and a bathroom with a jacuzzi for two to die for. There is also a second toilet in
the entrance hall. So for the cost of a reasonable tip we got a room worth over $400
a night. So the moral of the story is, it's worth being cheeky and asking for that
complementary upgrade.
The first thing we did was try
out the jacuzzi and then we headed downstairs for some more gambling time. There was
a $5 minimum dice table going so we joined in. Usually Neil plays and I watch, but
after the earlier performance at Ballys when I was asked to move as I was not playing,
I decided that I would play too. Neil embarassed me in front of the whole table by
telling them that I had never rolled the dice before. The git ! It actually helped
calm me a bit as they all now expected me to throw the dice off the table and down
the walkway in the casino. I was very good though and managed to keep the dice on
the table and even rolled the winning number a few times, at which everyone cheared
and clapped.
Between us we won back most of
our losses from earlier in the morning and then went out to the strip to get some
air. We then went to NYNY and played the "Bankroll" slot machine that I like, at which
I won money :0)
Then we walked over to the Tropicana
to try our luck at the Video Poker progressive machine that we saw yesterday. There's
a jackpot in there of just over $2k for the royal flush and we fancied a go at winning
it. I won't tell you how much we both put in but we were basically down on the day
again grrrrrrrrrr.
I went to the promotions desk
to ask for my two free buffet tickets as I had now racked up over 500 points on the
reward card and she told me that the buffet was being refurbished so it was closed
for a few weeks, but she could give us a 2 for 1 at the Garden Cafe which I accepted.
We weren't quite hungry yet so
we took a wander round the casino and there's a craps table with no one playing so
we pull up $100 and Neil gets to work. After about 40 minutes we are almost back to
even after the mad losses earlier on the video poker. It's now time for dinner and
we go and get seated and order. It's not long before our dinner arrives and it was
delicious and even better as it was half price with my voucher.
We somehow manage to leave
the Tropicana by the back entrance near the car parks and so as we are so close
to Hooters now, we go in there for a nosey round. This isn't a bad little casino
and it even has a poker room, which is more than some other casinos can say at the
moment. Since we have been here we have noticed that the poker room
at the Paris and the Tropicana have both closed. I guess the poker boom
is over.
When we get back to the Monte Carlo we stop by a craps table for a game and lose $200
in about 10 minutes. No more craps for us for a while!
Get back up to the room and that jacuzzi is crying out for some use. Is
it wrong to have two jacuzzi sessions in one day? No? I didn't think so!
We had stocked the fridge earlier with beer so crack open a couple and relax in the
bubbles with a nice cold beer.
Wednesday
17th December Woke
up at about 10.30am - at last, a lie in :0) It's snowing outside but not
settling.
Had a quick soak in the jacuzzi
and then went to the Boulevard Mall and came back with a load of DVD's and
a few other bits. We didn't stay there too long and on the way back we stopped
at Terribles Casino, and that place really lives up to it's name. By now it
is snowing heavily and there are no taxi's outside Terribles so we walk, in
the snow, to the Hard Rock Casino where we know there will be plenty of taxi's.
It's way too far to walk to the strip, especially in this weather. It must have
taken us about half hour to walk to the Hard Rock as it was really slippery underfoot
and we had to be careful. We stopped in the casino for half hour to dry off
and then went outside for a taxi.
We got the taxi to Planet Hollywood
and walked back to the Monte Carlo from there which saved us about $10. They
don't seem to be equipped for bad weather here and everything comes to a halt.
So all the cars just sit on the strip, scared they are going to slip about.
Hence reason we chose to walk.
Back in the room and guess what
- jacuzzi time! But only because I am frozen through - yes, it's a poor excuse
but it's the one im giving.
We are waiting on a phone call
from a friend of ours who lives out here, that we always see when we come here.
It's possible he may not come as we heard on the radio in the taxi that alot of roads
are being closed because of the snow. So we will be taking it easy and probably
not even leaving the Monte Carlo until it's stopped. The strip was pretty dead
on the walk back, no one is going outside.
Got word from our friend that
he cannot make it as one of his patients has gone into labour and he has to go deliver
the baby so we will catch up with him later in the week.
We fancied a drink so went to
Diablos which is just out the front of Monte Carlo - so not far to walk :0)
It was heaving in there and full of young screaming american girls that love the sound
of their voices, so we didn't stay in there for more than one drink lol.
I had my camera on me so we took
a walk up the strip to get some piccies of the snow. It's VERY rare for it to
snow here so everyone is extremely excited about it. It even made the national
news and the airport shut for over 12 hours as they just aren't equiped to deal with
snow.
Got some piccies and headed straight
back to the Monte Carlo where we settled in for the night at the machines and near
a waitress route so we were kept watered ;0) Got to bed late, rather sloshed
and a bit skint. Oh well.
Thursday
18th December Today
we decided to go Downtown so we grab a coffee at Starbucks and jump on the Deuce Bus
on the other side of the strip and wait for it to get going. At the first stop
we make it picks up a couple of people and one of them sat right behind us and he
starts muttering to himself in a foreign language. As he's by himself I am intrigued
and turn around to see him reading out loud from a bible whilst he is crossing himself
(touches head then chest then left shoulder then right shoulder - you get the picture).
This goes on for a few stops and we decide that he's probably a suicide bomber so
we get off at the next stop LOL! That stop happens to be the Sahara. So
we go inside for an hour or so and then walk down to the Stratosphere and spend another
hour in there before we go back outside and wait for the Deuce Bus again
.
Before too long we are Downtown and spent the next 4 hours in and
out of the casinos and watching all of the Freemont Street activities that
are going on there. It's always buzzing Downtown but I don't think I
would want to stay down there for more than a few days in any of the
hotels. Three days down there would be plenty I reckon.
We start back to the strip at
about 7pm and stop on the way for a steak at the Outback Steakhouse.
This is the first proper meal I have had since I had food poisoning at the
start of the trip as I have just not felt like eating a full meal.
The steak goes down well and is delicious.
We walk back to the Monte Carlo
to try to walk off some of the heavy dinner and are back in the room, and
the jacuzzi LOL, by 10pm. Neil has an hours nap while I write my
report. We go back downstairs at about midnight and try our best to
lose all of our money.
Friday
19th December This
morning we went to the Tropicana to get our free tickets for the second show that
I had earned points for. The show is called Folies Bergere and is one of the
old style vegas showgirls types of show. When we got to the Tropicana we were
told that the show was dark until the 26th December (which is the day we fly home
so that's no good to us) so the lady held the tickets for us for another 12 months).
We then jumped on the Deuce Bus
and went back to the Sahara to collect some free gifts that I didn't collect the other
day. On the way back we stopped at the Fashion Show Mall for a bite to eat and
then wandered around the three level shopping mall. This place is
massive and we always get lost in it.
After a few hours we jump on
the Deuce Bus which stops right outside the mall and head back to Monte Carlo for,
you guessed it, a jacuzzi.
Dropped off my Sahara freebies
and then we head off out again. Tonight we want to go ten pin bowling at the
Gold Coast. So we start walking as a taxi tonight will be way too expensive
as it will take over 20 minutes to just get off the strip due to all the people arriving
again for the weekend. The Monte Carlo is about 4 blocks from the Paris
so the walk is alot further than it had been when we were at Paris. We
wrapped up warm and were there in about 40 minutes. We went straight up
to the bowling alley and every one of the lanes was being used. Bloody
weekends! So we walk over to the Palms to watch a movie with the intention
of going back in a few hours in the hope of a lane being free.
We watched the new Will Smith
movie "Seven Pounds" which I really enjoyed but which Neil worked out in the first
15 minutes. Clever git lol.
After the movie we went back
to the Gold Coast to see if any lanes were free as it's now 10.30pm. Alas, it
was still heaving so we decided to head back to the strip instead. We walked
back a bit faster to keep warm and were in Planet Hollywood within half hour.
We sat at the sports bar and put $100 each into the video poker machines and
got a couple of comped drinks before heading back to the Monte Carlo and playing dice.
The less said about that the better! Not a great day for gambling today - lost
rather more than we would have hoped for. Never mind, there's always tomorrow
;0)
Saturday
20th December Today
we spent mostly in sports books and bars as there were two NFL games on that
Neil had money on.
We went to PF Changs Chinese
Restaurant (the one inside Planet Hollywood) for dinner and then onto Ballys
to Steve's bar where we sat for about 3 hours and chatted while we won money :0)
On the way back we stopped at
the dice table in the Monte Carlo and lost $80 in two rolls. I swear that game
is rigged hahah.
Yes, that's it for today, sorry.
Sunday
21st December Today
is NFL Sunday. Three games again to watch in the Sports Book. Well,
actually Neil watched the first two on his own while I slept, had a jacuzzi,
played some slots. Then I joined him for the third game of the night.
We tried to watch it in the Monte Carlo Sports Book but all the seats were taken
so we walked to NYNY (tiny Sports Book so no room there) and then walked
to the Excalibur where they had about ten seats left. We sat, ordered beer and
watched the game.
Encore opens tomorrow but it's
not yet known at what time, so we take a walk from the Excalibur all the way
to Encore - Jesus that's one hell of a hike - almost the length of the
strip. We go into the Wynn and ask the lady at the entrance to Encore what
time they open tomorrow, hoping she's going to say midnight, ie in an hour as
it's now gone 11pm. Alas, it's opening at 8pm tomorrow so we have
to come back again for the opening. The walk back to the Monte Carlo takes us forever
as it's still heaving with the weekenders and my left foot feels like
it's about to fall off :0( Nothing a nice jacuzzi won't
sort out though.
We stop at the Bellagio on the way past just in time to catch a water show, our first
of this trip. I recorded it for people to see: Video
Finally get back to the
Monte Carlo at about 12.30am and find a video poker machine to play on before we go
to bed. We also had pizza from the Sbarro place in the Monte Carlo
foodcourt (which is open 24/7) and a nice waitress kept us in beer for a few hours.
It was gone 3.30am when we finally trudged to the elevators and up to the room.
Had a quick jacuzzi before bed,
like you do ;0)
Monday
22nd December I
didn't wake up until 2pm! Neil had been up and down the strip for his morning
walk and then back again to the room, waking me up as he got back. We didn't
get out of the room until gone 4pm and decided to take a slow walk up the strip to
Encore, stopping for a buffet at TI on the way.
The dinner buffet at TI isn't
bad. Not as much choice as some other places but still nice and not a bad
price at $21. We queued for just over half an hour (unfortunatley if you want
to have buffets in vegas, you gotta queue!) and finally got seated. We went
up for our food, Neil went back for seconds and we both had lots of nice cake for
dessert.
By now it's 7.15pm and Encore
opens in 45 minutes, so we start walking. It's been really windy all day and
it's turned icey cold again so it's not the most pleasant of walks, but it's not far
and only takes us 15 minutes.
As we approach the Encore we
see a very large queue forming. Oh goody, more queueing. We queue for
another half hour, but this time we are outside and freezing our bits off.
A black rolls royce with the
number plate "Wynn" rolls past at 7.50pm. A few minutes later a limo with the
number plate "WynnII" rolls past. Mr Wynn is now officially in his new building
and is ready to open it.
The 100ft queue ahead of us starts
moving at dead on 8pm and by 8.15pm we are inside the Encore. We head straight
to the Players Club to sign up for a new card and whatever goodies they are giving
away. More queueing!! It's for not long though and within 15 minutes we
are playing slots and milling around taking it all in.
There was a big pre-launch party
there by the looks of it as hundreds of people are all dressed up to the nines and
have special VIP passes round their necks on red ribbons.
The casino is very red.
There is a butterfly theme running through. It's actually a bit disappointing
tbh. But we got in on the first day and are just happy to be there amongst it
all and the buzz is amazing.
We leave at about 10pm and head
back to the Monte Carlo. We stop at Palazzo on the way and sign up for one of
their players cards as I couldn't get one the last time I was there as I forgot my
ID. So did that on the way back and got some free slot play and won a bit from
that.
Got back to Monte Carlo and played
a bit of video poker for an hour or so and then Neil headed to the dice table - oh
no! We actually
had a good run this time and left winning - makes a change!
Got to bed at 3am, but not before
having a nice long jacuzzi lol.
Tuesday
23rd December We
had another nice relaxing day today. Went shopping at the Miracle Mile next
to Planet Hollywood. Brought ourselves some goodies but didn't find
the present for my bro I was looking for :0(
Took all our goodies back to our
room and went online and booked "Le Reve" for tomorrow night (re-opening night)
at the Wynn, 7pm.
Then we took a walk to NYNY and
sat at the new bar they just opened a few days ago. Lovely new video poker machines.
There is a new style of machine just out. The Encore also had them. Anyways,
I lost a ton of money but Neil did ok so we left about even. We then decided
that the rest of the day would be spent at bars getting comped drinks :-p
So our next stop was the Excalibur,
but on the way we stopped in at Coyote Ugly in NYNY. It was very empty and the
girls in there were trying their best to gee everyone up but it wasn't working, so
we left. I imagine that it's a really good laugh in there if it's full.
You also need to have had a few drinks before you go in there too, you have been warned
;0)
Got to the Excalibur and had
a good run on the machines whilst we drank beer at $1 a go. Then, at about 11pm,
and after 6 or 7 beers (I lost count at this point) we went to get some
food. We hadn't eaten yet today and so we were starving, as well as extremely
tipsy. We stopped off at the Outback Steakhouse for a nice juicy steak.
This is the new one that recently opened across the road from the Monte Carlo, so
we didn't have far to walk from the Excalibur. Our server was very tolerent
with us - thank god. He needed to be, as we were making morons of ourselves
lol. Once we had eaten, and soaked up some of the alcohol, we sobered up a bit
and apologised to our server for being a pair of morons. He found it quite funny
and he got a 20% for the P*** taking he took. Good ole boy!
We then headed down to Planet
Hollywood for the rest of the night, it's got great music in here all the time and
is a fun casino to be in. By 2am we headed back to the Monte Carlo where we
gambled for another hour or so before bed.
Wednesday
24th December It
is Christmas day in the UK as I type this, so Merry Christmas to you lot back
home!
We didn't wake til gone 2pm today,
and are both a little worse for wear. Nothing a nice long jacuzzi won't solve
tho (Sorry Rick, I promise not to mention that word any more). So after
our long jac.. errr I mean soak in the tub we head downstairs for coffee
and a bite to eat before making our way to the Wynn to see "Le Reve".
Will let you know what it's like
when we get back.
Just got back in and the show
was good but not great. Not worth the $125 per person, although there were alot
of performers and they all need paying. It's not a show I would see again or
recommend to anyone, but if you like acrobatics then it's the show for you.
We stopped at TI on the way back
and ended up spending two hours on a progressive machine with a jackpot that was massive
(over $2500 - they don't normally go higher than $1500 before someone wins it).
So we had a go at winning it but failed miserably.
Stopped in at the Mirage at gone
11pm, just in time to be seated before they closed. Had a yummy pizza and had
a waitress that was moaning to her boss in front of everyone coz she had to stay another
hour and didn't want to serve us. Needless to say she didn't get a great tip.
Spent the rest of the night walking
the strip taking in the atmosphere, drinking in NYNY while we gambled and then made
a few phone calls back home to wish everyone merry Christmas.
Thursday
25th December Spent
most of the day down at Mandalay Bay. Had a nice dinner in a restaurant called the
Red, White & Blue. We then did some gambling on the slots and made a nice profit
before leaving.
By the time we got outside it
was dark, raining and the wind was icey cold. We crossed the road to get the Deuce
Bus and rode it all the way to TI. We were hoping that jackpot from last night was
still there, but alas, it was back to $1,089.00 So it had only gone earlier in the
day.
We played a little in TI then
walked over to the Venetian where we got a delicious icecream (they do the best icecream
here) then we walked back down the strip, stopping off in casinos on the way to gamble
some more.
Stopped in at Planet Hollywood
and Neil was approached by a young lady offering her services, whilst I was sat right
next to him. I gave her the eye and she walked away but let him know that she
would be by the Wheel Of Fortune machines if he changed his mind lol. The cheek
of the woman!
We eventually made it back to
the room at 2am at which point, I had to pack. Packing
was done in about 40 minutes and we had time for a soak in that whirlpool type tub
thingy *cough cough* Buzz. Finally got to bed at around 4.30am, need to be up at 10.30
as checkout is 11am.
Friday
26th December Alarm
went off at 10.20am and we packed up our last few things and headed downstairs to
check out. We handed over our player cards and asked if we could perhaps get our internet
charges taken off of our bill (approx $70), so the check out girl rang a host in the
casino, who looked up our players account and said she would comp us for one of our
nights stay! So we got an additional $150 off the bill, just for playing in their
casinos (the MGM chain). So all in all we were very pleased.
We checked our luggage with the
Bell Desk as we wanted one last walk out on the strip before we got a taxi to the
airport. We went to NYNY, brought a few bits and sat and chilled with a coffee for
an hour. Got back to the Monte Carlo at 12.30 to collect our bags and were at the
airport and checked in, ready to go, by 1pm. Taxi driver was good and didn't long
haul us and it was only $12.60 - which is the cheapest yet for a taxi either to or
from the airport - it's usually about $17 on a good day.
I am ready to come home now,
and can't wait to get on the plane so I can sleep - I'm shattered as I only got about
3 hours sleep last night.
We have had a fantastic time
out here again and even though my reports don't do it justice, we do alot more than
just sitting around, drinking and playing slots!! I can't wait until we are out here
again - I love this place.
A few words now about the Monte
Carlo. We have stayed here before and it's not the best hotel on the strip, but it's
centrally located and if you don't mind a bit of construction noise then you will
get a decent room at a good rate. We got lucky to be upgraded to a Diamond Suite but
their standard rooms are pretty decent, better than some out there. The casino area
isn't the best either, not that big but they have everything a gambler needs from
slots, to dice, to black jack and poker. The staff here are always friendly too, which
is more than I can say for alot of the hotels we have stayed in on the Las Vegas Strip.
Alot of the staff in Vegas need some customer relations lessons.
Thanks for listening xx
AwesomeAli
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