Don't touch that! I need a picture first! TR - **NEW 04/17 PTR IS UP

[jenbear123]

Have a great trip Jenbear and Bubba!

Thanks Glenn! Hey, you changed your profile pic! I prefer the one from You're in Morocco

I don't think you have to get dressed up for Cirque. Don't get me wrong, don't look like a schlub (but then again, you never do). Casual/nice is probably fine.

Why thank you! Although if you saw me on a Monday morning it'd be a different story

I can't believe Bubba's dentist won't see her until after the trip. I've never heard of a dentist turning someone away that is in pain, that they helped to cause! Mine would come in during non-working hours for something like that.

I'm kind of confused why they turned her away too. I guess because it's such a procedure and her regular dentist wasn't available that they've had to refer her somewhere else. I feel really bad for her. Plus she doesn't have coverage It just happened so close to the trip so I guess it's one of those bad timing things. Sounds like you have a really nice dentist though. Wish mine would do that!

Looking forward to your review, details of the trip, and all of the adventures. Remember, what happens in Vegas.....gets detailed in the trip report!

Nothing is staying in Vegas this time

Have a safe trip! And I sure hope Bubba's tooth troubles will be over soon. You guys'll be eating so much!!

I know! She's going to be restricted to soup

Don't forget that the glass bridge is actually on a different side of the canyon. I believe the main side is the west side, and the bridge is on the south side. Be careful driving out there!!

Okay I think I got that. Don't worry we'll be careful!

I can't wait to see the real photos of your room! The promo ones always look TOO good. I'm so excited for you guys. Can't wait to hear all about it!!

I wish they'd always be up to those standards. It's like pictures in a travel brochure... you just never know.

 

[PirateKate]

That's a cool suitcase! I bet it's very easy to recognize at baggage claim.

Your Vegas trip sounds really fun. That room looks very nice. I hope it lives up to Disney standards.

I actually hadn't seen a picture of that observation deck at the Grand Canyon, but it looks really freaky. Maybe it's not so bad standing on it as it is looking at it from a distance like that.

 

[Flossbolna]

What a great suitcase!

Have a fantastic trip! And good luck with the gambling!

 

[jenbear123]

That's a cool suitcase! I bet it's very easy to recognize at baggage claim.

I'll let you know! I've always wanted a suitcase that stands out. I almost bought a lime green colour just so I knew it was mine! Thank goodness I waited. The butterfly is much prettier

Your Vegas trip sounds really fun. That room looks very nice. I hope it lives up to Disney standards.

It better

I actually hadn't seen a picture of that observation deck at the Grand Canyon, but it looks really freaky. Maybe it's not so bad standing on it as it is looking at it from a distance like that.

Neither had I. It looks really scary actually but I'm not sure if that's the same observation deck Yuki was talking about. By the way, I can't remember if I've seen you on my TR before so just incase

What a great suitcase!

Have a fantastic trip! And good luck with the gambling!

Thanks Magdalene. Not sure how much gambling I will do but if I do any at all, I hope I win lots! $$$$ But with my luck lately I doubt it. I'm not sure if you're familiar with Tim Hortons (Canadian coffee shop) and their roll up to win contest? Basically you roll up the rim of your coffee cup to see if you've won anything. They say odds are 1 in 10. Well, I have bought at least 20 coffees during the contest and have only won ONCE!

 

[Lifelong_Dreamer]

Have fun!

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!

Did you watch Undercover Boss last week?? It was the COO of the MGM Grand! Sadly my DVR cut it off and I haven't had the chance to see if it's online or not!

I typically dress up for Cirque. I have worn black gauchos and a nice tank top with a sweater bc it's usually cold. I think casual will be fine but that's at WDW, I'm not sure about Vegas!?

 

[3prettyprincesses]

Darn it Jen, I think I may have missed you before you and Bubba left!

Well, in the off chance that you read this before you get to Vegas, have fun!!!!!

LOVE the suitcase! It's so pretty!

Oooooh, you're going to see Ka! We really loved it, I hope you guys do too. You don't have to dress up, most people were in very casual clothing...jeans and t-shirts even! DH and I dressed up a tad, I wore a simple black skirt and lacey top.

I think your itinerary looks great! I hope you guys have a blast and that poor Bubba can live through her tooth pain to enjoy it! Sheesh, Bubba isn't traveling so well lately is she? Last October she was limping around the MK and now she's dealing with a toothache!

Enjoy your trip, sounds like it came at a great time for you too with work being all stressful. Have fun!!! Fingers crossed for zero snow when you return!

 

[All7OfUs]

Aaaaaaaaaaand you're off!! I'm so happy this long anticipated day has come for you and Bubba!! Let's all hope that tooth doesn't give her any problem whatsoever, and that you have a fabulous time doing all the things you have planned! You're going to love Cirque and the Canyon! I can't wait to see your pix!

 

[redlight]

I love the suitcase. I hope that you are enjoying the trip & that Bubba's tooth doesn't give her any problems.

 

[englishrose47]

Waiting for the TR of Vegas !!!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Somehow I missed your post that you were heading off to Vegas. So imagine that I got into my DeLorean and drove it 88 mph to engage the flux capacitor and travel back to the day you left so that I could tell you to have a great time!

 

[jenbear123]

Have fun!

Thanks we did!

HAVE A GREAT TRIP!!!

Did you watch Undercover Boss last week?? It was the COO of the MGM Grand! Sadly my DVR cut it off and I haven't had the chance to see if it's online or not!

I typically dress up for Cirque. I have worn black gauchos and a nice tank top with a sweater bc it's usually cold. I think casual will be fine but that's at WDW, I'm not sure about Vegas!?

Sadly no I didn't see that one. I would've loved to have seen it. Perhaps it's on YouTube like everything else. I ended up wearing a decent outfit for Cirque but wow, do I have some fashion horror stories for ya!

Darn it Jen, I think I may have missed you before you and Bubba left!

That's the power of the interwebs. I can read this when I got back!

Well, in the off chance that you read this before you get to Vegas, have fun!!!!!

I did read this at the airport so thanks!

LOVE the suitcase! It's so pretty!

Apparently we're not the only ones who liked this suitcase. There was another girl on the SAME flight as me in BOTH directions who had the exactly same suitcase. Thank goodness I put my Disney luggage tag on mine.

Oooooh, you're going to see Ka! We really loved it, I hope you guys do too. You don't have to dress up, most people were in very casual clothing...jeans and t-shirts even! DH and I dressed up a tad, I wore a simple black skirt and lacey top.

I figured out a decent outfit. It was actually pretty chilly our first night so I ended up wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt. There were some interesting fashion statements from other people....

I think your itinerary looks great! I hope you guys have a blast and that poor Bubba can live through her tooth pain to enjoy it! Sheesh, Bubba isn't traveling so well lately is she? Last October she was limping around the MK and now she's dealing with a toothache!

That's Bubba! Always keeps me guessing. Her tooth didn't keep her from having fun.

Enjoy your trip, sounds like it came at a great time for you too with work being all stressful. Have fun!!! Fingers crossed for zero snow when you return!

No snow!!!

Aaaaaaaaaaand you're off!! I'm so happy this long anticipated day has come for you and Bubba!! Let's all hope that tooth doesn't give her any problem whatsoever, and that you have a fabulous time doing all the things you have planned! You're going to love Cirque and the Canyon! I can't wait to see your pix!

I took over 400 pictures so it may take me a bit to upload them. Maybe not all but the good ones at least.

I love the suitcase. I hope that you are enjoying the trip & that Bubba's tooth doesn't give her any problems.

She survived but Bubba is really looking forward to getting it fixed so she can stop taking all these pain meds.

Waiting for the TR of Vegas !!!!

It's coming Rosie! I hope to get it started tomorrow.

Somehow I missed your post that you were heading off to Vegas. So imagine that I got into my DeLorean and drove it 88 mph to engage the flux capacitor and travel back to the day you left so that I could tell you to have a great time!

You may have disrupted the space time continuum! Great Scott!

 

[englishrose47]

I'll be waiting Jen !!

 

[jenbear123]

I'm baaaaack! As promised, here is a mini-TR of my trip to Vegas.

We left the Monday night to stay overnight at a hotel close to the airport. I decided to give Hotwire a try. We ended up staying at the Millenium Buffalo Airport which was pretty decent. It was much better than Motel 6 we stayed in last time.

There were two queen size beds and a mini-fridge in the room. It sufficed for the one night we stayed.

Next morning we awoke bright and early at 5am to head to the airport. Parking was simple but man was it COLD. Bubba and I both decided to bring our winter jackets so we wouldn't freeze to death. They made good pillows once we were on the plane.

It was a 4.5 hour flight from gate to gate - much longer than I had anticipated. I'm so used to the 2.5 hour flight to Orlando so by the 3 hour mark I was starting to get a bit antsy. Thankfully I had put Inception on my iPhone which easily killed the rest of the flight time.

As soon as we disembarked the plane, I was shellshocked for the rest of the day. It was like stimulation overload. The first thing that amazed me was there were actually slot machines in the airport. So it is true!!!

It took us a while to find where to go to get our shuttle bus to the MGM Grand. Bubba being the smart one she was actually read our documents which told us where to go. *face palm*

Without delay we were then on our way to our hotel and walked into the lobby. Another shellshocker moment.

The lobby was HUGE! I had no idea the grandeur of this place. I was so overwhelmed I could hardly speak straight as we checked in. They had a room ready for us so off we went to the 18th floor.

The MGM Grand to me is a love/hate relationship. Firstly, the beds were heavenly.

4 pillows. Count them. FOUR pillows plus a body pillow. Oh my it was wonderful. The bathroom had marble floors and marble counter tops.

The hairdryer provided was on par with the one I own which was two thumbs up for me!

The problem was figuring out the plugs to get it to work. I spent at least 5 minutes with that hairdryer but to no avail. Then I got my own hairdryer that I brought - still nothing. I finally had to press the reset button on the actual outlet before anything started working. The outlet problems didn't end in the bathroom either. The rest of the room either had outlets that didn't work or the plugs literally fell out of them whenever you tried to plug something in.

The shower had....well it's what it didn't have which was the problem. The first thing that was wrong was the bath drain which was pretty plugged up so we had to stand in a puddle of water while we showered. The shower head was weird and shoddy looking.

The water that came out of it stung and went in several different directions. And the way it went into the wall looked as if they didn't care about appearances at all. Really, they can't afford decent shower heads? Maybe they could cut down on the marble floors a bit to at least give their guests the comfort in the shower. To top it off, figuring out how to shut the water off would drive even the smartest of monkeys mad. You could turn the handle round and round and never figure it out. But if you moved it slowly enough, you'd eventually find that off switch.

Overall I would compare the MGM Grand to a Moderate resort leaning a bit more to a Value. The appearance was lovely but once you started using things in the room, it showed it's true colours.

We had a great view from our room though!

By this point we were both starving so we decided to hunt down Earl of Sandwich. From my research before we left, I had discovered it was located at Caesar's Palace. It was a decent hike from the MGM Grand. It was weird having escalators outside. They really try to keep pedestrians off the streets. Probably with good reason... as you'll find out later on.

So we went inside Caesar's Palace to find EoS. Now this isn't a tiny little hotel we're talking about so we kinda needed to figure out where we were going. We looked on the directory but no EoS. Bubba tried calling 411 to see if they could be of any help while I took more picture

The phone call revealed that we were in completely the wrong place. EoS was actually in the Planet Hollywood hotel which was half way back down the strip where we had came from. By this point Bubba was starving and getting a bit grumpy. I offered to eat something at Caesar's Palace but she was keen to find EoS. After another 15 minute hike back down the way we came, looking up where it was on the directory inside Planet Hollywood, we finally found it!

Sorry no pictures of sandwiches. We basically inhaled them since we were so hungry. We also got a Gatorade to share because we were both pretty dehydrated. Eating those sandwiches again brought back memories of Disney. Finally refuelled, we set off to explore the strip.

The Venetian

Gondola Rides at the Venetian

The Wynn

Paris

Looking over at Mirage

A curved escalator!

Even in Vegas, Disney didn't escape us.

I noticed many of the hotels turned into shopping malls. I didn't really like that but I guess that's Vegas. Most of the stores were way too expensive for me even to dream of buying something from there. We did walk into a Dourney & Bourke but they had nothing of interest. If I was going to buy one of their purses, it's going to be the ones from Disney!

After a while, I was starting to get pretty worn out. We had been walking around for at least 4 hours. On our way back to our hotel, we made a stop at Ghirardelli to treat ourselves to a $9 sundae.

It was really yummy but I dunno if it's just me but I prefer sundaes without te whipped cream. I feel like it takes away from the yumminess of the ice cream with hot fudge. Either that or I'm just picky....

We got back to our room and relaxed until our time for KA arrived.

To be continued....

 

[englishrose47]

Great Update !!I would have been showerless for the duration if I had to figure all that out !!Or Front Desk would have gotten some angry phone calls !!Vegas is one of the Free Trips and I am gonna convice Carol to go next year!!!!

 

[mom3sonstt]

My husband and his buddy got to Vegas every year....part of their packing list included a shower head, hangers, and brighter lightbulbs. They hated the shower heads and would swap them out first thing, there were never enough hangers for the two of them for a week long stay, and they didn't like how dark it was inside the rooms. They never mentioned trouble with the outlets...

 

[YukiPhnx]

AWESOME START TO YOUR TRIP!!!!

It's bringing back memories of the trip I took with my family back in 2006. We rented a car so we didn't walk outside the strip very much. Everything looks close on the map, but when you're actually THERE, it really isn't.

Hooray for finding EoS! I gotta make a note of it being in Planet Hollywood. I love that you have such a nice view of New York New York.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

 

[PirateKate]

First EOS and then Ghirardelli- so far Vegas sounds like a gigantic Downtown Disney with casinos.

 

[glennbo123]

Glad you got home safely and had a nice trip.

I have never seen a curved escalator before! That's cool!

 

[jenbear123]

Great Update !!I would have been showerless for the duration if I had to figure all that out !!Or Front Desk would have gotten some angry phone calls !!Vegas is one of the Free Trips and I am gonna convice Carol to go next year!!!!

We were going to complain to front desk but figured they probably would've had to move us to a different room. We were already fairly settled so just left it as is.

My husband and his buddy got to Vegas every year....part of their packing list included a shower head, hangers, and brighter lightbulbs. They hated the shower heads and would swap them out first thing, there were never enough hangers for the two of them for a week long stay, and they didn't like how dark it was inside the rooms. They never mentioned trouble with the outlets...

They actually bring a shower head?! I wouldn't even know how to go about replacing it. Definitely a good idea though. See, these are the things you don't know about on your first visit somewhere.

AWESOME START TO YOUR TRIP!!!!

It's bringing back memories of the trip I took with my family back in 2006. We rented a car so we didn't walk outside the strip very much. Everything looks close on the map, but when you're actually THERE, it really isn't.

Hooray for finding EoS! I gotta make a note of it being in Planet Hollywood. I love that you have such a nice view of New York New York.

Can't wait to hear more about your trip!

It was kinda scary driving around when we did have a car so I'm happy we walked. Nighttime was a bit scarier walking since all the wackos came out then. The distance between things was incredible. I prepared myself for it but didn't realize how long the strip was. We never did make it the full length.

First EOS and then Ghirardelli- so far Vegas sounds like a gigantic Downtown Disney with casinos.

Why yes it does! Seriously though, it honestly is like Disney World for adults without the innocence.

Glad you got home safely and had a nice trip.

I have never seen a curved escalator before! That's cool!

I know! I can't imagine what that thing is like to maintain. There were more like that in other hotels too.