My slightly late, but event-filled Las Vegas TR!

[the Dark Marauder]

I promised to post TR & pics from my Vegas trip. Even 2000+ miles away, I could not escape certain parts of Orlando. I will start by posting the first two days' events, then add the remaining as I write them (should be done within the week).


Cast: Me, Dad, Stepmom
Supporting Players: Uncle, Aunt, two friends of my aunt
Trip Premise: My first trip to Las Vegas, ever, plus my stepmom's b-day trip.
Trip Length: 1/14-1/18 2009

Day 1: The Arrival

The day begins at 4am. Yes, that early. Our plane departs at 830am, and you have to be at the airport 1.5-2hrs before your flight, plus I live an hour away from MCO(OIA).

Getting to the airport was easy--no traffic, got parked in the Parking Spot. So far, so good. Then, at curbside, my dad has to go to the restroom and manages to get LOST. Because he takes so long (15 mins to make a 5 min trek), we end up doing curbside checkin, which costs $2 more per bag. There were only three checked bags, thankfully. I probably could have used my backpack, my carryon, and *maybe* a smaller checked bag for the trip. Due to certain members of my party who always overpack, such was not possible. Oh well.

Airport security was a breeze. Been there, done that, nothing major to report. Got to the gate just fine and the plane was waiting. Remember how I said a particular person liked to overpack? Well, just before boarding, one of the small bags my stepmom (yes, I just called her out on this) had in her ECV was noted by flight staff, and she had to check a bag. At least it was free, but it was an inconvenience.

The flight was BORING. No movie, no entertainment, nothing. Just a whole bunch of people crammed into a flying tube for 4.5hrs. Thank goodness I had charged my DS. I at least had *some* entertainment.
Fun Fact: US Airways (yes, the one that had the swimming plane) stopped complimentary beverage/snack service. Now you have to pay for EVERYTHING. I was hungry, so I had to pay $7 for a turkey sandwich. I had my water jug, so was good there. but if I had wanted some orange juice--$2. Coffee, $1.

We landed apx 1030am Pacific time. And to dispel a myth, there were no guys handing out porn flyers anywhere in the airport. There were, however, slot machines just outside the gate. That's how you know you're in Vegas.
Baggage claim was loaded with ads for all the different shows, which was awesome. Once we got all of our bags (remember, there's a lot), I became a human pinball. My dad & I went to get a cab/put some bags down at the spot. Then I had to get my stepmom/the rest of the bags. Since my dad was separated from us, this made for another annoyance.

Speaking of annoyances, once we were in the cab, I got stuck in the back, loaded with bags, and could only see out of one side. While my dad 7 stepmom were like "oh look at that" I was like "I can only see what's on *my* side." They did not grasp this concept and continued. I was also tired and hungry, so I was a bit of a grouch.
Eventually, we made it to the Sahara, where we were staying for the first couple of nights. Again, thanks to the overpacking (this theme will be reflected many times by many people throughout the vacation) I was not able to truly enjoy the ambiance. Not until we reached our room. I put the stuff I was carrying down and got to look outside. The view from the room was this:

Yes, the room looked out to the Stratosphere. A much needed nap was had, as well as signing up for the Sahara's players club, Club Sahara. Food was had as well, which was also needed. My Uncle also arrived after we had lunch.

When it started getting dark, my dad & uncle had signed up for a Poker Tournament the hotel was having. My stepmom & I went out to tour the area. We stopped by a CVS to pick up some cereal & snacks for the next day's trip to Hoover Dam. I also took some $$ out for gambling purposes. We also headed out to the Stratosphere after dropping off the snacks.

The thing about casinos is that "if you've seen one, you've seen them all." The decor may be different, but they all have the slots, similar card games, roulette, video poker, etc. They also all have lots of shops--essentially shopping malls--inside the hotels. I thought it was funny/bizarre, since it was so new to me. I purchased the ride ticket special for myself and a tower ticket for my stepmom. We went all the way up, over 800 feet up to the observation deck. It.was.impressive. I'm sure it has a different feel during the day, but at night, WOW.

My stepmom waited, enjoying the view, plus holding my stuff as I went on the three rides they have up there: Insanity, X-Scream, and the Big Shot.
First: X-Scream. It's a small coaster that goes foward, then dips down. If you're in the front, there is NOTHING between you and the ground, except for a small piece of coaster track. It's pretty cool, but they didn't let me keep my glasses on. you have to have a sports strap.
Next: Insanity. It's a claw shaped contraption that you sit in these pod-looking seats. It goes off the side of the tower and spins. Lame. Would've been better with my glasses on.
Last: Big Shot. It's a shot tower; 1000 feet up, that is. If you've been on a shot tower (Doctor Doom's Fearfall, Maliboomer, etc) you've been on this. Again, would've been more awesome with glasses on.

After doing these, I met back up with my stepmom & we headed back to the Sahara. I opted to gamble a bit. I took $3 to a penny slot machine. I.got.hot. I walked away from the machine with $50. Then I took my winnings, plus $30, to a three card poker table. Hot again. I walked away with $130 in my hand. I also earned several points, and some credit, on my Club Sahara card.

By then I was EXHAUSTED. So I went back to the room and went to sleep.

Here's the link to the full day 1 album:
Click here

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Day 2: Hoover Dam & Valley of the Fire


It was *supposed* to be an early start, as Hoover Dam & Valley of the Fire are a bit of a drive from Vegas. Especially VOTF. That's easy to get to from the Strip, but from Hoover Dam, it's a bit far.

My dad & I were up on time, ready to go fairly quickly. My stepmom & Uncle were a bit slower, but joined us for breakfast at the Caravan Cafe(24hr restaurant in the Sahara). Nice place, but SLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW service. Painfully slow.

As soon as we were ready, we got into my uncle's car (SUV, actually) and headed to Hoover Dam. At least this time I was able to see a lot more of what was going on. I also had to take over as navigator, as neither my dad, nor stepmom (who had directions!) could figure out how to get to the Dam. Yay for confusion with multiple people trying to figure out a simple map. And no, my uncle does not have a GPS system. In this case, it would have been a great thing to have.

As we approached Hoover Dam, all I could say was "wow" and also thought of Transformers. And yes, there is a Transformers poster in Hoover Dam.

The Dam is impressive. It's quite a view looking down from the top, but I'm sure looking up from the bottom would be even more spectacular.
Fun Fact: The Dam crosses the Nevada/Arizona state line and the Pacific/Mountain time zone. The mens restroom is on the Nevada side. The ladies room is on the Arizona side.

There were a variety of different tour options available. My stepmom & I opted for the $11 tour--that my winnings paid for. That tour takes groups into part of the Dam. We had a funny tour guide and were thoroughly impressed in how solidly built the dam is. Nowadays, to build something of that magnitude would take 10+ years. The Dam was built in less than 4.

After the tour, we went to the little snack stand and I got a Dam Dog. Getting a Dam Dog also gets you a free souvenir sticker. A Dam Dog is just a hot dog, but still.

We then began to head for Valley of the Fire. Again, I had to be Navigator. Until the part where we had to find a road that seemingly didn't exist. We had to stop at an info center and they politely explained that people get lost trying to find that one road All The Time. And no, they don't know why better signage hasn't been implemented.

It was a very LOOOOOOOOOOONG, albeit scenic, drive to Valley of the Fire. The road was carved into a lot of nothing. There were very few signs of civilization on the road. There were also very few signs.

After what seemed like an unending drive, we reached Valley of the Fire. It's a natural park where the stones can appear to be "on fire" when the sun hits them at the right angle. It would've been a better place to explore if there was more sunlight. Due to our late start, we got to VOTF late. I did manage to get an awesome VOTF pic

That's the sun reflecting on the stone tops, not gold.

We didn't stay long, and the drive back to Vegas was surprisingly quick. After we got back, there was some resting, then some Adventuring. My uncle decided to rest longer, so my dad, stepmom, and I went to eat at the Sahara's buffet. By being Club Sahara members, we got a discount. Since I had won in slots, I had some credit that helped reduce the total cost even further. The food was good, but would be mediocre when compared to buffets later in the trip.

On the way out, to see some other casinos in the area, we were quickly reminded of Orlando, the place we were escaping. I'll let this pic explain it all:

Yes, there is a NASCAR Cafe in the Sahara. But it was closed that day. Still....

We ventured out to Circus Circus, Slots of Fun, and even the Riviera before heading back. The decor was different in each, and quite impressive. Circus Circus even has free circus shows during the day!

Before going to sleep, back at the Sahara, I opted to play some three card poker and some penny slots. I did well in three card poker, but the slots were cold as ice. One slot player I met was nice enough to help me rack up another point on my Club Sahara card to bring my total to 10. At 10 points, you get a free souvenir cup with a well drink (also free) I got a Kahlua & Cream, since that was the closest I could get to a White Russian. That would be the only alcohol I had on the entire trip.

The full album of day 2 is available here:
Ooh, pretty colors

 

[RAPstar]

Great pics!! Looks like you had fun!

 

[teresared]

Great Trip report!!! I have always wanted to ride the X-Scream and Insanity (Big Shot scares me). The pictures are wonderful. Can't wait for the rest of the report.

 

[keishashadow]

nice report, sounds like ur dad needs a homing device

u must've missed my TR that showed the poster @ hoover dam

we couldn't work in valley of fire -next trip, so how far of a drive was it from hoover dam?

never made our way up to Statosphere, yet all the casinos we did hit had completely different decor/atmosphere/smell, some where so dingy i couldn't wait to leave

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Valley of Fire was about an hour's drive from Hoover Dam. Having a GPS would've helped immensely.

More updates coming soon!

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Day 3: The Strip

This day would be one of the most eventful ones of the trip. Here's why: (1)We relocated from the Sahara to the Polo Towers. (2)We checked out many of the hotels/casinos on the south end of The Strip. (3)We saw the show Love.

Now for more specifics.

Breakfast was had at the Caravan Cafe for the last time before checkout. We really liked the Sahara and would definitely go back again. Great staff, great casino, very affordable (under $40/night). When we (me, dad, stepmom, uncle) were ready, we packed up, checked out, and loaded up my uncle's SUV.

More like overloaded. Remember how I mentioned the overpacking in the previous days? Well, here it hit again. There was barely enough room for the four of us, all the baggage, plus my stepmom's ECV (it's collapsible, at least). Again, I got stuck in the back, barely able to move/see anything.

It took very little time to get to the Polo Towers, which is located very close to the Planet Hollywood hotel & casino (which is lame. More on that on the next day's TR.) I met up with my aunt & her friends, and followed my aunt to her room, while my uncle, dad, and stepmom got checked in. My aunt had connections, so she was able to get us an awesome rate on the hotel.

All the rooms are suites. Mini apartments, if you will. And very nice, as pics will prove. They're on page 4, and the link will be provided below. There's also a pool on the roof. No, I didn't bother to use it. Once everyone got situated, I dropped off my remaining stuff in the room I'd be staying in (with dad & stepmom, of course). I took a picture of the view, then we headed out.

The view. Yes, I was directly across from the Monte Carlo.

Just outside the hotel, on the main part of the Strip, is an open-air shopping area, plus a booth called Tix 4 Tonight, which specializes in discounted tickets for shows, attractions, dinners, etc. There is also a text program where you can receive daily text messages on special deals. I got a text saying the show Love was 50% off. Regular price for the cheap seats is over $120. Tickets were purchased for the early show, in the upper level, for me/dad/stepmom/uncle/aunt. I also received a text to get a discount on Madame Tussuad's, a famous wax museum. My dad bought tickets for me/stepmom/himself, and the text discount was applied. All I had to do was delete the text in front of the cashier, which I did. Yay, blackberry ease! The tickets were for Saturday's date, so Madame Tussuad's will be covered in the next Report.

TIME TO TOUR THE CASINOS!
My aunt & uncle left, leaving myself, my dad, and my stepmom to tour the strip. Here, in the south end, is where all the action is. There's more hustle & bustle, more people. And the porn guys. They don't speak. They're not pushy. They just slap a deck of "business" cards against their hand and offer you cards/booklets/whatever. Either you take it or you don't. They still get paid no matter what. Most people ignore these guys. And yes, they were everywhere.

Enough about that, time for awesomeness. We stopped at the M&M store, just because it was there. There was also a Coke store, giving out free cans of Coke Zero. As many as you wanted, even. We continued on, stopping to say hi to Zorro & Elvis, then into the MGM Grand. HUGE. CASINO. This hotel is easy to get lost in. We all signed up for the MGM/Mirage player's club, which covers most of the casinos on the south end of the strip--Luxor, NYNY, MGM, Mirage, etc. We also stopped by to see the lions. Lionesses were sleeping at the time. Later, a trainer would be feeding/playing with them.

After that, we crossed the street via elevated walkway, and headed for the New York New York. This is a very awesome hotel/casino. If you've been to NY, or have lived there, you will see a lot of ambiance from there. The interior has a lot of shops/restaurants themed EXACTLY like various streets of NY. Very authentic. There is also a rollercoaster, The Manhattan Express, which is part of the hotel. I would ride this on my last day.

Next, the Excalibur. I loved this hotel/casino. It has just the right amount of cheesiness to be fun. It's a great all-ages hotel & casino. There's a games/kiddie area on the lower level, buffet on the upper, and casino on the main level. Since I really like the medieval time period, I really enjoyed the decor in this hotel. My dad & I even checked out the buffet, which had a 2-for-1 deal from 2p-6p daily. We would not eat there this night, but wanted to the next night. It looked so good, putting the Sahara buffet to shame.
On the games level, there was a "leapfrog" or "chicken in a pot" game. The one where you place a chicken/frog/witch (in this case) on a platform and use a mallet to catapult the chicken into the pot/lilypad/cauldron (cauldron in this case). My first hit didn't count, since I hit the bopper and the witch didn't even move. I needed a good swing to get the witch airborne. Out of the three witches I had, I sunk the last one into the cauldron and won a dragon. I chose a blue/ice dragon to complement my fire dragon I have at home.

After this, it was getting late, and we wanted to rest before heading out to see Love, which was at the Mirage. We swung back through the New York New York, split a pretzel,and continued on, back to the Polo Towers.
Fun Fact: There is a Coyote Ugly saloon in the NYNY. I peeked in and yes, there are attractive female bartenders that dance on the bar.

I rested, while my dad opted to use the rooftop pool. My stepmom did her own thing for a while. When we were ready, we caught up with my uncle and headed for the Mirage. We met up with my aunt, who had been on fire at the Wynn casino. She won enough credit for four people to eat at the buffet for free. Her friends had also won enough credit to eat for free as well. They did not join us for Love, but continued to do their own thing, which included finding some hot nickel slots.

When it was time, we went to get our seats. If you're not familiar, there are a number of Cirque de Soleil shows in Vegas. Ka (supposedly phenomenal), O, Mystiere, Love, Zumanity (18+), and Believe. Each one has its own theme. La Nouba in Downtown Disney is it's own thing and is more of a variety show with almost zero speaking.
Love is well, WORTH EVERY PENNY. It combines the acrobatics of Cirque de Soleil with music from the Beatles. There is speaking in this one, incredible stunts, superb acoustics, etc. Worth every penny. My dad was particularly fond of Here Comes the Sun and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. All five of us walked out of the theater all saying the same thing--Incredible, Worth the Price, Phenomenal, etc. It was really that good.

After the show, we headed for the Wynn to catch up with my aunt's friends, who were waiting for us at the buffet. The Wynn is a very elegant and very EXPENSIVE hotel/casino. When the high end slots are $25-$500, you know it's ritzy. There's another ritzy part that I will tell about soon.

The buffet was $42 for me. My dad & I split the cost. Can we say bye bye winnings? My winnings paid for my buffet and my Love ticket. The buffet was good, but not worth $40. $25-$35, maybe. Not $40. Don't get me wrong, there were some incredible options. Crab legs, pumpkin soup (DIVINE!), a variety of desserts, various fish types, roast beef, etc. Very good, but it would be put to shame by other, less expensive buffets my dad & I would see in our journey. Still, it was yummy.

After that, we headed to the cab area and had to wait for a wheelchair accessible taxi. My aunt, uncle, and their friends headed out ahead of us. While waiting, I saw something I'd never seen before. A Ferrari dealership attached to the hotel. I had to take pics, as I thought to myself "I know where the high rollers hang out!"

Full set of pics is available here:
Enjoy

 

[RAPstar]

Love is an awesome show!! I was unfortunately in the upper level, but it was still amazing! I think my favorite part was "Something in the Way She Moves". I started tearing up at the end with the projections on the red cloths. Great updat, can't wait for more!!

 

[keishashadow]

ooh, u did lots of cool stuff, im jealous

polo towers look really nice & it's great to hear that some peeps DO win money!

buffet @ excalibur was best meal we had in vegas, followed by buffet @ PH

PH had great rooms (we got the charlie sheen one ); the casino didn't thrill me @ all, geared more to 20'something crowd? their karoke bar had the most untalented peeps - ever

the porn guys did show some restraint w/us & didn't press the flesh with then-15 yo DS , most looked to be illegals last summer - still?

i luv vegas, waiting for next installment

 

[donaldduck352]

Kool trip..Looking forward too more..

 

[the Dark Marauder]

Day 4: Casino Hopping & Downtown

The day begins with just my dad & I heading out to casino/hotel hop after breakfast. My stepmom, aunt, uncle, and their friends all opted to rest/do their own thing. We saw a LOT of casinos before heading to the Venetian and Madame Tussuad's. Our goals were: Paris, Caesar's, and the Bellagio, plus anything else we could muster.

First stop, the Planet Hollywood. Lame. It felt like I was in a big PH restaurant. There was nothing "ooh" or "ahh" or "wow" about it. The vibe I felt was meh at best. We did not stay there long.

The Paris was next on the list. I loved the Paris. As was described, the casino had the feel of France. The table games were all the same, but most of the slots were Paris/France themed, which was excellent. The decor and shops were all French. There was even a store that sold REAL champagne--from Champagne, France. No, I didn't buy or try any, but it was cool to see.
We saw the buffet, which had a LONG line. It was breakfast-lunch transition time, but we were just looking. They had crab legs, salads, and a variety of lunch based stuff coming out. For breakfast, they still had the eggs, pancakes, and the coolest of all--made to order crepes! You tell the cook what you want and he makes it in front of you. Awesome! The price was also reasonable--dinner was HALF of what the Wynn charged, and the selection looked far better. I probably would've really enjoyed eating here.

We made our way back around and I asked a cocktail waitress what the policy on photos in the casino are. She said that personal photos are fine. I had thought that photos were not allowed, as it could be considered "cheating" Nope! Taking pics was encouraged. Shortly after that, we started to head out when I noticed there was a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower replica they have.

Fun Fact #1: The most expensive thing I saw on any of the menus was at the Eiffel Tower restaurant. Caviar that costs $300+ Not counting caviar, I saw some special Japanese beef that was over $80 at the MGM.
Fun Fact #2: The Eiffel Tower replica has base pieces both inside and outside of the hotel, as you can see here:

While looking, a hostess from the restaurant started talking to my dad. He told her how it was my first trip and she offered to take us up on a tour of the restaurant for free! Awesome! We got up there and the kitchen is *right there* She also offered us a free sample of a mini crab cake. Awesome again.

The view from the restaurant was incredible. It looked out to the Bellagio, and guaranteed an unobstructed view of the Bellagio's dancing fountains. The hostess told us that her restaurant is very popular at night with all the lights and the fountains dancing. I could totally understand that. We concluded our tour shortly after that and headed out to get a closer view of the Bellagio fountains, which were going to start in a few minutes.

It was the first show of the day, and I was told that no two shows are the same. There are supposedly over 200 songs that are picked at random, and each song has its own "choreography." The songs we heard were The Star Spangled Banner and Time To Say Goodbye (Andrea Bocelli/Sarah Brightman). I took a lot of pics, hoping for a good action shot of the fountains. Tell me which shot is best when you view the album. I really liked this one:

Fun Fact: One of my coworkers was familiar with the Bellagio via Ocean's Eleven. When I talked about it, he was like "the Bellagio is a REAL casino?"

On that note, the Bellagio was a bit...underwhelming. I liked it, but it did not have the oomph I was expecting. We would make our way to the conservatory after stopping in the lobby. There was this glass horse that looks very...different...if you take a picture with and without flash.

With Flash:

Without flash:

The conservatory was set up for Chinese New Year. My dad said that it was a weak setup, albeit well done. I also took an obligatory close-up flower shot for the purpose of entering in the Central FL fair. I really liked this one

After the Bellagio, we headed to Caesar's Palace! All Hail Doctor Doom! Whoops, I meant Hail Caesar!

Caesar's Palace was incredibly detailed. The statues, the horse (FAO Schwartz!), the whole setup was great. We headed towards the back of the hotel to see the free statues/robot show they have. Remember how I said there seems to be a mall in each of the hotel/casinos? There is a full Simon Mall in the Caesar, Cheesecake Factory inclusive. We had just missed the show by 20 mins, so we opted to wait for the next one. In the meantime, we watched a guy in the aquarium (in the area the show would take place) feed the fish & stingrays.

The show was kind of lame, but at least it was free. It was hard to hear the robots speak. In the 90s, I'm sure it was awesome. Today, it is meh. I felt the same way about Robosaurus at HHN. Awesome when I was 12, meh when I was 26. By now it was after 2pm and we were getting hungry. Also my aunt, uncle, and stepmom were all at the Venetian, so we headed there.
Fun Fact: There are spiral escalators in Caesar's. You'll see the pic on page 5 of the album.

The Venetian is a quirky hotel/casino. The outside is very thoroughly decorated. There is even information on the gondola rides. They were sold out by 10am. You can have either a private 2-person ride (more expensive) or a $16/person ride (max 4 riders). The boat driver has to sing and the river is on the upper level of the hotel. The lower level is the casino. Very plain, just like any other casino. On the upper level, where all the shops and the gondola ride is, is exquisite. It felt odd seeing a bland casino and a beautiful upper level. Still, the upper level was stunning.

After putzing around upstairs, my dad & I headed for the food court. Yes, many of the hotels have regular food courts, in addition to the buffets, full service restaurants, etc. We ate at a deli before heading to Madame Tussuad's.

Madame Tussuad's is a wax museum. A hands-on wax museum. You're allowed to touch and encouraged to take pics. Some of the models, which are incredibly lifelike, respond to being touched in certain parts. Touch J. Lo's booty to make her blush kind of thing. No really, that's what happens! I hung out with Jodie Foster (same b-day as me) and Matthew McConaughey. My stepmom & I joined Blue Man Group. My dad tried out for American Idol. I gave props to Abe Lincoln and Much Respect to President Obama. Most people actually took very respectful pics with Obama. George W Bush was there, and most people took disrespectful pics with him--kicking his butt, bunny ears, moose antlers, etc. Some people did take respectful pics with him, but there were not many.

After we were done, we caught up with my aunt, uncle, and their friends to head to Downtown Las Vegas, known as the Freemont Street Experience. The draw of the FSE is cheap drinks, cheap gambling, and lots of free shows, including an overhead show. For whatever reason, we did not stay long. We got there at 530 and my aunt & her friends were ready to leave by 8pm. Things had barely begun and we were gone! There was a "Globe of Death" where THREE guys in motorcycles drive around/upsidedown, etc. The show was at 815, but I didn't get to see it. We ended up taking the city bus, of all things, to get back to the hotel. My dad was over the situation and how the whole point was to go and gamble cheap and have fun. The "Experience" would've been better had we been there longer.

My uncle, dad, and I would go out later to the NY NY to gamble a bit, as we were bothered by the Failmont Street Nonexperience. I considered riding the rollercoaster--the Manhattan Express--at night, but opted to wait until the next day. My dad had to use the restroom, which was nearby. My uncle & I moved to a very nearby video poker machine. My dad got lost coming out, even though I gave him EXACT directions "go to the big circular bar in the middle of the casino and wait there." He ended up at the Harley Davidson store on the complete opposite side of the hotel.
After reuniting with Mr Gets-Lost-All-The-Time-And-Never-Answers-His-Phone, I went to play some three card poker. I didn't get a hot streak and ended up losing $30. Oh well. The smoke in the casino was starting to bother me, so we left shortly after that.

Tomorrow would be the final day. I would ride the Manhattan Express. But I'll save all the final day details for the next report.

Full album of pics here:
Lots of pics

 

[scotlass]

Hey youse...

Sounds like youse had a blast.

The Horse pics are soooo cool !!

 

[macraven]

this is a great report!
loving all the pictures.

did i miss the one of J Lo?