Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2010

mookybargirl

March

I'll be posting my trip report onto a url once completed to avoid clogging up the thread, but here's the preview....

Las Vegas Trip Report – March/April 2010

Monday
So, here’s where the trip starts. We’ve only packed our luggage at 6pm on the Sunday after all the wedding blurb. Thankfully, we’d bought lots of new clothes so packing was quite easy in the end. That is, after we got the suitcases out of the loft. We really should have done that sooner. Oops. We’re heading to Las Vegas right in the middle of the cabin crew strikes, and after a few weeks of not knowing if our flight would be going as planned, we’ve been moved over to FlyBe to get us to Gatwick from Newcastle, and then we’ve got to get ourselves to Heathrow. We weighed up all of our options and in the end, decided to get the bus. It was about £40 for the 2 of us, and we arrived about 90 minutes later. (This unfortunately is at our cost).
We head in to check in, as we couldn’t do this at Newcastle due to the change of airline. While we’re waiting in the queue, a security guard for the airport starting talking to us and his name was the same as my maiden name. He then goes on to tell us his wife has my first name too, so it looks like my name will live on. I tell hubby that that must be ‘good omen’. We get checked in and have time to eat before we board, so we’re off to Gordon Ramsay’s Plane Food for some lunch. I have a steak and hubby has a pork chop, no desserts or alcohol and the bill was £60. A nice start to our honeymoon, but it’s quite expensive for airport food, even if it is Gordon Ramsay’s name. Now that I’ve done it. I’d probably not bother again.

Off to Smiths for some junk food for the plane. Did you know there’s a Krispy Crème there? I’ll be sure to visit when I’m in London for work. I miss them when I’m at home, but I usually make up for it when I’m in Vegas! lol
We go off to find our gate in plenty of time and after a horrendous experience of getting over the gate via a tram and find that there are massive queues and it’s completely disorganised. Some people ahead of us were flying out before us and the boards for their flights starting moving to ‘last call’. After waiting for about 45 mins, our flight moves to ‘last call’ and I’m getting stressed. The people at the airport say not to worry, the plane will wait but I’m not convinced. Hubby tries his best to be the voice of reason and once we’re on the plane, I’m a lot calmer, but found the whole thing really stressful. The airport really needs to sort that out. What a mess!
So we’re on the plane and we have those 2 seats at the back of the plane, so there’s no one on either side of us. These are great seats and absolutely worth paying the new fee to reserve your seats early. It’s a shame we couldn’t get them for the way back. They were already booked… The food is served not long after take off. Mine is ok (some veggie thing), but hubby’s is pretty rubbish (think it was chicken or something pretending to be). The food on Virgin plane was much, much better. After they clear away the food, we settle in to watch a film together, and I’m tired now, so after the film, I’m going to try for some sleep. It’s about 90 mins into the flight now, and a few minutes into our film, and the flight attendant comes over. She starts to tell us that there’s a lady on the flight complaining that her in-flight entertainment is broken. I’m thinking to myself, where is this going? They’re not considering asking hubby to swap? She then tells us that if we wouldn’t mind, she would like to move us to Club as she knows we’re on our honeymoon, and although she can’t offer us side by side seats, we would be one in front of the other, there’s no champagne service today (as we’re in the strike period) but it would be flat beds….., Hubby asks me if I’d like to move. I’m not sure I could say yes quickly enough. Yes, yes, absolutely, I’ll move, no problem at all! We could be on the other side of the plane to each other, and I’d still be off like a shot. I asked her how she knew we were on honeymoon, as I never mentioned this at check in. She said it was on her passenger list. I can only imagine when I had a minor breakdown on the phone a few weeks before when it looked like our flight might be cancelled, they must have made a note of it. She gives us a few mins to pack up our bits and pieces and then walks up front to the Club cabin. I have to say walking past premium economy, as well as economy was absolutely fantastic! Why oh why can’t I afford to travel in Club all the time? Lol I’m now buzzing with excitement, and once I’ve got comfy under my plush blanket and my real pillow, I put the film back on. Well, that is after I pressed every button around me to see what it does, adjusted my ‘bed’ about 6 times and found all the little drawers etc to put my crap into. I still can’t actually believe we got upgraded. I’m now fully awake and there’s no way I’m going to sleep now. What if I miss some food or drinks? Lol. I’ll be lucky to have the chance to be back in Club again. I take all the drinks offered to me, enjoy the lovely sandwiches and pastries before we land. It was wonderful. Although I wear those flight socks, which do make such a difference in sitting so long, I get off the plane refreshed. I’ve had my feet up the pretty much the entire way after all. I hope that the lady that complained gets some good karma, as she did us a great favour that she’ll never know. Hubby takes the £60 in cash we have and he give this to the head stewardess on the way off the plane for a ‘round of drinks to thank her for giving us a great start to our honeymoon’. I like to think that good deeds come around, and it was worth every penny! Now, didn’t I say that the security man at the airport was a good omen!

Out the airport in a jiffy, as we’re at the front of the immigration queue when we should have been last off the plane, into a cab and off we go to Bellagio for our first 5 nights of the trip…..

duchy

March

OMG BA cabin crew accepted a tip ?????????
I'd guess she didn't complain nicely as they upgraded you and not her unless she was travelling with people seated right by you.

We got upgraded on our Honeymoon (both the airline and the new husband are both long gone now though) and how times have changed TWA insisted my now ex changed out of jeans into trousers so he was rummaging through the suitcase at checkin trying to find them (dunno if he intended to change right there-fortunately he couldn't find them !!) and we had to promise he'd be changed by the time he got to gate-Good thing Burtons in the terminal had a sale on ! We also got given a bottle of champagne on our domestic connection as we were getting off.

mookybargirl

March

Yep, tip accepted. OH shook her hand and slipped it across discreetly with our thanks. They did say the lady wasn't being too nice about it, but to be honest, it's such a long way to travel with no tv, so I think she was right to keep annoying them about it. I'd have been the same if it was me.....

I think it also helped that we were seated in the back row of the plane, so she could ask us discreetly about moving seats.

WestHamDaz

June

Had our Crown Currency ordered today, bang on time and both orders delivered in one bundle. I got a batch at 1.67 and another at 1.76 and based on todays rates we're around $500 better off for doing so.

Used them last year aswell and they have been spot on both orders

pebblesmax

October , November

Hard Rock offer.

Rooms from $48. Hope it helps someone.

Vikki_74

October , November

It doesn't get mentioned that much on here, presumably due to being off strip, but has anyone ever stayed at the Rio?

SmarterVegas have a new offer in this week's email which would work out $50 per night for each of our nights in October in a 600 sq ft Deluxe Studio Suite instead of the $55 we're currently paying for our 446 sq ft Grand Tower Room at the MGM. I'm tempted by the extra space for a slightly cheaper price but would being off strip be a bad idea for a first trip?

This is the link to the offer by the way if anyone else is interested:

https://www.harrahs.com/MakeReservation.do?propCode=RLV&packageCode=IRFNF&clickid=2Ai3BLxrDwuARE-0ODWUmQMnUkwyJrw1HQxY3M0&iradid=1104&rd=AFF

ferf1223

April

we stayed at Rio for one night a few years ago...we didn't really like it that much. The room was big (we got upgraded), had a fridge and coffee maker...but we aren't that keen on the casino, and didn't really like having only limited options without having to take a shuttle or drive elsewhere. There is a free shuttle to various strip hotels...we haven't taken it since it went from Paris (where it was very busy - shuttles regularly leaving full with passengers still waiting)...the shuttles from the other hotels might not be as busy. But I know people who love Rio. For a first trip, I would stay on the strip - just because there's so much you will want to see...though in some cases getting back to Rio won't be that much harder than getting back to MGM - just depends on where you are starting.

duchy

March

I stayed at the Rio for my first night last trip.Nice hotel
I personally don't think it's such a huge deal to be off strip-although I know others don't agree.

I liked the rooms at the Rio but I think for a first visit MGM has more wow factor.
I wouldn't rush to change at this point. I think you'll see better deals closer to the time.

nvh

MGM Grand - 3 day sale (...prices are no different for my dates but they rarely are in these 'sales'!)
https://reservations.mgmmirage.com/bookingengine.aspx?host=promo&pid=001&code=MKT469

MGM Grand 3-Day Sale!
For a limited time! Reserve your room at the MGM Grand and take advantage of this low rates!

Promotion Runs
May 19, 2010 - February 28, 2011

Offer Expires
May 22, 2010

Vikki_74

October , November

Hmmm...I've just been looking at pics of the rooms online and agree we'll probably be best off staying at the MGM - Rio rooms look ok but nothing amazing so probably not worth being tied to the shuttle buses especially for a first trip. Being off striip doesn't put me off that much but the hotel would have to be something special to compensate I think.

Appreciate the advice as always ferf & duchy, thanks!