Las Vegas thread and MSE guide 2010

ferf1223

April

deleted as I hadn't seen duchy's post making the same points.

ferf1223

April

duchy wrote: »

I always think of Walgreens as a mix of Woolworths and SuperDrug

ooh, yes, that's better.

rocket09

October , November

BlueWorldOrder wrote: »

Hi,
Off to Vegas in Sept flying Virgin, LHR-LAX in economy. Has anyone else flown this route recently? I've read a couple of online reviews and they have not been favourable to say the least! (flight VS023)

Thanks

Las Vegas = LAS:money:

Los Angeles = LAX

WestHamDaz

June

Well, now we're out of the world cup i think i may have some time now to write up a few words about our return to vegas (which seems like such a long time ago already)

The Flight
OK, so we were on the Virgin flight to Vegas that has received so many negative reviews in the past. Luckily for us we flew Premium on the way out and managed to get row 75 upstairs so had plenty of space and comfort. Never used the in flight AV so cannot comment, but both mine and the missus’ were working. Drinks were served for about 6 hours then we were told the rest was being saved for the return flight. Our experience on this flight was fine, but I can see why people complain. The plane was old, the upholstery on the PE seats upstairs did look tired and loose fitting. My seat recline was stiff and worked as long as you really pushed hard on the seat to recline and get upright again. However this plane was still nowhere near as bad as some that I have been on.

The flight home was in Economy, there were no PE upgrades, and at $480 each i think i would have given it a swerve anyway, but we paid $50 each for ‘extra legroom’ seats. Now if these are extra legroom Id hate to sit in a standard economy seat because even in these seats my knees were right into the back of the seat in front. However, taking on board the comments of others about Virgin economy i thought there was absolutely nothing wrong with this part of the plane and if anything economy was in better condition than the PE bubble we were in on the way out.

We got a cab to Mandalay bay from the airport, the driver told me the quickest way was to go thru the tunnel, i told him not to bother so he deliberately took his time so ended up losing his tip and he got exactly what the meter was showing. We didn’t take too many cabs during our stay but we found that local/American cab drivers were spot on, very chatty, interesting characters who had some great stories and did get us from a to b as quick as possible, whereas foreign taxi drivers were more interested in taking you for a ride, in more ways than one!
Our first 5 nights were at Mandalay Bay. We had stayed at theHotel last year and this time I had booked a standard 550 room for $650 for 5 nights with $50 credit per day. At check in I was chatting to the girl and mentioned it was out 1st anniversary and we’d come back to vegas and asked if there was anything she could do regarding a room upgrade. She was very helpful and ended up putting us in a 750gr suite on the 26th floor with a cracking strip view. She said that everyone loves this room and she wasn’t wrong, it was lovely. Top marks to Mandalay Bay here. We used the $50 credit each day too so really got the most out of our stay here, staying in a lovely suite for effectively $400 for 5 nights.

The temperature in vegas during our first week was HOT. In the 100s, hitting a peak of 110, so during the day we’d hit the pool early from 8ish til mid-day then get out of the sun for a few hoursand generally hit the casino for a bit. Mandalay Bay pool is fantastic, and although it did get busy in the morning it wasn’t too over crowded. Also both of us had mad jet lag and it took me a good 4 -5 days to fully adjust this time.
We ate at the buffet at MB a couple of times, once for breakfast and once for lunch and both times was very impressed. As we used this as part of our $50 credit per day it worked out decent value too.

The gambling during the first week was rubbish. I was very disillusioned with the slots and it did seem that they were a lot more tighter than when we were there last year, however this did change in the second week when we got a bit of luck and a few decent wins. Nik was pleased to find reels o Dublin still in a few casinos, and bank buster was still at the mgm. We also played al lot on Queen which as the days went on was kind to us.
Our anniversary was on the 3rd, a couple of days after our arrival, so to celebrate we went back to maggianos where we had our wedding meal last year. Food and service was excellent hower dur to jet lag issues we were both absolutely shattered by the time we came to have our meal (8.30pm) our appetite was shot to pieces. So we struggled through it but even their half portions are bloody massive and we ended up leaving food on our plate. We received a nice card from the staff too welcoming us back and wishing us a happy anniversary which was a nice touch. After maggianos we headed to the wynn and this is where i had my first bit of luck on the slots winning about $90 after only a couple of spins.

The rest of our time at Mandalay bay was spent at the pool or the casino, although one afternoon we popped up to the outlet mall at the north end. We used the ace bus, which was quicker but still took 45 minutes or so from Mandalay bay. It was also very busy although getting on at MB we did get seats ok. We timed it right so we could use the ticket the following evening to get up to Fremont street on the Saturday so for $7 each it was worth it. Fremont was hot, 100 degrees still at 9pm. This years was 70s glam rock and Sweet were performing. Not our thing at all so we headed off to the casinos for a bit and played a bit of cheap roulette and came out a few $$$’s up. That profit soon went when we bought a couple of American football cocktails and spent the next few hours trying to slurp my way through about 4 pints of pina colada! Fremont was packed on the Saturday, but was still entertaining but sooooo bloody hot.

The next day was moving day, off to MGM Grand for 7 nights. Checked out of MB about 1030 and headed off to the MGM grand and was able to check in straight away. Gave the girl on the desk teh same spiel as I did at MB but to no avail, they just wasn’t entertaining complimentary upgrades at all. I could have had a bungalow suite for $200 extra a night, but the one we were offered didn’t even have the spa on the terrace so I declined. Then she tried the hard sell on the Prima card, but again, no word of the spa suite upgrade, just the $50 credit. So I declined and we headed up to a standard room on the 24th floor overlooking the airport. Absolutely nothing wrong with the room but a little bit of a come down after the suite at MB.

As part of our deal we had 2 for 1 on the buffet, we ate there once and never again, it was shocking. Almost on a par with the Excalibur buffet we had the misfortune to try last year. We complained to the front desk and was told we would have $50 credited from our account if we ate at another MGM restaurant so couldn’t knock the customer service. So we decided to head to Craftsteak and we had a very nice meal and bottle of wine. Excellent service from our waiter and great knowledge of the wines available. Steak was cooked to perfection as were the vegetables and spuds. With tip the meal was a touch under $300 for the pair of us, but as I’ll explain later this ended up costing us about $50 in the end.

The pool at MGM was good, but we both preferred Mandalay bay. Again, there was nothing wrong with it and at least at MGM they have umbrellas so i could get some shade, unlike the missus im no sun worshipper and not fussed about a tan!

We popped up to the stratosphere the night we moved to the MGM. If it wasn’t in the location it is in I think we’d probably stay here. Thought the casino had a good vibe, and the tower views are amazing. We got up there in daylight and stayed there until it was dark. It was fantastic to see the strip come to a neon infested life and my new panorama feature camera got some great shots from up there. The missus went on the big shot while i took photos. The static line jump looked interesting. Apart from the height the thing that put me off was the fact the piece of machinery running it looked like it was made outta mecanno by a 13 year old.

This trip finally saw us get to Ellis Island, what a great place that is. Not the most exotic of places but what a great plate of food!! We both had the ribs and chicken BBQ, signed up to their loyalty card and got our meal for $20 including 2 free beers. As good as the $300 craftsteak meal was, our $20 bbq was equally as good. As well as the cracking food we also had some great luck in the casino. I left the roulette table up $80 then went and played this slot machine that was a rock star version of reels o Dublin. When a stack of speakers hits on the left reel it goes mental and you get free spins and all sorts of bonuses. Not only did i get the speakers on the left reel, it hit again on one of the middle reels. So i sat back and let it do its thing, and about 30 spins later i was $120 richer. Thank you very much ellis island!!

We went back to Ellis Island on our last night in Vegas and again had a great BBQ, a decent pint of lager which is a rarity in the US and again won over $100 in the casino. We also managed to get to the spice market buffet before we left and the lived up to expectations. A fantastic range of food and worthy every penny. We also went back to maggianos for one last meal. Now the jet lag had gone we were able to enjoy another fantastic meal there before we headed off to the mirage for beatles love. Im not one for the beatles but this show was unbelievable, some of the acrobatics and choreography was superb and breathtaking. We got the tickets for $59 and were in the back row of the upper tier but still had a fantastic view and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the trip went on, our luck in the casino seemed to improve. Now, bearing in mind we play the 1 cent machines and each spin costs us between 30 and 75 cents when we hit a win of $100+ its classed as a result. I had 3 or 4 wins on Queen of over $100, the win at ellis island already mentioned over $100, i put a few $ into a wizard of oz machine in NYNY and got $110 in the first couple of spins and I also got the minor jackpot on bank buster at $114. The missus also hit a couple of 3 figure wins but the best was our very last spin on Queen as we headed up to our room on our last night in vegas. As we walked past the queen slot was free so the missus stuck $10 in for the last time. Before she knew it Freddie was going mental and the free spin bonus round had been kind and once the machine calmed down she cashed out over $200.

Went to the players club on the day we were due to check out. Was really surprised to find they were going to knock 1 nights room rate off the bill ($85 for the saturday night, not the cheapest nights rate) plus another $120 from our craftsteak bill and on top of that we got $70 credited for our complaint over the buffet. Was really surprised they took so much off our bill but certainly not complaining.

There is probably loads of stuff that ive missed out from this trip, but its been a hectic few weeks since i returned and exact details are hazy. We did see the USA v England game out there, in ESPN Zone in NYNY but after yesterday (and going all the way to cape town to see the Algeria game) im not in the mood to discuss that!!
Overall, it was another fantastic time in vegas. Much hotter than last year, so many great memories and fantastic experiences. Vegas is awesome, such a fun place. We’ve spent 27 nights in vegas in the last 12 months yet there is still so much we haven’t seen or done. If i had my way I’ll be back there tomorrow!

BlueWorldOrder

September

rocket09 wrote: »

Las Vegas = LAS:money:

Los Angeles = LAX

Sorry, should have pointed out I'm spending a few days in LaLa land first followed by San Diego before Vegas..... So I know LAX is LA!

luci

May

Great review WestHamDaz and you had some great wins on the penny machines. The most I've won on a 1c machine was $400 on Star Trek at either 30 or 40C a spin.

The EI BBQ is on our To Do List, but there have been waits of 2 hours when we have been. Hoping to fit it in next trip by going early evening.

stoneman

September

duchy wrote: »

Heels aren't good for your feet either :rotfl::rotfl:

Don't listen to her, lalalalalalalal

trets77

BlueWorldOrder wrote: »

Hi,
Off to Vegas in Sept flying Virgin, LHR-LAX in economy. Has anyone else flown this route recently? I've read a couple of online reviews and they have not been favourable to say the least! (flight VS023)

Thanks

flew it in 2008 . this route uses the new Airbus A340-600 which are very good IMO . good seat pitch , comfy seat , luxury of 2 seats on their own (2-4-2 layout) , excellent IFE , good staff .

Probably one of the best long haul flights we have took , but we do value those 2 seats on their own , i might not have such fond memories if we were in the 4 seats .

trets77

goldengirl39 wrote: »

I've been to Vegas twice now with my friends - once flying indirect with US Airways via Philadelphia and the other direct with Virgin. The wait between the connecting US Airways flight from Philadelphia to Vegas was too long (six hours on the way out and five on the way back). When I flew direct, I wasn't that impressed with the Virgin seating configuration and the flight was cramped.

I want to take my husband for his 60th birthday but he has only been flying four years now and the longest flight he has done to date is 5 hours. He is undecided about whether he would like to go direct or indirect. He hates being cramped on a flight and his pet hate is people who have their seat back for the whole of the flight. I told him on a longhaul flight this is usually unavoidable!

I want to get a good flight deal (we are looking at going in November this year) but am prepared to upgrade on the way back as the return flight is usually overnight and I would want my husband to be comfortable.

Personally, I think indirect would be best as it gives him time to stretch his legs before the next flight but I don't want to be stuck in an airport for more than two hours waiting for the connecting flight.

Any advice would be most welcome. My nearest airports are LGW or LHR.

Thanks

should be plenty of choice from London . hate being cramped ?/ then avoid that 747 virgin use for direct flights . most cramped plane i have been on , and that includes Ryan Air .

people have posted good things about American Airlines indirect flights recently .

or check out the new British Airways direct flights . THANKS for the reviews by the way guys .

pebblesmax

October , November

We really like the US Airways transatlantic flights. The cross country ones are slightly less user friendly, but we get the star silver treatment now, so free baggage (2 X 23kg) and priority upgrades if available. Result!