Las Vegas guide and MSE thread 2021

totallybored

photome said:

Going to Zante next month,my first greek holiday for over 35 years, maybe that will turn out to be my go to destination 

I've done Greece for the last two summers during covid and I've actually really enjoyed it. 

We did a few weeks in a villa in Crete two years ago and I loved having my own pool. There are some beautiful beaches with white sand on the Western side. 

Last year I did a month in Corfu. OH came out for two of the weeks and I went a week early. Rented myself a little villa for £100 a night that was 5 minutes from a beach and had an amazing time on my own. I was worried that Corfu might be a bit of a Greek Benidorm but it's lovely. Crystal clear turquoise seas and Corfu town is what I was hoping Dubrovnik would be like (I detested Dubrovnik when I went a couple of years ago!!). 

I think covid has shown me that I don't need to pack as much in as I did in Vegas and also to be a bit more sensible with how much I spend. Maybe not in a budget sense but getting more value for my money. I spent less on a month in Greece than 12 days in Vegas and it felt so much more relaxing.

stoneman

We’re here now and won’t be coming back in a hurry.
We mainly come to get blitzed on free drinks while gambling. 

Palazzo/Venetian not one cocktail waitress in sight, at the bar top video poker they have the light system. Now you have to play at least $1.25 a hand to even start the ball rolling. Got refused a second drink after playing 20 minutes $1 a hand because I hadn’t been playing $1.25

 Cromwell you can’t even get your first drink until you’ve played through about $50 dollars.

Paris are in the process changing all the bar tops over to the light system with the same requirement. Not one cocktail waitress on the floor for the past 2 nights and they only serve drinks in plastic cups!

The only decent pace left for us seems to be Bellagio, where the drinks come thick and fast.

But what really grates me is the nickel and dimeing. Mon Ami Gabi now charge $2.50 for the baguette they bring out to your table, you have to be careful because they put it out anyway and you think it’s free, then you see it’s been added to your bill. You’re paying over $150 for a meal and drinks for 2 and they want to charge for something that costs them probably 10 cents ? Magianos you have to ask for bread, they don’t just bring it out anymore, then it’s one slice per person. 

Charging to park your car, even for guests. That’s why we stopped hiring cars a few years ago. We just Uber everywhere, but that gone up quite a bit. Used to be a flat fee of about $7 to get anywhere on the strip but now it’s more like $11. 

 

totallybored

stoneman said:

We’re here now and won’t be coming back in a hurry.
We mainly come to get blitzed on free drinks while gambling. 

Palazzo/Venetian not one cocktail waitress in sight, at the bar top video poker they have the light system. Now you have to play at least $1.25 a hand to even start the ball rolling. Got refused a second drink after playing 20 minutes $1 a hand because I hadn’t been playing $1.25

But what really grates me is the nickel and dimeing. Mon Ami Gabi now charge $2.50 for the baguette they bring out to your table, you have to be careful because they put it out anyway and you think it’s free, then you see it’s been added to your bill. You’re paying over $150 for a meal and drinks for 2 and they want to charge for something that costs them probably 10 cents ? 

 

I played video poker at the Fremont and got lots of free drinks. I was only playing 25c a bet and when I sat down there wasn't another machine so OH put a stool next to me. The barman said as long as I was playing he'd comp both our drinks! We also played 25c a bet at the Orleans and the barman had no problem comping the drinks. I have to admit, I walked into the Orleans and saw loads of rows of old video poker machines that you could play 5c a bet on, lots of elderly people with their drinks and waitresses walking around and I thought to myself 'I've found my people' 😂😂

If you go to the Cosmo and head towards the back right, just after the high limit slots that section on the right is excellent for drinks if you're playing slots (the toilets are in the corner). All the waitresses come of of the right there with the drinks but there are two waitress patches there. I couldn't drink fast enough sat in that area!

I got quite a few drinks playing the big horse game in the Bellagio. I became quite addicted to that game! 

Don't forget, that $2.50 for bread becomes over $3 once you've added tax and a tip too! That's £3 for a bit of bread each. 

Something else that irritated me. I was always under the impression that when you tip on a meal you tip on the pre tax amount. I've always looked at the amount without tax, done 10% and then doubled it for the tip. On the Cheesecake Factory receipt it gives you the suggested tip amounts of 22%, 20% and 18%.  Except these were on the full amount that included tax. Nearly $15 as a suggested tip for someone to carry two sandwiches and cokes really seems to be taking the pee.

I found that Uber rides were about $11 Cosmo to Encore. However, we got one night that was a dodgy old Honda with seatbelts in the back that didn't work. I'd seen other people get into Teslas at the ride pickup. From then on I went for the Tesla option which was around $15 a trip.

totallybored

I'm sorry to keep on about prices but I feel we haven't truly grasped how expensive it is now. I almost picked up a packet of Funyuns (onion ring crisps) in Target for over $5. I put them back as I was shocked at the price. With tax they'd have been $5.70 for a 175g pack. I've just put a pack in my Ocado shop and it costs £1!! Ok it's a smaller packet at 125g but that is 80p per 100g compared to about £3 per 100g. It's eye watering expensive now in the US. I think I'll be off to Switzerland or Finland for my next bargain break!

stoneman

totallybored said:

I'm sorry to keep on about prices but I feel we haven't truly grasped how expensive it is now. I almost picked up a packet of Funyuns (onion ring crisps) in Target for over $5. I put them back as I was shocked at the price. With tax they'd have been $5.70 for a 175g pack. I've just put a pack in my Ocado shop and it costs £1!! Ok it's a smaller packet at 125g but that is 80p per 100g compared to about £3 per 100g. It's eye watering expensive now in the US. I think I'll be off to Switzerland or Finland for my next bargain break!

And people think we’re the only country that is suffering a cost of living crisis. I can tell you, because I have family in  the States that they have the same issues as we have. I’ve been to 3 countries in the past few months and everyone of them are in the same boat as us. 

pebblesmax

Keep it up. It will regulate our expectations for our trip. 

To be honest, this is the least excited I’ve ever been. American have already changed our flight twice since we booked, and I’m nervous about other changes as it gets closer. 

Happy with hotel choices. Doing a mix of downtown, off strip and strip hotels to give the daughter in law a view of the differences in vegas. 

Using as many comps as we can because I don’t think we will be going back as soon as oH would like. We used to do 6 weeks twice a year. I don’t think we will be doing that anymore. 

pebblesmax

stoneman said:

totallybored said:

I'm sorry to keep on about prices but I feel we haven't truly grasped how expensive it is now. I almost picked up a packet of Funyuns (onion ring crisps) in Target for over $5. I put them back as I was shocked at the price. With tax they'd have been $5.70 for a 175g pack. I've just put a pack in my Ocado shop and it costs £1!! Ok it's a smaller packet at 125g but that is 80p per 100g compared to about £3 per 100g. It's eye watering expensive now in the US. I think I'll be off to Switzerland or Finland for my next bargain break!

And people think we’re the only country that is suffering a cost of living crisis. I can tell you, because I have family in  the States that they have the same issues as we have. I’ve been to 3 countries in the past few months and everyone of them are in the same boat as us. 

To be honest though. We spend half and half Spain and UK, and UK is far worse for cost of utilities and fuel. Food hasn’t gone up anywhere near as much either. 

stoneman

And another thing😂
what’s with not giving me  my change when I cash in my TITO ticket. OK it’s spits out another TITO with the change amount (except for Paris, they just blatantly steal it) but who’s going to go to the cashier to cash out a few cents, and they know it. I mean, I save that change for the maid, now she has to do without.🙈
Best advice is to never cash out at redemption machine, always go to the cashier 

stoneman

I found that Uber rides were about $11 Cosmo to Encore. However, we got one night that was a dodgy old Honda with seatbelts in the back that didn't work. I'd seen other people get into Teslas at the ride pickup. From then on I went for the Tesla option which was around $15 a trip.

I think we had the same car last night. Big dent down 1 side and my seatbelt was broke😂
We got picked up by a Tesla from Town Square and he put it on self drive for a bit to show us how it worked

photome

stoneman said:

And another thing😂
what’s with not giving me  my change when I cash in my TITO ticket. OK it’s spits out another TITO with the change amount (except for Paris, they just blatantly steal it) but who’s going to go to the cashier to cash out a few cents, and they know it. I mean, I save that change for the maid, now she has to do without.🙈
Best advice is to never cash out at redemption machine, always go to the cashier 

That TITO change really !!!!!! me off, along with all the other excessive charges you and others have mentioned.