The Las Vegas Thread and MSE guide

ferf1223

March

stoneman wrote: »

there is a site that you can check plane loads, so you can get a good idea if there will be any left at check in, maybe someone can advise what site it is.

the one I know of is www.expertflyer.com - and they have a free 5-day trial.

I do hear what you guys are saying about Virgin, but flying direct is really preferrable for us so we live with it.

I'm interested in the fares on AA in business though - if they are less than Virgin PE then that's potentially intriguing to us...possibly.

ferf1223

March

Welcome back, Trets! Sorry the flight was crap but hope everything else went well! Hope to read more about it when you get a chance.

trets77

April

okay, heading in from Death Valley we were confronted with Sat Nav to turn one way at Death Valley Junction and massive sign saying turn the other way for quickest route to Vegas. followed the sign and it was quicker, we arrived via Parhump so i recommend anyone else doing the same.

The $20 trick worked pretty well like i said. okay we had a low floor room pointing in wards for the view , but The Augustus Tower was lush.




i really liked Caesars , great rooms , great location and loads of fun all times of the day and night.

Food wise we tried out for the 1st time
Caesars Café Largo Buffet which was okay , but has for too limited a choice for the price.

Wynn Buffet .. okay guys i know this came joint top in our poll, but i was not impressed :undecided. they have upped the comp requirements to get a free meal to $75 staked. a long , long wait in line with staff seeming to faff about with tables sitting empty. food was not as good as Bellagio IMO , and there were lines for the seafood. the worse thing was the pasta station. you can ask the chef to make your own DIY pasta dish. i was horrified when he threw a whole table spoon full of salt into it.:shocked:_pale_. i didn't eat it and it kinda put me off everything else .

i have to say that that although voted for the Bellagio in the poll , i think i would now change it for The Spice market buffet @ Planet Hollywood . there is always a long line at the Bellagio and the Spice market is very close to it in terms of choice and quality with no long lines. and it is of course cheaper. :T

Also ate at Rao's Italian in Caesars which while expensive ( $150 check for 2) was very nice.
Peppermill was great for Breakfast , even with the huge portions.



as for Shows 1st one we saw was David Copperfield , which i would have to agree with the Trip Adviser people , that he seems to be doing this for the big payday. okay the Illusions were good , but i have seen things like them a few times before. whats more he really does have a big ego that needs to keep affirming. the 1st 10 mins must have heard the name " David Copperfield" a 100 times , for Half price it was worth seeing , but i think i would have felt a bit ripped off at full.

Mystere was a interesting mix of a show. the Good bits were really good , but the whole fat bloke dressed as baby on golf cart were painful not funny . again Half price worth seeing , full price you can do better.

Le Reve on the other hand was a excellent show from start to finish. amazing stage , amazing stunts , and far Superior to Mystere . we both really enjoyed it . we also made the Mistake of stopping to watch the Sirens of TI again on the way back ( because there was lots of space) . compared to what we had just seen it seemed so Cheesy and crap that we left halfway through.

Defending the Caveman was a very funny show . defiantly for couples rather than singles it is great show to consider if you see it at Tix4tonite . The Golden Nugget showroom however is under staffed. only one guy serving drinks and they faffed around getting people into the showroom. it should not stop you seeing this show though.
more to follow ....

pcg2001

Thank you trets77!! What a great post!!

Hope you don't mind my asking, but how/ where did you get the reduced Cirque tickets? Not for the Le Reve, though? I see you did not like Mystere, any other cirques on offer? Thanks in advance.

And welcome back!!

pcg2001

Hi, everyone,

sorry to be tapping into your pool of Vegas knowledge (again!! I am only going in July, so I guess this won't be the last you hear from me..). I posted this on tripadvisor forum as well, but I guess I may be more likely to get a reply from moneysaving people (I will let you know if I learn anything there)!! Given that I will be spending money in LV anyway, how can I make the most of it?
I have been reading here and there some references to the casino's cards and how you can get vouchers and coupons upon simple sign-up and after some expenses or play.
For example, I read here lasvegasvegas.com/2008/04/free_wynn_buffet_f…
that «Every $3 in playthrough on slots is equivalent to 1 point ($9 playthrough for video poker). At 25 points, you get a free buffet. At 50 points, you get two free buffets. (After that, it jumps to 500 points for the next free buffet.) That's just $75 in playthrough, and assuming 90 percent payback on slots, you're looking at an expected loss of $7.50 for the best buffet in Las Vegas.»
Given that we will want to play a bit (I am not a gambler, but when in Vegas...), that does not sound like a bad deal: $75 in play + free buffet.
We won't be playing a lot, but I am interested in knowing if there are worthwhile cards to take, especially if they give VOUCHERS/ OFFERS upon sign-up.
I also read here, but am not sure, that the MGM card takes into account all expenses(?) for comps and freebies??
I am mainly interested in offers I can use while in LV, not in the future, since I may not be going back any time soon.
Thanks in advance for the help.
PS: Obviously if there is a thread or website on this or a post in here, can you point me there? All the info I could find was generic, and I would really like to have this casino cards thing planned ahead to know how to optimize my offers while there.

canardo

pcg2001, don't chase comps as a means of getting things cheaper you will be better of just paying for it most of the time (Wynns offer is good though), chasing the comps is exactly what the casinos want you to do

90% payout is the average on all the machines assuming perfect strategy(for video poker, the slots are random) and this is over the long run (several royal flushes for example on a video poker machine could mean it wont pay out another cent for several days), id google advantage gambling to make sure you understand the subject, the reason video poker is so much higher play through than the standard slot machines is because your expected losses are less, and this is how comps work they give you back a proportion of your expected losses whether you have won or not as for them in the long run this means they are still in profit

On the other hand if you are going to put some money in a slot machine (which by the way apart from keno are at the highest house edge, therefore you are getting the worst of it, keno at least plays slower, blackjack with a basic counting strategy can stem your losses, if your good you can beat the game ) its definitely worth signing up for a players card if you are going to play for a little while.

Old saying but definitely applies in Vegas "only gamble what you can afford to lose", certainly do not chase comps!

nvh

May

stoneman wrote: »

there is a site that you can check plane loads, so you can get a good idea if there will be any left at check in, maybe someone can advise what site it is. I find it odd that they have already sold 60% of Prem almost a year before the flight

sorry, to clarify, i'm off in a few weeks time, not a year

nvh

May

stoneman wrote: »

NVH,
Just remembered you can not book Prem Econ. upgrades until the day of travel, so twilight will not help you there.

ah - cheers for that

would i be able to do twilight, then go the next day to get it upgraded, or once you've checked in, is that it?

pcg2001

canardo wrote: »

pcg2001, don't chase comps as a means of getting things cheaper you will be better of just paying for it most of the time (Wynns offer is good though), chasing the comps is exactly what the casinos want you to do

90% payout is the average on all the machines assuming perfect strategy(for video poker, the slots are random) and this is over the long run (several royal flushes for example on a video poker machine could mean it wont pay out another cent for several days), id google advantage gambling to make sure you understand the subject, the reason video poker is so much higher play through than the standard slot machines is because your expected losses are less, and this is how comps work they give you back a proportion of your expected losses whether you have won or not as for them in the long run this means they are still in profit

On the other hand if you are going to put some money in a slot machine (which by the way apart from keno are at the highest house edge, therefore you are getting the worst of it, keno at least plays slower, blackjack with a basic counting strategy can stem your losses, if your good you can beat the game ) its definitely worth signing up for a players card if you are going to play for a little while.

Old saying but definitely applies in Vegas "only gamble what you can afford to lose", certainly do not chase comps!

Thanks for the advise!! But I did not explain myself clearly. I will definitely play a maximum of $10 a day, not more!!
I don't even have the gamble bug... I must be one of the more risk averse persons I know. But I do love a good bargain!! And I am willing to sign up for offers if that means getting some freebies!! And as I mentioned I am not even looking for free stays, just vouchers, coupons and the occasional towel with the hotel logo (which I believe someone somewhere mentioned was a freebie for signing up to the flamingo's card).

stoneman

May

Just a point about the Wynn requirement for free buffets. This has been mentioned on Open Vegas but it was hushed up in case anyone at Wynn got wind, but I will mention it here as not alot of chance of that. When you sign up for your red card, make your way over to the rapid roulette, place $37.50 on red, and the same on black, and $1 each on zero and double zero, there you go, 2 buffets for $2. Don't know what the requirement is for 4 buffets but what ever that is use that instead of the $75.
Unfortunalty we signed up a few years ago before this little trick was available, and keep racking my brains as to a way we can sign up again as we used driving licence and passports for i.d.