Yes, it has taken entirely too long to post our trip report. But, as they say, better late than never. The TR is organized into a mini-review of our days, reviews of the shows we saw and reviews of the poker we played.

Day 1 – direct flight from Philly to LV 7:30 am. We arrived at McCarran Airport at 10:30. There was no line at the taxi stand. It cost $16 including tip for 15 minute trip to Boardwalk hotel. Cab driver promised us he *never* took the tunnel!

Check-in was fast. Hotel was right on the strip next to Monte Carlo. There is no need to describe it, as the hotel will be closing in early January 2006. It was bought out by MGM, and they will be doing something else with the space. It’s unfortunate, b/c the location was good, and the price was right ($35-65 per nite). The best part is that it is a *small* hotel – and it only took 1 ½ minutes from room to hotel exit! Quite a difference from the big resort hotels!

Half Price stands – They open at noon. Print out VIP passes from the net. After checking in, we made our way to the ½ price show tickets directly across the street. They had just opened, and line was long. Luckily, we had printed out coupons on the net for VIP access – VIP line is on the left, and there was no one there. We bought tix to Madame Tussand’s wax museum for ½ price.

Here is a list of our activities each day. Details to follow. “*” means ½ price ticket booth. “**” means ½ price coupon used at box office. Prices are total for both of us, including tips at restaurants. “#” indicates bought tickets from home before we left

Mon (1)
Arrive / Taxi to Boardwalk ($16)
Late lunch (3:00 pm to us) at Paris Buffet ($43)
Venetian / Wax museum $28 *
Blue Man Group at Venetian ($252)#
Sleep early

Tuesday (2)
Cereal in room
Poker tourney at Aladdin ($80)
Lunch at Cheeseburger At the Oasis in Desert Passage ($25)
Walk Hilton, Star Trek Experience ($41) *
Warp Core Breach at Quark’s Bar $28
Buy 20 ride Monorail pass ($20)
Monorail back
Eat at Grand Lux – Venetian ($42)
KA at MGM ($198) #
Bite at Stratosphere ($41) **

Wednesday (3)
Breakfast buffet at Monte Carlo ($26)
Poker at MC
Walk the hotels
Aladdin buffet for dinner ($60)
Forum Shops
Improv at Harrahs ($56)
Skintight at Harrahs ($55) **

Thursday (4)
Cereal in room
Walk to Southern hotels
Café Georgio Pizza (& Drinks) lunch at Mandalay Bay ($45)
Poker at MC
Take Barb Coast shuttle to Gold Coast – Walk to Rio
Rio Buffet ($45)
Free show at Rio – Parade in Sky
Voodoo Lounge for drinks and 51st floor view $26
Second City at Flamingo ($50) **
Poker at Flamingo

Friday (5)
Paris Breakfast Buffet ($31)
Monorail to Northern hotels
Speed RC at Sahara $20
Strat rides ($50)
Taxi to Fashion Show Mall ($10)
Maggiano’s at Fash Show Mall (~$70)
Ave Q at Wynn ($198)#
Poker at Flamingo

Sat (6)
Cereal in room
Luxor Poker Tourney ($66)
Lunch at Burger Bar at Mandalay Bay $28
Forum Shops
Fat Tuesday’s at Forum Shops $28
Dinner and drinks at Max’s Desert Passage ($56)
Fashionistas at Desert Passage ($55) **

Sun (7)
Up at 4:00 am to fly home
Taxi to airport ($13) – left hotel at 5:00 am for a 6:30 flight

Total Gambling – down $213 for the week. Take out the two poker tourneys, and we were down $67.

Meals:

Paris buffet ( day 1 lunch) – Food was plentiful and freshly prepared. We especially enjoyed the variety of different foods and the cooked-to-order crepes. At 12:00, line was long, and it was about ½ hour wait until we were seated. As others have said, it is not very kid-friendly (no pizza or fries on the buffet line), and there weren’t many kids there.

Cheeseburger At the Oasis (day 2 lunch) – Aladdin mall - NOT recommended. The burgers were expensive, and not very good. Want French fries with your burger? Add $4. I thought it was ridiculously overpriced. The only reason we went here - Aladdin coupon book for a free dessert (mud pie). It was not worth it.

Quark’s Bar at Las Vegas Hilton – They served bar food, but we didn’t try it. We did have the Warp Core Breach – 10 oz of liquor. It was made with 5 kinds of rum (Light, Dark, Spiced, Vanilla, and 151), Razzamatazz, and fruit juices. Add in the dry ice to make it bubble and smoke, and it was a drink as big as my head. Highly recommended, but be sure to share it.

Grand Lux Café (day 2 dinner) in the Venetian – same owners as the Cheesecake Factory (another favorite chain). Food was very good and plentiful.

Monte Carlo (day 3 breakfast buffet) – standard breakfast fare including made-to-order omelets. Here, you fill a bowl with the fill-ins you want (mushrooms, shrimp, peppers, etc) and they cook it. You can get Egg beaters or egg-whites. Beverage service was somewhat slow. The French Toast is very sweet … mmmm.

Aladdin (day 3 dinner buffet) – Top Choice. There were so many different stations here, it was difficult to choose. This buffet *is* kid friendly with mac + cheese, pizza, etc. Desserts all tasted the same – not as good as they look. Beverage service was fast and friendly.

Café Georigo - Italian pizza place in Mandalay Bay (day 4 lunch) – drinks here were strong and delicious. We split a brick oven pizza. It was small and very thin crust – we could have easily each eaten our own pie.

The Chocolate Swan – Mandalay Bay – since the pizza was small, we wound up at the Swan chocolate shop for dessert. The peanut butter chocolate gelato was excellent.

Rio buffet (day 4 dinner) – We really enjoyed this 6 years ago – it has certainly gone downhill since then. Food is mediocre at best. Definitely recommend the Aladdin and Paris buffets over this one

Paris buffet (day 5 breakfast) – we still liked this buffet. There were 2 omelet stations with lots of fresh ingredients to choose from. Cooked-to-order waffles were also available.

Maggianno’s (day 5 dinner) – in the Fashion Show mall across from the Wynn. This is a chain restaurant that is one of our favorites. Best appetizer – stuffed mushrooms with NO crab meat! Portions are very large.

Burger Bar (day 6 lunch) – Mandalay Bay – It took a while to get seated and to get our burger, but it was worth the wait. Burger was fresh and good quality meat. Toppings can add up if you’re not careful. The sweet potato fries ($2.50) are a worthwhile side.

Max’s (day 6 dinner) in the Aladdin mall – food was OK. The gimmick here is 3 drinks for the price of 1. There is a list of wines/cocktails to choose from (I think beer was 2 for 1). However, you cannot “share” the 3 drinks. For example, I ordered an apple martini for $10. I got 2 additional drinks “at no charge” – a cosmopolitan and a 2nd apple martini. They’ll even give you the 3rd drink “to go”. The food is inexpensive and decent. I got the white pizza with ricotta, and it was definitely big enough for 2 to share. My husband got the $15.99 filet mignon. It was pretty good. Recommended for an inexpensive fun meal.

Shows

Madame Tussand’s Wax Museum (Venetian) – This was an interactive exhibit and lots of fun. We got to touch J Lo’s derriere, get in bed with Hugh Heffner, and marry George Clooney. I highly recommend taking an hour or so to go see the very lifelike was figures – it makes for great pictures!

Blue Man Group – Venetian – WOW! What a show. Family and friends have asked what this is about – and it can’t really be described. The blue guys you see in the IBM commercials put on a very funny, innovative, creative show. They play music, do art, and interact with the audience. The first few rows receive ponchos to keep off the paint. If you are worried, recommend you get seats a little further back. Rating 5 / 5 stars

Star Trek – The experience. A new show was added (Borg invasion) since we were here 6 years ago. We saw both motion simulator shows, and enjoyed them. You don’t need to be a Trekkie, but it helps. The best part of the experience was Quark’s Bar, where we share a “Warp Core Breach” – it was $25, but well worth it for the experience of drinking dry ice and 5 kinds of rum!

Ka – 6 yrs ago, we saw Mystere, and really enjoyed the strange circus. We really wanted to see Zumanity or O, but both were dark this week. So we bought tix to Ka. We usually like seats in the front orchestra, but as recommended by some posters, we got seats section 201 (upper level, 4th row). This was our big mistake. We could see what was going on, but we couldn’t make out any details. It was just too far away. There wasn’t enough action on the Catwalk to justify buying seats on the 2nd level. We didn’t really understand what was going on, and we actually both fell asleep at various points during the show. We wanted to like this more, but just got very monotonous to us. Rating 1.5 / 5 stars

Bite – topless review at the Stratosphere. Seats for this show are assigned when you buy your tickets. There is a stage in front, with a bunch of 8 person round tables around the room. We were originally supposed to sit at the last table before the risers at center stage. However, this put us in front of some couples that had already been seated at the table. One of the gentlemen got extremely angry. We tried to sit in other seats at the table that would not interfere with other sight lines, but were told that it was in the way of the acrobatics, and we couldn’t sit there. After much consternation, we were seated at a side table, and it was fine. The show was so campy, it was funny. The story line involved the vampire king having his bevy of erotic female vampires entertain the audience with various dance routines. The music was awesome (rock – AC/DC, Def Leppard, etc.). Being children of the 80s, we knew all of the songs. For Generation Xers, I highly recommend this show. Rating 3.5 / 5 stars

Harrah’s Improv – this is actually traditional standup comedy club, with a host, a warm-up act, and the headliner. This was pretty funny and we enjoyed it. I’m not sure why it’s called Harrah’s Improv if it’s not improv comedy, though. Rating 3/5

Skintight (Harrah’s) – After really enjoying Bite, we wanted to see a real Vegas showgirl review. Follies was dark for the week, and we couldn’t get any discounts for Jubilee, so we wound up at Skintight, as recommended by the ½ price ticket booth. This was a fair production. The only really good scene was with the windows and Venetian blinds. Other than that, the production didn’t flow. There was no storyline to follow – just a bunch of women and 3 men that danced and occasionally removed their tops. In the middle of the show, a comedian came out and did a 20 minute set. We thought this was really strange, and did not flow well. I don’t recommend this show. Rating 1.5/5 stars

Second City (Flamingo) – improv. The night we saw this was unscripted. Seating is by matre’d, and doors open about ½ hour before show time. Get in line early if you want front row seats. Although we generally love improv comedy, we thought the cast was a little “off” this night. They seemed slow in getting out their lines, and stumbled a bit getting creative skits. We were really hoping to see the scripted show. I’m not sure what nights are scripted vs. unscripted. Overall, we enjoyed it, but could see that the cast was having an off night. We would try this again on a scripted night to compare. Rating 2.5/5 stars.

Speed, the Coaster – Sahara. We’re coaster fanatics, so we have to try every one we find. This is a launch coaster, going from 30 mph to 70 mph in 4 seconds. It was pretty good, and had some nice strip views.

Stratosphere Rides – We bought an all day pass, since we printed our coupons from the net. There are four rides on top of the 1000 foot Strat tower.
1) High Roller – Coaster that loops around the tower three times. Very boring, and is being torn down in a few weeks.

2) Big Shot – Ride that launches you straight up the top. There are much bigger versions of this ride in amusement parks, but none offer the great views of the strip. Recommended.

3) X – Scream – We expected to find this boring, but it was a lot of fun. A large see-saw apparatus sends your sled zooming off the top of the tower. You must sit in the front for this one.

4) Insanity – A bit like the swings ride at carnivals, only an arm swings you out off the edge and then rotates you out in space. Lots of fun.

Avenue Q – Wynn – Another fabulous show on the strip – it’s not to be missed. This is Sesame Street for adults, and it is *REALLY* funny. It is also on Broadway in NY – we’ve never seen it there, but I imagine the show is just as good. The theatre is beautiful and comfortable. Steve Wynn did a great job with this theatre. Recommend you call for tickets – we got center orchestra, 4th row by calling. On the internet, you really couldn’t get the best seats available. Rating 5/5 stars

Fashionistas – in the desert passage shops at Aladdin. This is actually in the Krave nightclub. Seating was done by hostesses. As you arrive, you hand in your ticket, and take a seat in the lounge. About 20 minutes before show time, the hostesses make their way around the lounge to seat people. They start with the couches on the right as you walk in, and make their way around the room in a counter-clockwise fashion. So, if you want to be seated first, make sure you sit on the right as you enter the lounge.

It is very difficult to describe the show itself. It is not topless (it is not in a casino, and they don’t have the license for topless). It is an erotic interpretive dance show. I can’t really explain the storyline. It is described in the program you receive as you enter, but it really doesn’t make much sense. In any case, the dancing is phenomenal – the dancers are well trained and really know how to make the most of their ‘barely there’ costumes. There is also some aerial gymnastics throughout the show. Rating 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Poker – we played tournaments at both the Aladdin and Luxor resorts.
Aladdin poker tourney - $50 buy in ($43 +7 admin). This tourney had over 100 people, so it lasted awhile. I wasn’t very impressed with the dealer here – people at the table had to explain some of the rules to him. He also mucked a played hand early on. It seemed very amateurish. Although I wasn’t the first one out, I only lasted about 45 minutes. My husband lasted 2 hours, and wound up in 25th place – not enough for a prize, but enjoyable none-the-less. This was our first tourney, so we were still learning the ropes.

Luxor –I really didn’t understand the rules of this one, and am warning others to ask before you pay. First, we paid $30 to join the tournament for $300 in chips ($18 + $12 admin fee). At the table before play began, you could pay $3 for an additional $50 in chips. EVERYONE did this. I just don’t understand why it wasn’t $33 up front for the complete stack of chips. This was just weird.

Also, the chips looked like they had seen better days – all chewed up with no denominations. You would think a major resort casino could afford decent chips. As the first betting round progressed, I found out that the first hour was 15/30 limit. I didn’t know that! Had I known, I certainly wouldn’t have folded before the flop. I guess I should’ve asked for the rules ahead of time. Why didn’t they broadcast them like they did at other poker tables? In any case, I was the first one out at the table, and my husband followed about 15 minutes later. All in all - $66 for about ½ hour of play was just not worth it.

Regular table poker – we played 2/4 limit at Monte Carlo, and the Flamingo.

The first day at the Monte Carlo was great – a good mix of people, and very nice, informative dealers. They explained the poker room rates, the progressive payouts, and some of the finer rules of betting (no string bets). I enjoyed that a lot. The next day, it was Senior Citizen day at the poker table. They seemed to be regulars (dealers knew them by their first names), so we didn’t stay there long.

The next night, 2nd City was at the Flamingo, so we tried their 2/4 table after the show. It was a lot of fun. Again, it was a good mix of people, and I wound up a few dollars. The next night, it was an entirely different story. One woman at the table cursed at every hand. Her son sat behind her observing, and she asked for his advice with every hand. It was distracting and annoying. She soon left to try her luck at another table. We thought that was all the adventure at the table for that night. We were wrong. Next, the dealer was speaking in Chinese to some of the players at the table. Again, the rules state only English can be spoken at the table, so it was rather annoying. Before someone could get up to complain to the manager, dealers changed. There were a few players at the end that kept showing each other their hands, and seemed to be “playing together”. All in all, we were not pleased with our 2nd night at the Flamingo poker tables and we left.

Other odds and ends
Traci at the Zumanity store – one afternoon, we were walking through NYNY, and we stopped in the Zumanity store. We started talking to Traci, the sales clerk about the various Cirque shows. She was so knowledgeable about all the shows. She showed up the Zumanity program, and explained the storyline. She convinced us that we need to return to LV soon to see Zumanity. She was quite an ambassador for the Cirque shows, and should be commended for her efforts. After talking to her, we even liked Ka a little better! 

Voodoo Lounge at the top of the Rio – highly recommend go up here for a drink and pictures early in the evening.

Smoking, smoking EVERYWHERE. I am a non-smoker, so all of the cigarette/cigar/pipe smoke everywhere was really irritating to me. The only non-smoking areas were the poker rooms, the showrooms, and some areas of the restaurants. The casino floor, the sports book, even the mall allowed smoking. I try to respect other people’s right to smoke, but I could almost never get away from it. I love shopping, but we only spent about 20 minutes in the Caesar’s Forum shops – it was just too smoky. Every time I sat at a slot machine, I had to move after a few minutes because of the smokiness. I really don’t understand why there aren’t more no-smoking areas in the casinos. The casinos are certainly big enough to devote some space for non-smoking tables and slots. There has to be some happy medium where smokers and non-smokers alike can enjoy the casino.

All in all, we really enjoyed our 2nd trip to Vegas. We don’t plan to wait another 6 yrs to visit!