Wednesday September 29th
Woke up at around 6am,couldn't sleep for the traffic noise and planes taking off so had a shower,got dressed and went down for breakfast .Really great choice for breakfast,continental,cereals,fruit,yoghourt or of course traditional English....Everything was self service...Bacon,sausage,hash browns,mushrooms,beans,tomatoes....help yourself to as much as you want and they did the eggs any way you asked....I got scrambled and Al had fried and we had toast and coffee to follow......That finished went back to the room to pack up our stuff and then the owner took us to the airport...Went straight through to Departures and hung round the shops until they put up our gate no.....trudged the 20 min walk as you do and waited to board....could see our plane through the window and we got Virginia Plain which I knew had the Odyssey IFE system so I was well chuffed.
Very uneventful flight....disappointed with the food as even though we were fairly near the front in row 37 they managed to only have the vegetarian option left by the time they got to us to we had no choice but to take it....it was some sort of penne pasta thing....had a couple of mouthfuls and left it ...Al only looked at his and didn't attempt any....so we just ate the chicken salad starter and the Gu pud sweet....Al ate his roll and mine as he was hungry....they came round later in the flight with a choc ice,then we had Honey Chicken wrap,then coronation chicken sandwich and a cookie.....they ran out of spirits again as they always do about half way into the flight but didn't bother us as I'd put some little Vodka's in my bag just in case so we got a couple of cokes and made our own drinks.
Watched Iron Man 2,The A Team,The Runaways and Diary of a Wimpy Kid ..Got my pre-ordered Buy before you fly Absolute Vodka 2 for £20 can't fault it.
Landed on time and spent the next hour in immigration as the Thomas Cook flight had come in just before ours waited ages for our luggage then realized it was on the other conveyer belt...Got taxi straight away just 3 people in front of us....told driver to take quickest route and not to take tunnel.....which he did....I asked what the temperature was and he said 96 F "¦.......fare was $14.50 to the IP so he got the change from a $20.
No one at check in so went straight up to counter...asked for my 2 weeks booking to be linked and requested a non smoking pool view on high floor....got 14107 a double queen which was fine with us.. just 4 rooms from the elevator and more importantly the ice machine....I remember last year at MGM having to trek down 2 corridors for the nearest one...got to room unpacked half our stuff and headed down to the bar for a few beers. Decided we would try the theory of not having a nap on first day but staying up as long as possible to try and beat the jet lag. I can't believe the change for the worst in some ways on the strip....twice as many tramps and beggars,the porn slappers are now out far earlier than they were before and they are not just Mexican any more,all nationalities are now forcing those bloody cards and magazines at you including women and teenagers "¦.there are also loads of those looky likey peeps dressed as Elvis,Marilyn Johnny Depp etc.....and don't get me started on those time share touts....they are everywhere and so annoying....Moved on to O'shea's had a couple beers then onto Bills for a strawberry margarita and a beer then got as bit hungry so went to Fatburger....Jet lag is starting to have it's effect now and my eating habits are always the first to suffer....ate half my burger and binned the rest....back to Hawaiian Marketplace...had a couple of beers there while we watched a duo on stage....I could see Al nodding off once or twice so we thought we'd head back up to IP.....intended to try and make it till midnight....piled into bed before 9pm and Al was literally snoring less than 2 mins later.....
Thursday September 30th
Awake at 1.30am,3am,4am 5am and eventually got up at 6am...no point in just tossing and turning. Had a coffee in room and headed to .PH Spice market as we had destination coupons.com $5 off vouchers expiring today....I just can't seem to stomach food for the first few days after long haul....don't get me wrong...food was lovely but I don't know what it is...I start off with the best of intentions then start to gag once I'm quarter of the way through.......Weather was a little cloudy but it was brightening up so we headed to the IP pool for a couple of hours. Went up to room at about 1pm,freshened up then headed down to Bills to meet Luci.....found her in sports bar eventually and had a chat for a while...Luci passed on the American Casino guide to me(thanks Lesley).she'd decided to try for Nathan Burton tickets as it was their last day and we didn't want to take up to much of their time....so she parted company at Flamingo and headed back to the IP for a nap.
Had about an hours kip so made a couple of vodka's and drank them while getting ready for the evening.
Headed to food hall by Casino Royale and opted for Panda express 2 entree's and a side with 2 spring rolls and drinks $17 can't go wrong.....as we were sharing a plate it's hard to say how much I ate but probably about a third. After that we went to the Mirage for me to pick up our Ka tickets....got them on the Summer of Cirque offer over the phone...best seats we could get were section 103 row E seats 11 and 12.That done we walked round forum shops for a bit then wandered over to Bills....really good band on called The Hipsters so we decided to stay for the rest of the evening...started off on the pitchers of Coors then moved on to the Vodka and lemonade's....left Bills at about 1am and hit the sheets by 1.30.
Friday October 1st
Awake at 4.30 am...then dozed back until 6.15....got up had shower Logged onto IP WiFi $9.99 for 24 hours...checked my e-mail,checked in on a few forums...spoke to a few mates on Facebook,read Luci's blog updates and then made our way to Hash Hash a Go Go for breakfast. Why do I waste my money on goof food I don't eat...We both had the basics and Al had extra bacon with his...I ate about a quarter of it and started to gag again.....didn't like the coffee thought it to bitter and it was freezing in there so food went cold quickly....not that I noticed as I wasn't eating mine....bill came to $28.80....paid up and went......only to find the heavens had opened and it was raining.....how bloody dare it rain in Vegas...crossed to Mirage intending to catch tram to TI....guess what...closed for maintainance so we had to walk.....to early for Fashion Show Mall so went over road bridge to Wynn to kill some time...wandered around then went back to Starbucks in FSM for a coffee.....Everywhere was really slippery to walk because of the rain and this wind came up out of nowhere so it was really squally....walked over road bridge to FSM and nearly fell at least 6 times so took my flip flops off and walked barefoot....FSM still not open so went upstairs to food court and had a tea while we waited....wandered around for a couple of hours...didn't buy much just some souvenirs for work mates and friends and a top for daughter in Wet Seal....Walked back to IP and headed for pool as sun was trying to come out....took my laptop down with me can caught up on my blog/TR may as well make the most of it seeing as I'd paid.....started to get really hot so went back up to room at about 3.30 pm....maid was talking to security guard in corridor,passed them,got to our door and saw it was open....panicked thought we'd been turned over checked room but everything was still there I was livid and was all for reporting it but Al said no and went to have a word with security dude...maid gave him evil eyes but Al said he wouldn't report her for leaving it open....she said she'd only just done it but we only had her word for that...
Anyhoo...made a few voddies,played some cards and got some kip.....Woke around 6pm so got ready to go out down to MGM for Ka.....Stopped at food court by MGM and had Wendy's chicken sandwich combo for 2....I ate half by chicken and a mouthfuls of fries....that was it gagging again...at this rate I'm going to be slimmer going home than I was coming.
Moved onto MGM for the 9.30pm show....theater was not full by any means and I supposed we could have asked to move but Al was happy to stay where we were....Really enjoyed the show....awesome acrobatics...excellent and well worth the.................we paid..After we wandered round the Miracle mile for a bit and then up to Bills....Trio on stage were just finishing their set so we got seats real quick and indulged in a pitcher of Miller Lite as the Coors was off.....stayed for an hour or so as the band were a bit to heavy for us....stopped in O'Sheas for a Bailey's slushy and then up to IP to watch the Dealertainers and indulge in one more pitcher before heading up to bed at around 2am.
Saturday October 2nd
Woke at around 6.30am...Weather looked OK so decided to spend the morning at the pool. Not sure what to do about breakfast so had a little wander around ...thought we may try Emperors Buffet....so I asked girl on way in if they had a good choice of fruit...she told me to go and have a look,I couldn't find any only tinned fruit and desserts....so we shelved that idea and plumped for Cafe@Harrah's. Al had the 2 egg breakfast with a side of sausage patty and I had the Sunburst fruit platter....when it came mine was enormous.....2 banana and pecan sandwiches with Philly cheese,pot of yogurt and a huge amount of sliced fruit,strawberries,banana,kiwi,pineapple,grapes and 3 types of melon....and I almost ate it all and didn't gag once....Al says his was the nicest breakfast so far so we may go back tomorrow. Bill came to.$36.70.Crossed road to Mirage and went down to BB Kings to make reservations for Monday night
Back to the room to change and pick up my laptop so I could write my TR up. Down to the pool at 9.30am and it's steaming hot....guy at pool bar said it was supposed to reach 100 today....stuck it out until 1pm and couldn't take anymore so back up to room to freshen up....we needed to find an ATM so thought we'd go to Casino Royal as it's only $1 per drink Lovely guy at bar called Mark...really friendly and works at the speed of light....we were fascinated watching him......had 3 strawberry margaritas and Al had Michelob's Left CR at 3pm and the heavens had opened....it was raining yet again...I can't believe this that's twice now since we got here..Back up to room for a siesta but maid was in process of cleaning so we popped down to the shop to pick up some postcards.....Stamp machine's have mysteriously disappeared from the IP so we'll have to get some at the UPS place at Flamingo up to room,wrote postcards,had a game of cards and then a nap.....oooops overslept until 7.15pm....obviously body still in UK time.
Quick shower and change then out by 9pm....fancied pizza but not going to risk a restaurant just yet. Sent Al up to McDonald's to get fries and I nipped into food court for a couple of pizza slices.....dining all done we slipped over to Forum shops for a wander around then into Caesars to collect our Cher Tickets which I'd booked via Travel zoo on the upgrade offer....paid $131.15 with taxes for 2 2nd Mezzanine seats. That done headed over to Carnival Court to see if we could catch the Crashers my favorite Vegas live rock band...Since we got here I haven't seen one live band play at carnival court....just a DJ and tonight was the same....so I asked the guy in the drinks booth and he said they were playing live somewhere on the strip....Couldn't be arsed to go go and search for them so opted to do the usual.....Called in O'Shea's picked up a couple of Baileys smoothies and listened to a couple of Dudes play some Irish Folk music then moved on to Bills where a band was just setting up their stuff....Recognized Frankie the bass guitarist straight off....yeay it was the Crashers how jammy is that.....got a pitcher of Miller and settled down for the evening.......back to room by 2.30 am.
Sunday 3rd October
Up at 7.15.am...noisy neighbors across the hall woke me up .Had a quick shower and off to Cafe@Harrah's for brekkie....We both had 2 egg breakfast and coffee. I almost ate all of mine.bill came to $28.04...Very cloudy start to the morning so decided to do the South outlets. Crossed to stop at Mirage...no ticket Machine so walked to the one at Ceasars which only takes credit cards....kept rejecting mine so had to walk to the stop at Bellagio where I got us 2 x24 hour passes $14 bargain. Got Goldline to outlets and got there about10.30am.Spent most of my money in the Vans shop as it's youngest daughters fav brand of shoes....picked her up 2 pairs trainers, a purse and 2 vests(start to my Xmas shopping)..Also picked up some koolt shirts and some pj's in various other stores. Spent around $150...Caught Goldline back to FSM end called in Wallgreens for supplies,water,mixers,snacks etc....popped into CR for a $1 margarita and Michelob then up to room to dump purchases.....down at pool by 2.15pm and it's quite hot prob in the 90's..... after a couple of hours it started to cloud over and I'm sure I could feel a bit of rain so we went back to room played some cards and had a few drinks. Siesta until 6pm when I was woken by dudes across hall thumping on the door to be let in..... had shower,changed and caught Deuce down to Excalibur....Band was playing at Dicks so we decided to eat there,Al had the Big Ass Burger and I had the Brisket Sammich. Which was beef chunks in a bun covered with hickory smoked sauce....lush but there was no way I could eat it in a bun...lol...used my knife and fork or I'd have been covered in the stuff...with 2 Pints of Bud the bill came to $42.67......I ate about half mine but I'm getting better....stayed for a while longer then moved onto the lounge bar....there was a Salsa/Latino band playing we weren't keen and the lounge was empty so we decided to wander around seeing as we were down this end of the strip....took the moving escalator to Luxor and stopped for a drink at the bar then walked out through main lobby took some photos then out onto the street. I don't like it this end at all very dingy and no one around...crossed the road to Tropicana to see the improvements....had a drink by the bar.....they''ve done a good job fair play....very white though...crossed over to MGM and had a drink at the Crazy Horse bar "¦.got the deuce outside the coke bottle up to Flamingo....Called in Bills....had a pitcher of beer and watched some peeps making fools of themselves on the karaoke....not really our cuppa tea as everyone was American and we didn't know half the songs....moved on to O'Sheas....got a couple of Baileys smoothies and some miller for Al and watched the band Kings of Kavaner in the bar headed back to IP around 1.30am had a drink in the room and went off to sleep
Monday 4th October
Noisy sods opposite were banging on the door of 104 and woke me up at 4.40am....why have they always got to hammer on the door...it's obviously not their room....I saw 6 people coming out of there yesterday...I'm sure they are paying for 1 double and sharing hence why they don't have a room key card.
Eventually went back to sleep.. about an hour or so later ..
.Al woke me up at 7.20am so I was ratty as hell got dressed and went down to Betty's for a coffee then caught the deuce down to Denny's down by PH "¦.. I had the Grand slam and Al the Lumberjack slam....he ate the lot apart from the pancakes...I ate about a third of mine Bill came to $26.60 and I used a $5 off coupon I found in one of the various magazines you get,,Walked down to Ross Dress for Less...I bought a pair of flip flops and slippers for myself and 2 pairs of distressed leather biker type boots for the girls(1 pair each for work) one pair was on clearance $13.99 but the other pair exactly the same style and size was $19.99....I tried but the girl at the till wouldn't reduce the second pair for me....stupid I thought but hey still good for leather boots .Walked back to IP stopping in Bills for a strawberry margarita and a beer. Dropped shopping in room...bloody maid had already been by 11.30am.....first time this week she was early....typical...I'd left my laptop charging on my bed so she didn't bloody make it...Anyway changed into bathers and went down to pool....lovely and cool today as there is a bit of a breeze. Breeze turned out to be a bit of an understatement we started to get huge gusts of wind so strong at one point the umbrellas around the snack area were blown over and at one point 2 plastic chars,a sunbed,several towels and the potato chips from the snack stand all ended up in the pool....poor girl in charge of poolside snacks was running round like a headless chicken.... then despite a beautiful clear blue sky water falls from above....how is it raining there isn't a cloud in the sky...we decided enough was enough and toddled down to the offie at Carnival Court to pick up some mixers....I can't believe how expensive coke and lemonade is out here $ 4.95 for a 2 litre bottle....at home Alan drinks tango orange with his vodka and I drink Russian with mine....so I brought some with us as I knew we wouldn't get either out here but supplies have run out now so we have to buy in. Back up to room to play some cards and have a few drinks then nap time.
Got to BB Kings 10 mins early...table not ready so was given a pager.......20mins later it went off,not a good start when you've reserved before...couple couple next to us at bar didn't make reservations and theirs went off just after ours....so whats the point....Now I don't know if any of you have been here to eat but if your going I advise you take a torch and a cardigan with you way to dark and air con is on full blast,could hardly see the menu.. and I was cold,,,..took another 20 mins for our order to be taken and a further 15 till our drinks arrived,service is awful at this place they need to get more staff on as they obviously can't cope....Tables are far to close together and every time one of the waitresses/waiters passed by they either knocked mine or Alan's chair.....didn't help they couldn't see where they were going I expect.... Spilled my drink twice and stabbed my lip with my fork when my chair got bumped by waitress....she didn't apologize once. Anyway food eventually arrived half an hour after ordering....Al had the pork chop dinner and I had the catfish dinner....mine was OK...much like fish'n chips nothing special and I didn't like the hush puppies at all,there was meant to be coleslaw with it but I couldn't find mine...could have been there and I missed it but I didn't come across it...Al said his food was awful nowhere near as good as mine,he kept eating bits of gristle and fat because he couldn't see his food.....terrible....asked for bill and that took another 20 mins to arrive....by now I'm frozen to the bone and can't wait to get out of there....Bill came to $50 less our restaurant.com $25 voucher...by the time they added on tax and took $10 gratuity it was $36.78 "¦.no wonder they take the tip up front...they know damn well they won't get one otherwise.....Never going there again....freezing cold,pitch black poor service,to cramped and mediocre bordering on pretty awful food.....crossed the road to Carnival Court...still no live band...what's going on used to be one every night....haven't seen one there yet....Had to go back up to room to get my cardigan as I was that cold....not surprising...there are quite a few people walking around in sweatshirts and jackets....what's up with the weather thought it was meant to be hot here.....Moved on to O'sheas....got a baileys slush and watched the band until the end of their first set...weren't keen on them so went to Bills.....by now I have the worst heartburn ever...so had a soda water to see if I could settle it.....washed down with a few rennies.....Karaoke again here tonight and there were some pretty good singers so we stayed.....my stomach isn't very good so I stay on the water...Al indulged in a pitcher of Coors.....got bored and tired by midnight so went home to bed.....stomach played up all night and I felt really sick....hope it's better tomorrow as we have tickets for Cher
Tuesday October 5th
Woke up at 4.30am really bad stomach...couldn't get back to sleep for ages....Al woke me up going out to pick up milk for coffee at 7.45am.....had cuppa tea in the room and got dressed and went to Denny's for breakfast....must have been 40 people waiting to be seated...knew his nibs wouldn't wait so went back to Cafe@Harrah's....got seat straight away....I'm staying off fatty food today so just have toast and a bowl of fresh fruit....Al has 2 egg breakfast.....Bill comes to $26.97..
Wander round down to Flamingo and round the shops.... back to IP and realize I still haven't bought stamps for my postcards at this rate I'll be home before them .Down to pool for a few hours sunbathing....still a bit of a breeze today. Back to room for siesta around 2ish as we have to get ready early for Cher tonight.....Decided to go to Harrah's Buffet for food as we didn't want to go walking to far.. plus I had a$5 offf each buffet coupon someone handed me in Carnival Court...That done we headed over to Caesars Palace via the forum shops....Loads of people are going into the Colosseum already and it's only 6.45pm...we decide to go and have a drink first.....go through to our seats at about 7.10pm...my god we are high up in 2nd Mez but our seats are center right in the middle....Cher being the diva she is doesn't come on until 7.50pm.....Al wasn't fussed when I booked the tickets but he really enjoyed the show....far to many costume changes but it was a good show.
Karaoke on at Bills yet again....getting sick of it now so we go to Margarita ville for a change....stayed for a few drinks then move on to O'Sheas....band playing called B Jerk....had far to many vodkas and went home to bed at around 2am
Wednesday October 6th
We have been here a week today....doesn't seem like it though. Been suffering on and off for about 6 weeks now with mouth ulcers that just won't heal and even when they do a few days later another one takes it's place..Bought several med cations before start of holiday but nothing seemed to work ..so invested in some Corlan pellets(hydro-cortisone tablets you let dissolve on site of ulcer )...anyway they are not cheap at £3.95 for 4 days supply but couldn't be arsed to see doc so just bought 2 pack to come away with....anyway they have now all run out and an new ulcer appeared last night right under my tongue and about the size of a 1p piece..I'm in agony so will have to pop to Wallgreens later. Brought some antibiotics with me so figured I'd better make a start on them as my glands have also come up on one side....my god I'm a mess..Didn't get up until 8.30 am today....neither of us can be bothered to walk far so we opt for the Emperors Buffet at the IP not bad actually I had pancakes and fruit...not fresh but tinned but at least I didn't have to go for the fried breakfast and it was soft enough for me to manage with my mouth as it is I also had yogurt and a waffle well..Al went for fried option...french toast bacon sausage and anything else he could fit on the plate....not bad for $28.08 for the 2 of us....back to the room to change into pool clothes and then down to the sun beds.stayed until 1pm then went online to talk to my daughter for a while....then went to Flamingo to post those postcards at the UPS....$11.76 for 6 cards....daylight robbery and we'll be home before them..last time I'm sending any. Then down to Wallgreens to have a look what they have for my ulcer..got some sort of Benzocaine liquid called KanKer that you have to paint on.....Called in Bills for a beer and margarita and bought some $2 buffet coupons for half price breakfast at Flamingo buffet....I know peeps say it's not good but for $7.49 you can't go wrong really and we didn't mind it when we went last year. Walked up to Casino Royal for margaritas and then back to IP for a nap. Tried to put some of that stuff on my tongue...got more on my chin than in my mouth as the applicator is really tricky but it does numb the pain..so was able to get about an hour or so nap time. Up and dressed to go out about 7pm so decided to go to Freemont Street as they have Oktober Frightfest on due to it being Halloween soon...Went to the Freemont Hotel Paradise buffet as it was steak night...$19,99 each...I had a shrimp and salad to start then steak veggies and garlic mash followed my key lime pie.. Lucky the steak was quite tender and didn't involve to much chewing .Al didn't have a starter...he's more of a stick it all on one plate person so he had the steak,Peking duck and southern fried chicken with mash and veg with a pecan pie for pud....bill with tax came to $32.41.Dinner over with we wandered round the various stages to see the shows,1st stage had Frank and the Steins singers and dancers.2nd stage had Freakin 7Magic....horror hospital magic tricks quite funny and entertaining.3rd stage had Alice &Ozzy's Frightmare..A tribute show..Saw the queen show on the freemont roof display then headed back to the strip. Watched the B jerk's at O'Sheas for a few hours then headed back to the IP not drinking much on account of me being on the antibiotics so found it quite hard to get off to sleep...got up an hour later took some pain killers as my glands are really swollen now on my right side plus my tongue is also sore and swollen..applied some more of that benzo goo and finally managed to drop off
Thursday October 7th
Awake around 7.15amDecided to use our Deuce tickets to go back to Circus Circus etc...never really looked round these hotels so walked round Rivera to start with....not impressed very dated casino,crossed road to CC they are doing some work to the right of the entrance as it's all boarded up walked round the shops for a while and then opted to try the buffet for breakfast....brave I know but it actually wasn't bad...more choice than the IP ...bill was $24.84....breakfast over we went to Ross dress for less....bought a pair of shoes a couple of tops and a t shirt... wandered round the rest of the tacky souvenir shops,got some supplies in the 7and 11 then got the deuce back to Mirage....popped into CR for the $1 usual and then back to IP to dump purchases and change for the pool.....spent a few hours sunbathing writing up my TR and reading by the pool then back to room to freshen up before heading down to Bills to meet Pebbles.......spent a few hours talking to Elaine and Tony....my god he and Alan are alike....they even share the same views so they seemed to get on really well....Passed the American Casino Guide onto Elaine that Lucy had passed onto me from Lesley....it's doing the rounds that's for sure 3 or 4 drinks later we decided it was time to make a move Alan hasn't had his siesta and I thought he should try and get a nap or he'd never last the night.....and I was right....he decided just to freshen up and change and go for something to eat....told him it was a mistake but no he knew better...Couldn't be arsed to go to Ellis Island as originally planned fancied Chinese as its nice and manageable for me with my poorly gob.....opted for panda express...cheap and cheerful....Ambled down to Bills around 8.30 ish nothing going on as we are a bit to early so walked round the Miracle mile shops for a bit.....it's quite chilly out tonight and neither of us has a cardigan or jumper with us....can't believe the weather for this time of year....anyhoo back to Bills and the group have started playing....they were called Stagefright and they were absolute pants and Bills air con must have been cranked up as we were both freezing so we just had one drink and moved onto O'Sheas where a trio called Royal Purple Rockers were on stage....they were actually not bad stayed for an hour or so and then back to IP for bed
Friday October 8th
Up at 7am.....walked down to Flamingo to use one of our Tix 4 tonight vouchers
Paradise buffet for 2 of us came to $16.19 so not a bad deal at all.
I don't know why people moan about the Flamingo Buffet....we both had a hot breakfast and there was loads of choice and all of it was really nice....I had fruit to follow again plenty of choice and Al had a couple of those fruit filled tart-lets wasn't keen on the coffee but they have cappuccino machines so we'll use them next time....stuffed coming from there
walked back up to the CR and bought ourselves a couple of jackets in that place they have offering 80% off...Al had a D&G one with a price tag of $59.99 for $10 and mine had a name I've never heard of with a $69.99 tag again for £10....don't know if these are seconds or what but you can't really go wrong for that sort of money.
Back to the IP pool for a dip and some sunbathing......had enough by 1pm and my mouth is really killing me again...Al says it looks swollen on one side and is quite hot to the touch as is my forehead so I've obviously got an infection.....antibiotics should kick in soon but I need stronger painkillers....up to Walgreen's to see what they have....shouldn't have bothered forgot you can't by codeine in the US as they think it's to addictive...you can however by NSAI's that you can't by at home because we consider them to dangerous to be sold OTC as they cause no end of problems.....makes me laugh anyway ended up buying their own make of Tylenol pm so that I could get a decent sleep at least...I'll have to stick to paracetamol in the day. Also bought another liquid to put on as the Benzo gooey stuff is coming to an end
Back to CR for a $1 drink then IP for a game of cards and a kip.
Up and dressed by 7.30pm so toddled down to Ellis Island...Typical now that we have bought new jackets it's to hot to wear them....wind has dropped considerably and it's much warmer in the nights now..wait for a table in restaurant was 1 hour so didn't think we'd have a hope of getting the barbi....but it was just 30 min wait for a table so we opted to wait for that....and it was well worth the wait... we got an outside table and it was a bit dingy out there but the food was .absolutely lush...both Alan and I had the combo platter bill came to $ 21.60 and we literally waddled out of there.....walked back to Bill's same group on as last night pant's pant's and double pant's so went to O'sheas for a Baileys slush...then onto Carnival Court to watch a band called Mr & Mrs Smith....they weren't bad at all so we stayed for a few hours then my mouth was hurting a bit so went back to bed around 12.30am.
Friday October 9th
Lie in this morn...got up at 8.20am...opted to go to Flavors buffet at Harrah's as i had an American casino guide voucher for $5 off each buffet courtesy of Lesley bill came to $23.76 after the $10 off... then went up to Palazzo to box office will call to exchange our online confirmation for Jersey Boys tickets that done popped over TI for a look around,got the tram back to Mirage and then back to the room to change for the pool.
Spent a few hours sunbathing then went back to the room to do a bit of packing and have a nap......time to get dressed for tonight's show....don't want to be walking about looking for somewhere to eat so we opt for the Emperors buffet ...use a $3 casino guide voucher and bill comes to $40.81......then we wander up to Palazzo stopping to watch the sirens and pirates at TI...then off to bar for a drink...we had free drink stubs attached to our tickets for Lavo but it was packed so I asked a cocktail waitress if she could get the drinks for us if we gave her a $5 tip she was happy to oblige and we drank them at Laguna Champagne bar...time to go into show.....started at 9.40 and had an 8 min break in the middle....show finished at 11.50 ish and it was absolutely brilliant the blokie that played Frankie Valli was excellent and so like him vocally....amazing show...wandered down to Bill's after and the crashers were on...had a few drinks there and the time just flew by...there was a wedding party in and they were from the uk so the crashers were playing mainly uk hits we realised it was a bit late...errrmmmm 3.20am so we made our way back to IP and to bed
Sunday October 10th
bit of a lay in today....well got up at 8.45am.....went to the cafe @Harrah's for breakfast 2 egg breakfast for both of us bill was $28.06...I'm getting pretty sick of cooked breakfast now so I'm opting for fruit and cereal 2 morro....back up to room to do a bit more packing then down to pool to soak up some rays It's quite hot today and we only managed to stick it for 2 hours....went back up to room but maid hadn't been yet....changed out of wet bathers and went for a walk to CR....huge queue for $1 drinks so decided to go to O'Sheas instead....got my usual Baileys slushy and a beer for himself....then went for a walk around Bally's/Paris....back up 2 Bills for a couple of margaritas then back to IP for a nap....I could sleep as peeps moving in next door banging around...so wrote up my TR instead while Al napped away....can't decide where to go for food tonight Up at about 6.30pm...showered,changed and made our way to Bills Victorian cafe for evening meal...45 min wait so put our names down and wen to the bar for a drinky poo.....as you do....we both had the steak special with salad to start.....OMG the steak was the size of a small cow...how an earth am I supposed to eat all that I give it a good go though and we both leave absolutely stuffed.....decide to go for a look at Aria etc...I remember Luci saying it was a nightmare to get into from the road so we take the road bridge to Bellagio.. to check out the conservatory first....truly stunning as always,took loads of photos then looked for the shuttle to Aria...eventually found it and one was just getting in as we go to the platform....got off at City centre and had a look around...not impressed miles of open space and shops I could never afford to go in....moved onto Aria....lovely hotel....bit on the dark side and we got lost and couldn't find the way out eventually found some doors leading out onto a walkway opposite Harley Davidson....no escalators to the road bridge had to climb a million steps...not good when your feet and hands are already swollen anyway get off at other end and stop at the rock bar by Miracle mile....never remember what it's called......then on to Bills for the kareoke....had one ther and moved on to O'sheas....band there were rubbish so went up to Carnival Court....had a couple there then back to Bills until 1.30am went we decided it was time for bed
Monday October 11th
up at 7.45am....paid for internet so I could talk to daughter for a while... up to Kahunaville at TI for breakfast as I'd printed out some $7.99 breakfast vouchers....very ordinary nothing special....after wards we walked up to FSM for a wander round....spent about an hour there but didn't buy a thing....crossed to Palazzo side and picked up some supplies at Wallgreens....then back to IP stopping at CR on the way for the usual $1 drinks.....back to change into pool wear and then down to pool for the next few hours.....it's absolutely scorching today....weather guy said it was going to be 91 F but I'm sure it's more...we stick it about 2 hours and then we are pooped so back to the room for a game of cards and a drink....I'm on my last day of antibiotics so I've been mainly drinking $1 margaritas and Baileys smoothies as they don't have much alcohol in them....I have had the occasional beer or vodka but I usually turn the beer into a shandy and put loads of lemonade in my vodka......I haven't been tipsy once in the whole 2 weeks....I'm quite proud of myself...lol despite the abstinence from serious alcohol drinking I think I've wasted my time with the antibiotics...my gland in mt neck is still swollen and my mouth still really sore apart from the Ellis island and Bills steak I've mainly stuck to soft foods as it hurts so much to chew......the fact that the antibiotics didn't work tells me what I have is viral rather than bacterial so there is nothing I can do about it....left a message for daughter to make an appointment with DR for when I get back as I'm sick of this now....it's ruined my holiday....don't get me wrong I've thoroughly enjoyed it but I feel as if I could have enjoyed it more if you know what I mean........anyway enough bitching and moaning about how much like shyte I feel......
Had our usual siesta until around 5.30pm then showered and changed before going for food.....got given $£ coupons for Emperors buffet so decided ton use them....it's not that bad really...OK it's not up to Spice Market standards but some of it is quite nice....I had prawns and crab to start then went for the Chinese for main and fruit and ice cream for desert...Al just did his usual pile everything in sight on one plate........Do you know we are both sick of food now and we only eat twice a day....I opt for fruit yoghourt and toast or pancakes for break fast...Al has the cooked option every day and he's getting really sick of it at lest you can vary it in the night "¦.be glad to get back to normal eating......anyway evening meal over we head up to TI for Mystere....stop at the breeze bar for 1 drink....daylight robbery in there over $14 for 2 bottles of Bud and it took ages for Al to get served......made our way to theater and there was a huge queue waiting to go in but didn't tale long to clear...got out seats in 202 row HH 21 and 22...pretty central to stage but over half way back....We enjoyed the show...the individual performers were brilliant but if I could pick one word to sum it all up I think I'd pick..."Weird" not quite sure what it was all about to be honest......I'm glad I've seen it but I wouldn't go again unlike Love and Ka which I would happily pay to see again.
Anyway show over we walked back to Carnival court to watch the Crashers for their last set of the night....they finished at midnight so we walked down to Bills to watch the karaoke again....(same crap band on in O'sheas as last night so we gave that a wide berth)...stayed until about 1.20am then home to kip
Tuesday October 12th
Up at 7.40am dressed and off to breakfast by 8.40am...got a voucher left for Flamingo Buffet so we head down there....fair line already and we waited about 15mins to pay and get seated....I went for the fruit toast yoghourt option while Al went for....yup ...you've guessed it....cooked breakfast....he's beginning to look like a bloody egg now he's had so many....we asked for hot tea but the tea is like dishwater here and I'd forgotten to bring my tea bags from the room so we opted to put 2 of theirs in one cup and managed to actually get a cup of tea with some colour to it....didn't taste anything like a proper cuppa but there you go.....walked round the gardens for a bit after breakfast then back to IP and to the pool for a while.....I've run out of books now...stupid me only brought 4 and should have brought at least one more....never mind chance to catch up on my TR...really hot by the pool today managed to stick it 2 hours then went back up to room to change out of wet things....ambled round the strip calling in our usual haunts for $1 drinks then back to the room around 2.30pm to play cards ...maid still hadn't been to make the room up....but she was doing the one opposite so I asked her if she could do us next......we got chatting to her(we seem to have a different one every day)....this one was lovely...her mum was from the Philippines and her dad from Hawaii. She was brought up in her dads home and was one of 13 children...she started out as a chamber made when she was 14 back in Hawaii and moved to Vegas 10 years ago when she got married....so far she has been doing the job 23 years.......she was lovely not like the surly one who left our room open that day....she was a right misery....we have decided to go in search of the girl we had today and put the tip in her hand rather than leave it in the room for the miserable one to have....anyway once Maria had left we had a little nap...up at 6pm checked in online and watched the Chilean mine rescue while getting ready to go out...decided to go to Harley Davidson and use my restaurant.com voucher...got the Deuce by Mirage and it took 35 mins just to get as far as Bellagio...traffic was manic so we got off and walked the rest of the way...we were seated at our table straight away and had ordered drinks by the time the Deuce made it to the Monte Carlo stop where we had originally planned to get off.....we were going to have the a Hog Barbeque plate each but our server said there is no way we would eat it all and suggested we get one to share...which we did along with a side of fries....OMG it was huge she was right Ribs,Chicken,Pulled pork,Brisket,coleslaw,corn on the cob and beans...we almost finished it but it was very filling and the chips were the nicest we've had in the whole trip....Bill came to $50.26 including 2 beers and a iced tea and decaff coffee...I couldn't use my voucher as it wasn't inclusive of drinks but we were happy to may as it was lush and we were both well stuffed....waddled down to Hawaiian Marketplace ...nothing on entertainment wise so we caught the deuce back up to O'sheas.... The Hipsters were playing so we listened to them for one set then moved on to Bills...Karaoke again some peeps were quite good had a vfew more drinks then back to the room by 1am
Wednesday October 13th -Thursday Oct 14th
Home today boo hoo.... rang down for late check in 1 more hour free so we have the room till 12pm or pay $40 till 2pm.....sod that we opt for the 12pm check out up and dressed by 8am so down to Spice Market buffet for breakfast then back to the IP for one last hour by the pool...we are all packed so only have to shower and change it's 10am so we figure we'll get an hour and a half.....up to the room to shower and change by 11.30am and all checked out half an hour later......we are now officially homeless in Vegas...drop our bags at the bell desk and head to CR to say our goodbyes to Mark the barman....a really lovely guy who kept me in margaritas for the last 2 weeks.....had 2 drinks with Mark then ambled down to Bills for one last one there....strip is very quiet today ...not many peeps moving about ...mind you it's mega hot.....made our way back to IP and collected our bags.....got taxi to airport hardly anyone at bag drop so smooth check in....once through security we got ourselves a window seat and enjoyed benefits of free Wi Fi....our plane home is English Rose...so IFE isn't bad Super Nova....better than V port...10 mins late taking off...I changed our seats at check in for ones nearer to the front at the time of choice there was no-one behind us but on boarding 2 of the 3 seats were taken as was the case for the ones in front.... so we had space in between us to store all our crap.....Meal 1 hour into flight... some sort of Chinese salad to start....just lettuce as far as I could make out with a Chinese dressing resembling soy sauce....yeuch!!!! needless to say neither of us ate it. Choice of Beef stew and mash, Chicken Korma and rice or the non edible veggie option we got on the way out..... for main we both chose the curry ok a bit dry to much rice and not enough sauce...a non descript but edible banana custardy type pud...to follow washed down by the tiny cuppa you get with all airlines....why oh why can't they give you a mug...lol....meal over they turned the cabin lights down
Anyway watched Grown Ups,Cat and dogs the Revenge of Kitty Galore(yeah I know it's a kids film) and Robin Hood .at around 8.30 am 2 hours before landing breakfast was served....choice of Ham and cheese bagel or Egg and cheese croissant.....Al and I both opted for the bagel which we were given along with an orange and cranberry muffin....bagel was gross so I binned it...Al was starving so he ate his. Pilot announced there was some sort of dispute going on at immigration so there would be delays...We landed on time....Iris scanner wouldn't let either of us through but as there was this dispute going on at the airport I recon they wanted to cause delays so it had been tampered with....anyway finally got through in 30 mins....waited for luggage...got one bag staraight away the other took about another 10 mins.....rushed through airport to train station but we had missed the train by 4 mins....so had to wait an hour for next one....caught the 12.03 train to Reading,40 min wait for connection here to Swansea....got on that train expecting to be able to catch up on my sleep...Quiet carriage was full so had to plump for one next to it...had the worlds loudest bloke who talked constantly on his phone all the way to Cardiff...so I couldn't get any sleep...eventually got home at 5.30pm,absolutely shattered
Will we be going to Vegas again....yeah if I can persuade Al...he ain't fussed at the moment
Will we stay at the IP again...probably not it's gone downhill since our last visit....looking very worn an dated now...will most likely go for Harrah's or Flamingo
Will I fly Virgin again....probably... our journey home took us 15+ hours this time...I can't see us doing it in under 20 hours if we do connecting flights.
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Edited by
Tangobunny
2010-10-17 15:09:32
I pay 88 cents where I live.
