My Trip Report !

I%26#39;ll post the report as a reply, but, I%26#39;m going to tell the ending of the story here first, because it%26#39;s a Vegas buzz kill and I want to get it out of the way.

My girlfriend (KJ) and I checked out of Bill%26#39;s at 5:30 am in order to get to the airport and maybe grab a bite to eat (and buy some candy from Ethels) before our 8 am flight. We both got hot soft pretzels (with cheese sauce...yum) we did, in fact get our Ethels candy, and we boarded the plane @7:30. Just as we walked on to the plane, they announced that everyone would have to get back off and wait in the terminal while they addressed a ';lavatory maintenance'; issue.

So, we waited....Around 8:30, an announcement was made that there would be about an hour delay while the issue was fixed....ok, no biggie...maybe I was meant to be stuck here...maybe those slots WANTED me to be delayed so I could win ';the big one';....maybe Vegas just needed the few remaining $$ I had in my pocket.

An hour later it was announced that a part was needed to complete the repair....this part of course, not being readily available. ETA for ';the part';, unknown. At this point they start handing out snack vouchers. (6 dollars) You know when an airline starts trying to feed you in the terminal, things are not going well. At this point, I realize that it%26#39;s labor day weekend, and alternative plans may be hard to come by. I ask if there are any available seats on the 11 am flight to Seattle. (Flights from Seattle to Portland run every 30 mins, so getting here is easy) There ARE a few seats available, but, the clerk says to ';just wait a bit, and see how things go.'; By 11 am still no part on the scene, and by now there are no available flights (on ANY airline) to Portland or Seattle....I%26#39;m angry, I%26#39;m tired....I want a free flight....I want JUSTICE!!!! (mostly I want a nap) We are given second $6 snack vouchers and eat hot dogs from Jody Maroni (mistake) Finally at noon it%26#39;s announced that the part has arrived and all should be well in about an hour. Promptly at 1 pm we board the plane....and we wait...and wait....KJ and I are tired nearly to the point of tears (we need naps more than any of the kids on board) By 2 pm we finally have lift off!!!!! Well, by the time we arrive in Portland, it is now officially holiday weekend rush hour, and takes my husband an hour to pick us up. (Normally an easy 20 min trip)

At long last, by 6:30 pm, I%26#39;m in bed and dreaming Vegas dreams, for a restful 4 full hours....then, the alarm goes off an it%26#39;s time to drag my sorry butt to work. :( (For the record, I only made it through the first half of my shift and then bailed)

Ok, now that we have THAT out of the way, we can get to the good stuff !!

My Trip Report !

Looking forward to the rest of the TR...that airport stuff can sure be a drag right when you want to get settled on the plane.

My Trip Report !

Normally I suggest flights earlier in the day to avoid delays, but oopppssss this is something I wouldn%26#39;t even have been able to avoid. (other than why weren%26#39;t you put on that 11AM flight since you asked????) Maybe there were other people with connecting flights that the airline accomodated on that flight?

Oh well you%26#39;re home safe, but that was sure a disappointing day of travel :(

My girlfriend from work (KJ) and I worked Tues morning from Midnight until 5:30 am (usually get off work at 8:30am) and headed to the airport about 8:30. We were bouncy with vegas anticipation, so it seemed like forever until our 11 am boarding time, but, finally we%26#39;re on our way. the trip there was quick and uneventful.

By 1:30 pm we%26#39;re checking in to Bill%26#39;s Gamblin%26#39; Hall. The only room they have available with 2 queens (non-smoking) is the $10 upgraded room with the Bellagio fountain view. It would have been nice to get a free upgrade, but, the view room is exactly what I wanted anyway, so all was well. I also asked for a mini-fridge (also $10/day) so i could have plenty of juice %26amp; water available. Also so I could store any possible desserts from Jean Pattisserie. (mmmm...chocolate...) We got our players cards, did a bit of gambling in Bill%26#39;s, gambled our way through the Flamingo, checked out their beautiful pool area, and headed into Margaritaville for lunch. i had the shrimp %26amp; crab pasta salad. It was delicious!! It always surprises me that seafood (in some restaurants) can taste so fresh in the middle of the desert. We collected players cards and gambled our way through Harrahs, Casino Royale, the Venitian, then, backtracked and did the same through Ballys and Paris. So far, we haven%26#39;t won much, but we haven%26#39;t lost much either, so, it%26#39;s all good. by this time, we%26#39;ve been up nearly 24 hours, so we head back to the Flamingo and have dinner at Tropical Breeze. The onion soup was good, but, the crab cake w/mango salsa was a bit bland. We manage to keep our eyes open long enought to let the slots in Bill%26#39;s suck up some more of our $$, before heading to bed around midnight. (We%26#39;re in Vegas!! Yeah!!)

Wow, I%26#39;ll glad you got the bad flight out of the way. Now you%26#39;re in Vegas and breaking even is winning! Hope it only gets better from here!

Day 2 - The beds at Bill%26#39;s are SUPER comfy, and we sleep in all the way %26#39;til 4 am. We lie in our comfy beds and discuss our upcoming day and how we can%26#39;t wait to check out the Flamingo pool. We%26#39;re up and dressed by 5:30 am and head to the Bellagio. I hear the slots calling my name and asking for my $$, so I must comply. I walk away about $20 up, so, I%26#39;m happy. We walk through the conservatory, check out the gift shop, and by then, the Jean Pattisserie is opening. Hooray!! We both have a yogurt and fresh berry parfait. (The granola in it is drenched with honey) I had no problem paying 7.95 for something this good, but, choked a bit over realizing I had just paid 5.00 for apple juice. (Good thing their slots had given me the breakfast $$)

After that, we went back to our room, changed into our swimsuits, and headed for the pool. The pool at the Flamingo is fabulous!!!! We played under the waterfall, lounged in the morning sun, then, walked up to the adult pool. I hadn%26#39;t read the sign out front, so assumed ';adult'; just meant no kids, until I saw that sign near the cafe that read ';swimsuits must be worn beyond this point'; Silly me, I%26#39;d had my suit on this whole time....well, maybe tomorrow. We passed the waterslides on our way back out and to our room and know that that%26#39;s what we%26#39;ll be doing tomorrow.

After we%26#39;ve showered up, we head out in the direction of the Tropicana. The must do on todays list is to see the Titanic exhibit. The Vegas showgirl is standing out in front of Ballys giving out free tickets to tonights show if we sign up for the rewards card. Unfortunately, we signed up for that card yesterday at Harrahs, and are now not eligable. That%26#39;s ok, we%26#39;ll check at the 1/2 price ticket booth on our way to the Trop. Of course we have to gamble our way through Ballys and Paris on our way. (no big wins, but no big loses either) We weren%26#39;t able to get Jubilee! tickets at the ticket booth, but we did get our Titanic passes for only $11, so that felt like a good deal. By the time we got to the Tropicana, we%26#39;re hungry and thirsty, so re-fuel at their tropical cafe (sorry, forgot the name) I had a turkey %26amp; avacado crossaint, which was alright, but terribly dry...had to ask for a side of mayo. Then, with our new burst of energy, we head to the exhibit. It was wonderful !! For those who don%26#39;t already know, there are hundreds of artifacts, re-created hallways from third class, a beautiful replica of the grand staircase, a recreation of the outdoor deck under a starlit sky (cold) and an iceberg that you can actually touch. Since there%26#39;s no photography allowed, I bought a small poster and some postcards for my scrapbook. Even at full price, we would consider this a must do for anyone having intrest in the history and story of the Titanic. As we were leaving (through the casino) we both heard the exciting ';ching,ching,ching'; of actual quarter machines. We quickly sign up for their players card, grab a coin bucket for all the $$ we%26#39;re about to win, and hit the slots......

After we%26#39;ve successfully emptied our buckets (they were too heavy to carry around anyway) we make the walk to Hooters to do a little shopping in their gift shop. What a nice place. Even though we have a Hooters here in Portland, I%26#39;ve never been in it. I reall liked the atmosphere, and was sorry we%26#39;d eaten at the Trop, as their menu looked really good too. Of course we sign up for their players card (wouldn%26#39;t be fair not to share some of our $$ with them, like we had with everyone else) and did a bit of gambling. After KJ buys a t-shirt for her DH, pjs for her daughter, and I buy a little something to impress my hubby, we catch a cab back to Ballys. We ended up paying full price for tickets to that nights Jubilee! performance, but, had pretty much convinced ourselves it was something we should see while shows like that are still around, so we didn%26#39;t really mind. (For the financial record, that was the only time during the trip that i used my credit card) -- more to come---

';Of course we sign up for their players card (wouldn%26#39;t be fair not to share some of our $$ with them, like we had with everyone else) and did a bit of gambling. ';

aawww...how nice of you!

What a great trip report so far! Wow delays on the way home is Vegas seems to be a trend!! A girl trip sounds fun too!

Low - We both have very kind hearts....we%26#39;re just that way.

Mtzyd - It started out that I was just going alone. I%26#39;m sooooo glad my GF asked to go along, I would have had a good time by myself, but had wayyyyy more fun with her along!

%26lt;%26lt;I hadn%26#39;t read the sign out front, so assumed ';adult'; just meant no kids, until I saw that sign near the cafe that read ';swimsuits must be worn beyond this point'; Silly me, I%26#39;d had my suit on this whole time%26gt;%26gt;

LOL!! I love your sense of humor!! That and the part about the buckets of coins being too heavy to carry anyway! =)

Sounds fun so far!

I was kinda worried about your trip after reading how it ended.... Glad it%26#39;s going grand for you so far......