It has been over 6 months since Lisa's last trip and about 4 and half month since mine, which is an eternity for us. Needless to say, we were dying for a vacation! Since our current home, the Stardust, is scheduled to meet a wrecking ball next year, we are looking for a new home. On this trip, we decided to give the folks at Harrah's another chance and stay at Bally's. The trip was for 4 nights but I didn't want to be on the hook to gamble the whole time so we stayed the first night at the Tuscany and the last 3 at Bally's. We used a host based in LA that was recommended to us and she gave us the first night comped and the last 2 a a $70 casino rate. Not bad but not great, based solely on an email.
February 25
We hit the road a little before noon and hit traffic the whole way from the 91 up the Cajon Pass. After we got to the top of the hill, things moved smoothly the rest of the way. We made a quick stop for lunch in Barstow at Mickey D's and pulled into the Tuscany at about 4:30. We chose the Tuscany because it is a little harder to get a room for a Saturday arrival and prices on this particular night seemed high all over town. Im sorry but I refuse to pay $90 a night for the Gold Spike! We found an offer on Travelocity for $109 for 1 night. Not a bad deal considering. Check-in was a breeze with absolutely zero wait. For those who are not familiar with it, the Tuscany is different from most hotels as it is a series of 3 story buildings spread across the grounds instead of 1 big hotel tower. We were given a room on the first floor of the far back building. Though it was the furthest away, it still wasn't very far at all to the front lobby. The room was quite large with a combo living room/kitchen/bedroom. It was in pretty good shape and decently furnished. I don't know if it is standard at the Tuscany since we were in a handicapped room but the bathroom had a separate shower and tub.
We unloaded the car and relaxed for a little while in the room before wandering up front to check out the place. Its small casino with a few restaurants, nothing to write home about. We decided to play a little video keno, Lisa's favorite, and got a decent amount of play off our original $40 buy-in. Once it was gone, we walked back to the room to decide what to do for the evening. The walk is largely outside but even from the back building, it isn't more than 5 minutes to the casino. We decided to go downtown to eat and hopefully play some cheap roulette. We first stopped at Main Street Station to use the POV 2 for 1 at the buffet. There was only a short line and the food was as good as always. This has become one of our favorite buffets in town. After sufficiently stuffing ourselves, we walked over to Fremont St. We hit several casinos but only found 1 .50 roulette table (at the Fremont) and it was packed. We decided just to play on the dollar table at the 4 Queens. We managed to get about an hours worth of play before our buy-in eventually disappeared. It wasn't very late but since we were both tired, we decided to just go back to the room and crash for the night.
February 26
I woke up early, as usual and went up front to get some coffee and play a little before Lisa awoke. According to the VPFree database, the best VP at the Tuscany isn't even in the casino but the lobby bar. They have some NSUD bartops so I settle in and played for an hour with some small wins and eventually cashed out my original $20. It was kind of a strange gambling environment. I was in there basically alone, without even a bartender. A few employees wandered in time to time for a smoke break but that was about it. I actually enjoyed the peace and quite.
Afterwards, it was back to the room to get Lisa for breakfast. We ate at the coffee shop which was very good and the prices were excellent as well. We then played a little more Keno, during which I hit 2 4 out of 4s and won back what we had lost the previous night. We cashed out then packed up and head over to Bally's. We debated when we should go over to try to check-in. I didn't want to get there before noon and be forced to wait for a room. We arrived just before noon to a god-awful check-in line! They had some corporate event going on for the week and they all seemed to arrive at the same time. After about 45 minutes, we finally make to the front of the line. We ask for a room on a high floor with a decent view. We get one on the 25th floor of the North Tower with a killer view of everything from Caesars north to the Strat. Awesome. The rooms also are quite nice. We were quite happy with Bally's thus far.
After unpacking, we headed over to the monorail to go to MGM for lunch and a property map. We always hit Nathan's hotdogs at least once on every tript. We used the POV coupon for a free dog and was awesome as always. We then jumped back on the monorail for Bally's. While riding back, I realized we spent $14 in monorail fares to use a coupon worth $3.25! It was worth it, though. Once back at Bally's, we went over to the Total Rewards booth to get new cards. We were told that we had several different accounts and they would be combined, more on this later... I also asked about the Diamond in a Day program and was told that it was 1800 points in ANY 24 hour period. Now this differs from the other 2 answers I have received from different people at Harrah's. We were told 1800 points from 12AM-12AM as well as from 6AM-6AM. I was a little nervous about this now since we have gotten so many different answers. No matter, we would just try to get it tomorrow and see what happens.
We then proceed to start a little gambling. Lisa likes to bounce around from game to game while I park myself in front of a 5 play Bonus Poker machine and start banging away. About an hour in, I am dealt 3 to Royal which I hold and are rewarded with the other 2 cards on the 5th line! Nice way to start the trip. We both play for another hour and end up having 900 points already.
We didn't have any plans for dinner so I tried to get a reservation at the Circus Circus steakhouse but they were full already. I wasn't expecting that on a Sunday night but that's what happens when you try to make dinner reservations at 6PM! After a little more discussion, we just said the hell with it and ordered room service. It was a decent meal and the prices were reasonable compared to some other places. We then went back downstairs for some more play. Lisa once again bounced around between slots and keno while I went to same bank of VP machines as earlier. Once again about an hour in, I hold a single ace and the other 4 cards for the Royal pop up! I have never hit a Royal holding anything less than 3 so this was quite a surprise! I also have never hit 2 Royals in a trip, let alone in 1 day! We played for another hour and hit the 1800 points needed for the Diamond card, which we went a picked up without a problem. We finished off the night by getting a few deserts from the coffee bar in the lobby and retired to the room to enjoy the view.
February 27
The days started once again with coffee and some VP while Lisa slept in. I played for about an hour and half (and not hitting a Royal) before going back to wake Lisa. We lounged around the room for a while becoming mesmerized by the workings of the heavy machinery on the site of the now departed Bourbon Street. This would become a theme for the trip! We were starting to get hungry so we went for a late breakfast at the coffee shop. It was a decent meal with good service. After all, its hard to screw up eggs and bacon. After eating, we sat down at the "Rapid Roulette" table. This is a combination of video and live roulette. It is a great game as it goes much faster than regular roulette. The best part is it is actually a low limit game, as low as 50 cent chips with a $2.50 minimum bet. After losing my buy-in and Lisa tripling hers, I played some more VP and Lisa played some Keno. It was a losing session for both of us so it was back to the room for more lounging and to figure what to do for the evening.
We decided we were going to go over to the Rio to flex the new Diamond card and to have a buffet for dinner. When we got there, I was starving but Lisa wasn't so we went to the Diamond lounge to check it out. Swanky Swanky! It definitely makes you feel like a high roller! We enjoyed a quick snack and a some free internet surfing for a little while before leaving. It is certainly one nice perk. We then went up to the Voodoo Lounge for a drink before dinner. We were engaged at the Voodoo Lounge a few years ago so it has a special meaning to us. After about an hour, we still weren't hungry enough for a buffet so we just went back to Bally's to gamble some more instead. We finally made it to dinner at Bally's coffee shop at midnight! We finished the night off with another round of Rapid Roulette.
February 28
The morning started out with the routine of coffee and VP before Lisa got up. She came down and met me in the casino and we played together for a little while before going back to the Rio for the lunch buffet. This is our first trip since they redid it and it is very nice. The Diamond area is kind of secluded and quiet compared to the rest of the place. This has always been our favorite buffet and the remodel only made it better. The service we received was also very good. The POV 2 for 1 made it even better! After stuffing ourselves, we drove back to Bally's. Harrah's was running a promo that if you went to each of their property and got a stamp on your card, you would receive a trinket from that property. We walked over to Paris to get their gift, which was a nice travel mug. We also wanted to go up the Eiffel Tower but unfortunately it was closed due to high winds. Disappointed, we went back to the room to get Lisa ready to leave. She had to be back at work the next day so she was flying home, leaving me for the last day by myself. We packed up her things and drove over to McCarran to drop her off. I then went back to Bally's to get ready for the LVA meet at Wynn. It was strange once I got back to the room. I had attached to Lisa at the hip since Saturday and suddenly she wasn't there. It sounds corny but I missed my wife!
I had setup a meet at Parasol in Wynn's casino for 6PM. I was there a little early and the place was packed. They actually had a hostess seating people at the bar. It wasn't supposed to be a big meet but 6 of us showed up and we had a good time, despite the incredibly pricy drinks. I paid $23 for 2 Bailey's on the rocks! We chatted about our adventures for about an hour and a half then went our separate ways. Thanks, VegasDriven, SlowPoke and BeachStu, it was great meeting you guys. Afterwards, I drove over to the Palms to put a few points on my card to keep it active and get a property map. I played a little 5 play NSUD and hit 4 deuces in about 15 minutes. I cashed out shortly after and went back to the room. I debated what to do for dinner, considered walking over to the Ellis Island for their steak deal but once again laziness got the best of me and I opted for room service once again. While waiting for my food, I got engrossed in an episode of CSI which kept me in the room until 11PM! After CSI, I went back downstairs for one last try at getting another Royal. I managed to get some play but in the end, no luck so I called it a night.
March 1
I know that Harrah's runs off a daily average system so I didn't plan on playing today and bringing down my average. I had not done a very good job at collecting maps so I spent my morning walking the strip. I started out at Harrah's and had their new buffet. It wasn't anything really special but everything was tasty and free. I picked up my map and got my Treasure Hunt card stamped. I tried to get Lisa's stamped as well but the guy wouldn't go for it. Their trinket was a key chain. Next up was the IP, which was a quick in and out then over to Flamingo. I get a map and a TH stamp and this time for Lisa as well. Netted 2 key chains on this stop before going back to the room to pack up. Prior to leaving, I call downstairs to speak with a host about reviewing my account. The person I speak with simply pulls up my record and says "You have $83 in comps." I ask her about the $235 in comps I had on my account prior to walking in the door. She tells me all she sees is the $83 I earned during this stay and I would have to speak to a Total Rewards person about the missing comps. I then ask about picking up the casino rate nights and was told that you have $83 in comps and that would be credited against my entire bill. Essentially, the host was worthless, zero discretionary comps. She didn't do anything for me that a boothling couldn't have done. So I head down to the TR booth to hunt down my 23,500 points that disappeared. The person I speak with doesn't see anything and the account that supposedly had the points was merged with my new diamond account. She tries to get a hold of a supervisor but has no luck. Since I am now in a hurry to leave, I just take the supervisors name and will call her when I get home. Back to the room, I gather my stuff, say goodbye to the room and head out. I was on the road by 11:30, there was virtually no traffic the whole way and I drove non-stop. I pulled into the driveway at 3:00PM and another Vegas trip was in the books. When I got home, I left a message for the supervisor but didn't hear from her. I called back the next day and spoke with a different sup who was able to find my points and get them transferred over to the new account with no problem.
Some Random Musings...
We had a great time and we ended up doing pretty well due to the 2 Royals on Sunday night. It made up for the brutality I suffered on my last trip.
We enjoyed Bally's a lot. The rooms is great, probably the biggest regular room we have ever had and the casino had plenty of games that we enjoy.
My original impression of the Total Rewards system is pretty much unchanged. I noticed that you earn no bonus reward credits if you are winning. Since I hit my Royals on our first night there, this seriously affected the comps we got. Had I hit them on the last night, we would have probably doubled our reward credits. This is pretty weak as far as I am concerned. They are also still having integration issues so be careful with your account.
I will give them another chance, however. The strongest thing about Total Rewards is the room offers. Had we had the room comped to begin with, I would have felt better about the weak comp level. I am interested to see what comes in the mail.
