The MIRAZA Trip - the EX is gone. Day Five

 It is Sunday March 27. I spent this morning packing up for my move to Mirage. I left the Excalibur around noon.  It amazes me how much a kind, helpful Lyft driver can increase your enjoyment of your trip. I had a lovely lady drive me to my next location.  I was about to cancel when I saw it was a woman because I thought maybe it would be difficult for her to lift my luggage and walker, but I am glad I didn’t. She was super nice and helped me with no issues.

I don’t normally move three times in a trip anymore but these Hard Rock Unity people made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  Their offer originally said four nights but they would only book three for some reason but that is fine. I will just go downtown sooner. I had a super nice check in dude and he gave me a one bedroom suite, much to my delight.  I had one of these rooms ten years ago. I even had a meet in it. The rooms are still the same.  I think these suites are lovely and it makes me sad to think they are going away.

The Unity people also gave me $750 free play. I played for two hours this afternoon on all my usual favourite machines and turned that into $1300.00.

They also gave me $400 food and beverage so I asked Mike and Terin to come eat dinner with me at Heritage Steak.  I had filet minion, Mike had salmon and Terin had
chicken.  We also ordered four sides; creamed spinach, whipped potatoes, carrots and Mac n Cheese. Everything was delicious!  We don’t eat in fancy places very often so that was a real treat.

After dinner I had to say goodbye to Mike and Terin because they are flying home tomorrow.  I truly got a kick out of watching how much fun they had this trip. Their Taylor Swift experience was wildly successful, even though they had walk home to Horseshoe from Allegiant. They left tonight to watch one last show at Miracle Mile mall. 

I have decided I am done for the day and I am just staying in tonight in my fancy suite watching the TV at the foot of the bed. I am so happy!

Here is a video of my Mirage suite. I know you have all seen them before but here it is again!

The EXMIRAZA trip - day four

I apologize for being boring but my mornings will consist of me rolling around in bed, trying to persuade myself to move.  I didn’t leave the room today until noon.  I was hungry so I hit the first thing I saw, Johnny Rockets.   I was hoping they would have a variety of sandwiches but they only had burgers. I decided on a chicken burger, no fries ( they gave them to me anyway) and a shake.  I had 30 dollars in MGM Comps so that paid for my 29 dollar meal.

After I was finished I played for awhile. I went back to that dragon machine from the night before because it was a good thing to play when you were trying conserve your funds and the graphics were so beautiful.  Around three I walked over to NYNY to meet up with a lady I know from various Vegas boards. While I was waiting I sat at a Wicked Wheel.  I was only betting forty cents a spin at first but I got a $150 bonus so I upped my bet. I got the machine up to $500 so I decided to max bet for a hundred and cash out with $400.  As I was max betting I hit some insane line hit for $600!  I was shocked to say the least.  Suzanne arrived and treated me to delicious Chinese food at ChinChin and we had a nice chat. After we said our goodbyes I brought the leftovers back to my room. I wonder how long they will be good without refrigeration?  

I rested for an hour then walked over to Luxor to see the Carrot Top show for about the seventh time.  I have seen him so many times it is like a Vegas tradition for me.  He was great as usual. I even got to shake his hand when he came out in the audience tonight.

The kids are at Taylor Swift tonight so I can’t wait to hear how that was.  I could see the crowd dispersing from my Excalibur window.

Here are a few pictures from today.

Notice how many steps I am taking! Lol

The EXMIRAZA trip - day three

 I had a nice long sleep and a slow moving morning today which I really needed.  I had arranged to meet up with Mike and Terin at Ellis Island at 11 am to have some good food at decent prices. I also wanted to use my LVA “ buy one entree get a second one free” at the Village Pub.   The food was as good as I remembered.  I had an apple pecan salad with chicken in it and it was perfect.  I had had that dish years ago and I was very happy that this was one thing that hadn’t changed or gone downhill since Covid.  Mike and Terin enjoyed their meals too.

Next the kids accompanied me as I hobbled over to Horseshoe to give them some play.  Mike and Terin were off to see the Strat, the Arches, Downtown and the Luke Bryan show.  That Terin is a bundle of energy for sure!   I did not have high expectations for playing at Horseshoe.  I haven’t won anything at Bally’s in years.  I donated a hundred to a Buffalo Revolution which availed me nothing.  Then I moved over to the Asian lady with black hair.  Sorry I can’t remember the name.  Anyhow this machine went crazy and was giving me tons of big bonuses!  I was shocked and very pleased.  I gave them three hours of solid play.  As usual the machine went cold and slurped up my winnings but it was a fun day.

At three I decided to start making my way back to Excalibur because I had a show at five.  It took around fifteen minutes for my Lyft to arrive.  I was so happy to see a big car.  So many Lyfts and Ubers are these tiny cars that I have I hard time getting in and out of and often they have trouble shoving my walker in their trunks.  Anyhow we made it to Las Vegas Blvd and it took us an hour to go from the Horseshoe to the Ex.  The traffic was insane.  People kept driving into the intersection and the light would change but they couldn’t move forward.  Everyone was leaning on their horns and taking reckless chances.  Not my idea of a good time!  I was relieved to get “home”. 

I freshened up and then made my way to the Australian Bee Gees show. I had seen them years ago and really enjoyed them so I wanted to go again.  I bought a ticket right up front so that I could enjoy my favourite singer, Michael Clift who portrays Barry Gibb.  All of the band and the singers were the same but for Robin. Either the man playing him aged backwards or they got a new one.  But they were fun and excellent as always.

After the show I decided to play a little at the Ex.  I didn’t have much money on me so I thought that I would only be downstairs for a short while but that did not happen.  I managed to locate four Wicked Wheels but they were always busy, so I sat down at something called Dragon Spin Age of Fire.  Once again I got lucky and got multiple bonuses right away so I got to play for quite a while.  I have a feeling I am going to be getting Excalibur offers in the future.

Dinner is going to be this bag of Cheetos.  $9.95 at the gift shop. Such a deal. 

EXMIRAZA trip Day Two

 March 23 Day Two

As usual I woke up at 5 am due to the time change. It worked out well because I had plenty of time to shower and get presentable.  Excalibur has a handy coffee counter at the bottom of the elevator.  It is overpriced but isn’t everything?  I grabbed a coffee and a muffin to prepare for our day.

The first thing on the agenda was a trip to Lion Habitat Ranch. I Ubered from my hotel and the kids Lyfted from theirs..  I had been there ten years ago but I was eager to see it again.  Also my son’s girlfriend Terin is cat obsessed.  She has six of her own so I knew this would be something she would enjoy.   It did not disappoint!  There are new additions since the last time I was there; many birds and Ozzie the Giraffe. 

We all just loved it.  It is a twenty dollar Uber ride out to it but it is well worth it.  Please go and support these gorgeous creatures!

The pacing lion is checking out what his neighbour is doing. The attendant said she was new to that particular enclosure.  The crying child is upset because she thought there would be cubs but there aren’t anymore.

Here’s a video of the adorable Ozzie doing his thing.  I love him!

Mike didn’t wait for the lion to turn around unfortunately.

After we were done at the Ranch we Lyfted back to Excalibur.  For some unknown reason MGM had given me $100 in food and beverage so I took the three of us to the Ex buffet.  As expected it is a good “ middle of the road” type buffet.  We all found plenty to eat.  I was so hungry I  forgot to take a single food picture!  What is wrong with me!?

The young people took off to do various and assorted things.

I had it in my head to walk over to Luxor to use the Konami free play.  Also I was annoyed that there doesn’t seem to be a Wicked Wheel machine at Excalibur.  The plan was to see if Luxor had one but my body decided it was too tired and ouchy to go over, so I went downstairs and played from 1 to 3 here at the Ex. Not winning.  Sigh.  Then I came back to my room and slept from 4 to 8 pm.  The kids were going to Carrot Top tonight and I was considering joining them but I needed rest more.

I just turned on the TV for the first time and I am in for the night.  I have some nuts and protein bars in the room in case I get hungry.

The EXMIRAZA Trip March 2023 Day One

 I am calling this the EXMIRAZA trip due to my plans to stay at Excalibur, Mirage and the Plaza.

My son Michael, his girlfriend Terin and I piled into Terin’s mom minivan and she drove us across the border Tuesday night. We had a border guard with a sense of humour and had no issues getting across.  Then she drove us to the Comfort Inn by Detroit Metro airport.  The room was fairly grubby in spots. The restaurant I ate at was awful.  But I did like the 5 am breakfast buffet and the free shuttle over to the airport at 5:30 am.  Our Frontier flight was on time and without incident except for me having a bout of nausea halfway through.  Shout out to Cindy on Frontier Flight 2131 for being so kind and helpful to me this morning.  The nausea passed and I had wheelchair assistance help us get around LAS and collect the luggage.  We grabbed a Lyft to the Horseshoe at around 11:30.

I was thrilled to see Diamond check in still intact so I parked the kids and went to check in.   The extremely pleasant hostess was kind enough to upgrade our room.   The kids were pretty thrilled with the jacuzzi suite so that made me very happy!

Next I wanted to buy them lunch with my points and in a one to one manner if possible.  One of the places still doing that is the new Bobby Flays in Paris.  We managed to spend 94 dollars on three burgers, three onion rings, two milkshakes and a pop.  It is like a bougie McDonalds.

After we ate I took my leave of Mike and Terin and Ubered over to the Excalibur.  I was a little overwhelmed at the size of their checkin area but they pointed out to me that there was a special “disabled desk” so that was helpful.  I got all checked into the Royal Tower.  Not sure why they are giving me a free room but I will accept it gratefully.  The room itself is not fancy but it is fine. My only issue so far is the combo of plane and elevator noises, and the sheer horror of the number of yelling children in this place.  Oh well. I will survive!

I slept for three hours to recuperate from the day. I will likely venture downstairs to the casino soon.

The Horseshoe room and the Excalibur room.

Have You Ever Over Imbibed in Vegas?

 That's a ridiculous question, isn't it?

I have only done what I would describe as "over imbibing" twice and they were very memorable occasions.  I would say that both of them occurred because I was having too much fun and the resulting hangovers were worth the fabulous time I had.  Let me tell you about them, shall I?

Incident Number One

 Way back in 2008 I was lucky enough to be invited to a slot tournament at Bellagio.  I don't know how that happened but I was very excited.  The tournament was wonderful complete with free rooms, free food, and free beverages and I wound up coming in sixth.  The big money was awarded to the top five winners. I missed out by a hair. But I was thrilled to be awarded $1000 in free play. 

Since I was leaving the next day I asked if I would be allowed to use my free play on my next Vegas trip and Bellagio said yes.  I can't remember how long the free play could sit there for, a year possibly?  

Anyhow I was back in Vegas in six months and was so delighted to be staying a Bellagio again and ready to dive into that $1000 free play.  I was betting much higher than I normally do and so when I would bonus the bonuses were much bigger. I was having blast!!!  Winning is so much fun!

 I also discovered how delicious Mudslides were that trip. Why they don't taste like alcohol at all!  They are just yummy milkshakes.  Because I was hitting like crazy, and because I was tipping five bucks a drink in 2009, the waitresses were glued to me.  They were bringing me "yummy milkshakes" that I hadn't even asked for. 

I decided to visit a friend who was over at Paris but I barely made it across the road and back. I figured it was time to retire.

The next morning...oh the agony!  I could barely lift my head off of the pillow. I thought I was going to die right there in that hotel room!  My head has never hurt like that before in my life. I have heard it is because of the sugar.  In my incapacitated state I vaguely remembered people talking about sports drinks helping hangovers.

 

I managed to make it down the hall to the drink machine and Glory Halleluiah, there was a sports drink in it.  I had a terrible time trying to come up with the appropriate amount of money for that drink. I was ready to tear that machine apart to in order to get it to relinquish that bottle.  I just kept shoving money at the machine until the drink finally crashed to the bottom. I think I paid ten dollars for a four dollar beverage. 

Clutching it to my chest I weaved my way back to my room and downed it with some painkillers. When I awoke again several hours later I felt semi-human.  I certainly learned my lesson about sugary drinks.  You can have ONE or possibly TWO but definitely not a million.

Incident Number Two

This happened back in 2010 and I was staying at Palazzo. I had wandered over to Venetian to play.

The woman next to me was sipping a glass of white wine and I asked what kind of wine it was and whether or not it was good. I have had wine before that tasted like pure vinegar. She said it was Pinot Grigio and that it was delicious. So I began to covet my own glass of Pinot Grigio but could never get a waitress.

Finally, in desperation, since we were playing right near a bar I went up to the bartender and told him that I was just going to buy my own glass of wine because I couldn't get a waitress.
I was shocked when he said it was $12 a glass. (Remember, this is 2010) 

"OK…never mind…I will wait " I told him and slunk back to my machine.
A minute later he brought a glass over to me himself and told me the waitress was on break. He got a five dollar tip for being so sweet. (The angel on my shoulder intervenes…apparently she supplies alcohol too!)

My machine decided to slurp back all my winnings so I went in search of a new playmate. I sat down in front of another machine I had never played before called EXTRA EXTRA LUCK. It had this goofy four leaf clover-man making faces at you and all manner of random bonus rounds. I was only betting the minimum so I never made any real money, but I got in with I group of fun women and we were all cheering each other on, and the wine flowed, and flowed, and flowed.

At some point during the evening my stomach suddenly gave me notice that it was in revolt "RIGHT NOW" and I had better get my butt over to a washroom pronto if I didn't want to make an ass of myself. It is wise to always be familiar with the locations of the washrooms. Happily I was close by the one in Venetian.  The wine tasted a lot different coming back up than it did going down!

For this trip I had treated myself to a beautiful new candy apple red purse. I loved that purse!

Now I know I did not actually vomit IN my purse…but I am assuming from what it smelled like the next morning that there must have been some kind of "splash effect" going on. I spent the remainder of the trip repeatedly washing the inside of that purse and trying to eradicate the smell. Luckily I had brought a smaller "spare" with me.

After the "washroom incident" I was making my way out of the V when I stumbled across some Star Trek machines I had been wanting to try. The only problem was that if you are already very nauseous, having your chair vibrate like crazy is really not a good thing. The chair was making me sicker than ever and I couldn't hit a bonus so I gave up and went to back to the room.

I observed the next day that the "Pinot Grigio hangover" was not quite as bad as the "Mudslide Hangover" but I made a solemn vow never to let either one happen to me again, and I have kept that vow.

My drink of choice now when playing slots is usually some kind of whiskey and mix. This never results in the unpleasant aftereffects that sweet drinks have.

Be forewarned!!!

Pictures by Popsugar and Cookist

Fun Things to do in Windsor, Ontario - Caesars Windsor and Ojibway Prairie Complex

Let's face it, Windsor has very few "fun" things to do. Some of the tourist activities we had in the past have shut down in recent years. But thankfully we still have two of my favorites; Caesars Windsor and the Ojibway Prairie Complex.

On a recent weekend my daughter and I spent a weekend at Caesars. Although the CW is not fully functional yet after Covid, it is getting there. There is still no pool, no hot tub, no gym, no Forum tower, no shows etc but I was just thrilled to be able to eat food I didn't have to prepare and to sleep on the magnificent beds they have. They have also installed lots of new slots and I was happy to try them out. It is always enjoyable to spend some one-on-one time with my daughter.

Caesars Lobby

The View of Detroit

I arrived Friday afternoon but my daughter couldn't come until much later so I spent half of the afternoon with my new favorite slot machine, Wheel of Fortune Cash Link.

On Saturday my daughter had an lunch engagement so I went downstairs solo and had a tuna sandwich at the 377 restaurant and then continued to play video poker and various slots. By five we were both back in the room for the night.

Sunday turned out to be the best day ever!  I have not been to Ojibway Park in over two years so Nicky brought me there. First we stopped and bought birdseed for the feathered friends and some carrots for the deer. The weather cooperated by being sunny and not too cold. Sloughing through the snow wasn't easy but I was determined to locate some agreeable birds who would eat out of our hands and eventually we did.

I can't even describe what a thrill I get out of this. I love the feeling of their tiny little feet on my fingers as they study the seeds and decide which to choose. Most of these pictures are my daughters because she is capable of feeding the birds and taking pictures of them simultaneously. 

The squirrels were pleased that we were dropping seeds all over the place.

Further along the trail we ran into this lone deer. Often times you run into a group of them but this one was solo.  She was skittish but my daughter managed to toss her a few carrots which she seemed pretty excited about. 

I think she had had enough of the crowd of people who assembled to look at her.

It was a truly lovely day at Ojibway. Different seasons bring out different animals. On other trips we have seen turtles, raccoons, ground hogs, frogs and countless other creatures.

May I suggest that if you are in our neck of the woods you check out these places for yourselves.

https://www.caesars.com/caesars-windsor

https://www.ojibway.ca/index.htm

Pictures by Caesars Windsor and N.Farina

How to Do Vegas On A Budget

 There are countless ways to economize on your Vegas trips. A comprehensive article on the subject would be almost impossible but I will tell you a few of the things I do to find the best values. Vegas lovers are a curious lot; we will drop a hundred dollars in a slot without a moment’s hesitation, but we detest being overcharged for a cab ride or a meal.

So part of the “game” we might say, is to figure out how to get the absolute most for our money, thereby ensuring that we have enough funds left over to gamble with.

The best piece of advice I can give anyone is to prepare to devote a lot of time to comparing prices. I feel sorry for the people who traveled prior to the internet when all you could do was rely on what you hoped was an honest travel agent to get you the best deal. Now we have the world at our fingertips and can do our homework ourselves.

The first thing to consider is what time of year are you going to travel? August or early December are two of the cheapest times to visit Vegas. Hotel rooms are always cheaper from Sunday to Thursday so if you can schedule your trips to avoid the weekends, do so. Make sure that you are aware of your hotel’s policy regarding resort fees and holds on your credit card. You don’t want a nasty surprise at check out time.

Check to see that you have lots of small bills before you leave home. You will need these to tip and should you wish to tip three dollars instead of five, you had better have a supply of ones ready. If staying connected via the internet is important to you make sure to budget for the daily WIFI charges at your hotel. Do your research and you may be able to locate free WIFI near your hotel.

ATM fees inside the casinos can be $10 or more. To avoid those visit Casino Royale. It has the cheapest ATM on the Strip. The charge is only three dollars. The ATM is right next to the cashier’s cage. Downtown there are relatively cheap ATMs at Binion's and at the 4 Queens and various variety stores on Fremont. Some people will also make a purchase at Walgreen’s or CVS and ask for cash back, but the only time I tried that they would only give me $20 in cash back so that was not helpful.

My next concern is always where can I get a comped or cheap room. A comp is a perk you receive for having a prior gambling history with that hotel. I have been fortunate, and I have not had to pay for a room in many years, but previous to this I used to take advantage of websites that did a lot of the comparing for you. Then I would check those prices against the prices quoted when I called the hotel directly. Some hotels in Vegas will offer you what they call a “casino rate” if you have their Player Club card. The cheapest hotels are always off the Strip or downtown.

Remember to use your Players club cards whenever you play, and you will earn freebies and future offers. Before you check out, ask at the host’s office if anything can be taken off of your bill.

Once you have secured the best possible room price for your dates you need to start checking for decent airfare, hopefully without red-eyes (overnight flights) and four plane changes before you get to Vegas. Some people check airfare before rooms, and some do the reverse. Whatever you do there may be some juggling involved to get things set just the way you want them. Sign up for email alerts from your favorites airlines and watch for sales.

Now that you have a flight and a hotel (or many hotels as you may have to change locations to follow your “comps” ) the next question is what will you do while you are in town?

I always purchase a coupon book from the Las Vegas Advisor Membership. Taking advantage of just a few of these coupons will more than pay for the book itself. The coupons can save you money in many ways; dining, gambling, attractions, shows, etc. A fun and frugal way to spend your time is to go on a “coupon run” where you run around town using as many gambling coupons as possible.

There are also free coupon books in magazines, in the back of cabs, and in stands near the check in desks of hotels. These free books aren’t as useful as the ones you pay for, but they can save you a few dollars too.

Be sure to study sites like Groupon and Living Social for deals on food, activities, and shows.

Another way of getting cheaper show tickets is by visiting a Vegas  company called Tix4Tonight (Now called Tix4Vegas) that offers many popular shows at heavily discounted rates. There used to be many locations on the Strip and downtown. Currently there are only three open (BALLY’S GRAND BAZAAR SHOPS, SHOWCASE MALL and CASINO ROYALE)  and more will be reopening soon. The drawback to Tix4Vegas is that you have to stand in a long, hot line up to purchase your tickets on the day of the show. To avoid that situation you can purchase tickets beforehand through websites like Goldstar, SmarterVegas and others like them.

Another money saving technique is to play the Facebook games like MyVegas and Wynn Slots.  Many freebies can be acquired just by playing these games.

Be sure to consult a list of Free Things to do in Las Vegas in Vegas as going to see these sights is both economical and enjoyable. Two other free pastimes are lounging by the pool or wandering the Strip while people watching.

Getting around the city cheaply can be a challenge. You can watch for good car rental prices if you drive, but if you don’t or wish to have a few cocktails you may want to consider other options. There is the monorail, but it is a fairly long walk to get to it from some hotels. You can always take a cab although they aren’t always the cheapest way to go. The addition of Lyft and Uber ride-sharing to the Vegas transportation scene has given us more ways to get around for less. Their fares are often cheaper than regular cabs, but watch out for surge pricing. You can check how much your trip will be before you consent to it. If Uber is "surging" check Lyft or wait ten minutes and check again. There is always the RTC transit system, and if all else fails…walk.

I find that economizing on meals is one of the easier things for me to accomplish. I frequently have a small breakfast in my hotel room; a protein bar from home or some fruit I purchased once I hit town. I often stay downtown, and there are many places there to get a good meal for a reasonable price. Often if you have had a big meal at lunch you won’t want an evening meal, sometimes just a few nuts you purchased at Walgreen’s will be enough. Many of the major hotels on the Strip have food courts for value-priced meals. Take a pass on expensive sodas and juices…drink tap water instead. Research Vegas Happy Hours. They are a great way to try a new restaurant for a smaller price tag. Look for 'fixed price' meals where you can get an appetizer, entree, and dessert for one low price.

One of the things we all love about Vegas is the ability to get a cocktail while we are playing for the price of a tip. Make sure that you tip a dollar or more if you ever expect to see that cocktail waitress again. If you would like to enjoy a cocktail in your room before you go out for the evening you can purchase a bottle almost anywhere; ABC stores, CVS, Walgreen’s, souvenir shops, etc.

It is possible to gamble in a frugal manner if you want to bad enough. Divide your money into days and DON’T dip into the next day’s allotment. Force yourself to play nickel video poker, instead of quarters. You don’t have to hit those buttons at the speed of light, play more slowly. Play for a half hour, then get up and take a walk to the next casino and play there, and so on. Anything you can do to slow down your play will save money.

Another inexpensive time filler is to meet up with Vegas friends that you have met on Vegas Forums and Facebook groups for a cocktail at an economical bar. You could always check out the latest movie.  I know that is something we normally do at home, but no law says you can’t enjoy one in Vegas. Another idea is to grab your camera and wander Vegas taking artistic pictures. Vegas changes so quickly that the hotel you always wanted to get some pictures of might be gone before your next trip.

Since the hotels and casinos in Las Vegas are always finding new ways to separate us from our money  it becomes increasingly important to use some of these methods to keep from going broke. Happy budgeting!

[Images: Michael M]

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