OMG A Pre-Trip Report!

[pyro225]

WARNING - Long-winded & over-enthustiastic potential braggart ahead...

Mind you, the girl and I are by NO means high or even medium rollers, but we've always spent a decent chunk of $$$ on our room, food, beverage, and the occasional spa service. Apparently MGM/Mirage remembered this...
At the beginning of May, I received an email offer from Monte Carlo - 3 comp'd nights, invited guest check-in, $50 free-play, and triple points. Not bad, but not quite enough to peak my interest. Then, the following week, Bellagio snail mailed their Sublime Summer Getaway offer - 3 comp'd nights, comp'd buffets, 2 for 1 Cirque tickets, and $50 free-play.
THAT DID IT!
The girl and I haven't been since 2006. I'm a freak for Vegas. She has a great time - I always make sure of that - but she ALWAYS wants to go to Central America or Europe next trip. For me - maybe someday, but only once we learn the language(s) and can afford 2-3 weeks to make the trip worth it. For the few weeks prior to receiving these offers, we'd been researching (half-heartedly on my part...) Mexican all-inclusive resorts for our 2009 vacation.
8 years of strategic procrastination have yielded 4 Vegas trips (soon to be 5!), all of which we've had an absolutely FANTASTIC time. I'll keep the trend going!
It took me all of 2 days to redirect her attention from Mexico and convince her that, with 6 comp'd night etc, Sin City was making us an offer we COULDN'T refuse.
I made back to back reservations for Monday 7/27 to Sunday 8/2. First 3 nights at Monte Carlo then moving to Bellagio (our FAV hotel) for the tail end. We chose to use the Cirque deal for 'KA' tickets Friday 7/31. According to the casino rep I made the reservations with, they only offered VIP tickets with this offer. Front and center for 1/2 price? I'll TAKE IT!
On the last 3 trips, I've surprised her with spa treatments. She's been blind-sided twice at Palms and once at Aladdin/PH. It's just my thing to make sure she has a great time. No warning, no clues, always with a great cover of being lost, looking for a bathroom, trying to find a non-existent slot tourney - until I get her to the spa front desk and check her in, she's always fallen for the whole con.
This trip, I've decided to ambush her early. Plan on getting her all stressed out, in a hurry, and irritated as soon as we get off the plane. Should be pretty easy at 9 AM on a Monday morning. Once we get our bags, lo and behold there'll be a driver in a tuxedo and top-hat with a sign that reads "Miss Hell", her nickname, as her name is Michele. I've made reservations with Presidential Limousine for a roundtrip 5 passenger stretch limo ride, red roses, and a bottle of champagne. I've also requested an additional 2-3 hours to cover a tour of the Red Rock Canyon area before we check in at Monte Carlo. That ought to help us relax and get us (her especially) into the mood for a week in Sin City.
We'll likely spend the rest of the day getting blitzed by the pool, enjoying the sunshine and the oven that is summer in Vegas.
We plan on a Deuce ride for a day or night downtown, throwing dice at Main Street Station, and playing penny and nickel slots at Binions, Golden Nugget, and Four Queens. Maybe REALLY slumming it at Stratosphere or Slots-A-Fun on the way back. And even REALLY REALLY slumming it for a gondola ride at the Venetian LOL.
We decided on Red Square at Mandalay Bay for the first dinner of the trip. Unfortunately our favorite restaurant, Commanders Palace, is closed so we'll try to find a new favorite this trip. Switch? N9NE? Delmonico? Michael Mina? Ad infinitum... We have lots of places on our list to try so at least we'll be well fed.
Other than 'KA', we're going to pay a visit to 'Big Elvis' at Bill's Gamblin' Hall and try to find a good reasonably priced comedian.
For nightlife, we'll skip the Spearmint Rhino this trip - last trip we ditched our 3 pre-planned VIP club entries for 3 nights of the Rhino. Had a great time, but spent ALL of our meager winnings and no dancing allowed. We'll either get up to Ghostbar at Palms, The Bank at Bellagio, or Pure at Caesars. Not that this will be any cheaper than the Rhino girls, but my girl needs to dance every once in a while, too.
Last, but surely NOT least, there's the gambling. She's a penny & nickel slot queen - her consistent luck with these baffles me. She'll play cheap craps with me, and sometimes I can get her to settle down and concentrate enough to follow a VP strategy card next to me. I do like to play the penny and nickel slots next to her, but I'm busto pretty quick. I also like the cheap craps (what a rush!), but my real passion is video poker.
I've been practicing my games here and I ordered some pocket size strategy cards to help me play as accurately as possible. JOB and DW are my games - DB/DDB strategy seems a little complicated. I prefer the nickel 10/50/100 play or quarter 1/3/5 and Multi-Strike variations.
Doubt I'll find ANY of these at either of our hotels, or anywhere on the Strip for that matter. Maybe downtown, but I'm seeing MANY cab rides over the bridge and to the Palms for any full pay tables.
So that's my pre-trip report. Obviously I'm pretty damned excited - our first comp trip EVER! Hope to put the additional bankroll to good use and bring home if not a few extra $$$, at least a good POST trip report.
Any comments, advice, critiques, or r'diculous advice welcome and appreciated.

p_225

[oej719]

That is your 7 th post. Ask webman if it can count as 3 or even 4.
Have a good trip.

[shadowman]

If it hasn't been cut off by the recession there is a shuttle from Bill's to the Rio which is just a short walk to the Palms. Could save you cab ride.

[pyro225]

is your 7 th post. Ask webman if it can count as 3 or even 4.
Have a good trip.
Thanks!
LOL With that beginning line, thought I might be walking into a not inaccurate "Post-whore!" accusation...
If webman doesn't buy it, I'll make up for it in the next 29 days. As you can guess, I tend to be a blabber-gab in my excitement and enthusiasm about an upcoming journey to Mecca!
If it hasn't been cut off by the recession there is a shuttle from Bill's to the Rio which is just a short walk to the Palms. Could save you cab ride.
I read about that. I'm still recovering from a nasty Halloween '08 car accident, so I'm a bit limited in the amount I can walk without feeling wiped out. Hope I can build up my strength and endurance in the next few weeks. Vegas mega-hotels and limited mobility aren't a very good match.
It would be much better to save those cab fares to cover that nasty DW swing!

p_225

[bigsteve5273@yahoo.c]

  Pyro, yours is the first pre-trip report I've had the pleasure of perusing.  You've certainly earned the "E" for enthusiam award.    Thanks for the great idea about spa, limo, roses and etc. for the Mrs. upon arrival in Vegas.    DDB's not difficult to  pick up once you've aced JOB and FPDW.   It's posssible to go to Belize in central America without learning a new language since they were a British protectorate but I agree with you that who wants to go to a 3rd. world country when we can support our own  economy while being comped and helping the poor starving children of the casino workers unions.  It's a win, win, win for everybody.    Tip: Times are so tough in Vegas that tipping well is more appreciated than ever before.  Please be lavish whenever the service is superior.

[pyro225]

And I thought I was over-planning and being obsessive and over enthusiastic!
My girl is big on lists - grocery lists, weekly social plan lists, proper-food-for-her-diet lists, phone-calls-to-make lists, lists-she-should-make lists, etc.
I caught her this morning making 2 part daily lists of the outfits she was going to wear in Vegas!
Some of them she had even noted shoes, jewelry, and how she was going to do her hair.
God I love my OCD girl!
And there I was working on my list of casino's we were going to hit, what days, how we were going to get there, and where we were going to eat.
It just donned on me - maybe I could use her whole list obsession as an angle to get her to pay attention to and use the VP strategy cards.
Thanks for all the feedback guys - hope to bring back an epic trip report.
Don't worry, if we have a rotten time I'm NOT averse to plenty of embellishment!