First Timers' Trip Report - Day One
Bette
First Timers' Trip Report -- Day One
Synopsis:
1. Tower Air: Amtrak of the Skies.
2. Lines, lines, everywhere a line. . .
3. Beware the soup table! :-)
Bright and early Christmas morning (actually not really bright: it was
7:30 a.m., cold and rainy in Connecticut), we set off for our Las Vegas
Wedding Adventure.
I never thought I would find *anything* to beat Amtrak for a *truly*
detestible travel experience but boy, was I wrong. Our travel package
was booked using Tower Air. This airline would not have been my first
choice, as I had never used them and knew no one who had. However, our
agent assured us that she used them all the time and they were great.
Round trip airfare was $300 per person: in my opinion, not a
particularly "low cost" rate, but lower than other airlines.
We dutifully obeyed the instructions on the tickets and arrived 1-1/2
hours in advance of take-off time (10:30 a.m.). We were greeted by an
hour-long check-in line. I don't know if this is normal, but it's never
occurred when I've used a major airline. Perhaps it was the fact that
Tower tried to use only 4 employees to check in about 800 passengers and
1600 bags for 2 flights at the same counter.
We proceeded to the gate after the first nightmare line to discover that
they were not letting passengers go to the gate: with no explanation of
why. Tried to settle into what appeared to be prison-issue metal seats
in some kind of holding area (later lovingly referred to as the "holding
pen") and listen for announcements. What luck! The set of speakers in
the holding area (about 24 of them) didn't work and we had to
periodically go to a nearby counter to listen to the only working
speaker. Turned out that we were delayed almost an hour and a half,
again, with no explanation. Tried to call ahead to L.V. to alert the
already-booked limo that we would be late. Of course, *we* were in New
York, and because of the time difference, could not reach the limo
company. What do you think the chances are the Tower will pay the extra
$112 that the limo cost due to the delay?
Another line for boarding. No pre-boarding, no loading the plane by row:
just total anarchy and chaos. Then, another delay. Someone who had
boarded the plane in Miami,its point of origin, didn't make it back on
to the plane. Fearing a terrorist attack, they unload all the luggage so
they can remove the dolt's bags. *This* delay, I won't complain about.
So now I'm already tired, cranky, edgy and hungry. To make matters
worse, we got stuck with the Kosher meal. Now, just let me say that I'm
not Jewish, so a nice BLT or ham sandwich would have been fine with me.
The Kosher meal was bologna: the one meat on the planet I can barely
tolerate. I have to ask: how can a luncheon meat made out of lips,
udders and anuses be Kosher?? Apparently, the people who ordered Kosher
were similarly grossed-out and opted for the other choice, turkey. I
slathered the mystery meat with mustard and choked it down with copious
amounts of Coca-Cola. The meal was accompanied by what was supposed to
be fruit cocktail. It was, instead, a fruit-sicle: frozen completely
solid. When I pointed this out the the flight attendant, I was told
"Well, it's better than being rotten, isn't it?" Nice attitude. Was
*that* little gem in the customer service manual?
The usual nightmare on arrival in Vegas: an endless wait for the
luggage, then the luggage carousel breaks down. Total arrival delay:
about 3 hours. We were scheduled to arrive at McCarron at12:30 p.m. PST,
which would have been perfect for early check-in at the hotel. We
finally touched down about 1:30 and got to the hotel about 3:00 . . .
just in time for the check-in rush. Another line. We sigh and quietly
begin moo-ing under our breath.
We were booked at the Imperial Palace. The rate was $92 per person for
three nights. Seemed like a pretty good deal to us, and the hotel has a
nice central Strip location. As suggested by several members of the
newsgroup, we asked about an upgrade to a "Love Tub" room...Mama always
said if you don't ask, you'll never get. No luck, though, as they were
all booked.
Before I forget, let me ask: does the Imperial Palace have the UGLIEST
logo of any hotel on the Strip?
One of the major complaints we had heard about the I.P. was the slow
elevators. I'm sorry to say that the reports are true. First we tried
the "secret" bank of elevators: they were slow, but not painfully so.
However, where they stop is "hell and gone" from where our rooms were.
The four main elevators were *excruciatingly* slow: at one point it took
an elevator 8 minutes to reach our floor. However, directly behind those
four are another two elevators designated for floors 14 and higher only.
We just jumped on those, damn the torpedos. Guess what? They stop at
*all* the floors. Only once did I have to actually go to 14 then back to
our floor to avoid the disapproving looks of the "higher-floor people".
The room itself was nothing fancy, just as we had been told: on par with
a Holiday Inn. King-size bed, dresser, table, etc. The rooms at the I.P.
*do* have balconies, which I hear is quite a rarity in L.V. However,
most of the doors to the balconies have been secured shut. Did they have
one too many suicidal guests, one too many kids with water balloons or
one too many drunks peeing off them? Our door did open, revealing an
unappealling view and an even less appealling bird-poop crusted balcony
area about 4' by 10'. One *huge* complaint about the I.P.: all calls,
even to local numbers, 800-numbers and those using a calling card, cost
75 cents each. With all the money we were destined to lose in their
casino, couldn't they give away phone connections free? At least the ice
was free.
A quick vote among us regarding dinner and we decided to stay in the
hotel for dinner. We had originally planned to go to the Mirage in the
afternoon to see the Dolphin Habitiat and Secret Garden then have dinner
at their buffet, but that idea was pretty much killed by our late
arrival, our fatigue and the surprising chill in the air. The food at
I.P.'s Emperor's Buffet is, at best, "servicable". We had coupons for
two free buffets, so 4 of us ate for $16 total. How can you complain
about that? Nothing special, fairly uninspired fare: turkey, ham and
stuffing (it *was* Christmas, after all), spuds, a nice salad bar, a
pretty good selection of desserts. The only *real* moment of disgust was
when I discovered that what I thought was French Onion soup was really
hot bacon salad dressing. Never having seen, or even heard of "hot bacon
dressing", I was grossed out by that startling spoonful. I guess that
the pieces of bacon floating on the top, instead of croutons, should
have been a giveaway.
We had tickets to "Legends in Concert" for the 7:30 show, figuring that
we could be in bed by 10:00 and get rested up for the wedding the next
day. Seating was at the whim of the maitre d'. Who came up with *this*
idea?? Am I the only one who thinks that $30 for a ticket to a show is
enough, without having to cough up more money to the maitre d' for a
better seat? If I buy a ticket to a concert, extra bucks don't get me a
better seat: $50 seats are $50 , whether 10 or 110 rows back. Anyway, we
refused to tip for better seats and got perfectly fine seats in a booth
in the back row. The show was pretty good: some of the impersonators
were better than others. "The Four Tops" were wonderful, "Cher" was off
key and Neil Diamond was just . . .bad. But the sets and lighting,
including lasers, were great.
After the show, we played about 30 minutes of slots, actually ending the
evening up about $4. Before going back to the room, we checked with the
desk to inquire about the Love Tub rooms. The clerk saw the notation on
her computer which mentioned that we were getting married the next day.
Like magic.....! There was a Love Tub room available, and we were
upgraded for the three days for no charge. Raced back upstairs (well,
not really...remember the elevators), packed like we were fleeing the
Nazis (I.P. pun intended) and moved to the new room (or, as we referred
to it, "Fantasy Island"). Big king bed with a mirror over it; *much*
improved view over a parking garage, past the Hilton, to the outskirts
to the city and the mountains, (only this time the balcony door was
secured); and a huge, deep tub that could have accommodated four people.
We quickly unpack, have a nice, leisurely soak, then tried to watch a
little TV before bed.
The I.P. really should work on their channel selection. Then again,
maybe they don't *want* people in their rooms watching TV -- takes away
from their gambling time. 26 channels, 15 of them are total crap. Well,
it's better that we get our sleep anyway. Tomorrow, we get hitched...
and get to meet the one and only Billhere.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's very simple, my friends, to reach me by email.
Ignore the "BetteHatesSPAM" (though it's true)
and replace it with "cre8tv". . . and leave off the quotes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vic
Hey, I remember this from an old Seinfeld episode. Elaine gets stuck
with the Kosher meal!!
On Tue, 30 Dec 1997 19:19:15 +0000, Bette
<BetteHa...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>First Timers' Trip Report -- Day One
>
>So now I'm already tired, cranky, edgy and hungry. To make matters
Arthur Alexander
BetteHa...@earthlink.net wrote:
>Of course, *we* were in New
>York, and because of the time difference, could not reach the limo
>company. What do you think the chances are the Tower will pay the extra
>$112 that the limo cost due to the delay?
Bette, I mean you no disrespect, honestly, but this is the one part of your
trip I don't understand. You use a discount airline, go to a fairly discount
resort, but use a really expensive limo service to go the few miles from
McCarran to your hotel? Aren't most of the hotels covered by Bell Trans
(sp?) which costs $3 and picks you up whenever you arrive?
It sounds like you need to fire your travel agent pronto!
BluesVan
You get what you pay for! Worst airline, and worst Hotel,,,,,,and now you're
complaining? Yikes! Pay another $20 a night and you can live in a luxurious
suite.
Man on the Edge
BetteHa...@earthlink.net wisely said:
>First Timers' Trip Report -- Day One
>
>Synopsis:
>1. Tower Air: Amtrak of the Skies.
>2. Lines, lines, everywhere a line. . .
>3. Beware the soup table! :-)
Hmmm, let's see:
1. You flew one of the worst airlines in the US.
2. You booked a room at one of the worst hotels in Vegas.
3. You went to eat at a buffet that is known to be total crap.
And you're complaining?
This is not meant to be a flame, but you got pretty much what you paid
for.
Max
--
The closer you get to the meaning
The sooner you'll know that you're dreaming
Ronnie James Dio, 1980
Bette
Man on the Edge wrote:
"Hmmm, let's see:
1. You flew one of the worst airlines in the US.
2. You booked a room at one of the worst hotels in Vegas.
3. You went to eat at a buffet that is known to be total crap."
First, we had never flown on Tower. Our travel agent said that she used
them all them time with no trouble. Excuse me for believing her.
As for number two, let me repeat: THE HOTEL WAS BASICALLY FINE!! We had
just hoped that, by arriving at 12:30 AS SCHEDULED, we could have
avoided the lines.
As for the food, I did *not* complain about it: I only stated that it
was "serviceable", which it was. We did not go there expecting haute
cuisine. As for "beware the soup table", that was a joke about the "hot
bacon dressing" which I *still* think should be been over by the
friggin' SALAD, where it belongs.
Perhaps I shouldn't bother with reporting any more about the trip, since
our opinions and experiences are of no use to anyone here??
Bette
Actually, the Love Tub room was great, and I did not expect anything
fancy even if we hadn't gotten the upgrade. The balcony bird poop,
though, could have been cleaned off once in a while, don't you think?
I was, however, disappointed by the airline, especially after we were
"reassured" by the travel agent. We live and learn, and I won't use
Tower again, nor suggest it to anyone: friends *or* enemies.
--
Bette
No offense taken, Arthur. We *did* have transfers to the hotel. But
because we wanted it to be *truly* special, because we were getting
married the next day, we decided to splurge on a limo. The cost would
not have been *too* much, if we hadn't had to pay for an extra hour and
a half.
Bette
--
EllCarroll
>Man on the Edge wrote:
>"Hmmm, let's see:
>2. You booked a room at one of the worst hotels in Vegas.
Bette replied:
>As for number two, let me repeat: THE HOTEL WAS BASICALLY FINE!! We had
>just hoped that, by arriving at 12:30 AS SCHEDULED, we could have
>avoided the lines.
We have stayed at IP a dozen times and have had no bad experiences.
We stay in the casino tower which has great elevators. We are always
comped buffets due to our slot play, and although it doesn't have the
selection of Rio Carnival buffet, it's certainly not bad food like Circus
Circus.
We use our hotel only as a base of operations. We're out about 10 A.M.
and don't return until night. So many casinos, so little time. I stay up
late,
get a few hours sleep, shower and then we're off again.
We've stayed at many other hotels in Vegas, but IP suits us best as far as
clean rooms, great location and a good slot club. Harrahs and LV Hilton
have never given me anything for my level of play. IP gives us meals,
we've seen Legends for free, and they always have a room for us no
matter how crowded it is in town.
I've been reading this ng for quite a while and I think some posters are
too quick to slam the choices people make about how they enjoy spending
their vacation. If everyone took their advice, they'd never get a room at
Ceasars, Mirage or Rio because these hotels would be booked with people
who were told these are the only acceptable places to stay.
>Perhaps I shouldn't bother with reporting any more about the trip, since
>our opinions and experiences are of no use to anyone here??
Bette, please don't be turned off by a few people who seriously need to
lighten up. I'm enjoying your reports. Please continue.
Congratulations on your wedding.
IM GAMBLOR
>Aren't most of the hotels covered by Bell Trans
>(sp?) which costs $3 and picks you up whenever you arrive?
absolutely. last march 4 of us booked through a travel agency and we got our
"vouchers" for the transport back and forth from ariport to harrah's. usually
we get the standard bell trans shuttle but this time is was a white stretch
limo!!! that was a nice way to start the trip.
IM GAMBLOR
>Perhaps I shouldn't bother with reporting any more about the trip, since
>our opinions and experiences are of no use to anyone here??
>
>
nonsense. don't worry about negative comments. lots of us like to read about
people's experiences in las vegas, good or bad. i look forward to day two: the
wedding!!
Cmdr Mark
Bette <BetteHa...@earthlink.net> wrote in response to comments by Man
on the Edge:
<<<snipity snip>>>
>
>Perhaps I shouldn't bother with reporting any more about the trip, since
>our opinions and experiences are of no use to anyone here??
>
Yo Bette,
Stop being so thin-skinned! ;>)
Man On The Edge commented on your posting (in what you consider a
negative fashion), He is but one of a very large audience. Don't worry
about it.
Go off and sulk if you want, but why deprive the many simply because your
ego got bruised?
By the way, I liked your idea of using a synopsis...I may try it in
addition to my descriptive subject headings in my future travels ot LV,
Regards
CmdrMark
Spam Buster Alert:Delete the "$" from my address or I won't get yoru mail
Bette
Frankly, "ns", I don't give a s**t if you, or anyone else, listen or
not. The only people I'm posting for are the people that can maybe learn
from my/our experiences and/or mistakes.
It's nice that *some* people on the newsgroup either a) know everything
about Las Vegas and thus, don't make mistakes, or b) are rich enough to
afford *only* the best the city has to offer. Screw the rest of us, I
guess.
Arzenia
Ack! As someone who is reading this group to learn... we're getting
married in March and are beginning to plan a trip... notes like this one
are very helpful, Bette! Don't get annoyed, there is someone learning
from them!
Rachel
A. V. Mason
Bette <BetteHa...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>(snip)
>Perhaps I shouldn't bother with reporting any more about the trip, since
>our opinions and experiences are of no use to anyone here??
Please, Bette, ignore the rotten remarks and finish your trip
report. I enjoyed the first part. I also enjoy your many witty and
informative posts. Keep it up!
And congratulations and best wishes on your marriage. May you have
many happy years together, and many successful and fun trips to Vegas
in the future.
Ann