Hi hhy, I have stayed at Excalibur for the last three years, after previously never having stayed in the same hotel twice. The combination of price and position takes some beating. The resort fee did jump from $20 last year, to $29 this, but even with this included, it still only cost us £655 per person for a week direct from Gatwick in April. All the hotels you mention are a short walk away, apart from Aria which is only a short Uber up the strip. You can access Luxor poker room (through the upstairs food court and onto the travelators) in minutes. Quicker than the monorail too. We have also found it doesn't take ages to get to your room, the pool, or out onto the strip as it does in some of the bigger hotels. Yes it's only 3star but it's fine, and as you well know, all you have to do is sleep there, and spend the rest of your day in any other hotel you fancy with the extra money you have saved, Look forward to reading about your trip, Ed. Posted by edrich
Thanks for the post and well wishes edrich, but you almost lost me when you said you flew direct from London.
Have you not heard of 7 stop schedules that start in Scandinavia?
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : Thanks for the post and well wishes edrich, but you almost lost me when you said you flew direct from London. Have you not heard of 7 stop schedules that start in Scandinavia? Posted by hhyftrftdr
The indirect flights started to wear a bit thin when we had a 4 hour delay in Chicago due to a storm. The next year we flew via LA. The pilot announced that if we look out to the right we could see the Las Vegs strip below us. It wasn't until 5 hours later we landed back there.
The only other time we were tempted, was when we saw Virgin Upper Class tickets from Dublin for £1200 instead of the £4000 from Gatwick. Don't know if you have any experience of that but we were sorely tempted.
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : The indirect flights started to wear a bit thin when we had a 4 hour delay in Chicago due to a storm. The next year we flew via LA. The pilot announced that if we look out to the right we could see the Las Vegs strip below us. It wasn't until 5 hours later we landed back there. The only other time we were tempted, was when we saw Virgin Upper Class tickets from Dublin for £1200 instead of the £4000 from Gatwick. Don't know if you have any experience of that but we were sorely tempted. Ed. Posted by edrich
Yeah, when we went 2 years ago (almost to the day), we had splurged on a bit of a steal via BA holidays; a week in Monte Carlo hotel and return BA business class flights from Dublin via Heathrow, £1300pp. Obv a lot of money to spend, but when you consider that a direct return in biz from London will almost always be a minimum of 2k, and often hundreds if not thousands more, we felt for the money it was too good to miss, and Monte Carlo was a solid base and very reasonable hotel. (we somehow swerved the resort fee too, think was a BA promtion so not sure, but whatever it was it saved us north of 200 bucks!)
Sadly once you've had a taste of 'turning left', it is so cr@p to revert back to the normal peasant economy seats on long haul
The savings that can be had from Dublin don't seem as big or frequent these days vs previous years. Scandinavia can still save you a few quid, though its a personal choice of savings against addtional hassle and time. I can more than understand people who just wanna get their ASAP and don't mind paying a premium to do so.
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : Yeah, when we went 2 years ago (almost to the day), we had splurged on a bit of a steal via BA holidays; a week in Monte Carlo hotel and return BA business class flights from Dublin via Heathrow, £1300pp. Obv a lot of money to spend, but when you consider that a direct return in biz from London will almost always be a minimum of 2k, and often hundreds if not thousands more, we felt for the money it was too good to miss, and Monte Carlo was a solid base and very reasonable hotel. (we somehow swerved the resort fee too, think was a BA promtion so not sure, but whatever it was it saved us north of 200 bucks!) Sadly once you've had a taste of 'turning left', it is so cr@p to revert back to the normal peasant economy seats on long haul The savings that can be had from Dublin don't seem as big or frequent these days vs previous years. Scandinavia can still save you a few quid, though its a personal choice of savings against addtional hassle and time. I can more than understand people who just wanna get their ASAP and don't mind paying a premium to do so. Posted by hhyftrftdr
What is an ASAP and why are people obsessed with getting one?
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : What is an ASAP and why are people obsessed with getting one? Posted by HENDRIK62
He is a rapper with effin problems apparently. Not sure what that has to do with flying? Availability of in-flight entertainment? Struggling to get in the mile high club?
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : He is a rapper with effin problems apparently. Not sure what that has to do with flying? Availability of in-flight entertainment? Struggling to get in the mile high club? Posted by Phantom66
The size of aeroplane toilets and our protaganists love of food means the likelihood of getting two people into the cubicle tricky if not impossible, so I fear our hero may need to 'go it alone' at 30,000 ft.......does that even count?
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending) : The indirect flights started to wear a bit thin when we had a 4 hour delay in Chicago due to a storm. The next year we flew via LA. The pilot announced that if we look out to the right we could see the Las Vegs strip below us. It wasn't until 5 hours later we landed back there. The only other time we were tempted, was when we saw Virgin Upper Class tickets from Dublin for £1200 instead of the £4000 from Gatwick. Don't know if you have any experience of that but we were sorely tempted. Ed. Posted by edrich
Further to the reply yesterday....
Scandinavia is also a great starting point for cheaper premium economy fares, or world traveller plus (WTP) in BA speak. Plucking a random week in February (4th - 11th), a Stockholm - Heathrow - Vegas return is £604 in WTP, whereas an economy return from Heathrow on those same flights/dates is £646 (or £1021 in WTP).
Whilst WTP is in no way comparable to biz class, it is a solid improvement on standard economy. Worth the hassle of positioning to Sweden first? It's a personal choice, and maybe not practical for some, but I've done it before for economy so would certainly do it for WTP. I also like to put a positive spin on it and view it as an opportunity to visit somewhere new.
Though when we went from Gothenburg in January '16, it took months before my frozen nuts reappeared. That was a cold few beers out and about in snowy Sweden that night
We get the joys of entering the U S of A at Los Angeles this time. I've never been to LA, nor flown into /out of LAX, but I've heard many stories about the immigration and customs trials that can take place at that airport. Not good stories either; queues stretching back for hours, very surly staff, and there is nothing worse than landing just after a flight from Mexico has arrived....
Hoping for a seamless run through, but that could be naive indeed. After a 10/11 hour flight, its not much fun getting grilled by a stern immigration official
My first experience of trying to get into the States was when I landed in New York in 2011. I soon realised that humour, dry or soaking wet, isn't welcome when answering the border control questions. If looks could kill and all that. After my grilling, my apparent lack of luggage was suspicious enough to stop me before exiting the airport. I always try to travel light where possible, and on this whirlwind trip visiting 3 cities (NY, Vegas, San Fran) over 5 nights, I was travelling as light as a Jac35 squeeze (poker, not toilet). They wanted to see inside my compact 'weekend' style suitcase, and I duly obliged. I was on my way properly just a couple of minutes later, but I did find it amusing that not hoarding round a huge case was enough to think I might be up to no good.
I guess a benefit of flying indirect is that you arrive as a domestic passenger in Vegas and roll off the plane and roll out the terminal (literally in my case), straight into a taxi or shuttle bus and you're on your way to your hotel.
We land at 19.51, so assuming everything is on time I'd like to think we could be at Excalibur by 20.20, and sat in a cash game by 20.45.....and 2 buy ins down by 21.00!
I soon realised that humour, dry or soaking wet, isn't welcome when answering the border control questions. If looks could kill and all that. Posted by hhyftrftdr
On my very first trip abroad (to Magaluf some 25 years ago) I made a rather inappropriate joke when being 'patted down' by airport security. Something along the lines of 'the firearm being in my other pocket'. In my defence it was a different era but it still did not go down too well. I dread to think how such a joke would be recieved these days... Would be lucky not to end up in prison nevermind not being able to travel.
I guess a benefit of flying indirect is that you arrive as a domestic passenger in Vegas and roll off the plane and roll out the terminal (literally in my case), straight into a taxi or shuttle bus and you're on your way to your hotel. Posted by hhyftrftdr
Yeah that is nice. I usually arrive in this manner and it is nice being able to just roll out the airport and enjoy being in Vegas. I have discovered it is prudent not to leave your passport in the airport when leaving in great haste!
All packed and ready for the 10am train up to Edinburgh tomorrow (who knew such cities had an airport?!).
This IT crash with British Airways isn't ideal timing. We only need them for one flight, at 7.20 on Monday morning, so hoping all is resolved by then. Could be a bit of sweat as all the aircraft, crews, passengers and planes are in the wrong place at the moment and Monday morning isn't a million miles away. But nothing we can do presently so its a case of wait and see.
If anyone has any messages they want passing on to Hendo lad then just yell in here and I'll make sure he gets them tomorrow.
Hoping the next update is after a seamless itinerary across the Atlantic....
Sleep- not much, been wide awake at half 5 both mornings.
Food and drink- plenty, including a place that does 5cent beers between 5 and 6pm.
Poker- no tournaments as of yet. $240 up from cash games. Flamingo is still the casino of choice and won $231 there yesterday afternoon after booking a whopping $9 profit in Ballys before breakfast. Monte Carlo, Luxor and Linq have all closed their poker rooms sadly.
Flights- no issues or cancellations and all on time etc. American Airlines really puts BA down the pecking order. Had live tv on our flight so got to watch the German relegation/promotion game that Wolfsburg won.
Other- light went in the bathroom yesterday morning so had to have a dump using the torch on my phone. Thanks for reading
Morning from Las Vegas. Sleep- not much, been wide awake at half 5 both mornings. Food and drink- plenty, including a place that does 5cent beers between 5 and 6pm. Poker- no tournaments as of yet. $240 up from cash games. Flamingo is still the casino of choice and won $231 there yesterday afternoon after booking a whopping $9 profit in Ballys before breakfast. Monte Carlo, Luxor and Linq have all closed their poker rooms. Posted by hhyftrftdr
Sorry to learn this-I always found the (admittedly small) poker room at Monte Carlo the friendliest on the strip.
Not surprised about Monte Carlo poker room closing. They rarely got more than one table plus a few alternates for their tournaments in my experience.
Luxor though were getting 35+ runners in the 10.30am and 8.30pm tournaments back in March (less for the 1.00pm and 11.00pm). That was despite the near 50% rake they were charging. Someone ought to amend the hotel page as they are still showing on there. Also still showing on Poker Atlas.
Begs the question, what are they going to do with this new addition delivered to them in April?
Comments
In Response to Re: Vegas (aftermath pending): Yeah that is nice. I usually arrive in this manner and it is nice being able to just roll out the airport and enjoy being in Vegas. I have discovered it is prudent not to leave your passport in the airport when leaving in great haste!
What will be the beverage of choice?
Will you be dressed more like DTM (worzel) or Tikay?
"Other- light went in the bathroom yesterday morning so had to have a dump using the torch on my phone."
TMI
Agree with Tikay regarding the bathroom incident