Sunday, November 3, 2013
HALLOWEEN on the Carnival Victory - 10/13
Mary K and I had a fabulous time on the Carnival Victory! Just arrived home after having a ball at the Halloween Party. Thanks to all the cruisers who voted for our costumes....we came home with bottles of champagne and trophies! Many of the people on our cruise are e-mailing photos of the beautiful costumes and we'll post as soon as we receive them. We were too busy looking for our lost dog and couldn't carry cameras....but here's a picture we took of our dress rehearsal.....
Monday, September 23, 2013
Las Vegas 9/13
Just arrived home from our long trip to Las Vegas and then on to Seattle. We spent 6 days at the beautiful Mirage on the Las Vegas Strip. Found the best deal on this hotel on Mirage's website...upgraded room and $50 off the total bill.
We arrived at around 9 PM and there was no waiting in line. The desk staff was very pleasant, checked us in right away and then it was a long, winding walk through the casino to the guest elevators. There are plenty of elevators...very little waiting. We were on the 2lst floor and our elevator skipped the first 17 floors which made for a quick ride. Our room had a lovely strip view and, of course, we got to see and HEAR the volcano every night until midnight. I loved it but Dick couldn't sleep through the noise. I ask you, who sleeps in Las Vegas??
The room and bathroom were spotless and we were happy to leave a daily tip for the housekeeper. In return, she left lots of bathroom goodies everyday....the shampoo and soap are heavenly. Wish we would have brought a small coffeepot. We ordered a "large" pot of coffee everyday through room service at $22 + plus tip....no pastry, zip...only a very small pot that held about 4 cups (not mugs). But we were on vacation.......and we were in Las Vegas.....and I can put a $20 bill in the slot machine and lose it in about 3 minutes (yes, I'm justifying!)
The bed and pillows in our room were heavenly. I'm sorry I didn't purchase 2 pillows at the Impulse Shop at the Mirage and have them shipped home. I'll spend forever trying to find those pillows!
Went down and signed up at the MLife Player's Club since I knew I'd do most of my gambling at the Mirage. (I'm a small timer, only playing slot machines). But I actually got some free play, 2 buffet breakfasts and $380 comp'd. off our hotel bill...a pleasant surprise. Oh, yeah....I now have a "pearl" status card so start those hotel discounts coming, Mirage!
As far as the slot machines go, I was up and down....had a little luck on the Buffalo slots, Michael Jackson slots and Triple Dragons. But I'm like most other people and just can't walk away when I'm ahead!
Met Scott and Christi the next day and the fun began. We went to Dick's Last Stand (a wacky restaurant) at Mandalay Bay before seeing One (the Michael Jackson cirque show). Dick's was crazy...all the tables are covered with white paper and the waiter throws the paper at you so that you can set the table yourself. Insults are thrown back and forth between the wait staff and the customers so you really have to be in a party mood for this place.
"One" tickets were a birthday gift from Scott and Christi...thanks again, you two....and it was wonderful. Lots and lots of choreography and most of Michael Jackson's hits! Terrific!
Next day I spent the afternoon at Caesar's Form...the shops...and it's a "not to be missed" place in Las Vegas...circular escalators, moving fountains.... painted ceilings...and of course, the up-scale shops.
If you search hard enough, there's an H&M so you don't have to spend all of your money at Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, etc.
The shops at the Mirage are small stuff compared to the Forum but I found one shop appropriately named ---
The pool area at the Mirage is terrific....it's not crowded because, unfortunately, it rained again in Las Vegas. Back to the slots for me.
While I was doing a little shopping, Scott and Dick were betting on some football games at the Mirage...lots of TV's, lots of seating and they won their games!
We had a beautiful dinner at the Heritage, Tom Coliccio's restaurant at the Mirage. The dinner was pricey....about $450 plus tip but the filet mignon was delicious. Three of us had the filet and Dick had the fish of the day which he didn't like (it was smothered in sauce, not his favorite especially since he asked that it be put on the side). Our fault for not sending it back....the waitress and waiters were terrific. All of our entrees were served at exactly the same time by 4 different waiters. Classy!
The concierge at the Mirage quickly printed our airline tickets and we were off to Seattle to meet up again with Scott and Christi and the grandchildren.
It's in a wonderful location...between Treasure Island and Caesar's Place and across Las Vegas Blvd. from the Venetian and Harrah's.
 |
| View from our room |
We arrived at around 9 PM and there was no waiting in line. The desk staff was very pleasant, checked us in right away and then it was a long, winding walk through the casino to the guest elevators. There are plenty of elevators...very little waiting. We were on the 2lst floor and our elevator skipped the first 17 floors which made for a quick ride. Our room had a lovely strip view and, of course, we got to see and HEAR the volcano every night until midnight. I loved it but Dick couldn't sleep through the noise. I ask you, who sleeps in Las Vegas??
The room and bathroom were spotless and we were happy to leave a daily tip for the housekeeper. In return, she left lots of bathroom goodies everyday....the shampoo and soap are heavenly. Wish we would have brought a small coffeepot. We ordered a "large" pot of coffee everyday through room service at $22 + plus tip....no pastry, zip...only a very small pot that held about 4 cups (not mugs). But we were on vacation.......and we were in Las Vegas.....and I can put a $20 bill in the slot machine and lose it in about 3 minutes (yes, I'm justifying!)
The bed and pillows in our room were heavenly. I'm sorry I didn't purchase 2 pillows at the Impulse Shop at the Mirage and have them shipped home. I'll spend forever trying to find those pillows!
Went down and signed up at the MLife Player's Club since I knew I'd do most of my gambling at the Mirage. (I'm a small timer, only playing slot machines). But I actually got some free play, 2 buffet breakfasts and $380 comp'd. off our hotel bill...a pleasant surprise. Oh, yeah....I now have a "pearl" status card so start those hotel discounts coming, Mirage!
As far as the slot machines go, I was up and down....had a little luck on the Buffalo slots, Michael Jackson slots and Triple Dragons. But I'm like most other people and just can't walk away when I'm ahead!
Met Scott and Christi the next day and the fun began. We went to Dick's Last Stand (a wacky restaurant) at Mandalay Bay before seeing One (the Michael Jackson cirque show). Dick's was crazy...all the tables are covered with white paper and the waiter throws the paper at you so that you can set the table yourself. Insults are thrown back and forth between the wait staff and the customers so you really have to be in a party mood for this place.
"One" tickets were a birthday gift from Scott and Christi...thanks again, you two....and it was wonderful. Lots and lots of choreography and most of Michael Jackson's hits! Terrific!
Next day I spent the afternoon at Caesar's Form...the shops...and it's a "not to be missed" place in Las Vegas...circular escalators, moving fountains.... painted ceilings...and of course, the up-scale shops.
If you search hard enough, there's an H&M so you don't have to spend all of your money at Louis Vuitton, Michael Kors, etc.
The pool area at the Mirage is terrific....it's not crowded because, unfortunately, it rained again in Las Vegas. Back to the slots for me.
While I was doing a little shopping, Scott and Dick were betting on some football games at the Mirage...lots of TV's, lots of seating and they won their games!
We had a beautiful dinner at the Heritage, Tom Coliccio's restaurant at the Mirage. The dinner was pricey....about $450 plus tip but the filet mignon was delicious. Three of us had the filet and Dick had the fish of the day which he didn't like (it was smothered in sauce, not his favorite especially since he asked that it be put on the side). Our fault for not sending it back....the waitress and waiters were terrific. All of our entrees were served at exactly the same time by 4 different waiters. Classy!
The concierge at the Mirage quickly printed our airline tickets and we were off to Seattle to meet up again with Scott and Christi and the grandchildren.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Upcoming Trip - Las Vegas and Seattle
Getting ready for our next trip! Dick and I will be staying at the Mirage (our first time at this hotel) and I'm already impressed by one of their employees, Relita B. a Guest Coordinator who has been so very helpful. It's great to get a warm, fuzzy feeling about a resort before we even arrive!
Booked tickets for Terry Fator....we've seen his performance before and he's terrific.
Scott and Christie have booked tickets for all of us for the cirque performance -- Michael Jackson One. I can hardly wait...loved the Beatles cirque show in Vegas and I'm really looking forward to the music and dancing in the One show. Thank you again, Scott and Christie....it's a terrific birthday present.
I found a neat web-site showing (believe it or not) free attractions in Las Vegas. Here's a sample:
Bellagio Conservatory - A larger-than-life greenhouse atrium filled with seasonal foliage and changed every 6 weeks. Open 24 hours and sounds like a neat place to just relax.
Bellagio Fountains - Giant spouts of water shoot up, down & sideways carefully choreographed to music. Daily every half hour starting early afternoon, then every 15 minutes from 7PM to midnight,
The Forum Shops Fountain Show at Caesar's - Giant "marble" statues come to life. Daily every hour starting at 10 AM.
Mirage Volcano - Fire, lights, sound and special effects. Every 15 minutes after dark until midnight. (We have an upgraded room overlooking the volcano and strip....I'll let you know if we can hear the noise every 15 minutes! Ooops....what am I talking about? We won't be in our room until well after midnight anyway....right, honey? Party!)
Let me know if there are other freebies we shouldn't miss!
Booked tickets for Terry Fator....we've seen his performance before and he's terrific.
Scott and Christie have booked tickets for all of us for the cirque performance -- Michael Jackson One. I can hardly wait...loved the Beatles cirque show in Vegas and I'm really looking forward to the music and dancing in the One show. Thank you again, Scott and Christie....it's a terrific birthday present.
I found a neat web-site showing (believe it or not) free attractions in Las Vegas. Here's a sample:
Bellagio Conservatory - A larger-than-life greenhouse atrium filled with seasonal foliage and changed every 6 weeks. Open 24 hours and sounds like a neat place to just relax.
Bellagio Fountains - Giant spouts of water shoot up, down & sideways carefully choreographed to music. Daily every half hour starting early afternoon, then every 15 minutes from 7PM to midnight,
The Forum Shops Fountain Show at Caesar's - Giant "marble" statues come to life. Daily every hour starting at 10 AM.
Mirage Volcano - Fire, lights, sound and special effects. Every 15 minutes after dark until midnight. (We have an upgraded room overlooking the volcano and strip....I'll let you know if we can hear the noise every 15 minutes! Ooops....what am I talking about? We won't be in our room until well after midnight anyway....right, honey? Party!)
Let me know if there are other freebies we shouldn't miss!
Saturday, June 29, 2013
6/25 to 6/27/13 - HOLLYWOOD HARD ROCK CASINO
Thank you, Hard Rock for sending me 2 complimentary nights at your hotel! We've been to this resort several times but it's the first time we've stayed.....it's a terrific way to enjoy a mini vacation...gamble a little, rest a little, swim a little and back to gamble a little more.
The room was beautiful and had all the amenities we needed, right down to the Kuerig coffeemaker which we have at home. The bed was comfy (I wonder where they get those fabulous pillows) and security to the rooms from the casino was great. (You have to show your room card to get to your room which is a plus and keeps down the noise level.)
The only minus to the room was the deep, deep bathtub which was perfect for soaking but treacherous to climb in and out for a shower. Grab bars would be nice, Seminole
Tribe.
The pool is beautiful with small cabanas available for a nominal fee. There's a nice bar outside for a great, reasonably priced lunch.
The decorating throughout the casino and hotel ate marvelous...lots of photos and clothing from rock legends.
I had a terrific day at the slots.....during the first hour I won a small jackpot so I was able to play with the casino's money during the two days and even got to take some $$ home.
If you're going to Hollywood Hard Rock, always ask if there's a drink of the day...Wednesday is Bloody Marys for $3 rather than the usual $5. No free drinks at this casino while you're gambling but $3 is a pretty good deal.
We had lunch at Hooters which is on the property in the Paradise Shops. It was good and reasonably priced. There are some small shops and restaurants in this area along with the poker room and the theater with some great entertainment.
The room was beautiful and had all the amenities we needed, right down to the Kuerig coffeemaker which we have at home. The bed was comfy (I wonder where they get those fabulous pillows) and security to the rooms from the casino was great. (You have to show your room card to get to your room which is a plus and keeps down the noise level.)
The only minus to the room was the deep, deep bathtub which was perfect for soaking but treacherous to climb in and out for a shower. Grab bars would be nice, Seminole
Tribe.
The pool is beautiful with small cabanas available for a nominal fee. There's a nice bar outside for a great, reasonably priced lunch.
The decorating throughout the casino and hotel ate marvelous...lots of photos and clothing from rock legends.
I had a terrific day at the slots.....during the first hour I won a small jackpot so I was able to play with the casino's money during the two days and even got to take some $$ home.
If you're going to Hollywood Hard Rock, always ask if there's a drink of the day...Wednesday is Bloody Marys for $3 rather than the usual $5. No free drinks at this casino while you're gambling but $3 is a pretty good deal.
We had lunch at Hooters which is on the property in the Paradise Shops. It was good and reasonably priced. There are some small shops and restaurants in this area along with the poker room and the theater with some great entertainment.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
May 5, 2013 - CARNIVAL BREEZE
We quite simply loved this ship! It was a welcome sight with its bright, cheery Caribbean blue décor throughout.....even the cabin hallways were unusual!
After our last cruise on the drab and dreary Eurodam, we really appreciated this ship and had a wonderful balcony cabin...terrific location one deck below the buffet! Just email us and we'll give you the cabin #....also right next to the elevators!
This was a relaxing trip for us and on this six day cruise, there were only 3 ports...Key West, Turks/Caicos and Nassau. Since we've been to these ports many times before, we wanted to truly enjoy being on the ship....and enjoy it we did! The service was impeccable and the food was terrific....loved the chocolate melting cake AGAIN!
If you follow our blog, you know we LOVE room service and it was wonderful on the Breeze. It was always delivered on time by cheerful servers. Another TIP -- even though room service is "no charge" on most ships, be sure to tip the servers...they deserve it!
On the promenade deck, we loved the hot tubs hanging over the sides of the ship
as well as the umbrella tables outside the Plaza Café. These cozy tables just happened to be almost outside the casino so it was a great place to just sit, enjoy the ocean (and a cocktail of course) and take a break from the slot machines.
Our first port was Key West and we never tire of it!
After a day at sea our next port was Turks/Caicos.....very tiny and crowded. I guess we're just not the type of travelers who enjoy sitting in chaise lounges just an inch or so apart, but we're spoiled because we live in Florida and are lucky enough to have beaches close by. I'm sure this is a wonderful way to spend the day if you're from a colder part to the world.
The tiny casino was closed for renovations so we spent a little time at Margaritaville and hopped back on our ship. One important tip about this port-- AVOID the DuFry duty-free shop as soon as you get off the ship. Last time we were here, we bought a few things in this store and got a hefty surcharge on our credit card bill....they don't mention this charge and it doesn't appear on the bill you sign so beware!
Next day we were again at sea and enjoyed the afternoon high tea. This was beautiful and yummy!
Overall the design of this ship was very good with one exception....the adult "serenity pool" was located right next to the kiddie pool area. Not so quiet or serene. This adults-only pool area seemed to be an afterthought for the Carnival designers....they must have squeezed it into the only available space after the main design was completed.
Our final port was Nassau and we always enjoy Atlantis. Our advice is to take a cab...if you take a water taxi, you'll have to wait until they fill the boat!
One major problem we found at Atlantis is they now CHARGE you for just looking at the giant aquariums! Yup, you used to be able to stroll around and look at these beautiful floor to ceiling indoor aquariums but they now charge a $25 daily fee! It left a very bad taste in our mouths and we've nixed our plans too spend a week at Atlantis in the Fall.
We took a quick stroll through the new Straw Market....still extremely packed with people and the "same old, same old" souvenirs...lots from China.
A special thanks to Escot Bus which took over some of the routes from Cruise Connection to enable Florida travelers to travel in comfort to the ports. We'll keep watching for a route from Stuart/Palm City to the ports, Escot!
After our last cruise on the drab and dreary Eurodam, we really appreciated this ship and had a wonderful balcony cabin...terrific location one deck below the buffet! Just email us and we'll give you the cabin #....also right next to the elevators!
This was a relaxing trip for us and on this six day cruise, there were only 3 ports...Key West, Turks/Caicos and Nassau. Since we've been to these ports many times before, we wanted to truly enjoy being on the ship....and enjoy it we did! The service was impeccable and the food was terrific....loved the chocolate melting cake AGAIN!
If you follow our blog, you know we LOVE room service and it was wonderful on the Breeze. It was always delivered on time by cheerful servers. Another TIP -- even though room service is "no charge" on most ships, be sure to tip the servers...they deserve it!
On the promenade deck, we loved the hot tubs hanging over the sides of the ship
as well as the umbrella tables outside the Plaza Café. These cozy tables just happened to be almost outside the casino so it was a great place to just sit, enjoy the ocean (and a cocktail of course) and take a break from the slot machines.
Our first port was Key West and we never tire of it!
After a day at sea our next port was Turks/Caicos.....very tiny and crowded. I guess we're just not the type of travelers who enjoy sitting in chaise lounges just an inch or so apart, but we're spoiled because we live in Florida and are lucky enough to have beaches close by. I'm sure this is a wonderful way to spend the day if you're from a colder part to the world.
The tiny casino was closed for renovations so we spent a little time at Margaritaville and hopped back on our ship. One important tip about this port-- AVOID the DuFry duty-free shop as soon as you get off the ship. Last time we were here, we bought a few things in this store and got a hefty surcharge on our credit card bill....they don't mention this charge and it doesn't appear on the bill you sign so beware!
Next day we were again at sea and enjoyed the afternoon high tea. This was beautiful and yummy!
Overall the design of this ship was very good with one exception....the adult "serenity pool" was located right next to the kiddie pool area. Not so quiet or serene. This adults-only pool area seemed to be an afterthought for the Carnival designers....they must have squeezed it into the only available space after the main design was completed.
Our final port was Nassau and we always enjoy Atlantis. Our advice is to take a cab...if you take a water taxi, you'll have to wait until they fill the boat!
One major problem we found at Atlantis is they now CHARGE you for just looking at the giant aquariums! Yup, you used to be able to stroll around and look at these beautiful floor to ceiling indoor aquariums but they now charge a $25 daily fee! It left a very bad taste in our mouths and we've nixed our plans too spend a week at Atlantis in the Fall.
We took a quick stroll through the new Straw Market....still extremely packed with people and the "same old, same old" souvenirs...lots from China.
A special thanks to Escot Bus which took over some of the routes from Cruise Connection to enable Florida travelers to travel in comfort to the ports. We'll keep watching for a route from Stuart/Palm City to the ports, Escot!
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