After a 3 year hiatus, I was able to plan another May trip to Las Vegas. During my May 2023 trip, I ended up catching a cold mid-way through my week long trip so I decided to fly home early. I did try to plan another trip last year, but Murphy's Law struck again.
I started planning my trip back in March, after I received a nice comp offer for the Park MGM. It included 4 comp nights, $200 resorts credit, and $120 freeplay. I also had comp offers for all of the Boyd properties in Vegas. After checking what each property would offer, I decided on the Orleans where I've stayed many times over the years. One of the incentives was that they offered an Executive Suite vs. a Deluxe King or Queen room at the other properties. Also, MGM and Boyd comped the resort fees as well.
After juggling around travel dates to get the best airfare on SWA, May 4 - 11 worked out the best. I also prefer late April or early May to avoid some big events which tend to attract huge crowds.
Next on the agenda was to reserve a rental car. I receive AAA discounts at Hertz so after checking the vehicle classes/models available and rates, I decided on a premium compact hybrid SUV (Volvo XC40 or equivalent) which was priced lower than a standard compact SUV to my surprise.
Monday, May 4
For once, the weather was nice on departure day. On a number of past trips, it often rained. I was checking the weather in Vegas and it's getting hot again. It was 86℉ yesterday and by the end of the week, it could reach +100℉. That's gonna be a big change from Chicago's weather, since it's still in the 50s during the daytime.
I've been using Echo Limousine service for a number of years to get to Midway (MDW) or Ohare (ORD). They're a bit more expensive than taking an Uber/Lyft or a taxi, but they are very reliable and always on time. They use Lincoln SUVs so they're a more comfortable ride, since it's about a 1 hour drive to MDW from my condo, depending on traffic.
My SWA flight was scheduled to depart MDW 10am, but I had over 2 hrs to kill, since traffic was light and the TSA PreCheck line was very short so I had time to have breakfast. I got a breakfast sandwich combo and a Diet Pepsi at a venue called Arami (total cost $21.36). Needless to say, airport pricing is always expensive.
There was only a short delay upon boarding, since a bunch of passengers had to get their carry-ons gate checked. The flight was fully booked so those boarding in the later groups were out of luck in finding bin space. I went with SWA's Choice Extra option so I was in Group 1 and chose Row 4/Aisle seat with extra legroom. It's more expensive, but less hassle compared to the economy options. There are other perks that come with Choice Extra including 2 check in luggage, premium drink voucher, upgraded snacks, refundable tickets, etc.
SWA now reserves those bins above the front rows for those seated in those areas. That was a big issue/complaint from a lot of passengers that they apparently fixed.
The flight was uneventful which is alway welcomed. LOL After landing, I hopped on the shuttle bus to the car rental facility. Hertz had my car reserved in an assigned parking space and it was the 2025 Volvo XC40 Hybrid. This was the first Volvo that I've driven and it's a nice driving/riding SUV. Although, it took awhile to figure out all of the controls and what not, since it's a lot different than my Acura RDX. I like Volvo's NAV system better than the one on my Acura. LOL It's very intuitive and it also displays the NAV map on the front instrument panel so you don't have to keep glancing over to the main screen. It worked so well that I didn't need to use my portable Garmin NAV system.
This Hybrid was also very easy on gas which was nice considering the current gas prices.
First stop after leaving the car rental center was the Alberson's over on Tropicana, just a few blocks west of the Orleans. I picked up some supplies including bottled water, Diet Coke, etc.
I used the MGM app for checking into the Park MGM and was notified at 3pm that my room was ready. I was assigned a Park MGM King room on the 5th floor. I tried using the digital key via the app on my iPhone, but it was hit or miss and not very reliable so I used the kiosks in the lobby area to activate a couple of key cards.
Here are some photos of the MGM King room. It was clean, but does have some flaws. That chair doesn't seem to fit the decor of the room, not to mention that table. LOL I wonder if they used hand me down from one of their other properties when they remodeled these rooms? There is also no desk and desk chair. The closest electrical outlet to the table is below the HVAC unit next to the sofa. You need an extention cord to reach the table which I always carry. Overall, the room was okay and the bed was comfortable. I heard numerous reports that the Park MGM rooms have thin walls, but it was surprisingly quiet for all 4 nights. Perhaps I got lucky and just had some considerate neighbors.
Housekeeping also left 2 bottles of water on each the first 2 days, but none on day 3 and 4. On one of the days, housekeeping didn't take the tip that I left on the table which was surprising. Maybe she just forgot. LOL
I almost forgot to take a photo, so some of the fish is missing. LOL Total cost was $23.29 not include the tip.
I also spent some time playing VP and slots, after returning to the Park MGM. I didn't have any good hits to report.
Tuesday, May 5
I made an early reservation at Primrose for breakfast here at Park MGM. The service and food were very good. They have a lot good items on their menu, so it worth giving them a try.
After breakfast, I wanted to check out Boyd's newest locals casino, Cadence Crossing. It's located on Boulder Hwy just past the Skyline Casino in Henderson.
It's a smaller casino, but after playing some VP/slots there, I kinda like this place. If you're looking to get away from the craziness of the LV strip/Fremont St, you need to check out this casino. https://cadencecrossing.boydgaming.com
They also have a couple of nice dining option inside called the Tin Lizard Bar & Grill and Tacos Los Gauchos. I was still full from breakfast, otherwise I would have given one of these places a try.
Tuesday is also Young At Heart Day for seniors at all of the Boyd properties in Las Vegas. They have a 10X points multiplier that I took advantage of so I spent a few hours playing VP/slots. I also discovered a new slot (or at least new to me) based on House Of The Dragon. I also had some luck playing VP. I only took photos of some of my best hits.
After returning to the Park MGM, I got ready to walk over to Planet Hollywood, since I had a ticket to see "Vegas: The Show!" which is playing at the Saxe Theater inside Planet Hollywood/Miracle Mile Shops. I've been meaning to see this show for a long time, since it always gets good reviews. I bought my ticket via the Vegas.com website, since the price was a bit cheaper than at the main box office site. I reserved an aisle seat in the 3rd row, just off center stage. I had great view of the entire show. No photos or videos are allow, so I only have a photo of the theater entrance.
I was not disappointed. The show was very entertaining and cast is very talented. I highly recommend seeing this long running Vegas show. The show is 75 mins long and I sorta wish it was longer! LOL
I didn't have any dinner reservations for after the show, so after walking back to the Park MGM, I stop at Eataly. It was getting close to the closing time of a number of their venues, but I was able to get a Prosciutto Cotto sandwich and a Chocolate Cannoli to go and dined in my room. For the price, I was expecting better, but the sandwich was just "okay". Although, the chocolate cannoli was delicious! I haven't had a cannoli that good in a long time. LOL
The sandwich was $19.51 and the cannoli was $7.48 which was covered by my resort credit.
I must be getting old, since I'm getting worn out from all of this walking, not to mention that Vegas is having another heat wave! Vegas should not be this hot until July/August!
Wednesday, May 6
I drove out to the Suncoast Hotel & Casino in Summerlin and had breakfast at Du-Par's. They have the best pancakes in Vegas, in my opinion. It's becoming a tradition to have their pancakes on every trip to Vegas. LOL
A short stack of pancakes, a side of bacon, and coffee came out to be $23.81 not including tips. I paid using my Boyd points.
The Suncoast is still continuing with their renovations. The areas inside the casino that are completed look nice. They still have some sections partitioned off where they are still continuing work including the area around Du-Par's. While I was there, they were testing the emergency alarm system so they made an announcement to ignore the alarms and flashing lights. The Suncoast should look nice once everything is completed.
I also forgot to stop by the Resort At Summerlin which was recently rebranded. It use to be called the Rampart. It's right down the street from the Suncoast. I was going to try and drive out there later in the week, but ran short of time.
Anywho, after leaving the Suncoast, I drove over to the Durango which is a Stations Casino property. This was my first visit, since they opened and I always like checking out new casino properties. I didn't take any photos of the resort, but you can find a lot of videos of the Durango on YouTube. The property is impressive and they have a variety of dining options (check out their website for more details). They also have a nice food hall.
I played some VP at the Durango and had a few nice hits. Although, I'm still down by about $400 overall. It's hard not to feed your winning back into these machines when you're in Vegas. At least at home, you can walk away after a win, since you can easily visit on another day without having to travel very far. LOL
I decided to stop at Prince St. Pizza in the food hall, since they've been receiving good reviews. I wanted to see how their pizza compared to my other favorite place (Pizza Rock). I had a slice of their Mercer Margarita (Grandma Style) and it was very good, but their slices could have been bigger for the price. I forgot to take a photo, but here's one from their website. The price with a Diet Coke was $8.04.
I wasn't sure where I was going to dinner later that night, since Bavettes Steakhouse was fully booked for the remainder of my stay. Jean Georges Steakhouse at Aria was my second choice, but they were also fully booked. I still have more resort credit to use up before I check out.
These restaurants need to have longer hours like the old days, since with reduced hours, there is limited seating on any given day. Anyway, I decided to give La La Noodles another try. I haven't been back, since Chef AJ left and another chef took over. Their basic menu seems to be the same, so we'll see.
They also have take-out ordering so if I can't get a seat, I'll order take-outs. La La Noodles was also busy and all the seats at the bar was filled too so I ordered take-outs. I ordered the Walnut Shrimp and Jasmine Rice. The total cost came to $37.60 which was covered by my resorts credit.
I also had the Walnut Shrimp the last time I dined at La La Noodles. It was just as good as before including the Jasmine Rice. The shrimps are a good size and there were over a dozen in this order. I was barely able to finish everything. LOL
I also spent some time in the casino afterwards. Although, no significant wins to report.
Thursday, May 7
For some reason, I was on Chicago time for most of my trip. No matter what time I went to bed, my eyes kept opening at around 6am (8am Chicago time). LOL
I didn’t feel like eating a heavy breakfast so I decided to give Eggslut a try. There’s one over at the Cosmo, but I heard that the lines at that location are always long so I went to the one inside the Rio. I saw in one of Steve’s videos that he gave their breakfast sandwiches a big thumbs up. He's been playing a lot of craps at the Rio, since they have a $3 min at the live tables and they allow him shoot videos of the games.
I got their bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich and coffee which were very good. I forgot to take a photo, but while I was in line, I took a photo of their menu, since it was hard to read the small print from where they had it posted. The total price with a coffee was $21.48.
While at the Rio, I stopped by the players club desk, since I signed up online when they reopened under the new ownership, but I wasn't able to visit Vegas until now to get the physical card. I also received $10 in freeplay.
While roaming around the casino floor, I found a Top Dollar slot and it devoured the freeplay along with another $20. It was still early so there were only a few players scattered throughout the casino. I didn't take any photos inside the casino, but you can find videos of the property on YouTube, if interested.
Their food court looks pretty good, but it was around 8am so most of the places were closed. KJ Dim Sum is suppose to be pretty good, according to YouTubers Danny The Medic and Steve Fine Dining. Their lunch menu is also more reasonably priced than their dinner menu from what they reported. They are usually spot on when it comes to good food at reasonable prices.
I don't know what the future holds for the Rio, but they are suppose to be under new ownership again, sometime soon. The Rio has been a shell of what it use to be in it's glory days. I hope the new owners can do something to bring life back to the Rio.
Anywho, I didn't stay too long at the Rio, since I wanted to drive out to Hemenway Park in Boulder City to check out where the Big Horn Sheep hang out before it got too hot outside. LOL I would have spent more time in Boulder City, but I had dinner reservations that evening.
It was really cool seeing those Big Horn Sheep roaming around the park. Most of them were lounging around the trees in the shade. I didn't want to get too close to shoot photos and videos, since one of larger ones started staring right at me when I started to move in closer. LOL
I also took a video of the Big Horn Sheep. You can watch it below or go to my YouTube channel for a full screen viewing. While you're there you can also subscribe and give the video a thumbs up. LOL
For dinner, I made reservations at Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House over at the MGM Grand. I have to thank Lipgloss (from the LasVegas4Ever website) for reminding me about his restaurant when I read her recent trip report. Here a link to the dinner menu at Emeril's.
https://emerilsrestaurants.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/ENOFH-Dinner-Menu-10.27.25.pdf
For starters, I had the chef’s special Diver Scallops appetizer which my server recommended. It's a different version from the Bacon Crusted Diver Scallops on their main menu which I was thinking of ordering. It was very good and the scallops were cooked perfectly.
For the entree, I ordered the Miso glazed Chilean Sea Bass and a side order of the Garlic Crab Carolina Gold Rice (a.k.a. crab fried rice). There was loads of shredded crab meat in the fried rice which was very good. You could make that side dish a meal in itself. Chilean Sea Bass is one of my favorites and Emeril's version is very good.
I was stuff after finishing the Sea Bass and the Crab fried rice. I didn't have room for dessert. LOL
Unfortunately, I got distracted by my server, since we were chatting about food and stuff and I completely forgot to take photos. This was the dining highlight of my trip. Everything was well prepared and the wait staff provided excellent services. I wouldn't hesitate in dining at Emeril's again.
Dinner came out to $127 before tips which was partially covered by my resort credit, since I used some of the resort credit at a few other restaurants.
Tomorrow, I check out of the Park MGM and move to the Orleans for my last 3 nights.
Friday, May 8
I planned on using the mobile app to check out of the Park MGM, but there was another glitch with the app so I had to go down to the main desk to check out in person. Hopefully MGM will fix the bugs in their app.
Although before checking out, I stopped at the Side Betty Cafe to have a quick breakfast sandwich and coffee. Side Betty is a 24 hr Cafe at the Park MGM. Although for breakfast, they only open a small section of the cafe with a few tables/chairs like a fast food place. Their breakfast sandwiches are pretty good, but Egg Slut is better. Total cost was $23.02. Needless to say strip prices are high.
Check in at the Orlean is at 4pm, but I was able to check in at around 2pm without being charged an early check-in fee.
However to my surprise, the Orleans was overrun by a massive crowd of young teens and their parents who were participating in the National Cheerleaders competition taking place in the Orleans Arena that weekend. Teens in all sorts of crazy cheer outfits were all over the property and some of their parents were dressed up in some crazy outfits as well. LOL
They had signs up in the gaming areas warning that no one under 21 is allowed to loiter in these areas. If I knew this event was scheduled when I made my reservation, I would have booked the Gold Coast instead. I even checked the events calendar and there was no mention of this at the time. I remember running into another teen event several years ago when I was staying at the Orleans.
Oh well, at least they aren’t allowed in the gaming areas. LOL Although, they’ve pretty much taken over the food court. I had planned to do more dining at some off-strip and local places so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Anywho, I had a big Executive Suite on the 21st floor with a Mountain View, overlooking the pool area. This is one of their older suites, but it's clean and in pretty good condition. It's nicer than the Executive Suite I had few years ago and it looks like it was refreshed or partially refreshed at some point, since the two big screen TVs are relatively new. I believe floors 20 and 21 are all suites. Housekeeping also left 6 bottles of water in the frig and replenished what I used everyday.
View from the window...
I also did a video tour of the room. You can watch it below or go to my YouTube channel for a full screen viewing. While you're there you can also subscribe and give the video a thumbs up. LOL
Boyd is in the process of remodeling all of the rooms at the Orleans, floor by floor. They have a flyer on the counter top next to the TV about construction be done on some floors, so guests may encounter construction noises during working hours. Although, the floor I was on was pretty quiet.
The casino area could also use a refresh of some of their dining options like they are doing at some of there other properties. They need a replacement for TGIF and they never replaced the buffet with another dining venue. The section where the buffet use to be is closed off and they have slot machines in that front area now.
For dinner, I dined at Ondori Asian Kitchen here at the Orleans. I often dine there every time I stay at the Orleans. I had Miso Soup, Shrimp Tempura, and some Sushi. Their food has always been good. I almost forgot to take a photo of the Tempura, so some pieces are missing. There were 6 shrimps. LOL Total cost was $61.77 and I paid with my Boyd points. I racked up quite a few points on Tuesday when they had the Young At Heart 10X multiplier. LOL
Saturday, May 9
This morning I had breakfast at Vickie’s Diner which is located at 953 E Sahara Ave, just east of LV Blvd in the Commercial Center District.
I had their French Toast special that comes with 2 eggs, sausage, and hash browns and coffee. Total cost was $19.25 not including the tip.
Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo, but I have photos of Vickie’s diner in my May 2023 trip report.
https://road66warrior.blogspot.com/2023/05/las-vegas-may-8-13-2023-at-aria-resort.html
I like this 50's style diner which use to be located on LV Blvd just north of the Strat. It's been a locals favorite for years and is family owned and operated.
A week in Vegas can be tiring. LOL I do a lot of walking at home for exercise, but I seem to do way more in Vegas so I was taking a break today and just vegged out in my room for awhile before heading down stairs to donate more $$$ to those machines. LOL
I also lost tract of time playing VP/slots and most of the restaurants were already packed for dinner so I used my 2 for one coupon for Sbarros and got a couple of slices of sausage & pepperoni pizza in the food court.
Sunday, May 10
For breakfast, I went to the Blueberry Hill restaurant over on Flamingo. I had the smoked sausage combo with eggs, hash browns, toast, and coffee. Everything was very good. This was only my second time dining at a Blueberry Hill. I also wanted to try the Black Bear Diner which is down the road from the Orleans, but I ran short of time this trip. Total cost was $21 not including the tip.
This is my last full day in Vegas, but it’s been too hot to do a lot of outdoors stuff, so I’m planning to do more casino hopping. LOL
Today, I drove over to the Gold Coast and spent a few hours playing VP/Slots. No big wins to report. I may consider staying at the Gold Coast on a future trip, since they have some better dining options than the Orleans.
Next stop was Main Street Station downtown. I also discovered that Sapphire level no longer receives free self-parking. I had a feeling this would happen when the Cal made this change a few years ago. Ruby and now Sapphire need to earn at least 10 points to get free parking. You then have to use the kiosk to print out the voucher to take to the players club desk to get the ticket validated. Also, restaurants guests get free parking. At least Boyd isn’t quite as bad as many of the strip properties.
Anyways, I got some nice hits playing some of those older 3-reel slots so I’m making a comeback in regards to losses. LOL The other night, the Buffaloes were being nice to me also.
I headed back down to the casino and started out playing VP, but I wasn't getting many decent hits, so I switched over to slots. There are so many variations of the Buffalo slots that it's mind boggling. LOL My favortie use to be the original Buffalo Stamped, but that version is more or less obsolete now. I've had mix luck playing some of the newer versions.
The Orleans still has a selection of the older reel slots so I tried my luck on some of the $1 machines. The ones at Main Street Station were being nice to me and it turned out the ones at the Orleans liked me too. LOL My best slot play of the week turned out to be on the last day of my trip. After the last big hit, I called it quits and headed over to the Baskin Robbins in the food court to get a hot fudge sundae. Of course, I forgot to take a photo, yet again! LOL
Monday, May 11
I had a 10:40am flight back to Chicago, but not knowing how busy the airport would be including delays getting through TSA, I ended up get there too early again. The regular TSA line was pretty long, but there was only 1 person ahead of me in the TSA PreCheck line.
I had about 2 hrs before departure so I stopped at the Wendy's to get a breakfast sandwich combo. The total cost was $10.28.
My SWA fight was packed to capacity so they were telling folks in groups 6 and beyond that they have to gate check their carryons. So be aware, if you plan to buy their cheap seats. LOL
I opted for the higher end tickets which is sorta similar to their former business select option so I was in group 1/row 4 with the more leg room seats on both flights.
The flight home was uneventful and we landed about 15 mins early. I was going to Uber/Lyft home, but the rideshare area was like a zoo! So, I opted to take a taxi.
Some closing thoughts...
*I was surprised that when I added up my wins/losses, I came out ahead by about $150. LOL If I didn't hit that big win on the last slot machine I played, this would have been a losing trip, gambling wise.
*Vegas was quite busy overall and other than in the early mornings, there were lots of people everywhere. Vegas didn't appear to be slow, at least during my trip.
*Vegas (especially the strip) is expensive, but value can still be found. Casino comps aren't as good as they use to be, but every little bit still helps. Some of the local casinos provide overall value, but there are some that are just as expensive as being on the strip.
*The Hard Rock Guitar Hotel is massive! It's really a sight to see in person. I saw it when I was driving down the strip so I couldn't stop to take a photo.
*Restaurants on the strip need to have longer hours to accommodate more folks during the dinner hours. With limited hours, it's frustrating having to make reservations days in advance. Walk-ins can also be hit or miss too, even if you're a solo diner who doesn't mind dining at the bar.
*I wasn't expecting Vegas to have a heat wave during my stay with temps rising to the triple digits. May isn't suppose to get this hot so I ditched a lot of my outdoor plans and ended up doing a lot more casino hopping. Although, that was still a lot of fun.
*I had planned to get a ticket to see the Wizard Of Oz at the Sphere while I was in town, but I got busy with other things. Hopefully, I'll be able to see it on my next trip.
*SWA's new assigned seating and boarding process isn't that bad. Although, now they're charging for every little convenience. I guess they are just like all of the other airlines now.
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