5X MegaBuffet Trip Report

Prelim

Sometime around the middle of April we decided to take another
trip to the desert.  Living in western South Carolina our 
airport choice is varied.  We are equal distances away from 
Atlanta Ga, Charleston SC and Charlotte NC, all about 150 
miles away.  Columbia SC is 45 miles away and Augusta Ga, the
closest, is 15 miles away.

I started the search for the best deal on air fare finding 
rates from $365 per person RT, on up.  Of course the most 
expensive is always the closest airport so I was resigned to
the fact that if I wanted to save some money on air fare I 
was gonna have to drive a couple of hours to get it.  The 
best fare I found was with Vanguard Airlines out of Atlanta.
After being quoted on the phone a price of $268 pp I went to
their web site.  By booking online they were offering a better
rate of $210. Once the tickets were purchased the countdown 
was on.

Friday, June 8th. Day 1

Our flight was scheduled to leave Atlanta at 8:10 am on June 
8th.  With a 150 mile drive ahead the alarm went off at 
3:00 am.  We left the house about 4:30 arriving at Hartsfield
International at 6:50.  Hartsfield was a madhouse as usual. 
The long term parking lot is always packed so in anticipation
of a long hike from the rear of the lot I dropped my wife 
Tootsie and the luggage curbside with the skycap and headed 
for the entrance.  Twenty minutes later and what must have 
been about a mile walk I was standing inside the North 
terminal.

The check-in line at the Delta counter was backed up all the 
way to the doors.  After pushing my way thru the crowd, there
like an oasis in the desert, was the Vanguard counter, with 
four people in line.  Tootsie was way across the empty terminal
(in front of Vanguard anyway) calmly sitting, waiting for me.
She had already checked in the luggage and got our boarding
passes.  There is something to say about small airlines.  No
hassles, no waiting, no stress.  All I had to do was flash my
picture ID and we were off to the gate.

The flight left Atlanta on time and two hours later landed in
Kansas City.  After a 45 minute layover (perfect for smokers)
and a change of planes we touched down in Las Vegas at 11:30.
Right on time.

We made the long walk and tram ride from D Concourse to
Baggage Claim to wait on our bags.  While waiting I walked
outside to line up our ride with Las Vegas Limo.  $4 buys one
chip good for transportation to the strip so after buying two
of them we were soon riding in luxury, with four other people.
After stops at MGM Grand, New York2, and Bellagio we pulled
into the porte-cochere at Caesars Palace.  We left our bags 
with the Bellman and walked to the Hotel registration area.

Since we were staying at Caesars on a comp from the slot club
we were able to use Casino registration on the far right side
of the check-in area.  There was just one person in line so 
the wait wasn't long.  While waiting in line I got a $20 bill 
ready to tip/bribe the clerk in an attempt to secure an upgrade
into the new Palace tower.  During the checkin process he asked
me if I had a tower preference.  I told him that I have never 
stayed at CP but I had heard that the Palace tower was nice.  
After a few keystrokes on his keyboard, he turned around, 
grabbed a couple of key cards and gave me directions to the 
Palace Tower.  No tip/bribe required. All I had to do was ask.
On the way to our room I stopped by the Bell Desk, gave them 
the luggage claim check, and started following the signs to 
the Palace Tower.

We were in room 618 overlooking the pool and Bellagio.  The
door opens up into a small foyer with three closets on one side
that housed a safe and the iron and ironing board.  The 
bathroom entrance, refrigerator and dry bar were on the other
side.  The bathroom was huge and included a jacuzzi tub large 
enough for two surrounded by mirrors, separate shower with 
glass door, two sink vanity with full width mirror, round 
magnifying makeup mirror and hair dryer, and a separate toilet
area complete with telephone.

The bedroom area had a king size bed with two end tables, couch,
nice stuffed chair, round table, coffee table, desk, three 
drawer armoire with a 27 inch television, one of those clothes
changing screens and wall to wall floor to ceiling windows.  
The view from the room was mostly of Bellagio but could not 
really see the fountain show.  We did have a good view of Paris,
the Eiffel Tower and the Aladdin.

After getting settled in the room we went down to the casino
to get started with our vacation.  On previous trips we have
always made it a point to come to Caesars Palace and play
the Million Dollar Babies slots.  We've always done pretty
good on them so it seemed like a good way to start our
gambling.  The top pay out on these slots is a progressive
jackpot that starts at $1 million which is paid in full if it
is hit.  Needless to say I didn't hit the big pay out but 
Tootsie did quite well cashing out a couple Benjamins ahead.
I had to try some video poker before we had lunch so we went to
the area across from Cleopatra's Barge where I found a couple
of $1 9/6 Jacks or Better.  On the third hand I hit a Straight 
Flush and eventually cashed out $200 ahead.  Little did I know
this was just the beginning of things to come for me on this 
trip.

Since we hadn't eaten anything yet we decided to walk over
to the Forum Shops and the Stage Deli.  I had the New York
Combo, a huge combination of Pastrami and Corn beef on
toasted Rye with Russian dressing.  Damn .........  You talk
about gooood !  That had to be the best sandwich I've ever
eaten, and I ate every bit of it.  Even the bowl of pickles
they bring out with the water was great.  If you've never
eaten at the Stage Deli you're missing one of the best places
around.

After lunch Tootsie was ready for a nap.  She headed back
to the room at 4:30 with instructions to wake her at 8:30.  I
walked around the casino ending up on a BJ table where after
about three hours I lost my winnings from earlier in the day.
At 8:30 I went back to the room to attempt the wake-up

call. Still being on Eastern Daylight Savings time, I had been
up for almost 21 hours.  That bed looked pretty inviting so I
laid down and stretched out.  Yeah, you guessed it.  Here I am
in Las Vegas, the city that never sleeps, its Friday night and
I'm sound asleep by 9.

Day 2 of the 5X MegaBuffet Trip Report has my take on this 
years Annual Cocktail Soiree.  Also, it will begin to become
clear why I have called this the 5X MegaBuffet Trip Report.