Now, seriously, I'm going to talk about the Borgata for readers that have never been here. Although I was kidding about saying "It's big," my unofficial observation is Borgata can be comparable to MGM Grand, Aria, or the Cosmopolitan to the amount of restaurants and venues available. Borgata appears to have more restaurants than Excalibur, Park MGM, Luxor, New York New York, and quite possibly Mandalay Bay and Bellagio. Keep in mind that this is just my unofficial observations from my 4th time being at Borgata and the first since 2018. From the parking garage elevators to the casino floor and the hotel elevators, there are a few stores, the Borgata Baking Company cafe, and a Starbucks. It's similar to The District at MGM Grand or the Via Bellagio area between the Horseshoe and Caesar's Palace bridges and the Bellagio casino floor. Walking into the casino area, the lighting is comparable to walking into the Bellagio casino area and not like MGM National Harbor where it feels like to me that you have just walked into the face of the sun with how bright MGM National Harbor is. I enjoy the low light of Aria and its sultry, seductive darkness. When I walk into MGM National Harbor, I feel like I am walking right into the canopy of the Freemont Street Experience. (Last year, it appeared to me that MGM National Harbor did dim the lighting comparable to Bellagio and Park MGM, but in 2024, it appears to me that the lighting has returned to its setting of high noon again.) Some people may like it bright, but. to me, Borgata has the lighting perfectly set. There are some renovations going on as part of the casino floor is roped off for carpet replacement, and I saw maintenance working on the ceiling interior by Bread + Butter Thursday morning, so Vici Properties is definitely on the job with facility upkeep. The majority of the restaurants, the poker room, the race book, the bell desk, check in desk, MGM Rewards desk, and the escalators to the food hall (Borgata has gotten bougie now - no more food court although there are still signs around that say food court) are on the perimeter of the property, which is sort of similar (but not exactly) like Aria and Park MGM. Here is the web link to the property map: https://borgata.mgmresorts.com/content/dam/MGM/borgata/hotel/borgata-hotel-property-map.pdf This is the web link to the restaurants web page:https://borgata.mgmresorts.com/en/restaurants.html#/ There is a buffer zone between the casino and the hotel elevators called the Living Room. There are floor-to-ceiling glass walls that make it look sort of like a museum viewing exhibit with glass doors that require you to scan your hotel card key or your MGM Resorts app virtual key. I like the separation here between the casino and the hotel elevators, and on Wednesday night, there were security personnel standing by the glass doors that you had to flash your card key or virtual key. Borgata is definitely a step up in class from MGM National Harbor because of the simplistic and economic design to me. I do like MGM National Harbor, but the design of MGM National is a little bit wonky. My unofficial opinion is that Borgata would definitely be below the first class of Aria, Bellagio, and The Cosmopolitan but would definitely be punching its weight in the second class of Mandalay Bay and MGM Grand, and above New York New York, Park MGM, Excalibur, and Luxor.
Classic King Room It is on the 10th floor of the tower facing towards the Clam Thorofare and Harrah's. On the right is the former Water Club and now the MGM Tower. I deliberately took photos of the coffee maker and the refrigerator as it seems those are very big time perks for many VMBers. Unfortunately, @ColoVegPlayer, there isn't a tub, but there is a place to sit in the shower. The party size bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, along with the party size bottles of hand wash, and lotion, are connected in an anti-tampering holder. It is the same as what I had for the StayWell room at MGM Grand 3 months ago in January 2024. For those VMBers worried about the bottles being tampered, there is a higher probability of me getting robbed or my truck broken into at MGM National Harbor than me using a tampered bottle. (Sorry for the joke, MGM National Harbor - I still like you.) The safe is in the closet, and worked just well protecting my $3000 bankroll for the trip.
Like many others that have commented, I am in the DMV area, about 18 minutes away from MGMNH, and about 25 mins to both Dulles and Reagan National airport. I actually struggled with the Vegas vs AC decision mightily as I am having my bachelor party later this year and I actually chose AC over Vegas which I never in a million years thought would ever happen. My thought process was this: 1. I went to Vegas with my friends last year for my birthday, and I just got back from Vegas a month ago on a trip with my fiancée. 2. On my last trip this past March, I finally felt like I was being relentlessly taken advantage of in Vegas. From the restaurants not listing prices on the menus, a bottle of water being $7, cocktails $24, it all reached a tipping point when I asked for a soda refill at a bar at Caesars Palace and they told me it was $6 for a refill even when it was mostly ice. 3. The gambling is so much better in AC now for low to mid rollers. I like $15 craps and $25 blackjack with good rules. There is plenty of that in AC and very little of that in Vegas. 4. For just a degen trip with friends, I can accomplish most of what I want to do in AC vs what I can do in Vegas. I can get wasted, gamble, casino hop, eat food that is bad for me etc. The only thing that is missing is nightlife which I don't really take part in aside from the casinos. I do think AC is similar to Vegas as there are more people there gambling for fun vs gambling to feed their addiction. Yes there are still plenty of degens, but not the same amount that you would find at a local like MGMNH. There are plenty of people on a weekend getaway and the atmosphere is a lot more fun. As MGMNH regulars know, that crowd is the opposite of fun. I still love Vegas and will never stop going, but I don't feel the need to go three times a year anymore. AC is a middle ground between a local and Vegas and I always have a great time there.
I totally agree with this point. A lot of locals places have become more vegas like, (restaurants / extravagance) but you still seem to get the grumpy regulars that just kill the vibe of a table. AC seems to be filled with more people on vacation looking to have a good time. The boardwalk is fun in the summer too, beer drinking out in the sun.
Not to derail, but for all these reasons people are describing, it's a shame that AC can't elevate its perception. It has the party vibe of Vegas but with better gambling rules. It should be able to succeed as a destination the way Vegas has.
AC is better than locals places, but maybe 2 out of the 9 casinos there would fit comfortably on the Strip. And most people historically went there for a day trip. Now that there are other places in the region that have gambling like PA and MD, it has taken a serious bite out of AC's brick and mortar action, which is probably half of what it was in 2006.
the casinos or city would be smart to throw some money at the airlines to get some better air service. I think the perception is it is hard to get to. If you had delta flight to Atlanta and United to Chicago for example.
All of the borgata tower rooms are in desperate need of a reno. MGM tower was freshly redone and looks much better. Don’t know why they don’t get on it for the borgata tower. Classic rooms are quite dark. It could be due to the reflective gold windows and the lack of lights within the room. Having said that, I don’t think I can stay anywhere else coz the other places don’t have good full pay small-to-medium denom VP options. Even vegas doesn’t have what borgata has in terms of VP.
Borgata, Ocean and Hard Rock would do fine on the Strip. Caesars could do ok with some work. I think all of those places are nicer than the low end CET properties. Bally's and Resorts don't belong anywhere at this point as nostalgic as they are.
I doubt that would help much. If there was a direct flight from Chicago to Atlantic City International Airport, would you really pick AC over Vegas?
Yes for a short trip. AC is a good 2 night kind of place. Vegas you almost need a vacation after your vacation. 2 hour flight vs 4 hour flight also. Depending on what you are looking for. If i wanted a 4 day vacation would go to Vegas.
I remember walking into HR AC for the first time from the northernmost entrance and felt some serious sensory overload. Really made me nostalgic for the Taj. It'll be interesting to see how the version at Mirage turns out.
There are former members of VMB who would say yes. I think @Grid was one of them and would fly from Chicago to Atlantic City when Spirit Airlines used to have flights at Atlantic City International with his family.
The lack of easier transportation between PHL and Atlantic City is one of my pet peeves. The airport train runs every half hour to 30th Street Station it's about a 20 minute trip; from there, the train to AC runs 12x a day. The trip is about 1.5 hours. If you just missed your AC train, you might have to wait another 2 hours for the next one. Greyhound bus no longer has a station and picks up passengers on Spring Garden Ave at the curb. The quickest and most convenient is to rent a car, it's about an hour without commuter traffic, 62 miles and no red lights. About $17 in tolls round trip. If your travel party is 2 or more, this is a no brainer, in my not so humble opinion. There were a couple airline subsidies over the years to attract carriers to Atlantic City Airport which is located in Egg Harbor Township, about 20-25 minutes outside of AC. United Airlines received $100k to start service from Chicago, but cancelled after 8 months. It was a combination of not enough passengers and politics. Article. Air Canada received a $600k subsidy for seasonal weekend turboprop service from Toronto; that wasn't renewed. I believe the two biggest markets for flights out of PHL are Atlanta and Chicago; I think there would be enough traffic from business and leisure customers in South Jersey to support this. NJ Transit already has bus service from Philly to Atlantic City, #551 route. I think if they would extend the route to the airport, it would bring in more passengers. I almost forgot, if you fly American Airlines, try using "ACY" as a destination. They recently initiated bus service from Philly airport to ACY airport. Passengers get picked up on the secure side of the PHL terminal and bussed to ACY. From there, folks can grab an Uber to AC. On the return trip, go through ACY security, grab the American Airlines bus and it will take you to the secure side of the terminal. No need to go through a second screening. I have never used it and there are a couple YouTube videos showing this service. I think the negative vibe is a combination of being self inflicted and from those who never visited yet describe it as a shithole after hearing it third hand from their mailman's second cousin's chiropodist. AC has a ton of problems, check out YouTube videos from Wynn on why he left 30 years ago. It is a community of about 37,000 souls with a very high poverty level. The current mayor was recently accused of child abuse along with his wife who is the superintendent of the AC school district; the child is their teenage daughter. If he gets formally indicted, he will join the list of AC Mayors who have this distinction. Unfortunately, the state is addicted to the taxes and fees that are generated and I don't believe AC gets its due. Any guesses on the amount of fees and taxes (I think it's up to 16 now) that have been collected since gambling was legalized in 1978? How about $15 Billion. Yet with that said, I believe that a vast majority of folks on this board who visited AC come away a positive experience. Except for one couple from Indiana who's culinary adventures were limited to pizza, wings and mac & cheese.
You're not exactly inspiring confidence @RobzNtheHood That said.. good luck! Or has the trip passed and the future has already been determined.. like the movie Tenet?
