Flamingo July 19-22

TL/DR: Stayed at Flamingo – better than expected, completed quest for rewards, visited a total of 17 casinos, walked 33 miles, fed sea turtles, didn’t hit any big wins but I didn’t go home broke, can’t wait to go back!

Flight from Austin was delayed due to weather event in Las Vegas – what? They have weather there? I thought it was just hot and sunny all the time. Apparently it rains once in a while too. A bit of a bummer since we were so excited to be on our way, but no big deal, we eventually got going and it was smooth sailing, rather, flying from there
.

We used online check in before we even arrived at the airport, and once we got to the hotel used the kiosk to retrieve keys. We were offered an upgrade for $5 per night, same room type but higher floor with a view. Since the room was comped we said yes to the upgrade. First win for the trip - did not stand in line to check in and we were able to go to our room right away!


First stop rewards desk to get Total Rewards card. As a new member I was offered free play or two free drinks. Took the drinks since I heard the drink service at the Flamingo isn’t great (can confirm - it's not great).

Walked around the casino floor played a few slots then headed over to Harrah’s to catch Happy Hour at the Oyster Bar.



After a few drinks headed to Casino Royale - nothing to write home about. Hit the LINQ to get our badges.

Did a little suvenior shopping . Went back to the room briefly and then then walked over to the Aria. Used myVegas 2 for 1 coupon for the buffet, then used mLife points to pay the balance and the drink package. Glad I didn’t have to use cash for this buffet as I was really not that impressed at all. Nothing to complain about, I guess my expectations were too high.

Walked through the Cosmo - WOW its gorgeous.

On the way back to the Flaming stopped off to CVS for some supplies. Prior to the trip I redeemed some old Amex points for CVS gift cards, so we didn’t need to spend any of our bankroll J

Played some more slots at Flamingo before heading to bed.

Thursday…Up super early since I couldn’t contain my excitement. Got some Starbucks and went to look at the flamingos.


Went to the Cromwell to get our badges, ended up with a nice win at a Leprechaun slot. Great drink service here. Really like this look and vibe of this casino.

Next we headed over to Mon Ami Gabi. Sis had the French toast and I had the ham and cheese crepe. OMG this was the most delicious breakfast I have ever eaten. It was completely decadent I can’t rave about it enough. I LOVED IT; will return.


After breakfast we played slots at Paris and Planet Hollywood (gotta get those badges)

Caesar’s Place was next. We went to the shops and got our frozen drinks at Fat Tuesdays. All the walking was really starting to get to us. Took lots of breaks and did some people watching. Went to the Brighton store – Sis got herself a birthday present.


Went back to the room to rest a bit.

Walked over to the Shops at Crystals…had a 4:30 appointment to see James Turrell’s exhibit "Akhob" inside the Louis Vuitton store. Let's just say it was a VERY unique experience.

Ended the day with dinner at Bacchanal Buffet at Caesar's



more to come.....

 

Nice start! And 33 miles wow!

And how much FP did they offer for a new member? $10?

I hit the bartops at Flamingo for drinks, so I would have taken the FP myself. But you're right, service at Flamingo is usually horrid.

 

Sounds like a nice trip!
Curious though...never been a TR member and for a first timer you chose Flamingo?
Was it just the cheapest of all strip hotels?

 

@tringlomane yes I think it was $10 in FP

@TIMSPEED My sister/travel companion played at a TR property in Baltimore earlier this year and became a TR member. For her birthday she received an offer from TR for 3 nights free at Flamingo, Bally's Harrah's or Rio. We chose Flamingo based on internet reviews and the fact that our mom's favorite animal happens to be a flamingo. Silly I know, but it worked out really well. The room was lovely, the location of the hotel couldn't be beat.The casino itself wasn't great, but we didn't spend too much time there so it didn't bother us too much.

 

Great start!
Thanks for sharing the tale of your adventures in and around the pink bird!

RICHARD

 

You're going to all of my favorite places! We want more....!

 

That is a sweet bracelet. Nice memento!
Hope to see more of your trip...

 

I like your map checklist!

 

Friday – we decided to take our time getting the day started and yet we still ended up heading out before 8AM! Too excited I guess. We were on the fence about heading over to Rio, but since we were so close to finishing our TR Quest for Rewards we decided we should head that direction.

First we walked over to Bellagio, and sadly we were not impressed by the conservatory. I know that they change the display seasonally, so I am hopeful that on my next visit it will not be as tacky as the current set up.

From Bellagio walked over to Caesar’s then caught a cab to Rio. I found it strange that the cab driver wasn’t wearing his seat belt yet he drove very aggressively – death wish perhaps? Anyway, my poor Sis started to feel car sick, but I quickly came to the rescue with Quease Ease – it is an aromatic inhaler that magically provides relief from nausea. I never travel without it – it really is amazing.

Walked around Rio and got our badges. Was surprised to see so many dogs! I have two fur babies but I can’t travel with them - they’re too rambunctious.

The mobile TR app had a 20% off coupon for Hash House a Go Go. So we stopped there for late breakfast. Sis had the corned beef and I had the chorizo.

The food was tasty and what’s funny is that while Sis enjoyed her corned beef hash she was slightly disappointed that it was “real” corned beef and not the stuff from a can! We both had bloody marys – which were good but nowhere near as good as the one I had at Mon Ami.



After walking around to explore more of Rio we caught a taxi over to Mandalay Bay. Had a 11:45 appointment to feed the sea turtles at the Shark Reef Aquarium. My sis is a turtle lover. She has 3 tortoises, and two turtles as pets and countless turtle shaped knick-knacks and assorted home décor. She REALLY likes turtles. So being the good sister that I am, I signed us up for the most awesome birthday gift a turtle lover could ask for…as least a turtle lover who happened to be in Vegas for their birthday.

For $80 you get a “behind the scenes” tour of the aquarium and you get to feed the 3 sea turtles in residence, as well as admission to the aquarium. Considering the price of the ticket just to get into the aquarium is $25 I felt that $80 for a private tour and feeding experience was a reasonable deal. And honestly, it was worth even more to me because my sis was so happy that she CRIED! She had never been that close to a sea turtle before – it was really a special experience.

In case you’re wondering we fed them bok choy and bell peppers.

After feeding the turtles we got to walk around the top of the shark tank. It was really cool to be on top of the exhibit and see the sharks/fish up close with no glass in between us.


Next up: find Fat Tuesday’s to refill our giant cups! We sat on a bench not far from Fat Tuesdays when sis says look up –we are in the Luxor. Low and behold we were inside the pyramid – we didn’t even plan on visiting this casino we just kinda stumbled upon it. Then we proceeded to the Excalibur where we discovered the fun dungeon which is an old school arcade, as in they still use quarters, and dispense actual tickets.

My sister was in heaven. She is a big fan of these types of places.

I took a look at the prizes available and I asked her what she was gonna do with all those tickets. She said she would get a doll and give it away to a little girl. So she picks out this Elsa doll (from Frozen) and we approach a woman and her daughter. After getting permission from the mom, sis gives the doll to the child, who starts beaming, grinning from ear to ear. Then her mom tells us that her kid’s name is Elsa – well that just started sis CRYING again! I kept telling her there’s no crying in Vegas.

Finally headed over to NYNY. Went to the mLife desk to obtain my $35 food credit that I got from playing myVegas. There was a long line but I did my happy dance very discreetly since I knew I was gonna get to skip everyone waiting because of my Gold mLife card. For months I have been using my rewards credit card for every single purchase just so I could get GOLD with mLife. Finally get to reap the benefits. Ah….It’s the little things in life….

Had a lovely meal at Nine Fine Irishmen along with a few pints.


Next stop - another arcade…..this one didn’t have tickets, but rather an electronic card system to keep track of your points.

Not as fun as tickets, but it did have CLAW machines…..



The prizes here were better than the Fun Dungeon. Sis got some stuffed bears that had a NYNY logo so they made good souvenirs to bring home to the kids.

 

Looks like a fun day with the sis!!! I always like to stop off at Nine Fine Irishmen and hoist a couple of pints too. Nice trip report.

 

Wow that's a pretty big arcade haul! Hopefully you'll hit a "monster jackpot" for real money before you finish!

And the turtles and the Elsa story. Some nice memories outside of gambling there. Looks like you're having a great time!

 

Nice going so far! This may be the first TR I've seen w/turtle feeding.

 

Did you need another suitcase for the stuffed animals???

 

We always head to the Margaritaville casino part of the Flamingo since the drink service is much better there. Totally agree on Mon Ami. We ate there for the first time last Septomber and have been there twice since.

Mark