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First, and most importantly, I've learned that the amount of fun you have while in Vegas is directly proportional to the amount of money you have to spend. Last year our trip budget was rather slim, mostly because we didn't know what to expect and left out a few key components of our budget. We were also completely and utterly exhausted at the end of each day so we didn't even feel up to going out if we had the money to do so. This year I was able to better budget for the trip, so running out of money wasn't an issue like last year. The one thing I really wanted to do--Madame Tussuad's--ended up working out really well because I found a BOGO coupon in the little info book in our hotel room. Plus, we got a $10 off coupon with our ticket purchase there for Planet Hollywood, which was one place I really wanted to eat while out there. They have chicken fingers that are out of this world, and I haven't been able to have them in over 12 years, since the location in Nashville closed.
We also learned late in the week last year about the free shuttle buses to and from the hotel and show. We had walked over the first two days, and back on the first day, then took cabs until the last day of the show, when we discovered the shuttles. Using the shuttles from day one saved us a TON of energy and money, as well. For the times we did use a cab to go out at night we knew how much they'd cost, whereas last year we had no idea and I totally forgot to budget for them at all.
New at the show this year was the "swag room" where buyers got to go and get one "free gift" per day. this allowed me to get a coffee mug--my souvenir of choice--for free! The second day I went in I scored two free tickets to the Titanic exhibit, which I had also wanted to see but wasn't really willing to pay for, so we got to go see that on Thursday night for just the price of the cab, saving another $80!! I loved seeing the new artifacts they had, including the large hull section, and Kirby really enjoyed the exhibit despite his ambivalence about going in the first place. I knew he'd end up liking it, but of course he can't trust my opinion!! :)
Now on to the food!! Monday night we ate Mexican at Circus Circus with Tommy, and it was good, but none of the wait staff spoke English and all of our food was wrong. Tuesday night we were going to Madame Tussuad's so I looked up places in the Venetian and found Otto, Mario Batali's Italian place in the Canal Shops. We had been through some of the Venetian last year, but somehow managed to completely miss this area of the hotel, and we were completely blow away with how cool it was! It was like being outside, in the middle of the day, on the streets of Italy! Totally eerie how it made you feel like it was daytime when it was 9:00 at night! We ate on the "patio" area of the restaurant and it totally screwed with our internal clocks feeling like it was the afternoon when it was late at night! The food was good, and reasonably priced for having a "celebrity chef" but it wasn't anything special either. The prosciutto and fig bruschetta was to die for, though.
Wednesday night we stayed in and ordered room service and watched the hockey game in the sports book. We decided to watch the game and have a rest night, since it's virtually impossible to go around the clock at the show and go out every night and not want to die! Thursday night we went to Luxor for the Titanic Exhibit, then back up to the Forum Shops at Ceasar's Palace to eat at Planet Hollywood. The chicken fingers were as delicious as I remembered them being!
Friday I had tickets to see Ron White as a surprise for Kirby and Tommy and the show was at the Mirage. I had originally decided to take everyone out to Delmonico's for dinner on Friday, but it was at a different hotel. So, after I bought the tickets I looked for places at the Mirage and found Samba, a Brazilian steakhouse where you get all you can eat meat and sides. Some of the meat was tasty, but most of it I wouldn't eat, but the sides were killer. It had been a long time since I'd had good fried plantains! The sangria was also the best I'd ever had. Everyone else really enjoyed the meats and the dinner was a huge hit!
Ron White was hilarious, as usual, and the show featured alot of new material, so that was good considering I had seen him before a few years ago. I had planned to pack up Friday night when we got back to the room, but I was so tired I just crashed right away. We got up Saturday morning, packed our things and headed to the airport. The trip back took about 7 hours since we had to connect through LAX again. I took some Dramamine because I'd been a little nauseous and that knocked me on my ass the whole way home. I was still so tired and groggy last night that I went straight to bed and slept for ten hours!
The show itself was noticeably smaller this year both in terms of exhibitors and attendees. The effects of the economy were clearly visible, particularly when you had vendors offering products at half the price of last year! There were a few cool new features like the truck stunt course sponsored by Ford and the "taxi" rides in high-end cars put on by Top Gear on the History Channel, but there were also considerably fewer celebrity appearances this year, as well. The upside to that being there was more time to check out the show rather than stand in line to meet people. We did get to meet a few really cool celebrities like R. Lee Ermey and Richard Petty, though.
We also had a better idea of how to "attack" the show, so to speak, and had a much better system for getting through it and not missing anything we needed to see. Knowing our way around was a major improvement over last year, too! That place is huge and spread out, with no clear logic as to how it's laid out, so at least knowing where the North, South and Central Halls were in relation to everything else, and how to navigate between them, saved a TON of time! We also understood the number system that allows you to use the maps. Without understanding the number system, the maps are totally useless!
Another thing we learned last year was that by the end of the week you really need a massage. Last year we had gotten one at the hotel spa, but they raised their prices this year beyond what I thought was reasonable. In looking online for another option I found a company that will come to your room and the price was great. We both agreed that it was the best massage we had ever had, and it was so nice and convenient to have them come to the room. I went first so Kirby could stay at the show longer, then when he was getting his I took a nap. Very refreshing! We were also able to get 90 minutes each for about the same price as two 50 minute massages in the hotel spa.
Since we had a party of five people, we reserved a limo for transport to and from the airport. It didn't cost much more than five shuttle tickets would have, we had our own vehicle and didn't have to make a bunch of stops at other hotels. That was also well worth the money. It was my first time in a limo, and it was cool, but nothing spectacular. Just convenient for the trip.
We learned alot more this year, and are already looking forward to next year. It's always nice to pick up a few more "tricks" to make the next trip easier and better. I'm sure glad to be home, though! A full week away in a hotel can start to get pretty boring, no matter what you are doing!
