Trip Report - MGM Grand, Wedding and lotsa fun 12/03 - 12/08

It%26#39;s a long one so here it comes as replies!

Trip Report - MGM Grand, Wedding and lotsa fun 12/03 - 12/08

The trip started fabulously when we checked in to the Gatwick Hilton ahead of our flight the next morning at 10.45am. I had phoned earlier in the day to try to guarantee a smoke free room due to travelling with my wedding dress. When we arrived, not only was it a non smoking room, but they had upgraded us to a suite! Yowzers – stuff for free! Just ‘cos I’m carrying a fancy dress! The room was lovely and my boyfriend and I spent the evening drinking champers and getting excited about the next day!

We checked in at Twilight check in which was stress free and the next morning sauntered down to departures around an hour before the flight, meeting bridesmaid, mum and her bloke, bro and his g/f and our 2 other friends who were accompanying us – off we go!

Flight was lovely – work colleagues had arranged for champers to be delivered mid flight – we chose to save it for the big day – what a lovely surprise! Landed at 13.0o with no delays.

Our companions trotted off to Circus Circus (for some reason Travel Agents over here really push that place?!?) and we caught a cab to MGM . The lovely desk clerk saw from our paperwork we were getting married and we got a gratis upgrade to a strip view room for the duration – great views over NYNY and we could even see the Bellagio Fountains from a distance! We were unpacked and in the room by 14.30 and the room very clean and were impressed by the decor.

Anyway – Day 1

Unpacked, sauntered round casino stuck $20 in a quarter machine and walked away with $33 – what a nice welcome! We then strolled along the strip all the way to Circus Circus to meet the others. Met at the buffet. We came, we saw, we ate – meh – not impressed and we were all dead tired so we called it an early night and got a cab back to MGM for $19.

Day 2

Preparation day! Casino at 4am because sleeping patterns up the spout - $25 in to penny slots and much flashing of bells and whistles and bonuses.....left with $15. Pah! I was pootling around and saw the front desk and thought I’d get husband to be a present – booked an upgrade to a bungalow suite for the wedding night. Sure I didn’t pay top whack for it – was $139 for the night – does that sound right? I did smile a lot and was squeaking with excitement – maybe he took pity.

Me and h2b go to courthouse to pick up licence – driver announces as we get off bus that that’s where we are going and we get a round of applause – nice!

I had booked the Chapel of the Flowers for the ceremony and we went along with our bridesmaid to check it out. Was sooooo pleased we booked that one. We rode the deuce up to it and as we passed other awful chapels attached to sex shops and looking really ‘My Name Is Earl’ motelly. The Chapel put us at ease and we decided to go shopping. H2B looked up in horror when we said we wanted to hit Fashion Show Mall (because of Bloomingdales – Rachel worked there!!!!!!) he hot footed it (we thought) back to the hotel to play some slots.

Me and BM mosied around the shops getting excited about the exchange rate, did the obligatory McDonalds visit to see if it really does taste the same in every country you go to and then flip flopped down the strip back to MGM. Met bro and his gf in Centrifuge and enjoyed a few beers and watched the dancers, one of which looked like she had learnt her moves from a ‘How to Dance by MC Hammer’ video. Off to bed after this!

Trip Report - MGM Grand, Wedding and lotsa fun 12/03 - 12/08

Day 3 – Wedding Day!

Woke up in cold sweat and got first flight back to London..... Not really. Woke at 4am and knew I wouldn’t get back to sleep so popped down to casino for a while. Sat at a VP machine and pretended to look like I knew what I was doing. Was holding pairs of 6’s for about 5 go’s before I realised it was Jacks or better. D’oh – ‘Hello, I am naive Brit – take my money, all of it!) Got a brandy off the CW (for medicinal purposes) and got a few good hands – walked away $40 up (last of the big spenders, me!)

At 6 am I went to the front desk to see what time we could check into the suite – the lovely, lovely man remembered me from the day before and said ‘It’s all ready for you now! Yipppeee! Schlepped back to the room, 4.3 miles away, sorry, 23rd Floor 243, and they had booked the suite on the same floor. Gawd bless you MGM! I started carrying dress,tiara,shoes,gubbins,nicknacks and pufferies and went to the suite. Wowziewoowoos! I do like a bit of velvet, hell, cover a Big Mac in velvet and I’ll tell you I went for a posh meal – I’m easily pleased. H2B came and had a nosey and gave me a beautiful Tiffany necklace he had picked up BY HIMSELF the day before. Wow – no hints or anything....He then set off to the CC to get ready for the big day. I sat and pontificated; shower, hair, makeup all done by the time my mum and BM turned up. They were more nervous than me so we hit the champers! My brother came over with the vid camera and filmed the whole morning – lovely memories on film. Before I knew it, the limo man was calling the room and I was throwing up down my dress. Again, just kidding. We trooped down and me and my bro waited just inside the lobby. Some girls walked in and said ‘Hey, Congratulations!’ I said ’ Ew, he’s my brother!’ The girl responds with ‘h cool, cos he’s hot,’ and proceeds to chat my bro up. Humph. IT’S MY DAY!!!!!!!! IT’S ALL ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

We get the limo to the chapel, the ceremony is perfect, despite my hand shaking so much I nearly set fire to the minister during the candle lighting. (Incidentally, for footy fans, I was married by Alan Hansen, Minister-he couldn’t work out why I was giggling like a loon when he signed the certificate!)

We all jumped into a huge Presidential Limo and met the photographer outside Bellagio and proceeded to do a 2 hour tour for photos, Bellagio, Mandalay Bay, Vegas sign and Paris where we finished. Being the classy ‘bird’ that I am, we ended up in some sort of sports bar inside the Paris for half hour before dinner – see pic of yours truly in an Alfred Angelo sipping a bud!

Off to a private room in Mon Ami Gabi for dinner consisting of French Onion Soup (so gorgeous and filling no one could eat any of the stuff afterwards!), 10 billion baguettes, crabcakes, steak frites or skate with caper butter then banana fosters crepe or apple crumble, all washed down by copious glasses of champers. By 8.30 we were all knackered!! We wandered over to the Bellagio fountains, me in the dress, husband (!) in his lovely suit with a bottle of champers under his arm and listened to ‘O Holy Night’. Perfect. Back to the suite, took about 3 years to get the dress off and then off to bed. (Not going to do a review of that...:)

Day 4 – The Morning After

Hubby has hangover. Dingus. I hotfoot it down the strip, window shopping, eat a wonderful sandwich at a deli in the Grand Canal Shops and then get a hideous headache from the smell – what is that stuff? It smells like a convention of Grandmothers – all lavendary and baby wipes 

Hubby manages to catch me up and we go downtown back to the chapel to pick our photos. I sit there in floods of tears because they have managed to make me not look like the back end of a bus. Come out $600 down after buying CD and canvas print. Hey Ho! He manages to find a roulette wheel at the Golden something that isn’t a nugget – can’t remember which one, and convinces himself he is James Bond. The little blighter only goes and wins $200 from a $40 in. I promptly snaffle it up and decide to treat us to....Golden Nugget Buffet!!!! Ooh I know how to party – buffet was a bit naff I thought and the service very average – ended up just eating the salad before hitting frozen margheritas for pretty much the rest of the afternoon.

Get royally tipsy floaty and need to have a nap, which I do before we go to see KA. Row J, middle of row – who’s behind us as we sit down? My bro and his GF. What are the odds? Had a 64oz frozen pina colada and spent the show moving between going ‘wow’ at the show and ‘trying not to wet myself. Did NOT think this through. After the show, we hit Zuri for a few cocktails and then bed.

Day 5 – Girls Day Out

Everyone except me and BM trotted off to Grand Canyon (I know, sacrilege – I’ll do it next time, this time I just wanted to enjoy ‘VEGAS’) we hit pretty much every shop in town, and went to the Mirage Lion Habitat. I thought it was really well done – I get a bit high and mighty about zoos but felt that this was done professionally and the animals looked very well looked after.

We walked to the Biggest Gift Shop in the World (liars!) and bought approximately 3 baskets worth of tat, a trolley full of breakable plastic nick nacks and some chip shaped cushions for my cats to sit on. Trotted down to downtown and watched the Fremont Street Experience – will people think I am a heathen if I say it didn’t impress me much (Shout out to Shania). I think this is the one thing in Vegas that is overhyped... I was expecting light bulbs when really it’s effectively a big flat screen TV on the ceiling. A couple of daiquiris got me over the disappointment, as did the $60 I won on nickel slots! Went to Stratosphere full of good intentions to ride the rides, but had a much better ride when we fainted and rolled back down the strip when we saw the cost. ‘Hey, come and go on a ride so high it will make your ears bleed! Wonder if it’s possible to puke at zero gravity? Wanna feel like you are gunna die? Well, we’ll charge you r monthly mortgage payment for the privilege!’ Pffffttttttt – get the deuce down to NYNY and hit the Manhattan Express instead – wwwweeeeeeeeee!

Met up with husband who had taken, let me see, 5BILLION pictures of hole in ground and we went off to Craftsteak for dinner. We had steak. It was like a cuddle on a plate. I’m in love.

Hit the slots. May as well have just walked up to the front desk, given them $100 and said, ‘Take it, I don’t want it.’ Flippin machines. Saw Oscar De La Hoya by the funny TV thing in the floor – didn’t know him from Adam but people were screaming so I took a pic. Can I just point out that MGM airbrush the boxer pictures that appear on room cards. A lot.

Day 6 – Oooh Lovely

Hit the pool and swam around 50 lengths and sunbathed for a while and relaxed, then off to the spa for a facial (remember that $200 I snaffled form hubby downtown? I spent it on apricot stones and shea butter. Hah!)

Feeling thoroughly refreshed I decided that today was strip day. Husband got very excited before I explained I meant walking it, not doing it. Walked down to the lobby and I yell, very loudly, ‘There’s Wayne Rooney!’ Husband kindly points out it is in fact, Ricky Hatton and gets a pic with him. Ricky doesn’t look too happy during photo shoot. Anyway, off outside and visited:

Excalibur – I liked it – was cute. Got a drink from Dicks – what an apt name. Bartender got annoyed when I asked if the bar was named after him.

Planet Hollywood Miracle Mile – Husband: ‘Are we there yet’? Me: ‘No, one more shop’ Repeat x 200. Watch rainstorm. Man, I can stay at home for that.

Bellagio: Glad I shaved my legs today, get the feeling they wouldn’t let you in with erroneous hair. Saw the Christmas display in the conservatory. Reindeers made of pecans! Snowmen made of flowers! Easily one of our favourite places. Smooched around the shops. Bought Bellagio Christmas bauble just so I could get the Bellagio branded bag and look posh. (No one will ever guess!!!)

Caesars Palace: Liked it – felt very spacious (no, really?) and hubby had fun copying all the statues.

TI : Booked our tickets for Mystere but found it very claustrophobic in there. Watched the sirens. I’ve seen sexier sirens on the top of cop cars.

Wynn: Yowzers. I want one. Steve, if you are reading this, has anyone ever told you what an attractive man you are? I can but dream of staying here but I loved the calmness, decor. Security was chucking out a guy dressed in shorts and his own barf which was an added bonus sideshow.

Met everyone up at Peppermills for dinner. This was quite possibly the best meal of the trip. Had a burger which was the best I’ve ever tasted. (I’m from Surrey, I don’t get out much) We had a fab ‘last supper’ before we took off to Mystere. I thought it was great, although the ‘aaaiiiioooooeoeooouuuyyyyyyyeeaaa’ vowelly singing got to me after a while. Guy next to me was filming it and sniffing. I said I didn’t think it was allowed and he just smirked at me. I accidentally spilt some drink in his lap. Karma. We walk back down the strip, watching the fountains dance coquettishly to Santa baby then hot the sack.

Or %26#39;hit%26#39; the sack even. We%26#39;re married now, sack doesn%26#39;t get hot......

Day 7 – List

This day goes like this:

9am Wake up, MGM Breakfast buffet (man people like eggs! – talk about scrum round the omelette station!) I thought buffet was very good and certainly got my money’s worth.

10am – Literally can’t move due to getting money’s worth at buffet.

11am – still not movin....

12pm – 5pm Over to Bills and gambled, gambled, gambled on the slots. I really liked Bills – had a cosy feel to it and we went to the coffee shop for a snack of salad with blue cheese sauce. Om Nom Nom Nom! Went in with $200 between us, came out with...wait for it....$200.13!!! WOOOOOOOO, we brought Vegas to its knees!!!

Hit the shops for souvenirs and just mosied back and forth up the strip trying to take it all in before we left. I got quite emotional as it was the most fantastic week of my life. We just grabbed a massive ice cream form Haagen Daz in the MGM food court and went back to the room, sat on the windowsill watching fountains and wedding video.

The next day we got up bright and early and checked out fairly early. Sat and played slots, $50 in on one of those 777 machines I usually hate - about $13 in it starts going bonkers and I walk away from Vegas with a healthy $267. Ta very muchly! Off to McCarran with a very nice taxi driver, sucker it up at the airport slots as the only slots over here are in kebab shops and have 1 line win and not 1000’s like Vegas. Off we fly home, happily married, and Vegas addicts. (Booked 12/21 and 12/28 2009 this week). Until the next time you lovely city!

Congratulations! Thanks for sharing your wedding trip with us. Any plans to go back soon?

Really enjoyed your TR and congrats on your marriage. May y%26#39;all have many happy years and fun trips to Vegas!

Congratulations!! I am so happy that you had a great week. My wife and I got married at Mandalay Bay in October and ours was perfect also (only downside was that we went for 3 days)

Like you, we are now addicted and I am secretly planning a week trip for our first anniversary.

Congratulations!! I am so happy that you had a great week. My wife and I got married at Mandalay Bay in October and ours was perfect also (only downside was that we went for 3 days)

Like you, we are now addicted and I am secretly planning a week trip for our first anniversary.

Great trip report. I loved reading it. Congratulations on your wonderful wedding!

vegasnicsteve,

I am literally LMAO!

I wish I could have been a ';fly on the wall'; as we say in the south and seen it ALL!

Sounds like this was just way too much for any new couple to have!

Congrats!