It's Not A Bender, It's A Lifestyle.

  Counting down, in the wasteland of trip tweener time. Cutting back to three trips a year really creates some Vegas time gaps. April to August, August to Xmas, Xmas to April, rinse, repeat. Honestly I could squeeze in another one every year if I didn't keep having wallet-busting trips. I haven't seen a hand pay since last Xmas. And now I'll be skrimping to get to the needed $5K save for this Xmas, after still having to dig out of the August trip. I'm not too worried, I'm more or less resigned to staying in this (shitty) job until the end of the year now, as if I leave it will be walking away from potentially $5K in bonuses, which I will need to finance the Xmas Vegas. As it is, I will probably only be able to squirrel away a couple grand in the November/December paychecks. Trip after trip, I always make it work somehow someway. The resort is locked at MGM Grand, as my Rewards offers have fallen off. Was 4/$50/$100 now 4/$30/$50. If I rebook I would lose $70 in pac...

The inevitable Xmas Vegas is set. Booked the flight and hotel tonight. Was waiting for a good flight deal and found one for a late flight in on Saturday night the 20th, will arrive at about 10:30p. Wasn't digging the early AF morning flights in, too much trouble waiting around to get into the room. This way I'll have the room ready at arrival, can just print a key and head up, and be settled in for a full 5 day trip. Then it's an out time on the fly out day of around 11a, home by a reasonable time and no waiting around in the room to head to the airport, which I hate. $154 all in for the flights, which is damn good for Xmas week. The room will be an Executive King Suite at the Grand. Newly remodeled, they look a lot brighter and airier that the rather dour old Exec suites. Comped for 4 of the 6 nights, all in after taxes and removed resort fees it's around $180. Adding the extra night means about $100 over the suite I had booked at MB, but it's still a hell of a dea...

Well then. That...could have been better. High and low lights: Flights: Fine. Got to SFO way too early for the in flight, had to wait an hour for TSA to even open, but both flights on time and no issues. Strip: After all the gloom and doom reports I expected to see myself, a couple locals, a busker and a ravenous coyote on the strip, in reality it was a normal, busy weekend. The Monday tailed off a bit on traffic but the media can basically go fuck itself. It's still Vegas. Room/Resort: Bellagio. Nuff said, really. Nice room, same as in April, a little lower floor but still had an oblique fountain view. Quiet, comfortable, well located. Resort boring and crowded as always. Gambling/Rewards: Ass. Lost $2400, all at MGM resorts. Out of a budget of $4K that's not horrible, I guess, but aside from a few 4OAKS I hit nothing all trip. Didn't gamble a penny outside of MGM, maybe I should have, but I stuck to the plan at least. Rewards went pretty well, racked up good bump from gam...

Bed in an hour, Vegas in the morning.  Just dropped a sleeping pill and going to try to get something like 7 hours, then up and out of here way the damn hell early. Boarding by 5a and in Vegas by 7:30a. All is ready. Good room, normal save, some snow, some shrooms, hopefully a little luck and maybe even a little grabass. But probably naw. Bellagio awaits and I'll see all 1.5 of you (per post!) when I get back, if I get back. Peace out bitches.

  I've squawked about it before, but this trip is...THE MGM TRIP. In past years, even when I've been able to scrape into MGM Gold during a year, I still spread a lot of other spend around the strip. This isn't a bad thing necessarily, the strip is a big, great place and I want to be able to enjoy as much of it as I can.  But with "spreading the love around", I also minimize the rewards earning potential. While on most trips the bulk of gambling spend is at MGM resorts (maybe 60 MGM, 40 elsewhere), I do and always have dabbled little bits here and there...a couple hundred at Caesars, a hundred at Venetian, $300 at Fontainebleau. That's getting me nowhere in their programs, and that's all spend that can get me even better rewards at MGM. With the new Iconic card being here, the reformed benefit package from Rewards itself, and just the landscape of Vegas I'm in now, it's time to really double down on the MGM ecosystem, once and for all. The benefits ...

T-minus 9 days to Vegas...plan post, IT'S THE LAW. Have some actual things to do on this trip, though it's mainly food-related. Which is a good thing, as food apparently soaks up alcohol. Or so I've been told. Friday: EARLY wake up call as I have a 5:45 in the motherfucking AM flight. The price I'm paying to have a $39 in flight. No Priority Pass lounges or terminal bars open that early, so I'll just drive in, park, get through security and hang out in the gate area I guess. Maybe get one of the myriad coffees I will need to get through the day. Then assuming all goes well with the flight, it's on the ground around 7:30a, to Bellagio by 8a, drop the bag and head off to find breakfast and a mimosa. Probably at an MGM spot to start the pointsmaxxing early. I will have checked in on the app, so hopefully can be in the room by around 10-11a, dump everything, freshen up, do a bump and head off to start drinking. I have the full first day's spend too so some MGM g...

Discounts and freebies pile for August Vegas thing in 16 days thing thing. -4 nights at Bellagio in a Resort Tower King: $74 all in booking through MGM Rewards with MGM Gold resort fee removal. The room is no longer available to book but last time I was able to see the room it was $1575 rack rate, so let's call it an even $1500 saved. -$259 in RC total from Iconic welcome reward and booking package: $209. -$181 in slot dollars + $50 from the booking package: $231 in Freeplay. Le Grand Total: $1940 less than a filthy, rancid no-MGM-status untermensch. Good! And with the pretty solid airline deals I got ($112 round trip), and not having to park the car this time, my overhead will also be crazy low. Even after long term parking at SFO it's only $200 total. So yeah. Not bad savings, again for a low roller.