Sun, 4 May 2008: Set the alarm to wake early as I was getting later and later. Hubby packed for our move to the Palazzo. Neither of us hungry so went to Burger King at the back of O'Shea's for something light. Gambled there and lost, hubby broke even.
Bought a phone card from the machine in O'Shea's for $5, called the UK and the message said we had 12 mins so good value compared with £1.10/min from the mobile.
Back to the IP and gambled. Checked our comps and they were a lot less with Harrah's than we used to get when the IP was independent. Back to the room, hubby went to the pool and I went on the internet. Had a late check out till 12.
There was a fair sized queue for taxis, but no taxis available. Finally got one after about 15 mins. Fare to Palazzo was $8.30 plus tip.
Check in at the Palazzo was a zoo with people checking in and checking out in the same scrum. There were members of staff directing people to the desk, but it didn't look good for a 5* hotel. We were seen within about 10-15 mins. We had booked a Deluxe Suite and were offered one or two beds. The 2 bed one is a Bella Suite and is normally an extra $30 a night, but we only wanted a 1 bed. The girl offered us a complimentary upgrade to a strip view room which was ready, but it was non-smoking so we declined. We were told it would be 1-3 hours until our suite was ready and they took my mobile number so they could call when it was ready. Checked our bags with the bell boy who was in the check in area. He said our bags would be delivered to the room.
Gambled on Goldfish for a while and eventually lost, but cocktail service was good. Connected to the free internet access in the lobby and surfed for a while. Went to check in and got blank keys so we could access the pool which is on the 3rd floor. The pool area is beautiful and in front of the hotel. It was very windy there so not sure if that is due to the location as it wasn't forecast to be windy.
The Palazzo is 50 floors high and along with the Venetian makes up the largest hotel resort in the world with 7000 rooms.
Sat at the pool till 3.30 then went back to check in. The room still wasn't ready after 3 hours. Expressed our disappointment and went back to the casino to sit it out. So far the impression of the Palazzo isn't a good one. Back to check in at 4.15, asked the clerk to call housekeeping for an update. It was obvious from the call that the room we had been assigned was already occupied. The call to say the room was ready was never going to happen. Asked to see a manager and waited almost 10 mins for one to appear. He said we could have a Hospitality Suite on the 3rd floor with a bed that pulled down from the wall. He said a request for a smoking room was only a request and was not guaranteed. Fair enough, but you'd think there would be at least one available after 4 hours considering the hotel has 3000 rooms. We refused this as, even though it was a bigger suite, a lower floor seemed like a downgrade after waiting 4 hours. We finally agreed to accept a non-smoking room as we had tickets to a show which we were going to miss at this rate and were allocated Room 808 on the 49th floor which was a Fortuna Suite at 940 sq ft and bigger than their standard suite at 720 sq ft. They didn't even offer to comp us anything which I expect is because the room was pre-paid via Priceline, but I suppose the upgraded suite was a comp. There was another guy in the same situation, waiting for a smoking room, and he cancelled his booking and went to the Wynn.
Got to the suite and WOW! It was huge! Much bigger than the standard Venetian suite. The L-shaped seating area converts into a bed, there was a dining table and chairs, another small sitting area and coffee table, the bedroom was round a corner and there was a desk complete with printer/fax machine and a walk in wardrobe. The bathroom was huge with his and hers sinks, deep bath, separate shower and toilet. Nice toiletries and 2 robes and slippers. There were 3 flat screen TV's including one in the bathroom. The one in the bathroom is in a stupid place as you can only watch it while standing at the sinks and not from the bath. Electrically operated curtains and blinds. Minus points were that one of the bedside lights didn't work and the mini bar was missing. The bell boy arrived within 20 mins and said that floors 48-50 had just opened and we were probably the first people to stay in the suite. There was also no ice machine on our floor as it hadn't been installed yet. There wasn't a spare socket near the desk for the laptop so we had to unplug the printer or the light. The shower pressure was really weak, but the bath sheet was massive and very soft.
Stop Press! The famous 99c shrimp cocktail at the Golden Gate downtown has today been doubled in price to $1.99. It was first introduced in 1959 at 50c and went up to 99c 17 years ago.
We quickly got ready for the Jersey Boys show at 7. It was a good show and the sound was excellent. It lasted 2h 10m with an 8 min break. It was quite a big theatre and was almost at capacity. The tickets for mezzanine level were $70.70 each inc $8 service charge.
Went to The Buffet at TI and it wasn't great, $56 inc tax for 2 and it wasn't worth it. The prime rib was a bit tough, and I just didn't think much of the selection. It's the first time we've been, but we won't be back. Headed back to the Palazzo via the Venetian, but didn't feel inclined to donate any more money to them. The hassle with the room has really put a dampner on the day and what was supposed to be the highlight of the trip has been a horrible experience. We feel we have been treated abysmally and instead of going the extra mile to accommodate us as guests they have instead treated us with disdain and a couldn't care less attitude.
I wouldn't know where to start. If ever I go to Vegas I'm going with Luci 
)
Have to admit that I meant I wear them on the flight and it stopped me from having heaps of shoes on holiday- some for the begiinning and some for when my feet were back to normal. It doesn't seem to work for you though.
