OK here is my Trip report so far
Travelled up to Gatwick via train the day before the flight
Stayed in the Oakhurst guest house....brilliant service...free pick ups and excellent breakfast so if anyone wants details let me know.
Anyone wanting a TR on gambling.....forget it....we dont gamble we go to Vegas for the sun and the sights....so here we go

Day 1
Well got here after a pretty uneventful but never ending flight.
Backseat entertainment was fine as was the service throughout the flight....I really dont know what people find to maoan about Virgin.
Immigation took about 20 mins....our bags were on the carousel so we were quickly outside and into a cab....Taxi fare came to $16.40 to the Imperial Palace
No one was waiting at check in so again it was smooth sailing for us,we'd made our reservation through a casino host and fair play Bob did us proud with a lovely poolside room on the 8th floor.
We dumped our bags freshened up a bit and went back down to the bar for a long awaited drink....ooooops no draught at the bar ...never mind we settled for a couple of bottles of Miller instead.
After a few more we wandered down to the little supermarket in the avenue of shops and stocked up on some water and mixers to go with those 2x1l bottles of Absolute Vodka I'd bought on the plane.
Then it was back up to the room for 40 winks before hitting the strip.
Well the 40 winks turned into no winks for me so I read my book while Alan snored his head off next to me.....I'm useless after long haul takes be days to get into a proper eating/sleeping pattern.

Then we freashened up,changed and went downstairs....neither of us was particularly hungry so we just had a burger and fries to keep us going.I was still pretty tired having not slept much the night before and not at all on the plane or up in the room so we decided we wouldn't walk far.
Stopped off for one in O'Sheas had a little walk around the Flamingo gardens then just caught the end of Fat Elvis in Bills.Beer was only $2 on the spin the wheel offer so we settled in the lounge bar for a few.
Kareoke was just starting up and that guy Igor who was on Americas Got Talent was there.
We had a few more and were joined by a nice couple from Texas.Stayed for a couple more then went over to Carnival court to watch the Crashers had a few more beers then decided enough was enough so we finished off the night back in our room and then it was off to bed.

Day 2

Started off the day with a IP special breakfast from the Burger place as neither of us could be arsed to go far....was ok but don't think we'll have another.
Went for a little walk up to the venecian then came back to spend the morning by the pool.
who ever said it was going to be in the 80's temp wise was seriously mistaken ...today was 97....I love the sun and all I could stand was 3 hours tops my god it was hot...so we returned to our room to freshen up a little and then went for a walk to see some sights and take a few pics and do a little shopping.
called in o'sheas on the way back for a well earned drink then back to the room to dump our purchases.
By now it was 3.30pm and time to make our way to Bills for the forum meet.We were a bit early and the lounge was full with Big Elvis being on...
walked round for a bit then spotted Rich (Funkyfin)and Claire....introduced ourselves and then set out to look for the others..
Spotted pebblesmax(Elaine) as we had a meet in Benidorm earlier in the year and then Luci arrived.we all started chatting and then Luci had to go as she had to get ready for Cher that evening the rest of us then made our way over to the sports bar lounge for Big Elvis's next set.....got seats in the front....not a huge Elvis fan myself but the guy does have a good voice and he was entertaining enough I suppose
stayed till the end of his set then we all said our goodbyes
We went back to the hotel for a little siesta.
We decided to do a few lounge bars later on but made our way to the Venician to the noodle place....
Al had Dim Sum and I had Mu Shu.....it was ok but nothing special....
there seemed like a good group on in the lounge bar so we stayed there for a few drinks then moved on to the Mirage.
Had a couple more drinks in the lounge at the Mirage then made our way to Harrah's.
Piano bar was full but had one there and then went to Carnival court to watch the Crashers again....
I never get tired of this band I think they are brill.Stayed for a pitcher or 2 by now I'm starting to feel it so we decided to call it a night and went back to the IP for a nightcap around midnight.

Day 3

Up early today...6.30am...Al couldn't sleep and he's about as quiet as a warthog so got some of my TR done before heading up to the Fashion show mall.Plan was to get a show for the evening from the Tix booth....really dissapointed as we wanted either La Reve(they only had splash zone)Chris Angel (marked up unavailable on the board) or Carrot Top which for some reason had closed across it....didn't fancy anything else so we left it
went up to the food hall for a spot of brekkie then we hit the shops.Finished shopping around lunchtime so we called into TI for a couple of beers.By now it's steaming hot so wemade our way back to the IP to dump our shopping.....freshened up a bit so went down to the casino floor to watch the dealertainers singing here's the Freddie Mercury Guy
then on to O'sheas for a couple of drinks.
TV was on and the weather girl said it was 98 degrees outside....sod that for a game of soldiers so it's back to the IP and a dip in the pool.
we could only stick it for about 2 hours it was mega hot......spent most of that time in the pool....Al and I love to spend time lounging around the pool but even for us it was way to hot.....back to the room for a siesta me thinks.
After a wee kip we showered and changed and made our way to Ellis Island for our evening meal....god that place is cheap $2.50 for a vodka and coke and $1.50 for a large glass of beer.
we both had the rib eye steak special just $6.99 brilliant price and it was really nice. the whole bill came to just over $20 with drinks.
went into Bills for one on the way back and then on to O'Sheas to watch the band there Greedy Gretchen...they were ok so we stayed for one set
then off to the Carnival Court to watch the Crashers again...when they finished around 12.30am we moved to the Piano bar stayed for about half an hour then went back to our room for a nightcap.

Day 4

He's done it again.....woken me up at 6.45am ....why can't men be quiet for gods sake.....I've had about 4 hours sleep and I'm ratty as hell.
So it's off to breakfast we go then down to O'Sheas to the Tix place to look for an afternoon show...plumped for Mac King at Harrah's then it's back to the pool to chill for a bit.Got our lunch poolside then it was up to the room to freshen up before the show.
I must admit I didn't think we were going to like it at first but he turned out to be both clever and funny....I would certainly recommend this show to anyone....great value for money
decided to go for a little siesta after as we'd been up so bloody early thanks to someone we know
ok where to go for evening meal???? we wandered over to the forum shops and ended up in Planet Hollywood....well may as well use those $5 off coupons.....I had the salmon and Al had a steak....then we shared an icecream sundae....well I ate most of it.
Called into O'sheas and watched the band there for a drink or two then wandered into Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville for a bit of a dance then down to Bills again to watch the band in the lounge there....so cheap to drink there we stayed for the rest of the night

Day 5

Oh Joy!!!!!A lie in this morning till 7am....he's spoiling me.Denny's for breakfast....we were told it was an hour wait to be seated

buggared if I'm waiting that long so made a huge mistake and went to Mc d's for brekkie...it was disgusting and I threw most of it in the bin....Al has a cast iron stomach so he ate all his.
Then down to Bills to get show tickets......Plumped for Love as it was the only Cirque show on the list waited an hour to get served for our tickets but at least it's in the shade there unlike the one by the M&M store or the Fashion Show Mall.
then it was off to Mirage to exchange our Tix tickets for show tickets.....got K section row 7 seat 8 and 9 which we were told by the guy in the box office were good seats.Had a drink at the bar seing as we were walking past....you know....as you do....then back to the IP to go online and check on the girls at home.....picked up lunch from Subway on the way back to take to the pool with us
Off to the pool for the last time at the IP for us....stuck it in the sweltering 98 degree temp for all of 2 hours...
I'm a pool person usually but not at these temperatures....so bumbled over to carnival court for a well earned jug of beer for 2 and a bit of a dance.....well why not we are on holiday and the poolside DJ at the IP was playing rap which we both hate with a passion.
Then it was back to the room for a wee siesta......which turned out to be a bit longer than planned but left us just enough time to get ready for dinner.....we opted for Flavours Buffet at Harrahs as we has coupons and suprisingly the line wasn't to long so we were all finished and suitably stuffed by 8pm plenty of time to get over to Mirage....
had a little wander round Harrahs for a bit then over to the Mirage to see Love.There was a fair sized queue by the time we got there and it was only 8.45pm but we were seated by 9pm and really pleased with our seats as they were right next to one of the walkways the performers use to enter the stage....
OMG!!!! what a show....I thought it would be good but it was absolutely amazing....worth every penny...
Off to Bill's for a few drinky poos next and watch the band there then into O'Sheas to watch a bit of Greedy Gretchen and finished off the night at Carnival Court.....got in about 3am absolutely knackered.

Day 5

Our last day at this end of the strip.......
Spent a lazy day round the pool in the morning.Siesta early then back to the pool,up to change out for dinner at Panda express then did the rounds...Carnival court/Bills/O'Sheas
Not much to report for this day

DAY 6

Moving day and Al excelled himself once again by getting me up at 8am after just 5 hours sleep....at this rate I'm going to need a week off just to catch up on my sleeep.
Packed all our stuff and left it in the room while we went for breakfast.....Bill's Victorian Cafe....thank god for money off coupons..... then after breakfast back to the IP to check out ....taxi over to MGM was reasonable ....only $7.20.....
Checked in at MGM but room not available yet we had a 40 min wait so had a drink at the crazy horse bar.
Rang on house phone to check our room number and we were on 18th floor room 427
.....lovely room with 2 queen beds and a sort of strip view could see Mandalay Bay,Excalibur and Tropicana...
Hotel is not bad but it's mega huge and one hell of a trek to the pool......stopped at the farmers market on the way back for a bite to eat...It's taken us the best part of the morning to get our bearings
decided to take a walk up to Tix4tonight to see what they had up on the board......yet again no Cirque shows....had a drink in the Hawiian market then back to the hotel for a siesta..
I think this hotel is far noisier than the IP they had a dj on poolside right below us in the IP and yet when you shut the balcony door you couldn't hear a thing....
we could hear every plane taking off from our room in the MGM and we could hear our neighbours through the walls,plus the windows were filthy so you couldn't rally take clear pics from the window....
anyway siesta interupted by planes taking off.....
suppose thats the drawback of having a room facing the airport......thanks a lot...MGM....
so much for me saying it's our first time here could we have a nice strip view room...
No I didn't do the $20 trick as I didn't want a west wing room and I thought that's what i would get if I tried it,there you go.....we are here now so we'll just try and make the best of it but so far Al's not impressed and I'm beginning to regret not booking the excalibur or the luxor....
Anyway time to catch up on writing my TR...not done it for a few days and I'll forget bits if I dont do it soon.....
ok where to go for dinner.....neither of us particularly hungry so we op to go to the food hall near the M&M shop..
We plumped for Panda Express....cant go wrong and brill value for money....off to Planet Hollywood now and a walk round the Miracle mile....well not all the way round as my feet are killing me....
so it's off down to the Hawiian Marketplace for a drink and to watch the kareoke for a bit
then we moved onto NY NY
and watched the Irish Band in Nine Fine Irishmen.and had a couple of drinks...then it's off to the Excalibur...got given VIP passes for Coyote Ugly...place was heaving and the queue at the bar was about 4 deep......so we moved on to Dicks....love this place and the band are really good......
there was a group of gay lads in there dancing with some girls on a hen party......they were hilarious....very entertaining boys whoever they were...
Stayed for a couple of hours then made our way back to the MGM
and off to beddy byes..

Day 7

Up at the crack of bloody dawn again 7am....thanks Al,,,,it's a pain in the arse being married to someone who doesn't need the obligitory 8 hours kip...it's not so bad at home but on holidays where ever we are we go to bed much later but he's still up with the bloody lark every morning....
OMG !!! I've got a blister on my foot christ knows how I've worn all my shoes before with no problems.....I just can't have a blister in Vegas....Dilemma...shall I burst it???
Better get ready anyway so I try to forget my personal agony
Off to the LV outlet today so it's down to the Deuce stand to buy our tickets...bit peckish so went up to the food hall to get some breakfast....bad mistake...got a Wendy's for 2 yeuch !! I wasted more than half of mine...utterly disgusting Al ate his but as've said b4....cast iron stomach....
I felt quite ill even afterthe little amount I ate...
Caught the Deuce outside the Excalibur and got there just before opening time.....Had afew things I wanted to get but unfortunately I wasn't particularly lucky as they either didn't have the style I wanted or not the right size.....
got 2 nice Fossil watches for the girls for Xmas....think they'll be pleased
came cack bout 12 ish deuce and stopped for a subway at the food hall.....then back to the room to have a quick chat with the girls...good news my eldest has finally got a house.....whoop whoop she'll be moving out once it all goes through end of July beg of Aug.....
made our way 2 the pool for a couple of hours ..
had a few swims round the lazy river then off to siesta.......
got up showered,changed and off back down to catch the deuce downtown,,,,,may as well make use of those tickets...
got there as the Freemont show was just ending so decided to kill time till the next show by going for something to eat....went to the Bay City Diner and Al and I got the prime rib special which was surprisingly nice and really good value at $7.99
Dining over we decided to explore a few casinos....not a patch on the ones on the strip are they....very dated I thought....got ourselves a couple of drinks from one of the street vendors then watchedd the band performing on the stage in the centre.
Saw one of those russian gymnast/strongmen performing on the other stage a bit further up....Vladimir.....phenominal strenghth and grace on these russian performers ...no wonder Cirque have so many of them in their line up...great performance from Vladimir on 2 balancing poles....
Then the Freemont show started up again.....Kiss....not my cup of tea as a band but great show all the same...
.had a few more drinks and a wander round the shops etc...then caught the deuce back to the strip....took forever because of the roadworks at the top(north end)
Got off at the Excalibur and went in to The Lounge to watch the act there....not bad ... then on to Dicks for an hour and back to MGM for a nightcap....my feet are bloody killing me and despite those blister plasters that cost an arm and a leg at Walgreens I'l still in agony

Day 8

whoop de do....a lie in till 8am....I now have another blister on my heel....I think that's down to me walking at an angle trying not to put pressure on the one I have on the ball of my foot......soak my feet in the bath for a bit...dry them and slap on 2 new blister plasters then off we go

off to xcheck out the Tix place....still no Cirque shows Ka is on Vacation...of all the luck...we could have had it last week but chose to wait as we were moving to the MGM anyway...Mystere was on vacation last week when we were up the top end....luck of the gods eh!!! havent got a hope in hell of getting 'O' so if ther is nothing up 2 morrow we'll do La Reve or Zumanity
Called in the LA Salsa place for their special $3,99 breakfast...brilliant value for money,,,did a spot of shopping and then off to the pool for a couple of hours....these pools at the MGM are like bathwater....don't cool you down at all....not impressed,so took a spin round the lazy river again....at least that's cool
called into the Farmers market on the way back for a slice of pizza....again pretty good value as it was a huge slice for $3.50....then off to see the Lions...been here for 3 days so think we'd better make an effort....they were quite frisky for a change...all I've seen them do in the past is sleep.
off back to the room to write up my TR and talk to my girlies if they are still up.....one of them was so chatted for a bit...the other one had gone to bed as she's on work experience from college this week...
Don't know what we are going to do tonight now as we'd planned to go to a show....might take a spin on the monorail....see what we fancy
woke after about 20 mins...noisy neighbours banging and slamming cupboard doors.....well that's what it sounded like ...Al was doing his warthog impressions and snoring for Wales so I jumped back on pc to chat to vicki and a few mates,,,,may as well make use of that $14.99 a day the robbing barstewards at the MGM are charging for wi fi..
Finally Al wakes up.....well I woke him as time was getting on.....now he can sleep,,,,,try it a bit more in the mornings..
we get washed and changed and make our way downstairs to the Rainforest Cafe
where we decided we would eat....didn't actually fancy anything on the menu so opted to go to Dicks in the Excalibur....we got the sample platter for 2 and an extra portion of fries which literally came by the bucket load....the platter was great and cosisted of deep fried cheese sticks,hot chicken wings,crispy coated shrimp and chicken goujons......it was lush..
after a couple more drinks we decided to go for a walk to the Bellagio
and try out the Fontana lounge as recommended by several peeps on MSE.....took some video footage of the fountains....
as you do...was going to take a walk round the conservetory but it was closed as they were inthe process of changing it over....just our luck......so off to the Fontana lounge....
Well I must say I really thought this place was way way overated.....poorly lit to the point of being dingy....terrible waitress service really slow and there weren't many people inthere so there was no excuse for it.....we waited 20 mins for our drinks....and as for the band.....Bellagio boasts it has the best lounge acts on the strip....bullshite these were absolute pants....I'd heard better in Bills kareoke.....
So we left and went over to Paris to the Napoleon lounge....had a couple of drinks here and then went back to NY NY to Nine Fine Irishmen for a couple then back to Excallibur to THe Lounge to watch The Klique who were far better than the pants act at the Bellagio ....at least they can all sing....finished off the night here and went back to the MGM and sleep

Day 9
Up at 6.45am......and god knows how but I have another blister...the first one is really making walking difficult now and my foot is well swollen....I'm 99% sure it's infected......bloody noisy neigbours HAD WOKEN ME again...so I decided to have a bath and soak my feet....that done we got dressed and took a walk up to the Hawiian market for breakfast....well Al walked and I limped...all had the works but I'm not great with fried breakfasts so I just had the toast and a cuppa tea.....that will do me.
Got into the queue at the Tix4tonight place by 9am.....I will get cirque tickets today....I will I tell you.....whoop whoop
Zumanity is up....so we got 2 tickets for tonights 10.30.show and 2 advance tickets for Dirk Arthur for tommorrow.....

Standing in line is thirsty work so we popped into La Salsa for a drink on the way back.....
on to NY NY to the Zumanity box office to exchange our Tix tickets for tonights performance......what are the odds of this happening.....we got row k seats 8 & 9 ...exactly the same row and seat numbers as we got for Love....I know its a different theatre but I'm hoping they will be as good
That done its b.ack to the MGM pool for a bit......did the Lazy River about 4 times and a spot of sunbathing but had enough by 2.40 pm so went back to the room....calling in the Farmers market for a bite to eat on the way back.....had a few drinks up in our room and then settled for a siesta.....no such luck...
I got about 10 mins before maids yabbering in the hallway woke me up......
time to catch up on my TR I think.....Al sleeps on
Woke him up at about 6pm to get ready to go out for a bite to eat....decided to go to the buffet at NY NY as we were going to be there for the evening anyway.....it was nice but not as good as the Harrah's one I thought..wandered round the shops for a while then stopped in Nine Fine Irishmen for a pint and to watch the irish group......
then it was off to the theatre to see Zumanity.....
OK I'm not a Cirque expert having only seen Love as a complete performance...other than that I've only seen snippets of the other shows on TV or on the internet.....personally I thouht Zumanity was a comlete rip off....didn't like it at all...the only parts that were good was the comedy performances and one or 2 of the acrobats....
I liked the hula hoop girl and the boy girl pair....the rest IMO was rubbish.Not worth the money
That done we set off back to Excalibur for one or 2 drinks in the lounge bar then it was back to our room to finish off the night with a few nightcaps.....as you do

Day 10

Blister number 3 arrived during the night...though I'm not quite sure how....I now have one on the heel of my left foot to match with the 2 on my right foot....I'm seriously contimplating foot amputation at this stage....I'm not and never have been a wimp
I've had 2 babies with virtually no pain meds and I rarely take any pain medication as my threshold is quite high.....Now I need something....anything to take way the excruciating pain when I walk...I wonder if lost property have any crutches handed in but nevr claimed....I want to go and ask but Al's not keen on the ides....well he wouldn't be...it's not him that cant walk....
Smother my feet with cream again and don a pair of cotton socks to keep the cream in place....take the tube with me to top up....and off we hobble
Breakfast at the studio cafe in MGM then off for the day.
Bought tickets for the deuce and took a spin up to the Fashion show mall....they were doing that strip bikini walk today and there were hundreds of girls lined up waiting to take part.
Did a spot of shopping Al has a neck massage for $10 and then we walked over to TI for a drink...caught the tram to the Mirage and walked no hobbled round there for a bit as my foot is really playing up now...
back to the hotel via deuce and called in wallgreens for antibiotic cream..again as I don't think this tube is gonna last.....plastered my foot in the stuff when we got back then got ready to go over to the Tropicana for Dirk Arthur.....
I booked this as I love big cats and I wasn't dissapointed there were lots of them....didn't think much of the dancers ...but some of the illusions were quite good....some were very mediocre though and Dirk himself was really over the top cheezy...
back to the MGM for a wee siesta before getting ready to go out for the evening...as it's our last full day in Vegas we thought we'd use our Deuce tickets to travel up to the top end again.Got our dinner at the Flavours buffet in Harrah's again as we'd enjoyed it the last time plus we had $5 off coupons....good value for money then I think.
Wandered (hobbled in my case) had a few drinks in the IP,one in Margaritaville,a couple in O'Sheas whike watching the band there....
they were ok but not really our sorta music so down to Bills to check out the lounge bar there....3 piece band on there awesome guitarist but again they were playing stuff we'd never heard of so made our way back to see the Crashers one more time.....you can never have enough Crashers IMO
then after a couple more drinky poos it was back on the Deuce to the MGM....quick nightcap and off to sleep.....big day 2 moz....we are going home

Day 11

Last day in Vegas but not enough time really to do anything..got our packing all sorted then went for breakfast at Excalibur buffet....cheaper than MGM and not much difference in the choice really.
Back up to the room ,got our bags taken down and stored then went for a wee wander round....just one last look......almost hijacked an old lady for her buggy as I felt my need was greater than hers....she was not even sitting in it at the time......anyway popped into the Tropicana for a coffee.....oh there is a line of those sit and ride buggy things....do u think they'll miss one???
back to the MGM and collect our bags....off to the airport we go....may as well get there early as at least the wifi is free there.
All in all I really enjoyed my time in Vegas.......
Best hotel for me is the IP...can't beat it for location and there are far more things to do at that end of the strip....cheaper to drink and eat in the hotels surrounding it.......
Fav show Love......seriously thinking of doing it again next time as I'm sure we missed half of what was going on.
Best afternoon show....Mac King....funny and clever
Best lounge bar....The lounge at Bills....cheap and plenty of variety
Best band seen.....without a doubt The Crashers followed by the band at Dicks in Excalibur
Best buffet....for the money Harrah's
Best breakfast...Victorian cafe at Bills
Value for money meal....Panda express...can't beat it for the money
Best steak....Ellis Island......for tenderness and value
Cheapest drinks....Bills and O'Sheas
Most expensive ...Nine Fine Irishmen and Mc Carran airport
Best shopping....LV outlet centre
Best free entertainment....Freemont