US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 7

Day 7

Woke up really early, probably because we had set an actual alarm so subconsciously our body was waking up before it went off. We had checked out and had hit the I15 before the sun had found its way over the mountains. With an 11.30 am boarding time booked for the cruise, we had plenty of spare time, even if we hit some traffic.

We managed to navigate our way to Los Angeles World Cruise Center, found the car park, which we didn’t have to reserve and was $20 a day, and trundled our suitcases to the luggage drop-off area. Southampton has it much better organised, in my opinion. We have only done one other cruise and in Southampton, as we parked our car, a trailer drew up behind us and took the suitcases from the car. We didn’t see them again until they appeared outside our stateroom. This time we had to drop them off ourselves.

We were on the ship (Navigator of the Seas) by about 11.30 am and as the staterooms weren’t going to be ready until 1 pm we went for a wander round to get our bearings, and had a bit of lunch in Windjammer (the buffet on board).

Popped into the pub for a few drinks. Gener was the bar tender and he was from the Philippines. We were chatting to him over a couple of gin fizzes and a couple of bottles of Red Stripe.

Once we got access to our room, we had a bit of a Nana nap (it had been an early start) and then sat in the sunshine on the balcony for an hour or so whilst we sailed away. No Sailaway party for us - far too loud!

I found my first duck, hidden away at the bottom of our staircase! I have taken a photo and I will post about it on the dedicated Facebook Group and then I will rehide it in the next day or so.

Somewhere between dropping our suitcases off and getting to the ship, the labels had come off, and we eventually found our cases at 6 pm in Guest Services! Quick shower and we went to see the Ice Dance show in Studio 7 which was really good and then dinner at 8. We had opted for ‘My Time Dining’ which means you can select when you want to go for dinner rather than being restricted to one of two set times. Dinner was good. I had crab cakes to start and fish fillet with potato gratin and vegetables for the main. Dave went for the tomato soup and the beef tenderloin. We both agreed that it was all tasty and made a change from the rubbish food we have been eating!

We both had a little gamble in the onboard casino but didn’t win anything and went to bed around 11 pm. We are sailing from Los Angeles to Catalina Island over the next day, with tomorrow being a sea day. So far the weather is warm and sunny, but I think it’ll get cooler as we get to Catalina Island and warmer again as we sail towards Ensenada.

Click Here For More Photos

Read More

US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 6

Day 6

Up early because 10 hours of sleep is more than enough! We went to Sadelle’s for breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast and Dave had a huge omelette with hash browns and toast. 

We have $500 resort credit to use and we aren’t even making a dent in it because we are eating in other places! After breakfast, we walked over to Aria and played a little in there. I think we both walked away in profit for a change and moved onto Park MGM for an hour. Nothing much happening, but again we didn’t lose anything. 

Around lunchtime we headed back to Bellagio to see if the Sportsbook was showing the Miami F1. Result - TV screens, a couple of drinks and a bit of video poker. $1.25 a bet and won 4-of-a-kind twice, totalling around $220.

Whilst Dave carried on playing, I went for a walk in the sunshine to watch the fountains. No matter how many times you’ve seen them, they never get tired and I hope they remain a part of Vegas for a long time.

We went over to Cosmopolitan for an hour and randomly ran into a lovely lady and her husband, who I have known for a few years via social media only. We knew each other was in Vegas but hadn’t arranged to meet up (that’s much too sociable for us)! We had a nice chat, and it was great to finally meet her. 

I needed to sort out suitcases for the cruise, so mid-afternoon I went back to the room to decide what to pack and wear. Two suitcases for the cruise and two to stay in the car…hopefully I’ve got it right. 

We had moved Nine Fine Irishmen at NYNY to tonight, and after packing and getting ready, we walked over. Gambled for an hour in NYNY before dinner, but it was kicking my arse and I gave up pretty quickly. There is only so much begging you can do to will those pots to close, those bangers to explode, or those trains to drop! I’m not sure what I actually feel about NFI. It’s relatively dark inside and unless your eyesight is exceptional, you can’t even read the menu! I went for the fish and chips, and Dave had the burger and fries. The fish is massive and you get two pieces (at home we share one from the chippie)! They must throw so much away because I don’t think I’ve ever seen an empty plate. Charged dinner to our room so that used up some more of the resort credit and then moved onto Aria. By this point I had had enough, Aria was cold, I didn’t have a jumper, the buttons on my dress were popping (I haven’t even that much I promise, so I’m blaming it on hormones) and I wasn’t in the mood to be gambling. I found Dave (who was in the middle of a Buffalo bonus, which would win him another hand pay) and then we went back to Bellagio and I went to bed. An early start tomorrow - cruise embarkation day!

Click Here For More Photos

Read More

US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 5

Day 5

This seems to be a Vegas trip of winging it and not deciding what we are going to do until we get up! First thing, we took a trip out to Silverton Casino to visit Bass Pro Shops. We’ve been before but it’s a pretty spectacular shop specialising in outdoorsy stuff. Think hunting, fishing, boats, quad bikes and everything in between - they even sell clothes! We had a gamble in here, Dave lost lots and I found the new Director’s Cut of Little Shop of Horrors and played for ages on it. It’s similar to the original with a few new bonuses and better graphics. I haven’t seen it anywhere else yet and definitely not at any casino on the strip.

We wanted something to eat but could only find Johnny Rocket’s at the Food Court in Silverton, so decided to head back to the strip and walk over to Beer Park. We’ve never been before and I’m not sure how long it’s actually been there only a few years, I think. It was Saturday morning, around 11.30 am and we were lucky that we didn’t have to wait for a table. We wanted to sit on the patio; the sun was out and it’s a great place for people-watching. Apparently, it was Kentucky Derby day and there were lots of ladies with hats and things on their heads and the racing was on all the TV screens. There was a great atmosphere, and we whiled away an hour or so with a cocktail and some more beige food! 

This time we shared loaded tater tots, garlic fries and the biggest salted pretzel you’ve ever seen with cheese and mustard dips. It was all divine, and we vowed not to eat again all day! It definitely wasn’t cheap but nothing is these days and the bill came to about $80 plus tip.

After Beer Park, we needed a walk to shift some of that food, so headed up the strip. We called in at The Linq and Harrahs and had a cocktail on the rooftop bar in Margaritaville. It’s so tired up there now and could do with a bit of a revamp. It’s a prime spot on the strip, but they aren’t making the most of it any more. I wouldn’t head back there in a rush. 

Wandered around for a while more and then headed back to Bellagio. Dave stayed in the casino and I headed back to the room to catch up with my blog. A couple of hours later and I got a phone call and the first word that was said was… ‘hand pay’! Yep, he’d won another one! He also got the elusive 15 buffalo heads which he has been trying for, for as long as Buffalo has been around!

We had postponed dinner at Nine Fine Irishmen as we were still full from brunch, so we took a walk over to Venetian and had some fun in there. I played All Aboard with the same $20 for at least an hour and this is the first trip that this machine is actually giving me something to play with. We had ice cream from Venetian for tea and collapsed into bed at 8.45 pm!

Click Here For More Photos

Read More

US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 4

Day 4

Up at 5 am and in the car to drive to Bellagio at 6. The traffic is horrendous on the strip at the moment as Vegas gets ready for F1 in November, so we took advantage of the continued jetlag, checked out of Resorts World and straight to the room at Bellagio that we had checked into yesterday.

I spent the next hour or so finally unpacking all four suitcases as the clothes need to be sorted before the cruise as we won’t take everything with us. Even if it’s just for a few days, we can live out of a drawer again! Dave had gone down to the casino, and I caught up with my blog before heading down to join him. It seems I had forgotten to pack my laptop charger, so we walked over to Miracle Mile and the ABC store to get something that would work - I didn’t want you all to miss out on my trip and I can’t write this much from a phone!

Around 11 am we jumped in a Lyft and headed downtown and Whiskey Licker Up at Binions for lunch. We love it there. The revolving bar is just great for people-watching and there were definitely a few ‘characters’ on the street today! I ordered a Vegas Sunset (Absolut Mandarin Vodka, Orange Juice, Cranberry and Red Bull) and Dave opted for a Modelo. 

The food is typically ‘beige’ and there is absolutely nothing about this holiday that is going to be healthy - I’ll deal with that when I get home! To eat, we shared the beef sliders, chicken tenders (which are absolutely the best I have ever tasted) and some fries. Lunch cost $80.....hmmm, at this rate we will have to go back to work! 

The bartender there is great. I can’t remember his name, but if you’re ever up there, ask him how ‘The Rams’ are doing? He’s an American who supports Derby County for some reason! After we left Whiskey Licker Up we had a gamble in Golden Nugget and also in Circa. For once, Circa was quite kind to me and I came away a few dollars better off.

 

Around the middle of the afternoon, we got a Lyft back to the strip, grabbed a jumper and went for a walk down to Aria. Dave and I didn’t see each other for the next couple of hours as I got hooked in by video poker and played each machine until I got four of a kind. $600 later and we found each other again, by which time Dave had blown his gambling budget for the day and decided he wanted to borrow some of mine. We played in Park MGM for a while and then walked over to Horseshoe where Dave won his second hand pay of the trip ($1379), thankfully they sorted the tax because he has his ITIN, and we found the most amazing cocktail server we have ever seen in Vegas. Literally every 5 minutes she was back and if we hadn’t been careful, we might have rolled out of there! Met an amazing couple from Canada who we spoke to for a while. The guy was 80 and his wife wasn’t far off and they had driven to Vegas and had a 3-day drive back! 

We had a Subway on the way back to Bellagio and ate it in our room and disappeared into bed just after 9.30 pm!!!

Click Here For More Photos

Read More

US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 3

Day 3 - Resorts World, Las Vegas

Waking up in Vegas! Unless you’ve done it, you won’t know what it means. Every time we arrive, I just feel like I’ve come home. Don’t misunderstand me, I love my Norfolk home. This is just different! We managed 4 am this morning and I know it will get better as the days go on. Just before I started to write this, Dave said to me ‘don't worry about what time it is, Vegas deals with that'! Who actually cares what time you get up and what time you go to bed?!

Dave went downstairs to get a Starbucks (you’ve just got to love a 24-hour Starbucks when you’re waking up at silly o’clock) and brought it back to the room. We chilled for an hour or so and then, of course, the casino called and he went off to spend some of his Freeplay whilst I wrote my first two days’ blog for you.

At 7.30 am I was ready too and went down to find him before we headed off for breakfast at Jardin at Encore. We didn’t know anything about this place until we saw it on a Vegas vlog on YouTube. We watch lots and each one we watch gives us new ideas about things we haven’t done in Vegas. My list is never-ending and as Vegas grows and changes, then so will my list! Jardin isn’t cheap by any stretch of the imagination and yes, some of you might shrink at spending $80 on breakfast, but the restaurant was just opulence in itself. They asked our last name as we walked in and we were both addressed by this throughout the service. I couldn’t fault it, from the service to the quality of the food. We won’t spend this on breakfast every day. There will be many days when we won’t even bother with breakfast but for a special occasion, or just somewhere to treat yourselves. Then I’d recommend Jardin. 

I had the Hickory Ham & Cheddar Omelette, which came with hash browns and toast, whilst Dave went for the Jardin Three Eggs Your Way with hash browns, sausage and toast. The waiter persuaded me I needed a mimosa at 8.30 am and Dave was sensible and went for a latte! 

After breakfast, we gambled in Wynn and Encore for a while. Both kicked our arses, and we left with less than we went in with! Despite having another night at Resorts World, we were also checking into Bellagio today, so we ambled off down the strip, enjoying the sunshine and just being back in our favourite place. We called in at Cosmopolitan on the way and had a drink each in there, lost a bit more money and then popped over to Bellagio. When we arrived, we went to the Platinum check-in desk, even though it was only about midday, and asked when our room might be ready. The guy checked us in and said the room wouldn’t be long and would text us, so we had another drink each and did some low-rolling slot play.

When we got our room key, we went to see which room we had. We had booked a Salone Suite which we have stayed in before. This time, however, we were on the 4th floor! Not a great view, but hey, we aren’t here for long and I couldn’t be bothered to ask to be moved. We had already decided we weren’t staying here tonight anyway because we had some Resort Credit to use in Resorts World and had a table booked at Carversteak for dinner.

We walked back up to Resorts World which took about 45 minutes, grabbed some food from the Street Foods place in the centre of Resorts World, to soak up some alcohol and then Dave went to the bar to play some video poker and I had a couple of hours by the pool. It was windy and not that hot - or so I thought until I came back in with red arms and legs! We have been staying in Crockfords West at Resorts World and you get your own private section of the pool, which was nice and quiet. I read my book and people-watched for a while and then went back to find Dave around 5 pm.

We had a shower and got dressed for dinner and headed back down to the casino at around 6 pm, stopping at a few slot machines on the way, and then it was time for dinner at Carversteak. We love this restaurant. It’s quirky in the fact that if you order a steak, they bring you a box of steak knives out and you get to choose your own! I had the filet mignon and Dave went for the 14oz striploin. Both were cooked the way we like them and we also ordered the pomme puree, roasted carrots and beer-battered onion rings as sides to share. We were disappointed that they don’t have the sprouts with bacon on the menu at the moment as they are amazing, but maybe they’re a winter thing. Dave had two beers, and I had a glass of pinot noir and the bill, with a tip, came in at about $280. Would we eat there if we didn’t have resort credit? Possibly not, but it is a lovely steakhouse, and we didn’t have to pay for it. I would definitely recommend Carversteak as a steakhouse to try if you have the money and you want to try a different steakhouse in Vegas.

I think we left the restaurant at around 8 pm and played around on the slots a bit. I won a little on the new Buffalo Carnival thing and did well on some random dream poker machine I found, but yesterday caught up with us and we were in bed again by 9 pm.

Click Here For More Photos

Read More

US Road Trip - May 2023 - My 50th Birthday Trip! - Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1 - Travel Day

Checked in for our flight to Denver, at London Heathrow, headed through priority security and went straight to Galleries Lounge South, and from dropping the car, it took about 30 minutes. Not bad going! 

After a cheeky glass of champagne and some nibbles in the lounge, our flight took off more or less on time at 2.45 pm. I know some people will turn their noses up, but yes; we flew Club World and if you get the opportunity, I would choose this over economy any day. I’m too old now to sit up straight for 10 hours when I don’t have to! After a couple of drinks and some food, I managed to sleep (or doze) for the majority of the flight and we landed in Denver, right on time at 5.30 pm (7 hours behind the UK).

Quickly processed through immigration and after grabbing our (four) suitcases, we jumped on the shuttle bus to collect our car from Avis. I would highly recommend Avis, especially if you are travelling from the UK as all insurance is automatically included so you don’t have to worry about anything. We have never actually got the car we request, which is fine by us and despite this time asking for a Mazda CX-5 we got a Toyota 4Runner - it’s huge and plenty big enough for all our luggage.

Just under 2 hours out of Denver International Airport, we arrived at The Hampton Inn & Suites in Silverthorne for our first night. Decent hotel. The room was fine, and the bed was comfy. We were both knackered after a long day, so we went for the only food that would cut it - Maccy Ds - and we were in bed and asleep by 9.30 pm.

Day 2 

The dreaded jetlag woke us at 3 am. We had a coffee in bed and then decided to just get up and get on our way. We were checked out by 4.30 am and on our way to Richfield, Utah, almost a 6-hour drive away - the sat nav told us we would be there by 10.30 am! 

After a Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts for a sugar fix at around 7 am, we made it to Downtown Grand Junction for breakfast at a cute little cafe called Cafe Sol around 8.30 am. We both had the American Breakfast and neither of us finished it! I love, love, love American bacon. Why can’t we get it like that at home?

Downtown Grand Junction looked like a quirky place to visit with lots of little shops and arty-farty things but we were way too early for any of this, so headed back to the car with a change of plan.......

.....As we were scheduled to arrive in Richfield way earlier than we expected and with not a lot to do there, we decided to scrap that and drive straight to Vegas - of course we did! After frantically texting our amazing host at Resorts World, she said she could comp us a room for a couple of nights with a bit of Resort Credit and Freeplay. We were already booked into Bellagio from the next day anyway and this just meant we wouldn’t have to check out of RW before we could check into Bellagio - win, win!

The drive through Colorado and Utah was incredible. The scenery was magnificent and the photos just didn’t do it justice, but I gave it a try - even if it was through the car window. We managed to see a bald eagle, but I wasn’t quick enough to take a photo. Rocks and mountains don’t move though, so I took plenty of those! I’ll upload more to my Facebook page and add the link in here.

Click Here For More Photos

It was a tough drive and although I kept offering to take the wheel, Dave decided that he was going to drive the 9 hours all by himself. To be fair, it’s not a tough drive. Just two roads, the I70 and the I15 all the way and it didn’t get busy until we were 10 miles outside of Vegas. We had a few coffee breaks and stops for fuel and snacks and eventually arrived (after crossing another time zone) around 3.15 pm. We were staying in Crockfords West and we get free valet parking. Now we usually just park ourselves, but after 9 hours there was no way we were lugging 4 suitcases, two rucksacks and other bits and pieces across the hotel so we rocked up and gave that job to someone else!

The room wasn’t quite ready, so yes; we sat at the bar, had a cocktail and a beer and played some video poker. Dave got four aces. I got nothing and my wallet was $50 lighter. Dumped our cases in the room around 4.30 pm and grabbed some food from Street Foods at Resorts World. Chicken nuggets and fries for me, burger and fries for Dave and another healthy meal!

We were both tired, but the slots were calling. We’d split up to play different games and literally, within 10 minutes, Dave was on the phone telling me that he had won a hand pay and could I go and get his passport and ITIN from the room! $1558 later for him and a cheeky $600 win for me on All Aboard and missing out on Richfield was proving to be a fruitful decision. A few lemon drops may have passed my lips, but we were in bed and asleep by 9.15 pm - how we live the dream!

Read More

My Review for Descended by Ingrid J. Adams

Descended is so beautifully written, I couldn’t get enough! Indigo knows he is a little different from his peers. He’s way more in tune with his feelings and surroundings than any of his other friends, and it feels like most of them just don’t ‘get him’. Everything about his story touched my heart, his rapport with Cordelia and the loving way he was accepted into hers and Robbie’s family.

I guess Descended is a coming-of-age story, nothing is trivialised or made to appear worse than it is. It is just all about growing up and the issues that come along with all that and Ingrid J. Adams masters the whole thing brilliantly.

The story is set in the early 90s, and at that time I was in the latter half of my teens. Many of the references that the author makes in relation to music and whatever else was happening at the time melted my heart a little as I remembered what I was doing, who my friends were and the fun times I was having.

Descended is the first in the series and I absolutely cannot wait to find out what is in store for Indigo, Cordelia and Robbie.

Thank you to the author, Ingrid J. Adams, for the opportunity to read and review Descended.

Amazon UK | Amazon US | Facebook | Instagram | Website

Read More