Saturday, February 29, 2020

Nights of Enchantment- Galveston

Foggy, Foggy Night
Embarkation Day 
Galveston, TX
Fog or no fog... We are going to have a GREAT CRUISE! 


Disclaimer
In February 2020 Chris and I took a 4 day Mexican cruise aboard the
Royal Caribbean Enchantment of the Seas sailing out of Galveston, TX. We have sailed Royal Caribbean many times but never on the Enchantment nor a ship this small (74,000 GT).

This gorgeous floating hotel took us to the following destinations:
Cozumel, Mexico (Fog Delay made this impossible) 

Progresso, Mexico
The Enchantment of the Seas… Our home away from home for the next 4 days!

I have been on 17 other cruises prior to this one and Chris has been on 16 (thanks to the Girls Cruise);
10 with Carnival, 4 with Royal Caribbean, 2 with Norwegian and 1 with Princess.  This blog will include a
review of the Enchantment of the Seas, daily entries of our 4 days aboard, a "Foodies" blog highlighting all of the food options available on the Enchantment, a post linking all the Cruise Compass as well as an extensive photo review of the ship. Thank you SO MUCH to all my followers... without you the blog would not be as popular as it is today! Be sure to stay tuned as the posts come through over the next few days and weeks.

MORNING
Our typical “Cruise Day” excitement started early, and we were up and at em’, even out the door, by 7:30AM. We had received a notification the night before from Royal Caribbean about a possible foggy morning and possibly delay but that didn’t stop us. We were ready to get on the ship! It had been 8 months and that is TOO LONG! When we left at 7:30AM, the Enchantment was not at the dock yet, but the fog “looked” to be lifting… at least to our non-weather expert eyes. We made our Galveston embarkation traditional breakfast stop at Kolache Factory in The Woodlands and made our way south. This was the very first time we had ever set sail on a Monday and were not sure how the HOUSTON traffic would be.

A view of Galveston Cruise Terminal webcam before we left The Woodlands.

There was little to no traffic on our commute and we were at our 2nd pit stop, Buc-cee’s in Texas City, by 9AM. During the commute we received our 1st update from RCCL explaining there would be a change to our check-in time and to stay tuned for another update to come at 10AM. We grabbed some caffeine at Buc-cee’s and got back in the car to get to Galveston. At this point, I had looked on the Galveston Cruise Webcam and it looked like the fog was still lifting. By 9:15AM we were in Galveston and it was VERY FOGGY. So much so that we could not even see the “Galveston” sign as we drove over the causeway.  I looked at our Facebook Voyage Specific Group Page and there was gossip that the ships (The Carnival Dream was supposed to set sail on a 5 night voyage on that same day) were moving.

Our 1st UPDATE from Royal Caribbean. 

This is ALWAYS a must- stop, even without a fog delay! 

IT was FOGGY! you couldn't even read the Galveston sign. 

 TIP- Be sure to look on Facebook for a Group Page for your specific sailing. It is a GREAT way to meet people prior to embarkation and getting all kinds of tips and tricks. Just search for it with the exact sailing date for your cruise (ex- Enchantment of the Seas February 17th sailing).  In fact, there are even Cruise SHIP pages specific for the ship you will be sailing. I think I am part of at least a DOZEN different Facebook cruise groups. It is a GREAT tool to have so be sure to check it out!

We got to EZ Cruise Park in Galveston and the gate was closed. I walked up and asked if we would be able to park and the owner told us to get into the “line” that was forming from passengers waiting to embark. We did and then got the 10AM notice from RCCL that the Enchantment of the Seas was starting to sail through the Galveston channel and would be docked within an hour. The noticed said that the check-in time was changed from 10:30AM to 2PM and to not arrive until 2PM. This seemed SO LATE to us.

The line of cars ready to park at EZ Cruise Park around 10AM. 

TIP- EZ Cruise Park is a GREAT place to park in Galveston and offers a walking only option or a shuttle. PLUS, they now offer a loyalty program. It is our favorite place to park in Galveston. You can pay for parking and reserve your spot online... HERE

By 10:30AM, the owner of EZ Cruise Park had us pull into the East lot that was for Enchantment of the Seas only. We got parked and unloaded our luggage from the car and started to walk to the terminal to drop off our luggage. The Enchantment of the Seas docked at Galveston at 10:52AM.
She's coming... She is FINALLY coming into port. It's OUR TURN! 

More of the Galveston  Cruise Terminal Webcam.
I'll be honest, I watch this frequently on cruise days, even if I am not cruising... I know, I am an addict! 

Check it out- HERE

Even at 11AM when the ship had LITERALLY just parked at the dock, the porters were waiting to accept our luggage. We dropped it off and contemplated going to a restaurant nearby, but Chris didn’t want to walk all over so he just got in the line to get checked in. He was the 9th person in line. I walked and got us some waters from the nearby convenience store and then joined Chris in line.

Another FIRST for us... As we arrived at the terminal, there were 2 chartered buses being unloaded with new crew members. It was really neat! 


While in line we met some great people from SHAWNEE, OK of all places. In fact, we talked about people we mutually knew. It was neat to get to talk to them about how much our 1st little hometown had grown. By 11:15AM, the Enchantment of the Seas was starting to unload its outgoing passengers while we waited outside. It was not hot or cold really, but it was very damp and gross.

AFTERNOON
By noon we were able to move inside the cruise terminal getting ready to check-in and go through security. When we got to the actual check-in line, it went INCREDIBLY smooth. In fact, it was the smoothest we have ever had from Galveston. INSIDER INFO- I will say, with all the Corona-virus scares going around, Royal Caribbean was pretty loose with this feature of the check-in. They simply asked us if we had traveled to China in past 14 days or know anyone or been in contact with anyone from the area. Then just moved right along. They also asked about sickness, but we didn’t even fill out a paper like we used to have to. We just said no! Now of course, Chris and I were not lying but it seemed like anyone could have just said no and gotten on the ship. They were not inspecting anything or doing any type of further investigation. I am not a conspiracy theory person, but I did expect a more vigilant check in with this going around. Chris and I were SO STRICT the week prior to the cruise thinking that if even one of us sneezed we would be denied boarding due to the new Royal Caribbean updates from Corona-virus.

We waited in the Galveston Cruise Terminal #2 until 1:45PM when the 1st set of announcements was made to board the ship. This 1st group to be called were suites and Diamond members and other “important people” as we like to think of them. THIS cruise made us PLATINUM so in April when we set sail on the Liberty of the Seas we will be in this “IMPORTANT” group because we will now be PLATINUM!


Just 52 days and we will be in this "Important People" group! 

The Galveston Gangway is currently broken (although it was also broken as we got off the ship in June 2019 when we sailed on the Carnival Dream), so we had to get on the ship via Deck 1 on the ground outside. It was really neat because we saw a lot of crew get on and off the ship, as well as a nice little CREW STORE just beside the ship! Even after 18 cruises, this was a 1st for us!

We heard the first DING at 2:01PM.


Boarding the ship from the ground floor. It was such an experience and BUSY! 

We made our way to our cabin thinking it would be ready since it was already after 1PM but it was not ready. TIP- Royal Caribbean is starting to have your SeaPass cards delivered to your cabin on embarkation day. This is the card you use for EVERYTHING! Including drinks and any extra food. We were a little set back that we didn’t have cards to order drinks right off the bat, but we were able to use our boarding pass, even on our phone, which made it fairly easy.


This was really neat large sized ship... But it was the JEWEL of the Seas. Seemed weird to me! 

Lunch from the Windjammer. 


This was the 1st time I realized RCCL had a Gluten Free buffet option. 

We enjoyed lunch in the very small Windjammer and it felt as if our cruise had FINALLY begun. After lunch we wandered around the ship as best we could. I went to the My Fair Lady Dining Room on Deck 4 to ask to switch our dining time to 8PM instead of 5:30PM. We had requested the late seating with our travel agent but our SeaPass cards said 5:30PM. It was an easy switch and the Maître D, Lorwin, was exceptional in meeting my request.

It was still damp and foggy out, but it seemed to become clearer as the afternoon passed. Our staterooms were ready at 2PM and we had hoped to change into swimsuits to enjoy an empty Solarium hot tub and pool while we could. But once we got to our cabin we realized that Chris did not put his swim wear into the carryon bag! ROOKIE MISTAKE… We should know better! TIP- ALWAYS pack a change of clothes, swimsuit and medicine in your carryon luggage.
The Walk to our cabin from the Centrum (Forward) elevators. 
Inside Stateroom 3517! 
The SMALLEST, most crowded stateroom we have EVER stayed in! 

Enchantment Lido Deck area. Small but the pools were large! 


Yep... It's Cruising Time! 

 FOGGY, FOGGY night! 
Headed to the Muster Drill!  
At 4PM, just 30 minutes later than usual, we had the Muster Station meeting. TIP- We say this every cruise but WAIT until the last minute possible to go to this or you will be stuck IN THE BACK and packed in like cattle. This time I just moved to the front because I was just too claustrophobic. I asked for forgiveness not permission and it worked out fine.

My view from the front of the Muster Drill. Still foggy but we had hope... 

You could barely see the Carnival Dream. 

After the Muster Station meeting we kept anticipating to set sail, but we never moved. At 5:30PM the Captain came on the speaker and said the Port of Galveston was closed and there was nothing he could do about it. To just enjoy yourselves. So, we did just that! We were not mad or upset at all! We were just happy to be on the cruise ship.

We went back to the room in hopes of our checked luggage being there, but it was not so Chris just wore regular shorts to the Solarium. We spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening in the Solarium and Solarium Bar with one of our favorite bar tenders, Dwight! It was a great way to relax and let our worries fade away.

Till to CHILL! 

This Solarium is easily the BEST part of this ship! We loved it and spent the majority of our cruise RIGHT HERE! 

#TeacheronBreak

EVENING
We were not hungry at all due to the weird boarding and lunch times and nothing on the main dining room menu looked good so for the first time in 10+ cruises, we ate dinner in the Windjammer Buffet. Let me just say, it will take another 10+ cruises to get me to do that again. I just do not like buffets. It did NOTHING for me and Chris agreed. It was good for the situation we were in, but we would not do this meal again. TIP- This particular Windjammer was TINY and crowded. It was not laid out very well due to the ship being built in the mid-90s. We did not frequent it very much but when we did, it was VERY crowded and hard to even get in line; let alone get a table once you got your food. I would say to go at non-peak times to ensure a smooth dining experience. Although, I will say that service was EXCEPTIONAL for a buffet area.  
The Windjammer is small and crowded but is a good option for many. 

After dinner we ventured right back to the Solarium pool and hot tub where we spent most of our evening until they shut it down. TIP- This Solarium was very large with a covered awning and the hot tubs also had coverage over them. It was also hardly ever crowded, and this was a cruise sailing where 90% or more were adults. In fact, this was our lowest percentage of child cruisers ever with only 244 kids. Yet were ALWAYS found chair next to each other in the Solarium and often in prime-time places. This became my favorite part of the ship and we spent a lot of time in here during our cruise.

Around 9:30PM we decided to go and change clothes and FINALLY our checked luggage had arrived. We showered and then changed and planned to go back out but instead took a brief nap. (We’re starting to show our age… I know!) The excitement of the day and the delay in boarding made us very tired. We got up at 10:30PM just in time for the Disco Inferno Dance Party in the Centrum. We grabbed a few drinks at the Centrum Bar and enjoyed the party as much as we could. INSIDERS INFO- This would be the one and ONLY time we saw the Cruise Director Bobby. He seemed nice enough and funny but will be forgettable in our CD experience.

Afterwards we went out to the promenade deck to walk around and noticed the Carnival Dream (who was also setting sail and delayed in boarding and sailing) was pushing off the dock.  We thought “The port must be open” and sure enough… We were pushing off too. It was still foggy, and it was hard to see but we finally officially set sail around midnight. No announcement was made, and you could not feel the ship moving too much so unless you were outside watching, a passenger may not have known we had set sail. We were headed out to sea… Not sure where to just yet but we were on our way.


The Port is OPEN! The Carnival Dream is starting to set sail! 


It's OUR TURN! The Enchantment of the Seas is FINALLY setting sail to...? 
We're not sure yet but we are EXCITED! 


"I see the tug boat... I see the tug boat"- That was me yelling to Chris as I realize we are about to leave! 


WOOHOO... It's time to set sail! We were SO EXCITED! 


It may be 11PM but we are leaving this place... Headed for CRYSTAL CLEAR BLUE WATERS! 


Goodbye Carnival Dream!
We had friends on this sailing... I hope you have a GREAT cruise! 


My standard Buoy picture! 

The lido deck around 11PM. 


The Enchantment also offers a large movie screen near the forward pool. 

We crashed for the evening around 1AM feeling the movement of the ship as we sailed into the Gulf of Mexico. Overall, it was a very good day and we were just happy to be on a Cruise Ship. A day on a ship is MUCH BETTER than ANY DAY on land! TIP- Remember, a cruise is what you make of it! Yes… we were delayed in boarding and stuck at port until midnight, but we tried to make the best of it!

Step counts for the day, Me: 13,377
Chris: 12,676

Stay tuned for more of our FOGGY CRUISE ADVENTURE!
Next Up… Sea Day 1!


God is Good... All the Time!


 




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Thursday, February 27, 2020

Las Vegas 2019

Las Vegas Revisited
July 2019 
Las Vegas, NV 
This was a GREAT TRIP!


Chris and I LOVE Las Vegas and booked this trip on a "whim" in May. Our kids visit Chris's parents in Lubbock every summer and we meet his parents in west DFW as a halfway point. Once I realized we could fly out of DFW instead of Houston I discovered some AMAZING deals. We were able to get 2 flights and 4 nights at the Golden Nugget for $368 TOTAL (not per person). We decided this is too good to pass up and booked it. From them on we decided to make this a budget friendly trip! 

Monday, July 15, 2019- That's How They Get Ya' 
Morning 
We stayed with my sister in North Dallas and woke up early to ensure we made it to DFW airport by 8AM for our 10AM flight. The rush hour traffic was not bad at all and we made it to the hotel where we would park our car by 7:15AM. From here a shuttle would take us to our terminal to get checked in. Parking AT DFW is roughly $31 A DAY so I looked for other parking services NEAR DFW. TIP- We used PARKWAY PARKING- DFW to park our car. I read reviews online and this seemed like a good option, especially when staying on a budget, but I would not use this service again. The shuttle service was slow and outdated and the workers, at both the hotel and the shuttle company, were not friendly at all. I would recommend using a different company, if your budget allows. 

We got to the terminal and got checked into our SPIRIT airlines flight very easily. We then grabbed some breakfast near our gate before we got on the plane and took off. The flight was fairly easy and painless. We had never flown on SPIRIT airlines and I knew they were pretty bare but I did not know they DO NOT PROVIDE TVs or WIFI at all. We were glad our phones were fully charged ahead of time. The seats were very close and there was very little leg room but we made it work and we would fly SPIRIT again, without question.

Our ride has arrived! 


We actually saw them put our luggage on the plane! That was a relief! 


Chris in the EXIT ROW seat! There was a LOT of legroom on this row. I would pay the money again! 

However, SPIRIT airlines charges for seat choices as well as a pretty hefty fee for checked AND carry-on bags. The checked bag is $40 per bag AHEAD of time and $60 if you pay at the airport. The carry-on bag fee is $30 per bag. You are allowed a backpack or purse but other than that, it is considered a carry-on bag. We found this flight for SUPER cheap and the cost of our 2 seat choices and our 1 checked bag cost AS MUCH AS the actual 2 flight tickets. That's How They Get Ya'! 

 Once we touched down in Las Vegas, we waited for what seemed like FOREVER for our checked baggage and then went and got an Uber to our hotel in Downtown Las Vegas. TIP- Be sure to read the signs CAREFULLY and know where to wait for the UBER. We were in the wrong spot and it cost me $6 extra dollars. The UBERS seemed a little high this trip and on average were $25 a trip from downtown. 

WOOHOO! We have arrived... It's time to WIN some $$$! 

I really LOVE this city! It is just so much FUN! 

Afternoon
Once we arrived at The Golden Nugget, we were able to get checked in right away and our room was even ready at 12:30PM, which was surprising to me. The Guest Services guy tried to upsell me a better room 5 times and these upgrades ranged from $20-100 per NIGHT. We declined as we knew we would not be in the room often on this trip. We dropped off our luggage in our room and then made our way down Fremont Street to check out the MANY, CRAZY sights. 
CARSON TOWER standard room. We ended up having a double room. We didn't know until we got to the room and wanted to switch but the line to check-in was CRAZY long so we decided to do it that night. Yeah... We never forgot and never did! Oh well... We made it work! 


A view from our window on the 15th floor! 


A view of the Golden Nugget Pool from the end of our hallway *The Hideaway pool is the one that is visible! 

We landed at Fremont Casino and grabbed a few $1.99 Margaritas at the bar before grabbing some lunch at none other than White Castle on Fremont Street. After lunch we went back to Fremont and played a few slot machines for nearly 2 hours. TIP- This entire trip was great with the service of drinks while gambling BUT we did learn that most casinos require a minimum bet of at least $.25 on machines for this complimentary drink service. However, we were not called out on this for nearly 3 hours and played $.01 a spin and still got many rounds of drinks.

Fremont Street Experience in the day! The covering was so nice and helpful in the heat! 




IT WAS HOT! It was a dry heat and still felt cooler than Houston but it was HOT! 

We then made our way to 4 Queens casino to get players cards and gamble a bit at the tables. We found a $5 Blackjack table but as usual nowadays in Las Vegas, the Blackjack payout was 6/5 not 3/2 which is just another way "They get ya".  We sat down with our daily allowance of gambling money and both of us lost it all within 30 minutes. I pretty much sat down with 20 hands of blackjack and ended up playing 22 hands. That is how bad our luck was on the tables. 

Evening
We tried our luck at Video Poker Deuces Wild while we enjoyed some more drinks before we finally called it quits and left 4 Queens. We went back to Fremont Casnio to get some dinner at Tony Roma's. They advertised "Old School Vegas Pricing" with a $8.99 Prime Rib dinner. This was pretty impressive... Especially for the price!

No substitutions or changes but it was still really good! 

We made our way down to the Eastern Side of Fremont Street and found Container Park. This was a great, secluded area and offered all kinds of restaurants and stores plus a small playground area for kids. We landed at Oak and Ivy Whiskey house were we sampled some excellent drinks and found our new favorite place in Las Vegas.



El Cortez Hotel and Casino... I really wish we would have gone in here! 


The area in Container Park! I loved this area! 


Hahaha! 



The best whiskey cocktail I have ever had! 
It was $18 but it was GOOOOOOD! 







This was at 9PM. I love the Vegas sunsets! 


We were able to catch a light show on our way back to the Golden Nugget! 

We made our way back to the Golden Nugget and then sat in the Sports Book for nearly 2 hours before calling it a night around 12AM (Pacific time), which was 2AM our time. We were tired from a day of traveling and needed some sleep. 

Tuesday, July 16, 2019- Bucket List Check-Off 
Morning 
We woke up around 8:30AM and got ready for the day. We knew were were going to the strip and would do a LOT of walking so we both wore tennis shoes. TIP- I LOVE flip flops and wear them EVERYDAY but I highly recommend tennis shoes for Vegas! It is just too hot and too much walking for flip flops. We grabbed some breakfast sandwiches from a cart set up near the pool at the Golden Nugget and then waited at Casino Center (outside Fremont Casino) for the Deuce/ SDX bus to take us to the strip.

I have no idea what this was but it's Vegas! There is craziness EVERYWHERE! 


A view from the front door of the Golden Nugget! 


Construction workers working on the screen over Fremont! 


The SDX and Deuce route map! 

TIP- The RTC offers a 3 day (72 hour) bus pass for $20 per person, which is a GREAT value. If you are staying downtown and want to go to the strip, or visa versa, I would recommend getting this pass. It took FOREVER for the bus to arrive but once it did we were in route to The Fashion Show Mall for our 1st stop of the day.

A view from our bus ride! 



I really love the landscaping area in front of the Wynn! 



Treasure Island became a FAVORITE of ours this trip and little did we know at this point in the trip how often we would be here! 


I love this Casino! It is so pretty! 

We knew we were going to see Mystere at Treasure Island but I waited to buy tickets hoping I would get better prices from TIX 4 TONIGHT or another discount ticket venue. This theory worked for us in May 2018 but not this time. TIX 4 TONIGHT was $30 MORE per person for the tickets to Mystere. We then walked down to Treasure Island to buy tickets from the actual box office. This worked out very well and we were able to get 2 tickets to Mystere for $142 with all the taxes and fees. 
We found our favorite game... Stadium Blackjack and TI offers $1 minimum! WOOHOO! 



I think I would like to stay at Treasure Island next time! 


Trump Tower as seen from TI!

Afternoon 
Once we took care of purchasing these tickets we decided to take the Deuce back up to the Stratosphere to check off one of our last casinos to get to in Vegas. This is a bucket list Chris had created on the last trip in May 2018, in hopes of going inside each and every casino on the Las Vegas strip. We only lacked the Stratosphere and The Linq.

Well Hello there Stratosphere! 


Bucket List CHECKED OFF! 


A Las Vegas sign in North Strip just outside the Strat!
This is a great sign if you do not want to wait in line in South Strip for the actual Las Vegas sign! 



It was hot waiting for the bus in the SUN! 

The Stratosphere was nice and honestly, better than I was expecting but still nothing to write home about. I do want to some of the thrill rides offered at the top of the Stratosphere in the future. We then waited for another bus to take us back to The Bellagio to make our way to Wahlburgers near Bally's Casino. 
I love this area of  "Center Strip"! 


The Eiffel Tower! Just 705 days until we get to see the REAL EIFFEL tower! 

Wahlburgers is a highly recommended eatery in Las Vegas and multiple people have recommended it to us. It did NOT disappoint. The food and service were INCREDIBLE and the overall experience was fantastic. Furthermore, the cost of the food was not outrageous at all, and in fact was one of our cheaper meals of the trip! I now also recommend this burger place! Check it out! 
The Wahlburgers Menu! It is fairly reasonably priced... especially for Las Vegas! 


We each got a burger and then split an order of Sweet Potato Tater Tots!
The food was EXCELLENT! 


I got the "Our Burger" and it was amazing! 


The Free POSTCARD they gave each of the visitors! 


The area in front of Bally's Casino! 


Bally's and Paris Casinos and Hotels 

We started walking north toward Treasure Island and this allowed us to go through MANY more casinos, including our last Bucket List... The Linq! We forgot how far apart all the casinos are and we walked nearly 10K steps just in the walk from Wahlburgers (Bally's/ Paris) to Treasure Island.

A view of The Bellagio from Cromwell Casino 
There she is... out LAST CASINO on our Bucket List. We have now been inside ALL of the Casinos on the Las Vegas Strip! 

The ceiling of The Venetian Casino 


I love this area of the strip and especially the Palazzo! 


The Fountains at Treasure Island! 


A Las Vegas Trip PHOTO MUST!

We finally made it to Treasure Island, where we had already located the STADIUM BLACKJACK. This was a game we found in May 2018 and it is so much fun! It allows you to play your own hand, against a REAL DEALER, without affecting the others at the table playing as well. They use "community cards" and it is a GREAT way to learn Blackjack. Treasure Island offered a HUGE area of this game and the minimum bet was only $1. We camped out there for the rest of the evening! We didn't win all of our losses back from Day 1 but we were on the right track and we were having a LOT of fun! 

Evening 
We walked back to the Wynn to catch the SDX back to Fremont Street. TIP- The SDX is not as big of a bus and does not have as much seating BUT it has much less stops than the Deuce and we prefer this option when going back to Fremont Street. We got off the bus and  went to the Sportsbooks in Golden Nugget so Chris could bet on the Astros to win over the Angels.
The 1st of his nightly sports bets! 

Then we walked a few blocks to PIZZA ROCK for dinner. This also came recommended from a Facebook group page we follow called Everything Las Vegas. This place did not disappoint and the serving size and service were phenomenal. This very well could have been the best pizza we have ever had! Well done Pizza Rock... We WILL be back! 


The Pizza Rock Menu
They also offer pizza by the slice at the entrance of the restaurant! 


This was the French Bread appetizer which was AMAZING! It was literally just 1/2 a loaf of French Bread with garlic, butter and cheese but it really hit the spot! 


We got the New Yorker which was made by hand everyday and they only make 73 of them each day! It was AMAZING! That ricotta cheese really gave it a kick and we loved it! 


The slices were HUGE! 


I really enjoyed this place and will go back next time we are in Las Vegas! 

We then went and watched the Astros play in the Sports Book. This became a nightly ritual for us and we enjoyed watching all the MLB, especially, offered in the Sports Book. We called it a night around 12:30AM. We were TIRED! 
We caught a light show on our way back to the hotel! 


I really appreciated this signage! I cannot wait to see the updated version once it is all complete! 


Home Sweet Home

Wednesday, July 17, 2019- The TANK 
Morning
We woke up around 10AM (we were tired) and then made our way down to the Golden Nugget Pool... The TANK. Even at 10AM, an hour after it opened at 9AM, the crowd was already there and it was difficult to find chairs at all, let alone any in the shade. We found 2 that were in the shade for about an hour. We grabbed some breakfast burritos from the H2O bar and then chilled in the shade for a bit. TIP- You need a picture ID for ALL purchases, except cash. We brought our room key and tried to charge to the room but we needed ID so had to go back to the room to get it. 
Golden Nugget THE TANK! This pool was AWESOME! 


The Carson Tower as seen from our pool chairs! 


This is the life! It didn't even feel like 100*! 

Once the sun passed onto our chairs, we made our way into the pool to check out the aquarium. Y'all... This pool was legit. The aquarium had SO MANY FISH and about 6-7 SHARKS. They just kept swimming all through the aquarium non-stop. The pool itself circles the aquarium like a donut and some of the pool is even in the shade. It was an awesome experience and WELL WORTH a visit to Golden Nugget. We made our way to the hot-tub and was able to score a HUGE daybed from someone who was leaving. We hung out there for over 2 hours before going up to the 3 level to check out the SLIDE and the Adults Only HIDEAWAY Pool. The slide was so cool and SO FAST! It was a tube slide and even went through the middle of the TANK! It was so cool and easily one of the coolest water slides I have ever ridden! The Hideaway pool was nice and clean and we enjoyed the kid free zone.

Some of the pictures we took of the aquarium (in the pool):









Some of the Videos we took of the Aquarium 




We stayed at the TANK all morning and most of the afternoon. While we were on the 3rd level we noticed the slide was closed. Come to find out, they had to "shock" the pool and slide due to some hazardous conditions, which we later found out meant someone puked in the pool. We waited around a little bit before being told it would be 2 hours before we could get back in the pool. We took that as our cue to leave and get ready for our night on the Strip.We made a pit stop at the Sportsbook from Chris to get on the Astros again and then made our way to Happy Hour at Nacho Daddy!


The Rush Tower. This tower is an upgrade and is closer to the entrance off of Fremont Street and the rooms are supposedly nicer. 


The story of my life... I am wide awake and ready to play and he is... ASLEEP!
Hahaha Cheers! 


The Golden Nugget Check-In line at 3PM on a Wednesday! 

Afternoon
We got ready quickly and then made our way to Nacho Daddy right off of Fremont Street. This was a restaurant talked about a LOT on our facebook group and we were anxious to try out their Happy Hour Menu featuring $5 nachos and drinks. This was a HUGE disappointment and easily our biggest disappointment of the entire trip. The drinks were not good and the food was just bland at best. 

The Nacho Daddy Happy Hour Menu (Most Items $5)


The Queso Dip (This was the best part and was not near as good as many of the local places we eat at in Houston). 


The House Margarita was not that good and fairly weak! 


The Chicken Enchilada Nachos (Small portion)


Buffalo Chicken Nachos (Smaller portion) 


This was a HUGE disappointment to us! 

We then got on the SDX and made our way to Treasure Island for an evening of Stadium Blackjack, followed by Mystere. The bus was CRAZY crowded and we were forced to stand in the middle of the accordion area of the. It was 106* and the AC was not working very well and there was NO AIR at all in the middle area. It was so close and I am super claustrophobic. Y'all... I don't even get that close to my husband when it's that hot... let alone homeless strangers! It was not my favorite moment of the trip! Once at Treasure Island, we set up camp at the Stadium Blackjack tables for $1 blackjack and $3 roulette. Once again, we had the BEST TIME at these tables. The fun continued as we continued to CREEP back up to almost breaking "EVEN" for the trip.

The BEFORE picture of our madhouse bus trip to the strip! I didn't think about taking an after picture as we were both dripping with sweat and I thought I was going to pass out from claustrophobia. 

Evening
We played blackjack a little bit longer than we planned and it was too late to go to our 1st dinner choice of Shake Shack down at NYNY so we grabbed some sandwiches at Little Richie's Sub Shop in Treasure Island. The food was HUGE and really good; however, it was a little overpriced for sub sandwiches. I am not sure we would repeat this meal, despite it being really good! There's just too many other good options in Vegas! But it was convenient and it worked for us and our evening.


The Chili Cheese fries were AMAZING and a meal in and of themselves! 

We made our way to the theater for MYSTERE. Despite the long line to get in, it was not a sold out show and were even upgraded to row 5 FOR FREE! Thank you Treasure Island. This show turned out to be what I would call the definition of a LAS VEGAS SHOW. It was highly acrobatic and the stunts were just incredible. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone visiting Las Vegas and looking for a quintessential Las Vegas show. 
The line to get into Mystere! 


The theater at Treasure Island! 


Showtime SELFIE! 


This was an AMAZING show! My favorite of all of the shows we have seen! 


We loved it! 

After the show we went back to the Stadium Blackjack for over 2 hours before finally heading back to our hotel on Fremont Street. We went to the Wynn and waited for a bus for over 30 minutes. According to the real time text to RTC, 2 busses were supposed to come while we were waiting but never did. At 1:30AM we decided to get an UBER back to our hotel. There went another $15, which is practically the cost of the the 3 day Deuce Pass. TIP- The Deuce bus runs 24/7 but in our past 2 trips, the frequency is SUPER SLOW after midnight! We made it back to the hotel around 2AM. We were TIRED!

Gotta get a night shot too! 


Waiting for the Deuce and we finally just gave up and got an UBER! 

Thursday, July 18, 2019- You're Connected to the Mob 
Morning
We woke up super late at 11AM and  went down to the Sports Book to collect Chris's winnings from his Astros bet! HE won $5 off a $10 bet! LET'S GO 'STROS! We then got some coffee at Dunkin Donuts before walking to the Mob Museum off of 3rd street near Fremont. We were able to get the TEACHER DISCOUNT which allowed us to get the Deluxe Experience for $32.95 each, which is about $7 off the regular price. I was not really excited about this museum because I personally knew very little about the history of the Mob and Las Vegas. WOW... Was I wrong! This was the most amazing, interesting and entertaining museum I have been to in quite a while. It was Smithsonian level and absolutely AMAZING! This was the highlight of our trip! 
Mob Museum in Downtown Las Vegas!


I really enjoyed the exhibit about the Mob involved in sporting events! 



This was our FAVORITE thing about the entire trip! 

Part of our package was a Firearms Training which allowed us to use real guns (no bullets or pellets, just puff of air/ lazor) to participate in a virtual scenario of 3 different kinds. WOW... First off,  I am a TERRIBLE shot! Second, This was VERY HARD and the amount of thought that has to be done in a MILLISECOND is just astonishing to me. Third, I already had a VERY HIGH RESPECT for these officers but this was so eye opening! Thank you Officer for your service and Thank you JESUS for not calling me into this line of work! Wow! I would HIGHLY recommend you add this on to the basic museum price. It was incredible.

Or in our case this was Use of THINKING training. We waited too long to think about what to do and by the time I even pulled out my gun I was already dead! "We regret to inform you that your family is dead because they were being patient".

This was SO COOL! And it was very eye opening! I have so much MORE respect for our policeman after this training! 

Afternoon
We spent over 4 hours at the museum and then grabbed a late lunch at Evel Pie pizza shop on Fremont. This was voted one of Nevada's best pizzas and for good reason. It was incredible and their Evel brew was smooth and refreshing.

This was at the end of the Fremont Street Experience at the foot of El Cortez hotel and was very easy to get to! 

The Evel brew was fantastic! 


This pizza was awesome and could have easy fed our entire family! 


I really liked this motto! 


The Evel Pie menu! 
They, too, also sold pizza by the slice. Even specialities!  

We both really enjoyed this place and will be back next time we are in Downtown Las Vegas! 

Evening
We did some horsing around near the strip and Fremont street before finally deciding to go back to the Strip to catch the Bellagio Fountain show and play one last round of Stadium Blackjack. The fountain show was spectacular, as always, and we were even able to catch 2 shows. We followed this up by a walking tour through the Bellagio Conservatory, which is always a gorgeous stroll. TIP- Both of these are 100% free and a great way to spend an evening! 
I absolutely love this hotel and casino! 

The Eiffel Tower! 



We arrived just in time for a Fountain Show! Be sure to catch one of these! 

 


The Bellagio Conservatory




The entrance of the conservatory and the hotel lobby!  

We walked back down to Treasure Island, once again, for an evening of $1 Blackjack and by the end of the evening Chris was back "EVEN" for the trip, while I was still "down". We made our way back to the WYNN by 11PM and only had to wait about 10 minutes for a SDX bus to take us back to the Golden Nugget. We boarded a SDX that was less crowded than a Deuce that came in seconds before. After 1 stop, the driver came and said "You have to get off. The bus is out of service and broke down". This was about 2 blocks off the strip and in a VERY, VERY SKETCHY area of town. (This Circus Circus eastside area) and I was all kinds of nervous. Homeless people were all over, even among us on the bus and it was just a bit scary! I said a quick prayer and within 10 minutes a new bus had arrived! Thank you LORD! But yet again, we have a few Deuce memories to share. (Check out our previous May 2018 Vegas trip and our CRASH on a Deuce bus HERE). Once safe and sound back at Golden Nugget, I had bet $10 on the Yankees over the Rays earlier in the day so we finished our evening in the Sports Book watching my money roll in for a Yankees WIN!

Our broken bus that stopped OFF strip! 


Our new bus arrived quickly, yet it seemed like FOREVER in this sketchy area at night! 

This guy was stoned and could barely walk off the broken bus and then a policeman had to tell him to get off at the Fremont Street stop once we got on the new bus! 

It was late but we were hungry so we stopped to get some late night food at Claim Jumper inside the Golden Nugget. This is a convenient 24/7 eatery but the prices were WAY TOO HIGH for only IHOP type of food! The service was good but we were unimpressed! 

The Claim Jumper menu 

The food was not that impressive! 

Friday, July 19, 2019- A Day Too Many
Morning 
We set an alarm for 10AM to ensure we had enough time to get ready and check out before 11AM. We got checked out and left our bag with the Bell Man before getting a late breakfast/ brunch at Magnolia Cafe in 4 Queens. This was old style Vegas pricing with $8.99 Fried Steak and Eggs. The service and food were both good and we were full. 
Goodbye Golden Nugget! It's been real! 


This was not a GREAT view but I was satisfied! 

We grabbed some souvenirs for our kids and family before hitting up Binions casino across from Golden Nugget. We had not been inside so we took the tiny cash we had left and hit up a $5 blackjack table (real table). I was in and OUT within 20 minutes but Chris kept hanging on and after nearly 2 hours he was UP by quite a bit for the entire trip. I sat and watched, just wishing I could play and not lose! That is the funny thing about Vegas... If you're winning, it's all good. If you're losing... It ain't! 
Yep... This was ME! Since about Tuesday! 

Afternoon 
We went back to the Sports Book for a little bit after Chris cashed out before calling an UBER to take us to the airport. We were flying Sun Country Airlines back to DFW and not only had we never heard of this airline but for whatever reason, Chris was unable to check in online. With Friday rush hour traffic upon us and the craziness of the unknown airline, we decided to get to the airport about 3 hours early. This turned out to be PLENTY of time and we had no issues with getting checked in but I am glad we got there early. Flying always makes me SO ANXIOUS! 

 Pictures of hotels on our way to the Airport: 
I would like to ride this ride off the side of the Stratosphere at some point! 


Resort World (North of Trump Tower) to be opened in 2021. That means we will have to come back just to complete our Bucket List! 


The Mirage! Another place I would like to stay in the future! 


New York New York... It is always a favorite of mine! 


Lady Liberty at NYNY


MGM Grand


Sun Country Airlines
I would be lying if I said I hadn't wondered if this was a REAL airline on our way to the airport! 

Evening 
Our flight did not leave Las Vegas until 6PM but we did not eat lunch so we grabbed a small bit at Port o Subs in the airport shortly before boarding the plane. This flight was also uneventful and we had no issues. TIP- We paid to choose our seats and once again I paid to have Chris in the EXIT row to ensure more leg room. I purchased a seat directly in front of him. The seat cost was $37 for both and since the flight was only 95% full, I was able to move back a row to be on the exit row as well, which was nice and more roomy. Sun Country Airlines charged $30 for checked and carry-on bags. They did not offer TV But they did have charging stations on the back of every seat which was nice. They also offered AIRFI (Wifi) that had complimentary games, sites and movies. We were able to get great views of the Las Vegas strip as well as the Grand Canyon and even Lubbock (Where our kids were) during the flight.

There's our ride home! I had a large sigh of relief! 


The Las Vegas Strip from the air! 


The Grand Canyon on the westernmost side. 


The eastern side of the Grand Canyon. 


Lubbock, TX around 10PM. 

We arrived in Dallas about 10 minutes ahead of schedule but the delay in luggage arrival made up for that. We grabbed our suitcase and then called the shuttle. I followed the instructions on the confirmation email (I checked twice, having just had complications this summer in Progreso. Read about that HERE) but when I called we were told to go to a different gate at the far end of the terminal...In the Texas Heat (IE- HUMID) and dark. Once we arrived 15 minutes later I called asking about the shuttle and was told it would be 45 minutes to an hour. WHAT??? That is crazy. It was already 11PM and we were tired and just wanted to be home. Sure enough, about 45 minutes later, the shuttle showed up 90% full and barely had space for us! We got on and were back at our car by nearly midnight! We grabbed some late night food and then made our way to Allison's apartment in North Dallas! THANK YOU ALLIE! 

This was a great trip and we had a blast! We tried to do the whole thing on a budget, so to speak, and we were able to stick with this budget fairly easily and still had a blast. We did decide... now that we have been to Vegas 3 times and have seen most of the city, we can take a shorter trip 2-3 days MAX and still have a blast! This trip felt a little long... to me! We're thinking a weekend trip or summer 1-3 day getaway next time! Hopefully, this "next time" is coming up in the very near future! 

We are so grateful to have been able to get this booked last minute and at such a good bargain. We are blessed to be able to travel and make memories so frequently. Thank you to Gigi Jackie and Grandpa for having to the kids to the farm in Lubbock to allow us to do so in the first place. 

It was a great trip! 

UNTIL NEXT TIME.... 


GOD IS GOOD... ALL THE TIME! 

 Check out our previous Las Vegas Trips: 
May 2018- Chris's 40th Birthday

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