TR: 3/17-3/20 - Sig at Mgm, TPIR, Celine Dion

Some background: We are 34 and 35. This was a three day trip to celebrate our ten year anniversary and have some time alone from our two toddlers, as well as a last hurrah before another bundle of joy comes in July - I%26#39;m five months along right now. We were married in Vegas 10 yrs ago and this was our 9th trip there.

FLIGHT: Left DFW earrrrly in the morning and flew to LAS via America West (cheap!) arriving at 7:30 AM. Flight was uneventful - I slept the whole way since I stayed up the night before since we had to get up and leave so early.

LIMO: I had hired Presidential Limo to pick us up and we were met by a driver named Raphael. This was his second day working as a driver there. Nice guy, but slightly weird. The kind of guy who kept TALKING AND TALKING about himself and his mama and his hometown and his uniform and, well, you get the point. When he asked us in the car if we would like the privacy partition up, I happily said yes just to get a little quiet time! Since we didn%26#39;t drink, he gave me two roses instead and bottled water. As I expected from reading the posts here, he was confused as to what entrance to take to the Sig and we had to work that out - no biggie. Limo on the way back to the airport was uneventful as well - no Raphael, so a nice quiet ride was had by all.

THE SIG AT MGM: After arriving, we went ahead and attempted to check in (this was around 8:15 AM). They did have a room they said that had been ';preassigned to us'; ready. Hmmm. They did wish us a happy anniversary at the front desk as well since I had informed them of that earlier. Anyhow, we did receive our jr suite. It was lovely and looked like all the pictures - very plush and well appointed. Bed was very comfy with lots of pillows. Nice bathroom with grapefruit and citrus spa goodies, a great jacuzzi tub, and a nice full sized powerful ceramic hair dryer (I hate the little bitty ones!) Tipped the maids two dollars a day and received 4 bottles of water a day plus extra bathroom supplies each day.

The walk to MGM was not long, using the moving walkways, but when you are in a hurry to get to the casinos, can become a little tiresome. On the way back to the hotel after a long day, it actually felt like a decompression chamber, where I felt myself feeling better as I came closer to the hotel. After the three days there, hubby and I decided it was a good choice and a nice respite from all the smoke and hubbub of the casino hotels. I would definitely recommend it to all. We never received any liitle anniversary perk in our room either by the way, but that was ok.

GAMBLING: We aren%26#39;t really big gamers - I do slots and hubby barely does video poker and blackjack, mainly to keep me company. Unfortunately, no big wins here. Fed all my winnings back into the machine. Oh well, next time. Tried the Deal or No Deal machines - thought they were boring. Wheel of Fortune sucked up my money too quickly. the best game was the Monopoly Big Event where everyone wins when someone hits a bonus. Anyhow, I still came back with some bankroll, so I didn%26#39;t do too badly, but never hit a jackpot either :)

TPIR: I booked this in advance thru Bally%26#39;s website. Hubby rolled his eyes when I told him, but went along for the ride. He actually ended up enjoying the pure cheesiness of it. Everyone has a ball screaming out prices at the contestants so it was fun, even though we didn%26#39;t get picked or even picked for the consolation prizes (Bally%26#39;s points). They also play cute TPIR clips from old shows where they show crazy contestants from the past. It was really fun, and I%26#39;m glad we did it. No one won anything big on this particular show, by the way.

CELINE DION: Both of us like Celine Dion, but were not BIG huge fans like some. We decided to go since this was her last year, and we were glad we did. Sat in the front row of the first mezzanine (balcony) and these seats were great. Celine%26#39;s voice was amazing - pure perfection without missing a note and without any lipsynching. This was her mother%26#39;s 80th birthday and her whole family - husband, son, mom, and all of her 12 siblings were in the audience, so she was very hyped up and it made the show more special.

DINING: This time around, none of the dining experiences were very great - all just average. We ate at House of Blues for dinner, which we usually love, but the prices keep going up and the food quality keeps diminishing. Ate at Cafe de St Louis at Paris for brekkie - just ok - french toast kind of dry. MGM Cafe for brekkie - double yuk, plus I was id%26#39;d at the table when I gave them my credit card to pay. I%26#39;ve never had this happen at a restaurant before, so it put me in an ill mood. Service was crappy and the server had a snide attitude. Delights Cafe in the Sig for brekkie one morning - food actually yummy, but high priced for what you get. Had the Paris buffet for the first time for dinner - nothing like the yummy breakfast buffet. Everything was foo foo and frenchy, and not to our particular tastes. The best thing was the desserts and the crab legs, but I was disgusted by the number of people that just literally stacked their plates 6 inches high with them while a line waited behind them. Ugh. We figured out we are not buffet people. We did have a nice lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Grill at MGM one day. The blue cheese potato chip appetizer was delish, and I had a panini which was good. Hubby had a burger and said it was good as well.

All in all, a fun trip. We took the monorail a lot since I got tired easily while preggers. The weather was totally gorgeous up until the morning we left. Can%26#39;t wait to go back after the new baby comes!

TR: 3/17-3/20 - Sig at Mgm, TPIR, Celine Dion

first - congrats on the upcoming bundle of joy. best to get a ';babymoon'; in before you become too big to really enjoy time away. i%26#39;ll be 5mos preggers when we head down to LV next month for our babymoon *L* will also be staying part of the time at the MGM Sig.

I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed the room, and the amenities. did you by chance get out to the Sig pool area?

I%26#39;ll bet that jacuzzi tub felt great after a day out and about!

TR: 3/17-3/20 - Sig at Mgm, TPIR, Celine Dion

Thanks for the report.

I%26#39;ll be at the Sig next week so I%26#39;m curious if there is anything I should know about ';what entrance to take'; that you mentioned in case I have to deal with this.

Also, had to note that your husband would be the first 30something male that I%26#39;ve ever heard of liking Celine Dion. That being said I fully appreciate her amazing talent but as a 30something male myself just not a fan of that style of music!

Thanks for the report.

At least you had extra time in a limo even if he didn%26#39;t know where the Sig entrance was, lol. Better than the poor poeple in the cab.

Sorry you didn%26#39;t have better eats, but glad you like WolfGang Puck%26#39;s.

Glad the monorail works for you. I like it as well.

Hope everything goes smooth with baby number two, and you all have a great trip on your return!

Gratz on the baby, my wife and I are expecting also.

Great TR but one thing I%26#39;d like to point out.

I personally get MAD when people DON%26#39;T check my I.D. when using a credit card. What if it is stolen? (yes I know the card company covers it but that likely has an effect on interest rates, can only write off so much).

I personally had a card stolen once, it was my debit card and was used to charge nearly $1000 worth of merchandise.

It got covered but $1000 from my checking was enough to put a damper on things until it was straightened out.

By the way, I KNOW noone checked I.D. since my name is craig and the thief they finally apprehended was a woman. Know any women named Craig?

Have had C.I.D. in the signature spot on the back of my cards ever since. Just advice and hope it prevents you or someone else a headache.

Glad you had a great getaway,and congrads on number 3

krystelcat- Congrats on your new baby as well. Didn%26#39;t get to go to the poo;. My hubby tried to one early morning while I was sleeping, but the pool is only open from 9-5 as we discovered. He went to the gym instead and returned disgusted because the gym was so full!

skinnytony - the entrance to take is a big gated one at the intersection of E. Harmon and Koval (with the actual gate you enter on E, Harmon).

I call my hubby a grandpa all the time. He%26#39;s the only 35 yr old I know who doesn%26#39;t listen to any top 40, instead he listens to smooth jazz, so Celine Dion wasn%26#39;t too much of a stretch!

damonkeyboy - I totally understand about the credit card/id thing, esp in Vegas where they checked it at all the retail stores all the time, but in the 9 trips, have never been carded at the table in a restaurant. Add to that the waiter%26#39;s crappy disposition and I took it as a personal slight. Oh well. *shrugs shoulders*.

Great report. I think it%26#39;s great you were able to get away and have some fun alone with your hubby. That is so important. Vegas is a great place to go! Happy 10th anniv and congrats on #3!