Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Vegas - Day Two

Day two in Vegas was certainly more eventful. When I think about everything we did on that day alone I feel kind of tired. So let's break it down.

First up was the timeshare presentation we were told would only last 2-3 hours but really lasts six. They shuttle you to the place which they tell you is 5 minutes away but is really closer to 30. We get there and immediately get the feeling like we're really just in a bunch of cows working our way to a slaughterhouse. At least that's how I felt. We're given our personal representative, Sharon, who I notice limps along mostly at a shuffle and is wearing slippers. Like legit bedroom slippers. So that's odd.

The first thing you do is watch this presentation with a way too perky sales person pretty much saying how we need to own our vacation because we're going to die and you don't want to die at work. You maybe want to die on vacation and you CAN with your annual roll over points! I'm obviously snickering and barely controlling my laughter, Matt's whispering to me that I'm embarrassing him, which is hilarious since he's saying this as he eats his fourth or fifth pastry. Complimentary is not the same as buffet. FYI.

After a three hour presentation and having to share favorite vacation memories (which was difficult in a room with very few English speaking people, by the way), we were given a guided tour. Our tour guide was actually really nice and I feel fortunate that we had a disabled guide because we got the super abbreviated tour. After the tour (the place is gorgeous and I'm sure it'd be lovely) we're taken into a huge room with people "booking their deals". We sat through their offers and obviously we can't afford it if we're there mainly for food vouchers so we don't starve on our vacation, we're shuffled to sales person #2 and #3. Both of whom are pissed we can't buy a timeshare. So *finally* at almost hour five, we're taken to the "exit room" which is smaller and we have sales person #4 who basically is bitchzilla because I flat out told her to just give us our vouchers and we'll leave. She huffed and puffed... and let us go. We got our vouchers, got on the shuttle bus and ended up waiting on the damn bus for an HOUR for the rest of the suckers to come out.

After that stressful morning, I decided we were going to the pool.
 Matt liked the pool too.
 And despite being slathered in Coppertone SPF 50, the tops of my legs burned. Which was a super fun thing for Day Three.
 After frying poolside for three hours, we decided to shower, change, and go use one of our new food vouchers. Sadly, you couldn't use it at a buffet and they were only good for things inside of our hotel, so that left us with basically the Pyramid Cafe (doesn't it scream "classy"?) because everywhere else had weird foods I knew I wouldn't eat. And of course... I had to pee. And of course... I had my camera. And guess what? This bathroom didn't disappoint!
 After dinner (which was actually pretty good) we walked over to MGM so we could go to the Cirque du Soleil show we got free tickets for at the time we booked our trip. 
 This was the show we went and saw, and you can see a preview trailer for it HERE.
 You weren't allowed to take pictures in there, but you know I tried. Just for you.
This was the side theatre and it was like this on both sides. Basically (though you can't really tell) those are long corridors the cast members could walk on and they would launch into their acrobatics from there too. Overall that show was AMAZING. Like, beyond words. It was really that good. So good in fact, that I would totally pay to see it again. Between the stunts and the visuals of the entire show-- genius.

After the show we had to grab a taxi from MGM to some weirdo office inside of a garage facility. Sounds sketch, huh? Well we were hoping it was less sketch than our timeshare ordeal, because we were hoping to for real take a helicopter ride over the strip in the dark. Sounds awesome, right? That's because it was. The other weirdo thing was that we bought our tickets while on the plane to Vegas... and we got some really shady instructions on how to actually book your flight and everything. Once we got to the place we see that it is PACKED. Not only are Matt and I one of only five English speaking people, but we are also the whitest. I mean, the WHITEST people in there. The lady working the counter is Russian and she's screaming at me in Russian and honestly I have no idea what she was talking about even still.

After we check in and get weighed we have to join this group for a safety video. Which was absolutely not helpful because of the protocols they tell you are going to happen- none of them did. So... that was nice. After our video we get put into groups of 10 and get onto a shuttle bus.
 Our neighbors fell asleep immediately despite us only driving literally five minutes. They also snored.

Once we got to the tarmac area, they dump you off and you just wait. Which is kind of scary in hindsight because it's a poorly lit section of the tarmac, nobody anywhere near you and you're with a bunch of strangers. I don't know about you, but I felt kind of weird about it. Finally after about 30 minutes of waiting, it was our turn. Our group consisted of Matt and I, a lady next to me who kept rubbing my arm and leg, and two people from Mumbai in front, then the pilot.
 Officially crossing something else off my 30/30 list..

The ride itself was only 10-12 minutes and kind of scary. Mostly because it was pretty windy that night. I normally don't have a problem with heights or motion, but no lie, I kind of got quesy.
 But soon after we got a little more stable in the air, I got to see some really awesome things and seeing Las Vegas from above is pretty amazing.
After we landed in our helicopter, we got a shuttle back to Tropicana Hotel/Casino and we decided to just effing walk it across the way to our hotel. And the Tropicana definitely has a Florida-senior-citizen-rest-home feel to it and smelled weird.

By the time we got back to our room, it was almost midnight and we were effing exhausted. Which wouldn't be such a bad thing... but we had to be up at 5am the next day for our mega bus trip....

Coming tomorrow. ;)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your vacay makes mine completely sound like shit. haha. Well, because it was. I like seeing all these pics! And your ones on FB too. I'm all- whoa, I never saw that! :)

Dana said...

Looks like you are taking advantage of Vegas as much as you can. I did a timeshare presentation/tour once in Cocoa Beach. We did it because we wanted to see the best place to watch space shuttle Atlantis take off. :) And I was almost suckered into buying a timeshare. It doesn't take much to coax me into anything.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

Love the photos here it really looks like you had a wonderful time I am so happy for you...........

Ang said...

Sara - I love how genuinely happy you look to be in that helicopter1 I would be too, but sadly, I'll never be able to get Steve into one :(

Sounds like an awful timeshare thing.. hope the perks were worth it?

Nicki said...

I've always wondered about the time share deal. I hate sales pitches but I LOVE me some free stuff! Having undergone a presentation, what was your opinion-- did you think it was worth sitting through for the food vouchers?

Anonymous said...

So glad you had a blast! Love me some Vegas. That shit never gets old. Andy and I decided next time we're going to stay at Caesars because he wants to ask the front desk if "Caesar really lived here?" ala The Hangover. Ha!

Julie H said...

We did the time share thing the first time we went. We got $100 and free show tickets (magic show) where they gave us nose bleed seats haha.