The Frugal Princess Visit – Part 1

Recently Brad and I enjoyed a real treat – a week-long visit from daughter Angela (the Frugal Princess) and her retired Army Ranger husband, Steve.  This was a rare adults-only trip since their kids had already enjoyed their own visit earlier in the summer.  They had more time for gambling, and Angela particularly enjoyed returning to her full-pay Deuces Wild game at the Palms, which has been her favorite since that casino opened.  (If you have read More Frugal Gambling you know that Angela contributed much to that book, describing what it was like to grow up in a very frugal home and her introduction to casinos in “Following in the Queen’s Footsteps to Become the Frugal Princess.”  And she kept me on track when I might be making video poker too complicated for the beginner in “The Frugal Princess Asks ‘What in the Heck is 3Sf di noH?’”)

Angela’s and Steve’s best friends were also here for the first three days during their visit, and the four enjoyed the two-bedroom suite we got for them at Caesars and the other perks that come from our being in the Harrah’s 7* tier.  The limo waiting to pick them up at the airport was the first clue to the luxury awaiting them.  We had stockpiled comps for a long time so they were grateful for the almost unlimited eating and drinking these afforded without ruining their budget.  Plus they appreciated the “7* Companion Cards” that allowed them to go to the head of long lines at restaurants and at the taxi stand even when we weren’t with them.  The Bacchanal Buffet was a big hit, and the six of us were able – just barely – to abide by the two-hour time limit on the diners there.

The two gals especially enjoyed the swim-up blackjack at the Caesar’s pool, a good way to stay out of the sun and keep cool!

“Can you take wet money?”

Although the four spent a lot of time just relaxing at Caesars, they did venture out on a Saturday evening to sample the free entertainment in the downtown Fremont Street Experience.  They loved being able to find low gambling minimums on the games– blackjack for the girls and craps and roulette for the guys – that fit their budget, something they couldn’t find at Caesars.

After Angela’s and Steve’s friends left, we moved them first to the Gold Coast for two nights and then to the Palms for their last two nights, both places where we could get comped rooms.  Although we could have put them up at other casinos where we have comps, we choose these two places because they are close to our condo for fast transportation back and forth AND because Angela could be near her full-pay Deuces Wild machines.

One of the reasons we love living in Las Vegas is that when people come to visit us – and all our friends and relatives love this vacation destination – we usually end up having “adventures” we wouldn’t undertake on our own.  And when Angela and Steve were here we had one unbelievable Adventure with a capital “A.”  I asked Angela to tell about the all-day tour we took enjoying nature, and her report and pictures will appear here in a few days.  Stay tuned!