jsmeeker

The Wright Amendment was in place long before American turned DFW into a fortress. Remember, there was a time when other airlines were just as big if not bigger at DFW. Remember Braniff and their really colorful planes?? It's really the result of a pissing contest between Dallas and Ft. Worth. Delta had a good sized operation there too.

Back in the day, Dallas had Love Field. Ft. Worth had Meachum. They both had commercial service. Then, it was determined that a new airport was needed for the region. Someone decided to build a giant new airport halfway between Dallas and Ft. Worth. They thought it would be a great way to spur growth in the region. The deal was that both cities would shut down their airports to commercial traffic. DFW opened. DAL and FTW closed to commercial traffic. Everything was all cool until some upstart wanted to fly flights between Dallas, San Antonio, and Houston. They wanted to use DAL. This was back pre FAA. When the CAB regulated things. CAB only regulated intrastate. Since the flights were within the state, they couldn't do anything. The city of Dallas went back on their word and allowed Southwest Airlines to operate out of Dallas Love.

Well, as mentioned, a congressmen from Ft Worth got pissed over this. So, the Wright Amendment came into being. It was initially more about Ft. Worth getting shut out of service and wanting to protect DFW Airport. Of course, over the years, as airlines grew a DFW, they became big supporters of the law. And DFW airport itself really did a lot to help the region grow.

But it's almost 2014. And it's time for the law to go away.

Not sure if this helps or not but I bought tickets to Book of Mormon (showing at Prince of Wales Theater) directly from the show/theater. They don't mail them to the States. They didn't do electronic or print at home. We picked them up at the theater before the show. But it was easy and fast. No real line. You tell them your name. Show them the card your used to book. they hand them over. Super simple.

I'm in London now. Got in Monday morning, heading home tomorrow morning. We took the HEX. Did the two tickets return for £50 deal. The tube is cheaper, but takes a lot longer. The HEX is fast and comfortable and has plenty of storage for large bags right by the entry doors. From Paddington, our cab fare was under £9 to the JW Marriott Grosvenor House. That's on Park Lane, a bit south of Marble Arch. This was probably at around 12:30 PM, so it was plenty busy in the area.

For a larger number of people with a lot of luggage, the HEX might not be the most cost effective though. But again, it's super convenient. Trains leave every 15 minutes. From there, it's 15 minutes to Paddington. If you miss one, you won't wait too long for the next.

For the taxi rank at Paddington, as you exit the train and head towards the front of the station, you'll eventually hang a left, and then again. You'll essentially be walking back in the direction you came from, but on the side of the station. There are escalators up to the level where the taxis are. However, they are gated in such a way that large bags won't fit through. You'll want to take the lift (elevator) up.

And no matter what, Y is pretty much Y.

Not for long. SQ is cancelling both EWR-SIN and LAX-SIN. You also had DL nix the DTW-HKG run, Thai ended LAX-BKK, and UA stopped ORD-DEL. So for those who love marathon flights, it will be back to the old standbys - Australia and South Africa. Plus whatever Emirates chooses to do in/out of Dubai.

DFW-BNE/SYD on QF is a good one of you want a long flight.

Did you price out AA? They serve GRU via DFW on using a brand new 777-300 with new true lie flat seats that get rave reviews. (essentially, the exact same J seat on CX). From DFW, there are plenty of connections onto SFO.

Obviously, too late for this trip, But maybe next time.

It's not always about the food. It could be about the whole experience. Some people just don't like the big huge main dining rooms with their banquet style of service. They prefer a more intimate, traditional land restaurant experience. And not just people from small towns that don't have a lot of option.s People from big cities that are used to dining like that on land may want to continue to do that at sea.

Are you missing anything? Not really. If it's not for you, it's not for you. I mean, for some people, spending a lot of money on accommodations (upgraded cabin, fancy 5* hotel, etc.) isn't for them. They are OK with a plain box that contains a bed and a basic bathroom.

Nice Hit!!! I heard that the only two things casino's fear are #1) Drunks #2) Power Pressors.....well maybe not the drunks so much. Did you play in LV across the street @ Casino Royale? $5 game with 100X odds + pay the Vig after it hit on the 4/10 Buy bets. For some reason they are down to two craps tables & they are jammed always.

I've never seen more than 2 dice tables in there. Of course, I only started going in there maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

I got the email from MLife yesterday. I noted that the "Free Cruise" for Platinum and Noir members was marked with an asterisk (*) with the note "Free cruise for qualified Platinum and Noir members". This leads me to believe what I speculated earlier. It may not be for ALL Platinum members and simply racking up 200,000 tier credits won't cut it on its own. They will probably care HOW you got the.

But with gold, I would get a free dinner (I guess in a specialty restaurant??) plus some drink coupons to use in the casino. That's still a pretty nice perk for someone like me.

No lounges for top tier MLife players at the MGM Properties

You'll have to wait around long enough until there's a line so that you can make full use of that perk! :D

 

Tom

yeah.. you gotta cut a big line. That makes it more fun.

In November, we stayed at Aria. But instead of eating breakfast at Aria's cafe/coffee shop, we went over to Bellagio because they really don't have much of a line at Aria. Cafe Bellagio had a decent line for the regular folks. But the MLife gold card let us bypass all of that.

:)

That's what I want to know. Since C&A status doesn't expire, this could work out nicely for C&A members that could potentially get lifetime mid to high'ish MLife status.

Of course, it doesn't work so well the other way around.

We are Diamond Plus members who live in Las Vegas. Several days ago I called the Mlife number to inquire about the procedure to get the Platinum Mlife card and was told the best way was to visit an mlife desk at one of the MGM resorts. DH and I went over to the Bellagio today, taking the email we got from RCL, our Diamond Plus cards and our current MGM players card(which were not Platinum). Glad we took everything as the lady at the desk initially didn't know anything about the deal with RCL. After looking at the email and checking with a supervisor she gave each of us our new Mlife Platinum cards.

 

One of the benefits mentioned in the email was a 15% discount at participating retail stores. I made a purchase in one of the Bellagio gift shops called Tutto, showed the lady my Platinum card and received the 15% discount.

Nice

Did you go an get line cutties at the Cafe Bellagio or Buffet too? We used a friend's Gold card to get a line cut at Cafe Bellagio back in November. Saved us a wait. It was nice. :)

Man, quite a discrepancy in terms of how they value play in Vegas vs. Biloxi (Beau Rivage)! Biloxi used to be a short (well, 300 mile!) drive. Now it's 600 - so no longer an easy drive. Oh well!!

 

Tom

shows you how much they jack up the prices for vegas! :)

yup.. It's complicated and "secret". Intentionally so, I think. I don't worry about it too much, though. I suppose I could simply look at my Mlife tier points balance just before I check out. Then, check out and wait to see what it jumps up to. I didn't really do that last time. Or maybe I sorta did, but don't know the exact number. I just know that my spend is where I am getting the bulk of my points.

well, I guess it's not all that secret. I was able to find it on the FAQ page on the MLife site

You earn Tier Credits for virtually every dollar you spend - including gaming - across all our M life resorts. For every dollar you spend on your hotel stay, dining, entertainment, or spa you earn Tier Credits - in Las Vegas you earn 25 Tier Credits per dollar spent; at Beau Rivage, Gold Strike Tunica, and MGM Grand Detroit you earn 8 Tier Credits per dollar spend.

 

For slot play in Las Vegas M life casinos, you receive ten (10) Tier Credits for every Base Point earned. When playing at Beau Rivage or Gold Strike Tunica, you receive two (2) Tier Credits for every Base Point earned. At MGM Grand Detroit, you receive one (1) Tier Credit for every Base Point earned. For table games, you'll earn Tier Credits based on length of play, average bet, and game type.

 

To ensure Tier Credits are credited to your M life account, always use your M life card while playing slots and table games at any participating MGM Resorts International destination. Also, show your M life card at the time of each qualifying purchase, or charge these purchases to your room and present your M life card to the Front Desk at the beginning of your stay.

Yes - it's tough to calculate when it comes from mixed sources, and Mlife is not very good about letting people know how they go about calculating things. Made three pilgrimages out there last year - the first was Bellagio and the last two trips were at Aria (love that place).

 

Tom

yup.. It's complicated and "secret". Intentionally so, I think. I don't worry about it too much, though. I suppose I could simply look at my Mlife tier points balance just before I check out. Then, check out and wait to see what it jumps up to. I didn't really do that last time. Or maybe I sorta did, but don't know the exact number. I just know that my spend is where I am getting the bulk of my points.

I'm sure that Royal will be looking very closely at the play of those given the free sailings. If, on average, it falls below expectations - I would expect changes in the future. Knowing rewards programs, I am sure we all expect change to begin with!

 

Yep - those playing slots, by the time they play max credits, can really drop some "coin"!

 

How many tier credits does spending $1,000 earn (is food and retail calculated differently) with Mlife?

 

Tom

I'm not entirely sure how they calculate the tier points based on room, food and bev., etc. I am pretty sure that my points had re-set back to zero before my most recent stay back in November. I had three nights at Aria and with the room charge, some bar tabs, meals, etc. my folio came out to $981. I went home with 56,000 points or so on my MLife. Of course, there was some gambling, but not tons. (when I play penny slots, I DO tend to play max credit, like I do with all slot play). There would have been some points from Foursquare checkins too.

Gold is in easy reach. it's only 75,000 tier points. Platinum is much harder. 200,000. I won't hit it doing my normal routine. I would need probably 4 trips a year to Las Vegas at my current spending and play levels to get that.

I think it is important to define who "they" is. Are free cruises coming from C&A or from Casino Royale [the organization for frequent gamblers on RCI]? If you are in a regular cabin, you have to cruise for more than two years worth of nights to get to 750 points for your first free C&A cruise. Hard to believe that the reported two visits to LV on penny slots would get you a free cruise from C&A. Having had courses in statics, I only gamble when the odds are in my favor [$5 plus a match play on an even bet on Roulette has an expectation value of $7.105] and then walk away, it is highly:rolleyes: unlikely that Casino Royale will be giving me a free cruise, but slightly possible that I might make t from D+ to Pinnacle someday and get a free cruise from C&A.

 

Thom

Penny slots can cost a lot of money to play. Frequently north of $3 a spin on max credit. And they tend to have the biggest house edge.

I'm just going by what has been reported here. Mlife Platinum gets a free cruise. You can get Mlife tier points (how they rank people in their program) from more than just gambling. It's total spend. That's how I get mine. You can get to Platinum without doing too much gambling. Just spend a lot at the MGM properties.

Believe me, I too find it hard to believe it's as simple as MLife platinum == Free Cruise. I would THINK "they" (whoever is giving the cruise) would look a bit more deeply at your activity with MGM than just tier points. But maybe they won't.

my mom goes to Vegas twice a year and plays penny machines on min bet... and has achieved platinum for three years consecutively. She stays at the Luxor where the payouts are higher and more frequent (so she says :P). I think the free cruise is a wonderful perk for something that she is going to do anyway!

indeed.

I dunno if I can get Platinum on MLife, though. I would need more than two trips to LAS per year.

They will give out a free cruise to MLife Platinum? Since MLife counts total spend towards status, you could get a free cruise without doing too much gambling. I'll probably make Gold in MLife later this year and I'm a very low level player.

Also, Saphire is the lowest level. Any random person gets that just for signing up.

Just off the Allure of the Seas. Bad food? Were there worms or weevils in it? How come the guys who throw down $1500 on the table, proceed to play all the worst bets like the horn bet and hardways, typically also loose all their money in about 10 minutes, then come back again and do the same thing over and over? Beats the heck out of me.

 

'Cuz they like to gamble?

Great review. Keep it up.. Just more food pics! I'm hungry. But not for a bad croque monsieur. Maybe you had nice croque madame at some point?

 

Relais de l'entrecote only serves one entrée: steak-frites! The menu has a set price of 25 Euros and all you tell them is the temperature you want the steak cooked. First you get salad with this amazing dressing and bread, followed by your FIRST portion of steak-frites. Once you have finished round 1 you get the second portion! The entire plate is covered in this mysterious green sauce that might turn one off at sight but give it a shot, trust me. Even my picky brother couldn’t get enough of the green sauce. They provide a dessert list after but we were so full we passed it up, crazy, I know- given my dessert addiction. Personally I believe this is the best dinner deal in Paris. I wrote in my journal “for traditional steak-frites, tres bien!”

 

 

Looks yummy. Interesting discussion on what the sauce may (or may not) be.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/500786

What a great review. I've enjoyed reading through it all. Did you eat in the main dining room every night or did you do some of the specialty restaurants? (I might have missed this in all the posts)

really nice looking rooms. I love the Celebrity decor/style. Contemporary without being too weird, yet very comfortable looking.