Son and I recently returned from what's now become our annual NASCAR bonding weekend, this time on an offer from the Stardust (last two years they'd been from LVH--didn't get one this year in spite of even more play than previous). When I first started going to Vegas oh, so many years ago, the 'Dust was where the wife and I stayed on our 3rd and 4th trip. The first two were at Harrah's where, after reading so much about Las Vegas buffets, we tried theirs, the Market Street buffet, I believe. With the giant vegetable decor. The food was quite good. If I was doing acid, the decor would've been scary. Then we tried Stardust's--absolutely the worst I've ever had. Horrid, ghastly, atrocious, putrid and a coupla other adjectives Skip would edit out if I included them. Worser than Circus Circus, at least foodwise. (Altho I read on our List a little while back the Stardust buffet is now much better.) "Enter the Night" was the production show--and helped get me hooked on Vegas.
Hadn't gone back to Stardust since then--don't really know why, unless it was the buffet thing--until a coupla trips ago to get a shot of Multi-Strike and try to get established someplace other than CP and LVH, whose requirements are getting ridiculous. (Last trip there, playing over 32K+ a day, Barbara Dennison told me I was playing at the C-3 level, would not pick up a charge at the steakhouse or an extra nite at casino rate, and said, "But you're winning, so that's a good thing." Well, it was, but that's not the point. I'm not going to win every trip.) Of course, since they're gonna raze the 'Dust, at first glance it may look like a curious choice--but more on that later. At any rate, I'd forgotten how well we were treated when we were first there. In fact, Vegas-style good customer service (and did I mention beautiful, topless dancing girls?) is what kept me coming back. Altho, IMHO, customer service in Vegas has slipped markedly in the last several years. But not at the 'Dust. Everyone I dealt with--check-in, host, slot club, wait staff, housekeeping, bell desk, limo service--was gracious, friendly, cheerful, courteous and helpful. It was a most pleasant surprise and (apart losing most of my a** at the machines and freezing off what was left of it at Saturday's Busch race ) a most pleasant trip. The slot club vouchered me for every meal I asked for and even gave me $200 cash, evidently as part of the NASCAR offer, altho there was no mention of it on the offer card.
The Stardust has a surprisingly good inventory of VP (altho, other than JB, many of hi volatility). One game I found not mentioned in the database is .25 10P 9/7 DB. In the Keno area is a bank of uprights, 8 I believe, back-to-back MGMD that has these 10-plays. On Sunday morning, before the race, the son and I found about half the Keno area machines taped off and a tech working on them. "Puttin' the gaff in for NASCAR weekend?" I joked. He didn't think it was funny. Or maybe he didn't hear me. Yeah, that's the ticket. Anyway, his reply was "getting them ready for shutdown". So soon? I thought. Evidently. And I guess I have no reason to doubt him other than hearing some other race go-ers on the bus to the track discussing the imminent shutdown and one of them was talking about on his floor they're renovating some rooms--new paint, wallpaper and carpet. Strange behavior and mixed messages.
So at check-out I was introduced to May Eaton, host--very nice, very personable--and this is why my choice of Stardust may not be so bad after all. For a little more than half what I would've needed at LVH, May picked up every charge not covered by the offer, got me a limo ride to the airport (we took the bus in, which worked out OK but busses, a whole 'nother story) gave me her card and two different cell phone numbers and told me that she would be re-assigned to another Boyd property, give her a call next trip, especially next year to get my NASCAR reservation in. Since Boyd has a lot of properties I like--MSS, Cal, ST, Orleans, GC, Fremont--most with playable VP, I may not only have gotten a NASCAR weekend out of an initial visit--a winning visit, I might add--(losses aside this time, and you're going to have them, altho I've now won 6 out of my last 8 trips) I just may end up looking like a stinkin' genius.
But I still wouldn't do the buffet.