Surfergirl

As some know, Southwest Airlines had more than a few problems this weekend, with many cancellations and causing mass havoc amongst passengers. We saw none of this Friday afternoon when boarding our flight from LAX to LAS. It was only the return flight on Sunday that we saw the resulting damage with lines out the door. People were scrambling to get on another flight, and one woman in line reported that she had been in the SW line for 3 1/2 hours, and still had about 1/2 hour to go before reaching the counter to rebook. Fortunately for my sister and I (we were doing a sister birthday weekend in Vegas with two lifelong friends who were flying back on Jet Blue), our flight was NOT cancelled, but was delayed about 45 minutes. It was reported by SW that the delay was because they were waiting for flight attendants to arrive at the airport. This report turned out to be true, as reported directly to me by one of the flight attendants and as overheard from the pilot as I got off at LAX. The hardest part at the Las Vegas SW terminal was pushing past the crowd in line to get to the security line area adjacent to the booking lines. The security line was virtually empty, so I left my non-TSA pre-check sister on her own as I went through TSA pre-check line simply because I didn't want to remove my shoes or IPad.

We stayed this time at the Flamingo as a cheaper option, which was a lower-end, but fun change from Caesar's where we usually stay when going to shows. Room was nice, but the long hallways in serious need of renovation. And check-in is a bit of a mess. The Flamingo is, IMO, a bit of a party hotel, with a lot of drunk groups packing into the rooms, and my friends reporting a loud party with pounding music going on in the next room all night long the first night. Staff refused to move them to another room the second night claiming they were all booked up and it was not their policy.

First night we went to see "O" at the Bellagio, as my sister had never seen it. Happy to report (since I had seen it before a number of years ago) that it had changed, so it was a new experience except for the water part, which is IMO the best part!

Second night, and the real reason for our trip, was our second time seeing Rod Stewart do the "hits" at the Colosseum at Caesar's. At 75, Rod is still Forever Young. It is very apparent that Rod still loves performing and he still can belt out the tunes and run around the stage almost as quickly as he did when I first saw him with the Faces at the Palladium in LA in 1973. Rod had a total of 5 wardrobe changes, and he Wears it Well. He had the audience up and dancing, and was completely engaged. The show is well worth the money.

I


I want to give a shout out to the venue in terms of their vax and mask practices. I got more than 4 emails from the concert promoter and from Caesar's regarding not being let in unless you had your vax card (paper or digital) and photo id, or a negative test within 72 hours. They also had a table where one could get a fast test if you forgot. Otherwise, you were not let in, and you had to be masked unless eating or drinking. They appeared to have hired staff to go through the lines to check the vax cards and the photo id, then stamp your hand, making getting into the venue very quick. An absolutely brilliant method of handling it.

clarkgriswold

Thanks for the report, sounds like you had a nice time.

A few weeks ago some concertgoers reported (on TripAdvisor) that the mask mandate was not being enforced AT ALL at the Collisseum. Some TA members reported this via the Clark County "Fixit" report-a-violation app. I wonder if that had anything to do with the stepped-up enforcement? Could be.

Surfergirl

Thanks, Clark. Very well could be. The first concert I went to when things opened up was last May at the Canyon Club in So. Cal. They were very strict with showing vax cards, negative tests, and IDs. So that first concert was a joy.

Since then, I've been to other venues, like the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre, and John Anson Ford for concerts. All of those venues sent notices that they required the showing of vax, etc., but when we got there, they did NOT check. Masking was required going in and getting to one's seat, but then people used drinking and eating as an excuse. That's why I was so pleasantly surprised to see the strict enforcement in Vegas.

sunbum1944

I was at LAS Sunday night too. What a mess with lines of people trying to get to their destination. We got our flight OK but when we arrived in Oakland, they announced their was no pilots for our flight. The gate people were on hold with SW for a long time and finally announced that a couple of local pilots had been found and they would be there soon. We were late but we got home and I am grateful for that.
I saw Rod Stewart once in Portland. Loved his show!