How The Western Caribbean Was Won! Completed 8/10/2016 About This Page:

[chezp]

So glad you enjoyed Keys and found it as relaxing as we did.

[MayraLR]

What a great evening!

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by chezp

So glad you enjoyed Keys and found it as relaxing as we did.

I certainly did! Too bad the other nightlife on board wasn't as nice and relaxing as Keys!

Originally Posted by MayraLR

What a great evening!

It was a nice and relaxing time!

[SuperDave]

I plan to incorporate my recent trip to Atlantic City (I returned yesterday) into this TR! I hope to do it a bit later today, depending on Photobucket! I took a fair amount of photos as well as many of the turbulent Atlantic Ocean. The weather was not ideal!

[SuperDave]

A Mini TR inside the TR

Well, there will be no update yet on my cruise TR, as I returned Saturday, from a three night trip to Atlantic City. I arrived there on Wednesday the 30th.

To say the weather was abysmal is a vast understatement! This was basically a Nor’easter that just sat on the coast for several days and began the day I drove to Atlantic City. It is still raining in many areas of the Southeastern USA. It is even worse in areas such as Charleston, Colombia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Some areas have had twenty + inches of rain and just in a couple of days. The flooding is pretty much catastrophic there as the live reports show it.

I left just before 10 am and it was drizzling a bit with some wind but not too bad. It was quite warm at about 70 degrees at the time. The forecast for Atlantic City was torrential rains and high winds with temps in the high 70's. When I got on I-95 there was quite a bit of traffic as this was the end of the rush hour traffic. Once, I reached I-287 in New York, the traffic wasn’t bad. Crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge was quite interesting as the new bridge construction seemed to be progressing quite well. I think it will take a couple more years to finish it as it’s a three mile bridge. I’ve never seen so many cranes in my life. There must have been at least thirty of them!.

In about 30-40 minutes I crossed over to the Garden State Parkway, which would take me all the way down to Atlantic City from exit 173 to 40. The traffic was fine, but the conditions were deteriorating the farther south I drove. I made a stop at the Cheesequake rest area, which is the halfway point in my drive. Went to Nathan’s and had a hot dog, chips and a Coke. Once, I got south of the Tom’s River/Seaside Heights area, the wind and rain were picking up and at times the rain was quite heavy, but not constant. I made one more stop at the last rest stop before exiting the Garden State Parkway as it would still take some time to reach Atlantic City.

Once, I exited the parkway I drove on Route 30 for a while with plenty of traffic lights, before crossing the Absecon Inlet away from the mainland to Atlantic City. It is an island and the southern part of it is where Atlantic City resides. After driving for a bit more, I came into Atlantic City with some nice views of the marina and boardwalk hotels. I took a right on Virginia Avenue and followed it to the end to my hotel, the Trump Taj Mahal Hotel Casino Resort. I arrived around 2 pm. The weather was not great right now, but not as bad as it had been on some parts of the parkway.

I did valet parking, which would only cost me $5 with my Trump One card. You use these to get points for playing in the casino and you get other benefits like this. Otherwise the parking would be $15 per day. I checked in for my first nights’ room, which I think was about $90 per night. The next two nights was a free room offer I got with the card for a standard room. I was able to upgrade for these two nights for $20 each night in the newer Chairman Tower rather than the Taj Tower, which is a lot older back to 1988, while the new tower is ten years old at the most. It would also be the same room with a king bed and water view for all three nights. All went well with check in and there was a nice walkway that’s been incorporated from the Taj Tower to the Chairman Tower, which is quite nice. It’s tough to know exactly what floor I’m on as they continue the numbers from the Taj Tower. I think I was on about the 20th floor.

The room is quite nice and some good water views, even if a bit distant as the hotels are set back from the boardwalk and Atlantic Ocean to avoid a lot of the flooding and as the entrances from the boardwalk are directly into the casino is what they want. Here are some photos of the room and views from it!














View of the closed Showboat Hotel and Casino. A number of them have closed here, but still quite a few. Too much competition and not much redeveloping of Atlantic City outside of the casinos, which is sad.






Pretty healthy waves in the Atlantic Ocean






Harrah’s, Golden Nugget and Borgata Hotels and Casinos in the marina district, which I would visit later for dinner.








Absecon Lighthouse (3rd tallest in the USA) nearby, which I planned to visit but the weather prevented this.

Considering how poor the weather was getting, I’m surprised my photos came out this well.


The Revel Hotel and Casino, which closed about a year ago. It cost $2.4 billion to build. It was sold earlier this year for a fraction of that.


Ominous skies in AC!






On the Atlantic City Boardwalk outside the Taj Mahal








The weather has kept most people off the boardwalk as there would be much more traffic on a normal day.


The slot machine I like playing.




Walkway from Taj Tower to Chairman Tower


Corridor on my floor

I played a bit in the casino on the slots for a couple of hours and didn’t have much luck! Not like Tara!

I got ready for dinner and took a taxi to the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in the marina district, which is about a mile away. I have a 6 pm reservation at the Chart House, which I’m looking forward with the wonderful experience many of you had here at the Boston outlet for your PP gathering recently!


Older tower of the Golden Nugget






Marina outside the Golden Nugget


View of my hotel from marina. My tower is on the left.

After looking around in the marina for a while, I went upstairs to the Chart House for a glass of wine at the bar and then dinner. Unfortunately, because of the weather the outside bar downstairs overlooking the marina was closed due to the weather.




Like this waterfall effect at the Chart House





Overall, I like the look, feel and decor of the Chart House. It’s quite nice. Even better, having a glass of wine at the bar as they had a happy hour special with $5 glasses of wine! Shortly, I was seated at my table for dinner and looked over the menu. I was served some house made bread, which was quite good. I went with the charcuterie and cheese plate for my appetizer.


I can’t believe the size of this. It was very good, but too much for me to finish! It had spicy Sopressata salami, Genoa salami, Smoked Canadian Cheddar, Brie, Parmesan, various crackers with fig jam.




View from my table and the transportation back to my hotel!




My main course. Pan fried salmon with a lemon and shallot butter sauce, rice pilaf and mixed veggies. This was excellent as the salmon had so much flavor and was cooked perfectly! It was accompanied with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc which went quite well with the dish!









Everything was quite good, but wasn’t cheap! It was worth it as I enjoyed it quite some! I didn’t save room for dessert as the charcuterie platter filled me up too much! I settled the bill and went outside and take some photos outside the hotel and near the marina.










Lights for outdoor dining/bar overlooking marina.










Boat in marina



Shortly, I returned back to the Taj Mahal around 8 pm or a bit later and went to my room for a bit. The rain and wind were really beating down on my 20th floor windows quite a bit at this time. It wasn’t raining all that much, when I was at the Golden Nugget, a short time ago. I watched this for a while as it was quite fascinating and more dramatic from my room than down at ground level!


I think this lighting is in my tower and looks pretty cool!

I went down to the casino for some time and try my luck with the slots, but not much again, but nothing too bad. I also went to the Ego bar in the casino and had a Grand Marnier and a coffee, after I was done gambling for the night. I went up to my room around midnight and watched some TV for a bit. Mostly the awful weather reports along the east coast on The Weather Channel.

NEXT: Uh, oh something is missing!

[Tara O'Hara]

It sounds like you are having a great time, despite the weather, Dave!! Nice photos all around and I am honored to be mentioned in your report!. We love the Chart House!! On a nice night, it's great to sit outside there!! I wish the weather had been better for your trip.

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by Tara O'Hara

It sounds like you are having a great time, despite the weather, Dave!! Nice photos all around and I am honored to be mentioned in your report!. We love the Chart House!! On a nice night, it's great to sit outside there!! I wish the weather had been better for your trip.

I was just there three nights and been back since Saturday night! I had a great time and glad you like the photos and no problem mentioning you here! Just wish I had your luck for winning! Just wish the weather wasn't so horrible as I would have loved to sit outside for dinner or a drink. The Chart House was enjoyable!

[a_bernard]

sounds like a nice short trip

[chezp]

Wow, that weather looks miserable from the shots you got outside. I was hoping it might clear up for you, but obviously not. Glad you enjoyed the Chart House.

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by a_bernard

sounds like a nice short trip

It was a good time, even with the horrible weather!

Originally Posted by chezp

Wow, that weather looks miserable from the shots you got outside. I was hoping it might clear up for you, but obviously not. Glad you enjoyed the Chart House.

I absolutely loved the Chart House and especially the salmon...can't beat $5 glasses of wine either! The funny thing about the weather, is if I was home it was not that bad. They had some rain, but going 180 miles south made a difference! I had a great time, but wished I could have taken some walks on the boardwalk, which I absolutely love as it gets you out of the gambling routine.

I was also hoping to partake in other things like visiting the aquarium and Absecon lighthouse (even close made it impossible with the weather! ) I visited AC the same week last year and the weather could not have been better as it was sunny in the low to mid 70's! I probably picked the worst three weather days in AC of 2015....go figure!

You are correct as the weather looks pretty miserable from my photos, but it got worse over the next couple of days! There will be some interesting photos regarding the weather in my next and last post on this short trip!

[pamcarey]

Just joining in. Your first cruise sounds great so far! I've never been to Atlantic City, so interesting to read about your weekend there, too!

[SuperDave]

Uh, oh something is missing!


Well, I had two more days in Atlantic City and the weather would not be any better for those than yesterday. It was quite windy and we were constantly getting pummeled with torrential rains, although there were times when it would let up for a bit. Today was actually, quite cool and raw as temps were now in the 50's as yesterday they were in the 70's.

Thursday, October 1

I slept in a bit and got up around 10 am. I went downstairs for a quick breakfast at Go and had a croissant, coffee, fruit cup and a yogurt. When, I went to pay for it with my Visa card, I noticed my card was missing! The last time I used it was at the Chart House for dinner last night. Now, that I think of it, I don’t recall my server returning my card to me as I don’t think I’d forget it otherwise. Now, I would have to drive over to the Golden Nugget in this horrible weather and get my card. Too bad I didn’t eat in my hotel last night, for this reason!

After breakfast, I went to guest services and asked them to connect me with the lost and found at the Golden Nugget. I spoke with them for a minute and they connected me with security. They said, they have my card and to come to security to get it. That was a relief!

I went to valet in my hotel to pick up my car. I had to pay a $5 fee for the first time you take the car out and after that it was free. I drove to the Golden Nugget, which was easy to get to and went to valet parking. I told one of their personnel that works in the valet, that I was going to the hotel to pick up something I left last night. It wasn’t a problem and just had to leave my key in case they had to move it. I went to guest services to find out where the security office was and it was just off the casino floor. I went there and told them about my credit card. I had to fill out some paper work and then they would get the card for me. I must have waited about at least twenty minutes before I got my card as it was probably being held in a storage area in another part of the hotel for security reasons. Glad I got it back! I returned to the Taj Mahal and spent some time in my room for about an hour or so watching TV.

Shortly, after I got some lunch at one of the counter service options in the hotel. I went down to the casino for a bit and played some slots before going to dinner. It was nothing fancy tonight as I went to the Rim Noodle Bar. I sat at the counter and they cook behind the counter here, which was interesting to watch. I had tea and water for my beverages. For my appetizer, I had chicken yakitori which is slices of chicken in a Japanese bbq sauce on skewers. For my entree it was rice with hibachi beef and some mixed vegetables. It was good and satisfying, but not amazing. Not too expensive overall.

For the rest of the night, I played some more slots in the casino, but not much luck. I went back to my room just before midnight and watched some TV. Mostly the awful weather reports from South Carolina.

Friday, October 2

Got up around 9 am and went back to Go for another quick breakfast and pretty much the same as yesterday. After this I returned to my room, got my camera and my hooded rain jacket as I wanted to take some photos from the boardwalk of the heavy surf.






Heavy surf from my hotel room


The closed Revel Hotel and Casino






Heavy surf from the boardwalk




Waves crashing against the Steel Pier














A pretty rough day in the Atlantic!




These waves are just insane!





After capturing the rough seas and conditions out on the boardwalk, I returned to my room to dry off for a bit. Shortly, I returned to the casino and played the slots for a while. I actually did pretty well for this part of the day. It was early afternoon at this time. I was up about $80-$90 at one point, but I felt it was too early to leave. I held my own for the next hour or so and was still up by about the same amount. I went to Sbarro’s to get a slice of pizza and returned to the casino afterwards. As I couldn’t really take walks on the boardwalk, I spent a lot of time in the casino. More than I usually do.

Over the course of the day and evening I would eventually give that money back to the casino, but overall didn’t lose too much. I had a good time, but wish the weather had been better. For dinner I went to Plate in the hotel. Some of it was comped with $$$s I had earned while using my card, while playing the slots. I had $15 taken off the cost of my meal. Plate is a good eatery, but not high end. I had a glass of Chardonnay, house rolls with butter, roasted red peppers and olives. My main course was orange and bourbon glazed salmon with roasted potatoes and baby shrimp. All was quite good.

I went to the EGO bar on the casino floor to have a Grand Marnier. Afterwards, I played a few more slots and returned to my room for my last evening here. The weather outside was still pretty bad, although not as much as it was earlier.

Saturday, October 3

I woke up around 9:30 am and got all my things together and packed everything up. I made sure to check every part of the room that nothing was left behind. Shortly, I went to Go for some breakfast and returned to my room and watched some TV for a while, before going downstairs to check out.

I checked out about 11:30 am or so and didn’t head out right away as I spent a little time exploring the hotel for a bit as it was raining quite hard at the time. At about 12:30, I went to valet to pickup my car. I started driving out of Atlantic City on Route 30 to the Garden State Parkway. When I got to the Absecon Inlet, I could see the water was quite high! I was hoping there would be no flooding and be put in a dangerous situation. When I got to the bridge, which goes over the inlet there was some water flooding overthe bridge, but only a couple of inches deep. I let other cars ahead of me cross through this to make sure all was good. It was, but a bit scary!

The weather was better than it had been, but the rain was heavy at times, until I was on the road for about an hour, when it just sprinkled here and there for the rest of the drive home. I made a couple of rest stops along the way for lunch and a break. I had almost no traffic problems and got home about 5 pm, which is pretty average with the stops. I plan to go again next year, but just hope the weather is better next time!


My Cruise TR Returns:

NEXT: What An Amazing Sight and Experience!

[SuperDave]

Originally Posted by pamcarey

Just joining in. Your first cruise sounds great so far! I've never been to Atlantic City, so interesting to read about your weekend there, too!

The cruise portion is just beginning as I've yet to make the first port stop on the cruise, but arrival in Key West will be next! I had a fun time in AC, even though the weather was just horrible!

[chezp]

Thank goodness you got your card back. Wow, the pictures of the waves just sum up the weather during your stay.

[Tara O'Hara]

Glad you had an overall nice time, Dave. It's such a shame that the weather was nasty because you can do so much more when it's nice at the shore!. Your pictures are great!!