I haven't set sail yet--not until next Friday--but want to let you know that I have received a Holland America upgrade to a Veranda Suite on the ms Maasdam. The stateroom is the same size as the ocean view I booked, but HAL now calls all of its veranda staterooms "suites"--the wonders of relabeling.
I am, in fact, "on the road," rather than "at sea." My partner, Will, has surprised me with a last-minute five-day trip to Las Vegas (in honor of my birthday last week) and I am writing this blog entry from our room on the 25th floor of the Bellagio Hotel. I have stayed at eight different LV hotels over the years and while all have been quite comfortable, the Bellagio has the largest and most luxurious rooms. We are doing all the usual LV activities: lots of shopping (browsing really) at the many upscale malls attached to the different hotels and the Premium Outlets Mall, northwest of downtown; dining at fine restaurants (AquaKnox at the Venetian and Wolfgang Puck's casual Italian at City Center); viewing Cirque de Soleil's Zumanity (which came free with our package deal on Southwest Airlines); people-watching everywhere; comparing the extravagant architecture and design at each new hotel; and, of course, losing my allocated $30. at Video Poker.
We fly home to Tucson tomorrow afternoon and I then turn my attention to final preparations for the big trip to South America.
(I have added some photos and reported this blog entry)
Cucina & Pizzaria at Crystals Mall
Chinese New Year Decoration at the Bellagio
Crystals Mall Designed by Daniel Libeskind
Crystals Mall Exterior on the Strip
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