Atlantic City - Staying @ the Tropicana

[Jen1]

get a rewards card. it will help with the parking cost.

[legalshoplifting]

I live 30 (Mays Landing)minutes away and go there often. I love to gamble except I find that the Catalina machines at the grocery store have a way better pay out than the slots. That being said. Atlantic city is wonderful as long as you stay right on the boardwalk and casinos 2-3 blocks away is not safe. I would recommend that you buy the Entertainment Book (should be on sale now for less than $15). It has tons of coupons in it for things to do and who does not love coupons? There are also some in there for BOGO buffets. Ceasars has a walkway that goes right into the mall. There are the outlet stores. The Jitney (hard to explain- like a little blue mini bus) rides up and down the strip really cheap I think. We always drive. The beach is right there and is free! Tropicana has an IMAX theater inside as well. The Quarter at the Tropicana is known for it's night life. You can take a ride in one of those rolling chairs on the boardwalk. Depending on the day and the business we were able to negotiate with a chair operator and it was super cheap. So prices tend to be negotiable. The Steel Pier reminds me of a carnival. There is Ripley's Believe It Or Not as well.
Hope this helps some -
Christine
Christine

[atcwag]

get a rewards card. it will help with the parking cost.

Where would I get such a thing?

[atcwag]

I live 30 (Mays Landing)minutes away and go there often. I love to gamble except I find that the Catalina machines at the grocery store have a way better pay out than the slots. That being said. Atlantic city is wonderful as long as you stay right on the boardwalk and casinos 2-3 blocks away is not safe. I would recommend that you buy the Entertainment Book (should be on sale now for less than $15). It has tons of coupons in it for things to do and who does not love coupons? There are also some in there for BOGO buffets. Ceasars has a walkway that goes right into the mall. There are the outlet stores. The Jitney (hard to explain- like a little blue mini bus) rides up and down the strip really cheap I think. We always drive. The beach is right there and is free! Tropicana has an IMAX theater inside as well. The Quarter at the Tropicana is known for it's night life. You can take a ride in one of those rolling chairs on the boardwalk. Depending on the day and the business we were able to negotiate with a chair operator and it was super cheap. So prices tend to be negotiable. The Steel Pier reminds me of a carnival. There is Ripley's Believe It Or Not as well.
Hope this helps some -
Christine
Christine

Where can I buy the entertainment book?

[legalshoplifting]

As the other readers have said, the drinks are free if you are gambling even if it is the penny or nickle slots and you can usually each order two. The Rainforest Cafe is also pretty cute if you have never been to one. You can get the same feeling from sitting at the bar if you want the ambiance but not to have dinner. The really nice (expensive) restaraunts tend to book early in the summer so I would book your reservations before you go if you plan to have a nice romantic dinner while you are there. Unless you do not mind eating at 10pm. Also, each casino tends to have it's own theme and patrons. In my experience and my opinion the crowds tend to differ from casino to casino. Borgata and Tropicana tend to have a younger more festive crowd. Trump Tajmahal tends to do alot of bus trip people. Harrah's tends to have more of a retired crowd. The Melting Pot is one of my favorites and would be a romantic dinner. It is all fondue which is an experience in itself that is unique. It tends to be a little dark and quaint and romantic. The dinner takes 2-3 hours so it is a nice quiet conversation time. It is a little pricey and I would suggest reservations. It also lends itself to the romance of cooking food at your table and feeding your new spouse a bit here and there.
Christine

[legalshoplifting]

I do not think we can post links but if you Google 2011 Entertainment book it should come up and all books are now $15! The regular price is $35 and they are actually available at bookstores and I have seen them at Riteaid and Walgreens which are drug stores for us.

The rewards cards that you were asking about are available at each casino for free. Just ask an employee where you can go to get a casino card. You will need ID such as a driver's license. The cards track your gambling. You can sign up and get 1 card and you and new hubby can both play on the same card and get points faster than 2 seperate cards. The points can be redeemed for money off or even free buffets! Even if you are not going to gamble the casinos cost money to park at. The card will make parking alot cheaper. Most of the casinos you can walk to (although you may not want to walk that far for some). Borgata and Harrahs and Trump Marina are by themselves and not on the beach/boardwalk.
Christine

[atcwag]

I do not think we can post links but if you Google 2011 Entertainment book it should come up and all books are now $15! The regular price is $35 and they are actually available at bookstores and I have seen them at Riteaid and Walgreens which are drug stores for us.

The rewards cards that you were asking about are available at each casino for free. Just ask an employee where you can go to get a casino card. You will need ID such as a driver's license. The cards track your gambling. You can sign up and get 1 card and you and new hubby can both play on the same card and get points faster than 2 seperate cards. The points can be redeemed for money off or even free buffets! Even if you are not going to gamble the casinos cost money to park at. The card will make parking alot cheaper. Most of the casinos you can walk to (although you may not want to walk that far for some). Borgata and Harrahs and Trump Marina are by themselves and not on the beach/boardwalk.
Christine

TYSVM for all the info!!! I will definitely be purchasing an Entertainment book, I did find it easily online for $15 and free shipping! I'm sure I will definitely get my money's worth since we will be eating and sightseeing while we're there.

We don't plan on driving anywhere. I think we're just going to park our car at the Tropicana and walk/ride ride public transport otherwise

So we are gambling NEWBIES....neither of us has even stepped inside a casino. We might try our hand at some slots....seems the easiest place to start. So, what do you do? Just sit down at a machine and stick in nickles/pennies/etc.? Also, are there people going around asking if you want a drink...since people keep saying you get free drinks....Any info on this would be great :0) Thanks!

[legalshoplifting]

You will have a great time! As far as transportation goes the blue Jitneys travel up and down the strip and are really inexpensive. Drinks- They have cocktail waitresses that go up and down the aisles asking if anyone wants drinks. If you tip them they tend to make sure they come your way pretty often. The machines now accept paper money $5 on up. No coins are needed. When they pay out they pay in a paper voucher that you can then put into a new machine or cash out at a different machine designed just for that. For us, we prefer late night/early morning gambeling that is when the casino is the quietest and not as buisy. The drinks come faster and you can have a better selection of slot machines. This will be especially true during the summer weekend months.

Christine