Trip report to Florida on SPIRIT

Here we go again. Arrived at the airport at 650 AM. Through security by 7am. Got our snacks and they started boarding 20 minutes early YAY, another non cancelled Spirit flight.



We are heading to Tampa, then to Orlando, and finally down to Miami. This report will have some gambling but that is not the purpose of this trip. FYI, there is a block thread button up above if you dont want to see abunch of posts. When we originally planned this trip we had a budget of $600 all in. Because of the picture below from last week we now have a budget of $1000 all in.


Doing final boarding now and we will be in the air 15 minutes early.

Cost of flight and snacks for 4 people $174 What What

Hope you have a lovely time!

I am in Orlando. Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great time!

We made it safely to tampa




Almost had disaster with rental car.I booked a car through carrentals.com app for 109 picking up today in Tampa and dropping off in Fort Lauderdale through dollar. The line at dollar was 63 people deep.the line through alamo was 7 deep so I jumped on my app and booked a car though alamo for 124. $15 was worth the 3 hour time savings. I get to the lady and she said there is a 3 hour wait for same day rentals. I argued for a second but no luck. As I walked away I saw they had kiosks so I tried to get the car through there and it worked. We were on our way in 10 minutes with a big F U to the worker. Already made 2 casino stops and will have that update later.

Trip cost $299

Sucks about the car.
I'm in Tampa if you have any questions
Seminole Hard rock casino is huge, 6th largest in the world I think.
For a nice afternoon walking around area I would recommend Ybor city and for food, Tampa Brewing Company in Ybor
Have fun, weather is beautiful, just did a wonderful bike ride

The weather was wonderful today. The original itinerary had me stopping at 2 casinos. 1 was luckys card room I believe and the other was hard rock tampa. We got a little bit of a late start because of the rental car issue. At this point the kids were hungry so we ran through McDonald's drive thru and $19 later we were on our way.

I put the address in my phone and off we went. I came to a large building but there was not much going on..I saw no sign for the card room so I decided to just skip it. Off we went to hard rock. Once there my wife dropped me off and went to a store nearby. This casino is huge as we already know. I walked in and got my chip, played around a little on slots and left. All in all I made $4. Unfortunately not much to report on the casino.



After we left the hard Rock we went to showcase of citrus. This is a orange farm and they have some animals. They also have a school bus that they turned into a monster truck. He took us through a swamp and went to throw oranges at cows and bulls. Well I guess we were feeding them but most people were trying to hit them. They also had a few longhorns. I have never seen a longhorn in person so that was something new. All in all the ride was entertaining. Our kids were free due to age and we bought the tickets on Groupon so total cost was $24. Without the deal it would have been $50. I am not sure it is worth rhat. We bought a couple orange slushies. They have a sign that said fresh squeezed oranges. Being that we are on an orange grove I figured it was made from their oranges. While walking out I saw them pouring in store bought orange juice.



Once we left there we drove to disney springs. We were meeting a friend from high school that lives nearby. Haven't seen her in 15 years so that was a nice time. We met at rainforest cafe. There was a 2 hour wait but since I have a landrys select card we got to skip the line. The best $25 I have spent. We also had a $25 birthday reward loaded on the card. This place is pretty expensive but we really do like their food. Cost with tip after the $25 off was $36. We hung out in disney springs for a while and now we are back to the hotel.



Trip cost $364

Luckys card room closed many years ago. Depressing part of town

We have 3 poker rooms in town. Hard Rock of course. Silks card room at Tamp Bay Downs and Derby Lane poker room at the Derby lane dog track

As someone who travels to Florida 4-6 times a year for pleasure, I learned a long time ago to car rental situation is a mess. It may cost a little more for rentals, but Hertz Gold membership is free and you walk right past the line a grab your car.

And if you are looking for a beer, the craft screen has really grown in both Tampa and Miami/ FLL in the past few years to catch up with much of the country. If you need any suggestions, please let me know.

Have a great time and enjoy!

Quote: Boz

As someone who travels to Florida 4-6 times a year for pleasure, I learned a long time ago to car rental situation is a mess. It may cost a little more for rentals, but Hertz Gold membership is free and you walk right past the line a grab your car.

And if you are looking for a beer, the craft screen has really grown in both Tampa and Miami/ FLL in the past few years to catch up with much of the country. If you need any suggestions, please let me know.

Have a great time and enjoy!

I have never been into craft beer. I generally stick to water like bud light or coors light.

Quote: GWAE

I booked a car through carrentals.com app for 109 picking up today in Tampa and dropping off in Fort Lauderdale through dollar. The line at dollar was 63 people deep.the line through alamo was 7 deep so I jumped on my app and booked a car though alamo for 124.

We're going to Orlando soon and I have been debating about renting a car or getting a round-trip car service. This helps me make up my mind.

What time of day were you at the rental counter ?

We were there at 11am. Hertz, enterprise, and alamo were pretty slow. It was dollar and thrifty that must have had a 2 hour wait. We rented a full size from alamo and when we went to get our car there were only 5 left. By the time we were on the road we were in the last available full size. There were plenty of other classes.

We are now at magic kingdom waiting for the opening ceremony. The weather is nice and no rain. We were the on people in our monorail car.

The weather gods smile on you grasshopper.
This is a good omen....
Hard Rock Tampa surprised me with its size, surprised me with a quick 1K win on 300 buy-in too ;-)
Beware the gators....

Quote: TwoFeathersATL

The weather gods smile on you grasshopper.
This is a good omen....
Hard Rock Tampa surprised me with its size, surprised me with a quick 1K win on 300 buy-in too ;-)
Beware the gators....

Windy and cool in FL today
Don't worry about the gators
To gators its all about size.
Gator sees something small, its interested
Gator sees something big like a human, it has no interest

In-Laws just arrived in Madeira Bch for 6 weeks.
They say windy today.
Terrapined, you ever been fishing with Hubbards out of John's Pass?

Quote: TwoFeathersATL

Terrapined, you ever been fishing with Hubbards out of John's Pass?

Nope, I get sea sick on the waves :-(

Good stuff so far. Enjoy your trip!

FWIW: They got a blustery day with rain showers in the morning but sunny the rest (though windy), high 60's for Disney. Probably as good as it gets in January, so I hope they had fun.

Do FL casinos have craps and roulette?

Not yet

Quote: EvenBob

Do FL casinos have craps and roulette?

Fake craps - I think they call it bubble craps. Computer machine operated.
Fake roulette - again computer machine operated

The boats in Canaveral and Jacksonville have both craps and roulette. Canaveral's the only one I can speak more about, but they have 3 tubs 3-4-5x, $5 minimum, no sidebets (ie ATS or Fire). They have 3 American Roulettes with no sidebets, $5 minimum. I think the max on both is $500; it could be higher, but it's at least that.

Also, the Seminole compact signed last month is going to allow them (Hard Rock Tampa/Hollywood/etc. - think they have 5 casinos) to add both real craps and roulette. I expect they'll install within the year.

Quote: GWAE

Almost had disaster with rental car.I booked a car through carrentals.com app for 109 picking up today in Tampa and dropping off in Fort Lauderdale through dollar. The line at dollar was 63 people deep.......

I used DOLLAR every time I go to VEGAS....signed up for FREE for the EXPRESS line and never wait to get a car

https://www.dollar.com/Express/MainNonMember.aspx

https://www.dollar.com/Express/Enroll.aspx

Quote: coilman

I used DOLLAR every time I go to VEGAS....signed up for FREE for the EXPRESS line and never wait to get a car

https://www.dollar.com/Express/MainNonMember.aspx

https://www.dollar.com/Express/Enroll.aspx

I was expecting to use the express but they didn't have that, at least not that I saw.

So yeah, we just got back to the hotelband 20 minutes ago. We left the park at 1130. We were there for the opening as well so a solid 14.5 hours. I will have a fill report tomorrow evening but a quick little one below.

There was heavy rain over night. When we left the hotel at 7am it was clear and 67 degrees. That was as warm as it got. It was cloudy from 10 am until maybe 1. We did not get any rain but you could tell it was raining elsewhere. Once the clouds went away it was in the 60s but very windy. My wife and I wore shorts and t shirt and the kids the same. It did get a little chilly in the evening but we forgot our jackets in the car. Apparently one of the parks had major problems yesterday and either closed or everyone left. So everyone ended up at magic kingdom. I heard there was a 2.5 hour wait for some rides. Today however was the complete opposite. To give an example. We walked up the main street for the parade 20 minutes before it started and we're able to sit on the curb.

Of course we spent an ass ton of food. Not counting tickets because those were a gift we spent $174.

Total spent $538

Quote: GWAE

I was expecting to use the express but they didn't have that, at least not that I saw.

In Vegas its not at the counter inside ..... you walk out into the parking lot and the counter out there takes your drivers license and credit card , check them hands you papers and away you go

60's sounds good to me as its currently MINUS 7 *F with the windchill here

Quote: GWAE

I heard there was a 2.5 hour wait for some rides. Today however was the complete opposite. To give an example. We walked up the main street for the parade 20 minutes before it started and we're able to sit on the curb.
<snip>
Of course we spent an ass ton of food. Not counting tickets because those were a gift we spent $174.

8

So you got to ride Dumbo The Elephant! You are truly a lucky man! ;-)
14 hours is a long time with kids, is that even legal?
For $174 I hope you got at least one of dem drumsticks, they are quite good.
Happy trails - 2F

Today was a long day. We have done quite a few of these crazy quick trips but this one took a toll. The trip through the everglades was a long one. That road is way to straight for way to long.

More to come later, currently at dave and busters near fort Lauderdale I think.

Quote: GWAE

Today was a long day. We have done quite a few of these crazy quick trips but this one took a toll. The trip through the everglades was a long one. That road is way to straight for way to long.

More to come later, currently at dave and busters near fort Lauderdale I think.

You live, you got Internet access, gators didn't eat your Kids? I love this country, United States of America. What else could you wish for?

Quote: GWAE

Today was a long day. We have done quite a few of these crazy quick trips but this one took a toll. The trip through the everglades was a long one. That road is way to straight for way to long.

More to come later, currently at dave and busters near fort Lauderdale I think.

Yes its long
If coming back, take the Tamiami trail and stop 1/2 through the everglades and take an airboat ride. Quite a few operators along the trail. A lot of fun. Probably see a lot of gators

We did the airboat ride through captain jacks. It was pretty good but a little chilly. After tip it was $80 for the 4 of us. It was a small boat and we were the only 4 on it. I know there were a few cheaper ones but most of the advertised ones were large boats with up to 30 people.

2.5 hours at dave and busters was quite the experience. We ate there as well. We almost never eat dessert but they were good today with all the driving so we splurged. We were hoping to split the browning and ice cream thing but our son wanted the donut holes. When it came out he said he wasn't hungry and didn't eat a single one. Such is life.

We are now back at the hotel. I was planning on hitting dania beach casino tonight but I might be out of energy. I gotta charge my phone and then I will get the rest of the report done. This Sheraton for $100 was a good bargain. It is very nice.

Quote: beachbumbabs

The boats in Canaveral and Jacksonville have both craps and roulette. Canaveral's the only one I can speak more about, but they have 3 tubs 3-4-5x, $5 minimum, no sidebets (ie ATS or Fire). They have 3 American Roulettes with no sidebets, $5 minimum. I think the max on both is $500; it could be higher, but it's at least that.

Also, the Seminole compact signed last month is going to allow them (Hard Rock Tampa/Hollywood/etc. - think they have 5 casinos) to add both real craps and roulette. I expect they'll install within the year.

The new compact is allowing them to bring in craps and roulette, that's how the state is maintaining their 500 mill a year.

The fun part is that once the legislature signs off on it, they are going to be bringing in live tables to the pari mutuals. Except they will not have craps and roulette...

As soon as I finished writing the last post my wife realized she lost her fit bit. I looked on her app and it said it synced an hour ago. Ok so I know it is either in the d&b parking lot or inside. She called and it was not there. She asked me if I would run down and since our hotel is only 2 miles away I went. I took her phone so I could watch to see if it synced. As soon as I hit the game area it synced. Ok so we at least know it is there but where. Luckily I noticed that since last sync it moved 129 steps. At first I thought it was moving but after a few minutes I realized it was no longer moving. I asked 2 employees and the 2nd one said he found it and it was at the redemption counter. Happy ending, I found the fit bit.

Since I was now awake and out I decided to run over to dania beach casino. When I pulled up I could not believe that it was open. It is completely under constructon still. I am not sure if this is a new casino or just a new building. I went inside and again completely under construction, except for the gaming floor.

I went up to the table games area to get my chip. FlorIda has made it difficult to get chips. I had to pay an admission fee at Naples earlier in the day and this casino had 2 poker games going and 1 ultimate Texas hold em. I had never played uth. I think it is uth, are there other variations? I don't even know what the pay tables were or how bad the game was.

I had 2 firsts at this casino. 1 was playing uth and 2nd was playing a game with a banker. I have heard of such a thing but never witnessed it. It was a guy well dressed sitting next to the dealer just watching. He never said a word and never touched a chip. The dealer would pay out of his stack. He had about 5k sitting in front of him. I am not sure who he was or if anyone could bank. It was all new and confusing to me.

I had zero idea how to play. My very first hand was AK. I bet 4x out of the shoot. No idea if that was correct but I figured AK was good. Dealer ended up with junk and I won. I should have just left. I bought in for $80 at $5 game. My last hand I had A9. On the flop came A92, I bet 2x for all in. Turn and river were 5 and k, of course the dealer had 3, 4. Sigh

I went downstairs and was leaving when I saw a family feud game. Never seen this Soni stuck $40 in and played. After losing $30 I got a bonus that paid $160. Sweet I am up $50. Let's hit the road, nawwww if I got a good.bonus like that, there has to be another one. $60 later and not a single bonus while betting $1.50, I left down $10. Tomorrow we leave at 2:00.

Forgot to add. While driving through Miami we went onto A1a. I read the sign A1A, then out of nowhere I said beachfront ave. I had not idea VI was talking about a highway in florida.

Quote: GWAE

Forgot to add. While driving through Miami we went onto A1a. I read the sign A1A, then out of nowhere I said beachfront ave. I had not idea VI was talking about a highway in florida.

Moved to Jax last year. A1A runs up here too.... First time I saw it, did the exact same thing.

On a side note, I go to the "simulcast" location here in Jax, and they recently added 1 card/2 card/3 card Poker/UTH, and Bacc... Sitting with the "dealer" is certainly odd. They are employees, but not the table dealer. They are actually referred to as the "Designated Player" and that is who you are betting against. They organize the chips for the dealer, and have to have out whatever can cover the bets in the current hand. They use the same mechanics as the dealer, showing empty hands to "eye in the sky", and can not leave the table for any reason.

Takes some getting used to, but its basically a tandem dealer situation... 1 handles the cards, 1 handles the money. Not sure if the money man gets a cut of the tips....... That would be an interesting tidbit of knowledge

The other "weird" thing was there were 2 other people sitting at completely open tables with no dealer. Just the money person. And this table had another guy standing next to him and they were talking a lot. Maybe a 4th banker? There was also no floor. Just the dealer and banker.

Quote: GWAE

Since I was now awake and out I decided to run over to dania beach casino. When I pulled up I could not believe that it was open. It is completely under constructon still. I am not sure if this is a new casino or just a new building. I went inside and again completely under construction, except for the gaming floor.

Sounds like this is the old Dania Jai-Aiai fronton. It's probably been 15 years since I was there. I would guess that they are refurbishing the old building. I can't imagine it would make sense to construct a new jai-alai cancha.

Their website says they are currently running live jai-alai. Did you happen to catch a game or two while you were there?

Funny how the FitBit shows up once you let them know that you have evidence it is there. Like magic... no??

Corporate backed, player banked games are the only game in town in non-Tribal California joints. Usually players are given the option to bank after a certain number of hands. Did you notice a "Dealer 1/ Dealer 2" button or mat that indicates how many hands a banker has taken? the option is then offered to the the others if they would like a turn. You don't get to actually deal the cards, but you pay your collection, and play the dealer's position (using the house way) and collect/pay the win/loss for the base game out of your stack (I am not sure about side bets, but I know that progressives are still paid by the corporation.) If your stack can't cover the action on the table, the corporation covers the rest, but also splits the win too.

Quote: Joeman

Sounds like this is the old Dania Jai-Aiai fronton. It's probably been 15 years since I was there. I would guess that they are refurbishing the old building. I can't imagine it would make sense to construct a new jai-alai cancha.

Their website says they are currently running live jai-alai. Did you happen to catch a game or two while you were there?

Yeah I think that may be the case. I was looking at a few websites this morning and there was mention of a Jai Alai fronton. This place was on Fronton street so that would make sense.

I did not get to catch a Jai-Alai event. That was on my to do list and our timing got messed up. I really wanted to catch one.

Quote: Ayecarumba

Funny how the FitBit shows up once you let them know that you have evidence it is there. Like magic... no??

Corporate backed, player banked games are the only game in town in non-Tribal California joints. Usually players are given the option to bank after a certain number of hands. Did you notice a "Dealer 1/ Dealer 2" button or mat that indicates how many hands a banker has taken? the option is then offered to the the others if they would like a turn. You don't get to actually deal the cards, but you pay your collection, and play the dealer's position (using the house way) and collect/pay the win/loss for the base game out of your stack (I am not sure about side bets, but I know that progressives are still paid by the corporation.) If your stack can't cover the action on the table, the corporation covers the rest, but also splits the win too.

Yeah when I asked for it he definitely looked like he was running the scenarios through his head. Glad he decided to give it back.

There was no button that I was aware of but at first I was confused as to what was going on. At first I thought it was just a huge table and there were more spaces. It was almost like a poker table.