Need Tips For First Visit Only Visit to Foxwoods

I will be going to Foxwoods for a long weekend in September to see Steely Dan. I live outside of Philly and play daily at Valley Forge Casino. VFs C.O.O. recently left to become head of player development at Foxwoods so I want to exploit my opportunity there. PD told me to email them "everything I need." So I have a couple questions... 1) Which of the hotels should I stay in? 2) And standout restaurants? 3) PD said "everything you need", now I know I'm a good player and VFs old COO knows me and my play well... Should I request "soup to nuts" for the weekend, or should I hold back some and not seem greedy? Now I plan on having a set budget for the 3 days, and chances are they will get all of it no matter how they cut it. And of course I'd like to max out my gambling budget. I guess I just wonder if I would be overstepping my boundaries by requesting a Villa and 3 dinners for 2 and some free slot play or match play. Granted, I have NO history at Foxwoods but a strong history at Valley Forge. Thanks for your imput!

Not sure how far you can push that invite but here's some basic info:

There are four hotels at Foxwoods.

Grand Pequat is the oldest and, in my opinion, the most luxurious of the bunch. It is the one most often used in the exterior photo on their advertising. I've stayed there a few times. There are also "Villas" contains among the top floors of this hotel. I have no experience with those.

Great Cedar was the second hotel, and is not a bad choice.

MGM Grand At Foxwoods is the newest hotel tower, but tends to have the lowest prices among the three.

These three hotels are all connected. You can go anywhere within these hotels without going outside. Of course, if you're going from the MGM hotel to the poker room, it's about a hundred miles away, so you might want to go outside and take the shuttle.

The only outside pool is at MGM. There's a spa and indoor pool in Grand Pequat. There is what looks like a typical homeowner's backyard pool, indoors in the Great Cedar hotel.

There is a casino on the main floor of all these hotels, as well as several slot rooms and the world's largest bingo parlor between Grand Pequat and Great Cedar. The casino at MGM is the smallest, and sometimes has different rules than the other casinos, although it uses the same chips as the others. There's an exclusive high-limit casino on the top floor of the Grand Pequat.

Personally, I prefer the Great Cedar hotel, because if I get a room along the correct corridor, I go to the end, walk down the fire exit. When I get to the casino level, I'm at the stairs to the poker room. The wife prefers Grand Pequat for both hotel and casino. Her second choice is MGM if it's summer outdoor pool weather.

The last hotel choice is Two Trees Inn. It's the budget hotel located about 1/2 mile away. The shuttle stops there, so no need to use your car to get around. It's a good choice if you "want to get away from it all", since there is no casino in this hotel. I've never stayed there, so no opinion or other info.

As far as restaurants go, there's restaurants of all levels all over the entire facility.


I imagine you've never been to Mohegan Sun, but there's a ton of into in this thread where the two are compared:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/other-casinos/1918-mohegan-sun-vs-foxwoods-comparisons/
Note that you can't use the Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs PA as a reference. The only similarity there is the name.

Are you sure this will be your only trip to Foxwoods? It seems like a long way to go just to see Steely Dan (no judgement on talent, I just assume there is a closer possible venue), so I assume the prime motivation for the trip is actually the offer you've received.

If you're positive you won't be returning to play in Connecticut then I see no reason not to ask for the full ride. Make the absolute most of the trip and maximize your bankroll by getting everything comped that you can. However, if you think there's a possibility of future visits then Foxwoods can be very generous to out of state players and you might want to be a little more reasonable (maybe ask for twice what you would normally expect to receive instead of five times).

DJTeddyBear covered the hotels fairly well. But I want to clarify the distance between the MGM and the rest of the resort/casinos.
The MGM is relatively small, maybe 15% of the facilities at Foxwoods are located there. So, the majority of your gaming/dining/shopping options are not really "on-site" should you stay at the MGM. Also, the slots at MGM are significantly tighter than in the other casinos. After a dozen trips in the last year to Foxwoods I'm up about $3K on slot play. If I had never played in the MGM I'd be up over $6k.

I am six feet tall and walk fairly briskly. Even walking up/down the escalators and walking along the moving sidewalk (passing every other person I see on the journey) it takes me a minimum of 12 minutes to get from the MGM to the other casino/resort areas. It's a frickin' hike and not something most people on vacation are usually interested in doing multiple times a day. So, unless you (or your traveling companion) like to walk or expect to spend some serious time at the MGM's pool. I'd cross that off any list for a multi-day stay.

Hope that info helps!

Please ome back and share what you asked for and what you received!

-Aahz

Yeah, I tend to focus on the poker room, which IS the furthest point from MGM.

But even the distance from the slot machine in MGM closest to one in Foxwoods is a friggin hike!

Aahz spelled it out much better.

Well, the only reason I am going all the way there is because Gary Dibart knows my play history from Valley Forge so I am getting the tix and room free. However, I suppose there is a chance that I could go back in the future. I am going to ask for the best possible room I can get and prime tickets. I have no need for spa, golf, or comped meals. I really appreciate the time you two took to answer my post. Cheers!

Quote: mikenotabaker

Well, the only reason I am going all the way there is because Gary Dibart knows my play history from Valley Forge so I am getting the tix and room free. However, I suppose there is a chance that I could go back in the future. I am going to ask for the best possible room I can get and prime tickets. I have no need for spa, golf, or comped meals. I really appreciate the time you two took to answer my post. Cheers!

Is this the same Gary Dibartolomeo whose gaming license was yanked by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission in 2001? No worries, he got it back four or five years later with the help of his lawyer, Lloyd Levenson. Now, where have we heard that name recently? Hint: Revel promotion thread.