Mohegan Sun for Rookies
Written: Aug 13 '01 (Updated Aug 13 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: If you live in Connecticut, you might as well go and experience it.
Cons: Limited Wolf Den seating.
The Bottom Line: From an occasional gambler's perspective, the Mohegan Sun offers an entertaining experience, though not something that I would enjoy more than once every couple of years.
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| TomQPublic's Full Review: Mohegan Sun |
I have to admit, I have very little experience with casinos, so I have a rookie's perspective. I cannot compare Mohegan Sun with other casinos because of my limited experience. Given my background, here are my impressions and a few tidbits that may be helpful.
My first word of advice would be to skip the valet parking unless you are handicapped. The parking garage is attached to the casino, so unless you park on the top floor, you do not have to brave the elements to enter the casino. No matter where you park, it is a short easy walk to the casino. Speaking of the parking garage, do not bother to try to park on the first or second level. There is no point in jockeying for a space on these crowded levels. The fourth and fifth levels are empty, so you can park much more quickly. Park near the elevator and you will get in much faster than those people prowling around the first level looking for a "good" spot.
Once you get in, proceed to a courtesy desk. If the line for the one near the entrance is too long, try the one toward the center of the casino. At the courtesy desk, request a free casino card. If you show them your driver's license for i.d., they will issue you a plastic card with your name on it, that looks like a credit card. They also give you a card for a "free swipe." The free swipe card is used on a machine upstairs, where you swipe it to see if you win cash instantly. I guess it's a gimmick to get you to go upstairs, but it is probably worth it because the line for the free swipe moves quickly.
The point of the casino card, is to give you merchandise/food credit based on how much you gamble and how much you lose. When you play a machine game, you insert your card into a slot in the machine and leave it there for as long as you remain at that machine. It will record how much you are spending. It is not clear what the formula is for racking up credits, but it is clearly a good idea to do it, because at least you will get something back, even if it is tiny. Similarly, you present your card to the person at the manned tables to get credit for those games.
As far as the selection of games at the Mohegan Sun is concerned, it appeared that every legal gambling game imaginable was available. I have no idea how the "payout" compares to other casinos, but it seemed, as expected, that most people lose. For a "small" spender like myself, I thought that the quarter Elvis slot machines were the most entertaining. There is a smoke-free machine area, but the rest of the casino, where most of the games are is smoke-friendly.
I found the employees to be generally helpful, with only one rude encounter. There are several dining choices inside the casino including a food court, steak house, buffet, and snacks. For $14 the buffet seemed like a good choice. If you do not care for lines, it would be a good idea to try to hit the buffet early, before 5:30 p.m. The line only gets worse as it gets later. I found the buffet food to be decent, though I have my doubts that the prime rib was truly "prime." You do not need to be worried about being abandoned at the buffet, our waitress was extremely attentive about bringing drinks and removing plates. You can put the credit on your casino card toward the cost of your meals.
The casino provides free, live entertainment in the Wolf Den, a circular, small entertainment venue, in the center of the casino. When we were there, people began lining up at 4:00p.m. for an 8:00p.m. show, so that they could get the few cabaret style seats which were available. I suppose this might be doable if you were with a group and took turns waiting on line, if you were so inclined. We opted to hop on the line at about 7:30p.m. At about 8:00 p.m. an employee walked through the line and told us that we could enter the "den" as a standing patron, or continue to wait on line to take a chance of getting a seat, but with no guarantee of getting in at all. Everything is a gamble at the Mohegan Sun! We decided to go with the sure thing, and enter as standing patrons. I thought that this was the best bet, since most of the seats seemed to be already taken by heaven knows who by this point. It is still possible to gather around the outside of the den to view the show, and one could certainly hear the music throughout the whole casino as well.
The casino is in good repair, with the Indian theme prevailing, naturally. I suppose it is tacky, but it is part of the experience. Everything looked clean and well maintained. The toilets even have automatically changing plastic covers. The casino sits in the middle of nowhere, so in order to do anything else in the area, you have to leave the premises.
Before you leave, make sure that you present your casino card at the sundry shop on the way out. They will tell you how much credit you have amassed, and you can apply it to a pack of mints or anything else in the shop.
Unfortunately, I did not glean any insights to help others "break the bank" at Mohegan Sun, but I would certainly recommend going at least once to see what it is all about.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
TomQPublic
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Reviews written: 55
Trusted by: 33 members
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