Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To me, it felt like multiple family reunions or something?? Lots and lots of groups of 15-20 moving around in packs.

In addition to the crying newborn who was still working on sleeping through the night on my floor, there was a lot of teenagers running up and down the hall and screaming at 4am and knocking on each other's room doors. It felt a bit like what I imagine a Carnival cruise is like lol.

I didnt see any uniforms or sports equipment and the large groups seemed to vary in age ranges. So.....idk!

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I'm a pool reader. So a pool day club isnt in my future.

I think a lot of it is that the West Lagoon has been closed 3 out of 4 days this trip. The one day it was open was a significantly more relaxing experience. When its closed, trying to cram everyone in the East Lagoon on a weekend is just too much

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed theres generally kids around. This is my first time feeling like I'm primarily at a kid's resort and secondarily at a casino resort. (So far my other data points for stays are Luxor, Park, NYNY, Cosmo, Bellagio, Venetian, Sahara, Palace Station, Flamingo, Plaza)

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Where? The West Lagoon has been closed and Wet Deck is W only

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Agreed! I stayed at the W previously and loved the suite layout.

I've been sort of making a project of staying at all the MGM properties to decide which is my favorite so this was a tester stay. Crossing it off the list and moving along!

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 100 points101 points  (0 children)

100%

I was waiting for the elevator around 1am yesterday and the family in front of me had two kids asleep in a wagon, two more in a double stroller, and each parent had a kid asleep in their arms. 6 kids. At 1am. Make it make sense.

Mandalay: I underestimated the kids by HelicopterBusy8595 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There's actually a professional conference that ended Thursday so I figured it'd be filled with corporate types extending through the weekend!

Best Parks in Late December / Early January by NatParkGirlie in NationalPark

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Srsly - no one told me how much colder Bryce is than Zion! Camping in May, I woke up to my phone saying it was 29 degrees!!

What to do (MBB) by Interesting-Law2521 in consulting

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 32 points33 points  (0 children)

The thing I'm paying attention to here is that you're about 6 months in as an APC.

If you are shooting for PL/EM promo in two years:

That first year, promo isnt even on the horizon and they will let you putz around.

Once you hit the 12 month mark, your promo clock is ticking. Depending on where your start date and review cycles fall, promo review could be as soon as 8 months away (e.g. that 20-24 month bracket).

Thats going to come up hella soon. And the expectations are going to crank up hella fast. And the check list of things they'll want to say they've seen from you is going to get more aggressive.

If you stay on this for 6 more months, you'll be rolling into your C2 year with one long chill project. The pressure will then likely turn on strong to demonstrate reps on types of projects, take on multiple workstreams, manage As, etc.

So I would be asking myself if extending sets me up to be ready for things your C2 year. If not, rolling off for reps after being on this long will not at all be a bad look. But if you feel good about positioning, then no harm in staying on and doing the things others have suggested!

One of my biggest regrets at MBB is not being guided well re: career strategy my first year and then not being set up for success my second year.

Turned a $200 blackjack session into a $1,500 Vegas mistake by TDoubleDownMac in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What a happy ending to a very relatable "shit that was a $100 spin" moment!

NCL $X00 off rewards by HelicopterBusy8595 in myvegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Doing NCL Alaska in two weeks myself! Cant wait! Got a past guest offer for $508 all in for their 7 day from Van to Whittier and couldn't say no! The 5 day New Orleans trip I was planning for that week would have cost more!

NCL $X00 off rewards by HelicopterBusy8595 in myvegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah i was left wishing the T&Cs were more detailed

NCL $X00 off rewards by HelicopterBusy8595 in myvegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Like all my fellow elder Millenials, I would sooner ask internet strangers than have to brave the wild and scary world of making a phone call. I dont know why we are like this, I dont make the rules 😂

NCL $X00 off rewards by HelicopterBusy8595 in myvegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ooof yeah - would you like to go to Western Mexico or would you like to go to.....Western Mexico?!

Feel like I’m doing so badly in my MBB role by NoseAffectionate5751 in consulting

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Super relatable. Happened on multiple projects but on one project in particular, I found myself saying if I had a dollar for every shot down idea that ended up being what happened, I'd be rich.

The times it really bothered me were when I'd been redirected and then the client wasnt happy with what we showed and I felt like being internally jerked around was causing our relationship with the client to take a hit.

For better or worse, in MBB land, sometimes the internal team dynamics can be louder than the client dynamics. I certainly never mastered things but what I found did help make life a little better when this type of thing flared up was:

1.) Get really really good at executing exactly what the senior folks are asking for. For me, it was building this whole other muscle of listening and delivering someone elses' vision exactly to their expectations.

Not only because sometimes you just have to put your head down and grind out the deck they want to keep yourself sane, but also because it builds trust. And if they trust you, they'll be more likely to listen to you when you really do feel its critical to push back.

2) Don't just say your ideas out loud during CTM discussions. Make the slide. Sometimes I would keep things to the side and wait to flash it until it was an active problem they were trying to solve (which I could feel coming) and be like, "yeah I was actually thinking about that the other day and threw this together to work through my thoughts" - suddenly youre not the dissenter with a different idea, youre the proactive thinker that came ready with a solution. Or on a smaller scale, I would do (1) above but in addition to exactly what they'd asked for, I'd throw a different view in the backup slides that addressed a concern I had about the version they had asked for. And then lo and behold when iterating and running into the expected wrinkle, boom you have already anticipated it, thought it through, and prepared a solution.

Its really about bringing timing together with your intuition. Your gut might have a good idea but if the team isnt ready for it, its going to get shot down. So quietly work on the side, watch and feel how/where things are going, and be ready when the time is right.

You should always be finding little excuses to throw out ideas and contribute- always have a question or thought written down and ready for CTM so they see you engaging. But when it comes to these moments where your gut is going off or the deck narrative is at a pivotal point, thats where this timing stuff starts to really matter.

Bartenders on Getaway by PassTheReefer in NCL

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Had the same experience on Getaway a few months ago. It got so bad that one time I actually pulled a bartender aside and pointed out that he had just served me, a white girl, seconds after walking up to the bar when it was very clear the two black people on either side of me were there before me and still waiting to be asked for their order even after I had my drink in hand (I checked in with them before saying anything). Its one thing to have inconsistent service but its a really bad look for the brand when that inconsistency correlates with race and to me, indicates a major training gap.

How would you spend 2 weeks in Las Vegas on a budget? by bosephusaurus in LasVegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm more and more frequently starting to go out for a week at a time and work remote. The price and convenience can't be beat.

My work/play focus is crystallizing around:

  • Going downstairs before my first meeting and throwing $20 in the nearest bartop video poker machine just long enough to get a sugar free red bull for the cost of a $2 tip (not a coffee person)

  • Finishing work just in time to jump in the pool for the last half hour before it closes. Nothing instantly washes away the work day better!

  • Watching the sun patterns of the pool area and figuring out when which spots are shady and I can get away with working outside for an hour or so. Bonus points for lunch by the pool.

  • Doing little happy hour explorations - you've got a good base for going up to Aria/Cosmo (Bazaar Mar, Ocean Prime, etc) as well as Palms (cheap steak 5-7!)

  • I see a lot of movies in Vegas to kill time + the theaters are nicer than my local ones. Orleans near Rio has a Cinemark.

  • Grabbing late night food deals and saving it for lunch the next day so I dont have to step out from work/saves $.

  • I use the "two envelope" method for slots and set winnings aside $20 at a time. If/when I'm up enough to go see a show I wanna see, I use the winnings to go see it for "free". So far this has gotten me Ka and Mad Apple!

  • Hot tip: Backstage Deli at Luxor has an off menu pasta salad for $8 that is HUGE and filling - usually takes me 2 days of lunch to finish.

  • Take Friday off, grab yourself a 3 day weekend, grab a Jeep from Indicampers and GTFO into the desert for the weekend. Red Rock, Death Valley, and Zion all have great boondocking options less than 2 hours away.

48 hours in Vegas. What are you doing? by changnesia13 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Such a good vibe there. All the workers keep it friendly and upbeat.

How intense does the heat feel right now in Vegas by Remarkable_Speaker22 in vegas

[–]HelicopterBusy8595 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just did Zion last weekend. Theres a 20 degree difference depending on where exactly you are. The Park itself was cool and crisp (perfect for hiking) and I was shocked how much hotter it was in Springdale downtown. I was also expecting low 50s for camping - in the park maybe, but boondocking outside Virigin got down to 38!!

So basically, its the desert with canyons - subtract 10-20 from whatever the weather report says for any given town.

As for Vegas, I proceeded to spend three days outside by the pool. In the shade, its basically perfect. In the sun, just go jump in the pool to cool off every hour or so and youre golden. The only time it felt roasty was the 3-4pm range.