The Sacramento Bee from Sacramento, California • 64

ran: BARGAIN'AIRFARES92 E6 The Sacramento Bee Final Sunday April 24 1988 Vegas HONOLULU $269 AUCKLAND $815 SYDNEY $899 TOKYO $613 HONGKONG $613 LONDON $323 AMSTERDAM $489 PARIS $555 ZURICH $613 ATHENS $729 LISBON $724 MILAN $610 ROME $610 RIO-SAO PAULO $877 MNOSMtSMONTIVIDK) $1033 EXCITING CRUISE PACKAGES 920H200I HONOLULU Day $379 ACAPULCO 8 Day 7 Night $499 MAZATLAN 8 Day7Nlta $339 EUROPE'S TOP CITIES 13 Day4l010 JAMAICA 7 Day $499 SHOP HONG KONG 7 Nltas 5 Day- $775 AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND 14 Doyt $1639 CRUISE ALASKA '88 1121 SPAIN KXTVGAl M0I0CC0 17 Dcyi Iff Oo $2099 MEXICAN RIVIERA CRUISE $749 Pockofoa Inctvrfo tT AHort Prom SP A Accommodation ioitrlttlom Apply PetersWours Intsrnot i I SSI1 leged that casinos pump extra oxygen into the casino floor and indeed into the hotel rooms (the windows are sealed shut) to keep the patrons awake alert and gambling Casino executives will admit they circulate fresh air but only to blow away all the stale smoke that collects We had a decent Easter Sunday breakfast buffet at then spent the better part of the day convalescing at one of the two pools before we got down to the serious business of betting on the NCAA basketball Final Four We won the Kansas-Duke game but lost the Ari-zona-Oklahoma contest We put in another night of bling turned in early (about 2:30 am) and somehow got ourselves to the airport by 10 am Sunday Two and a half days here felt like a month I left up about $370 which was good but not enough to cover my ex penses The cabbie who took us to the airport Donald Jeramo remarked one in 100 go home winner Maybe not even that" Jeramo confirmed that Vegas is a hard-hearted place for losers and have-nots found it extremely difficult to meet women on a casual spontaneous said the cab driver who reads National Geographic in his spare time only line going to get away with involves giving her something for nothing: just seen a beautiful diamond bracelet in the gift shop why you take a look at it and if you like it buy it for Think material not As I climbed on the crowded plane back to Sacramento one burly fellow squirmed by me and remarked in a European accent we have the full house that eluded me all GET AWAY RIVERBOAT CRUISES Sacramento San Francisco SUNDAY May 1 1522 9:00 am depart Port of Sacamento on 7 hour Cruise to San Francisco 500 PASSENGCft AAV EMP0KM For hckoH A information 2 hour Freetime at Fisherman's Wharf Private Motor Coach Return to Sacramento Price $4800 Adults $4000 Children DELTA TRAVEL 1540 Capitol Avo PO Bob 013 Socramonto 0569 1 (916) 372-3690 Mon-W 9om-5pm tibe Great Rivas of the Pacific Northwest Continued from page El 6 1 theatrical props and special effects designed to recreate the glory that was Rome The moving walkways are like a giant Roach Motel they get you into the casino easily enough but no way out the "door you came in I checked into my $105-a-night room and was immediately disappointed The carpet near the bath-Toom was damp and slimy there was no soap or shampoo and the hot water faucet ran cold and vice versa But then the last place they want you to stay in Vegas is in your room I headed down to the poker room at where I had won nearly $800 the night of the Cooney-Holmes heavyweight title fight in 1982 Sure enough there was a guy playing poker who not only remembered me from that night in 1982 but recalled 'how much I had won where I was sitting who was to my right and left who the big loser was and how much he had dropped (about $400) This is the kind of computerlike mind you have to deal with when playing $10-or $20-limit poker in Vegas By the time I called it quits at 3 am I was down $90 FOR A dollar in coin you can take a city bus down Las Vegas Boulevard (the formal name) Vegas is too hot and crowded to rent a car and besides the valet parking charges alone will kill you The cab fare from the Strip hotels to Glitter Gulch cheap about $13 including tip but cab drivers are full of all kinds of useful information such as where the best buffets are and how to win at craps the casino game that supposedly offers players the best odds of beating the house At the bus stop I saw a couple wearing matching T-shirts: out spending our It would have been funny if it probably true Even in the daylight the Strip is an awesome sight You pass sprawling hotels like the Stardust the Sahara the Sands the Riviera the Desert Inn the Flamingo Hilton There are ads for $999 New York steak lobster (Circus Circus) $444 calamari steak (Riviera) $169 breakfast (El Rancho) You see billboard after billboard trumpeting performances by Diahann Carroll and Vic Da-mone Rich Little Redd Foxx and Slappy White Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis Dolly Parton and Lou Rawls And just to prove that Vegas has everything one hotel-casino is featuring an orangutan act Show prices range from $20 to $50 a head not counting tips For this you get the show and two drinks Along the Strip you also pass the upscale Fashion Show Mall and the low-rent Are Next come the drive-through wedding chapels with mottos such as Marriages Start Here" At the end of the Strip is Bob Vegas World the tackiest of tacky Vegas hotels Stupak has more promotions than the Army with more catches than the Soviet fishing fleet Downtown Las Vegas is hot and sooty but here you can find an interesting mix of old and new casinos There is Horseshoe a smoky crowded paradise that offers $1 craps and blackjack tables where cards are dealt from a single deck (which gives the players a decided advantage especially if good at counting the cards that have already been dealt) puts on the World Series of Poker every spring a glitzy affair where millions of dollars change hands Across the street from is the Golden Nugget which is fast becoming the most luxurious and well-managed hotel-casino in Las Vegas The Nugget has the best all-you-can-eat buffet in Las Vegas for about $9 One two-hour meal will fuel you for the whole day The poker room specializes in Texas and what I played most of the day By the time I returned to that night 1 was showing a net poker profit of about $210 At 11:30 that night a gambling buddy of mine flew into Vegas in time to catch the Pointer Sisters show at The bill for two including tip came to $90 The Pointer Sisters were good but not that good They were on stage for maybe 45 minutes the casinos want their entertainers on stage any longer than that because it cuts into precious gambling time AFTER THE show we went back downtown to the Nugget where I played poker with some of the same guys who had been there 14 hours earlier Finally they were beginning to unravel and I won another $75 From there we headed to one of most popular nightclubs and watched the night people dance away the night When we finally got back to at 6:30 am the dawn was upon us We tried to sleep for a couple of hours but sleep is hard to come by in Las Vegas It has long been al- From Portland Oregon cruise the Willamette the Columbia and the Snake Rivers for six nights We invite you to discover the leisurely traditions of cruising along rivers rich in history and legend Here is the drama of following Lewis and progress 180 years after they forged the wilderness Here is spectacular scenery and great peacefulness Towering gorges wildlife cascading waterfalls river-carved rocks and gentle waters From $1299 May 4-October 25 1988 DAY 7 -Arrive Portland Tliis morning your cruise of the great Northwest rivers ends on arrival in Portland Coxcomb Hill and tour Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1805-O 24-27 on map An elegant new cruise ship styled as a replica of classic steamers-the new Colonial Explorer A ship designed to duplicate the magic of the past with plush carpeting rich mahogany period furnishings and wide promenade decks-yet ingeniously concealing a diesel-powered state-of-the-art vessel Walla Walla and the grounds of Whitman Mission 19-23 on map DAY 6-West to the Pacific Cruise the Columbia's spectacular Gorge to Astona Visit the Maritime Museum ascend 700-foot 12 Up Lower Granite Lock: 100 ft the Snake Transit ke Harbor Lock and Dam and later Lower Monumental Little Goose and Lower Granite Locks and Dams 8-12 on map DAY 4 -Into Canyon by jet boat Whitewater thrills by jet boat into deepest gorge Then a visit to Nez Perce Historical Park 13-18 on map DAY 5-Legacy of Lewis and Clark Go ashore at Sacajawea Park visit Fort 11 Up Liule Goose Lock: 98 ft 10 Up Lower VakE it I LEWISTON 14 Dip to Nez Perce Historical Park DAY 1-Depart Portland Acquainted" Cocktail Party begins your cruise toward the mighty Columbia 1-2 on map DAY on Columbia" Transit Bonneville start of most extensive system oflocks and dams Cruise to The Dalles tour Maryhili Museum and Stonehenge Memorial Transit The Dalles Lock then the John Day 3-7 on map DAY 3-The Great Locks Transit Me Nary Lock and Dam cruise the Palouse (grasslands) leave the Columbia River and enter 15 Descend Monumental jr lnu 9 Up ke Harbor 17 Descend Lock 100 ft Lower Monumental Descend ke Harbor Go ashore at Sacajawea Pai Oft 19 1 13 Jet boat to Hell's Cam on KENNEWICK 27 Visit Ft Clatsop and Maritime Museum Lock: 85 ft Nr "Oregon Jll 20 Visit Ft Walla Walla and Whitman Mission 21 Descend McNary a Cruise Shore Excursion Jet Boat 5 Visit Maryhili Museum and time permitting 7 Up John Day Lock: Stonehenge Memorial 113 ft 6 Up Dalles Lock: 3 Up Bonneville Lock: I 7ft JL 22 Descend john Day shi Descend 23 Descend Dalles Bonneville the DALLES Evening Skyline Cruise PORTLAND 25 View Multnomah Falls 26 Cruise Columbia Gorge Willamette River ASTORIA "Get Party Depart Portland 8 Up McNary EXPLORATION CRUISE LINES 2 1 For reservations information or free brochure see the Travel Agent listed below Registry Best Value 8 DAYS7 NIGHTS Mazatlan from fj J3991 lncl: RT Air via Mcucut Airline Golden Aifcc Service Deputing SAN FRANCISCO 7 Nigh Hoiel AuportHoiel Transfer Hoel Ta Rale dbl occ Departure Taa not ind Reatnctiona Apply effective 41388 Departure also available from Sacramento Puerto Vallarta Ail shxos I' and Bahamian vtriitrv HOUSE OF TRAVEL 1 107 STREET ACROSS FROM THE CAPITOL SACRAMENTO 442-073 (800) 992-9996 Empire Tours maxicana er got mote reaches tying tot ca ry r-v Ik I 7 r- 1 Use your Travel Agent Variety of Destinations Available roo rh tS EL oniCAu WAIKIKI BEACH SPECIAL! Inc lucies round tripairtare 7 nights accommodations at the Waikiki Surf or the ASTON Hawaiian Monarch Round trip airport transfers Fresh flower lei greeting Welcoming orientation brealctast CAR RENTALS HOTEL CAR AND AIRFARE HOTELS 27 PER NICHT IN PARIS PER WEEK IN GREAT BRITAIN Bring this ad when you book your American Hawaii vacation of 7 nights or more at a First Class or better hotel and spend a night at luxurious Harrah's in Absolutely free! Includes free round-trip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco round-trip transfers and tickets to great entertainment Hawaii Reno offer valid for one person for each room booking Additional person rate available upon request Reno travel valid Sun-Tues only through 121388 Hawaii travel must be completed by 61088 Offer is non-transferrable cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other offer 7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS Fly roundtrip with a companion on Pan Am and get a remarkable rate on an economy rental car for a week with unlimited mileage with our Freewheeler specials Harrah's MNO HOTiL CASINO For reservations or information call one of the travel agents listed below or call today: Fly roundtrip on Pan Am and enjoy the best hotel bargains throughout Europe Here are some examples These prices are per person per night based on double occupancy Paris 27-84 London 29-124 Frankfurt 33-50 Munich 44-58 Rome 48-102 Prices guaranteed on deposit Call your Travel Agent or Pan Am Holidays at 1-800-THE-TOUR press 5 Pan Am Holidays even has incredible deals on FlyDrive Vacations These packages include roundtrip airfare rental car and hotel Prices are per person based on double occupancy Ireland 869-9 7 5 Germany 11 19-1257 Great Britain 919-1069 France 1139-1265 Switzerland 1229-1358 Prices guaranteed on deposit Call your Travel Agent or Pan Am llolidavs at 1-800-THE-TOUR press 4 Germany 69 Spain 69 France 99 Ireland 99 Italy 99 Sweden 99 Mon-Fri 6am to 6pm Sat Sun 7am to 4pm Restrictions Prices are per person based on double occupancy in a category I room unless otherwise indicated and availability is limited Prices apply daily except Saturday effective 4688-61188 and are valid only on specific flights Prices subject to change For full details call your travel agent Prices guaranteed on deposit Call your Travel Agent or Pan Am Holidays at 1-800-THE-TOUR press 4 Restrictions: FARE FACTS: Prices are per person based on double occupancy Varying effective dales and reservations length of stay and advance purchase requirements apply These packages available April 1-Oclober 31 1988 Prices subject to cjiange without notice $23 US dejiarlurc lax security surcharge and customs fee not included Space is limited CAR RENTAL FACTS: Pick up your car al airport locations for countries listed above Minimum rental is one week Reservations required 7 davs in advance Driver must be 21 years or older optional insurance gas collision waiver taxes and drop-ofT charges extra Offer valid based on two xxiple traveling together An additional charge applies for passengers traveling alone Car offer not applicable to certain fare types Rates higher after first weeks rental Coil or visit your XadApiq 515 St 441-1780 i.