Visiting Mohegan Sun Casino on a Shoestring Budget
My husband and I had always wanted to take a trip to the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT. We had heard the stories of the gorgeous glass sculpture, the Tuscany under the waterfall, and, of course, the slot machines. We would listen with baited breath as friends described their vacations at the Sun and then breathe a deep, sorrowful sigh when we realized how much those vacations cost. With a single income and twins to provide for our vacations are by necessity very cheap, and sometimes very boring. This year I was determined it would be different. We were going to Mohegan Sun and I wasn’t going to break the bank doing it.
My father raised me to believe that with hard work and a lot of diligence anything is possible, so I sat down at my computer with a cup of coffee in my hand and my dad’s advice in my head. First thing was first, we would need a place to stay. Now, of course we would have loved to stay at the Mohegan Sun. After all, they do offer over 175 suites and a spa. After a quick check of our budget and a little laugh, I started searching the internet for hotel deals in the immediate area. We knew what we wanted – a great room, a hot tub, pool, and a short drive to the casino. It turned out the best deal didn’t come from one of those deep-discounts; name your own price, web sites, but directly from the hotel chain’s web site. At around midnight, I hit pay dirt. The Courtyard Norwich by Marriott had a room with a hot tub right in the suite, an indoor pool, a restaurant next door, and a five minute drive to the casino. In fact, they even offered shuttle service to Mohegan Sun and neighboring Foxwoods Resort & Casino.
Shoestring Tip: Check out your favorite hotel chain’s web site for rooms and availability and book online. We were able to book a King Suite with a hot tub for $129 per night.
After putting the biggest chunk of our money toward a great place to stay, we wanted a great place to eat. While we knew we would inevitably give in to at least one of the fast food restaurants at the casino, we wanted a place to get a more substantial meal. Our best option was at the casino itself. Mohegan Sun is famous for its two buffets, The Seasons and The Sunburst. The Seasons is the less expensive of the two and offers a wealth of fresh cut meats, pastas, vegetables, and desserts. It’s a great option since you can sit down and relax, eat your fill, and never leave the bright lights of the casino. If you really want to absorb the atmosphere, not to mention enjoying the 85 foot indoor waterfall and glass sculpture, head over to the Taughannick Falls Bar in the heart of the casino for an after dinner drink.
Shoestring Tip: Visit the casino’s buffet style restaurants and have an after dinner drink at one of the smaller bars. You’ll enjoy the same atmosphere, without paying a fortune at some of the higher priced establishments within the casino. By following this route, we were able to enjoy dinner and drinks for two for just under $40.
What would a trip to the Mohegan Sun be without a little gambling? You don’t have to spend a fortune at the tables or slots to have a good time. The Mohegan Sun offers plenty of five dollar gaming tables and even boasts nickel slot machines. If you’re afraid of losing too much money, be sure to only take a limited amount of cash with you to the casino, and leave the plastic at home so you aren’t tempted by all those ATM’s at the casino. My husband and I gambled on twenty dollars for a little over 2 hours on our first night at the Sun, using the quarter slots. Choosing the video slots seemed to work out better for us since there were extra chances at winning. The key is to just have fun and not get too caught up in winning or losing.
Shoestring Tip: If you’re lucky enough to win at the slots, don’t keep putting all your winnings back in. Keep at least half so that you’ll go home with a little change left in your pocket. By only putting half of our winnings back into the slots, we were able to pay for our drinks, gamble, and buy a few small souvenirs. In the end we went home with only about $10 less than we started out with.
Vacation isn’t vacation without souvenirs, and the casino offers an abundance of them. If you’re willing to spend a small fortune, the whole family can have fleece sweaters with the casino logo on them. Or, if you’re like us, you just want a memento of the trip, but don’t want to spend a lot for it. When you walk into the casino’s gift shops, head toward the back and look on the side shelves. That’s where you’ll find the smaller souvenirs, most of which still contain the Mohegan Sun logo, and all of which are less expensive. I still have my keys on the “lucky dice” key chain I purchased at the shop. Every time I see them dangling from my car’s ignition, I think of the good times my husband and I shared at the casino.
Shoestring Tip: Don’t forget your camera! Sure, the casino gift shops sell post cards, but the pictures you take are guaranteed to mean more to you in the long run. If you want a stock photo of the casino, head to the gift shop. If you want something more unique, have someone take a photo of you while standing in front of the indoor waterfall or sitting at your favorite slot machine. By taking our camera with us, we ended up with priceless photos that didn’t cost us a dime.
In the end, our stories about Mohegan Sun are every bit as interesting and fun as those of our friends. And you should see their jaws drop when we tell them that our six day trip only cost a little over $800, hotel and dining included! If you’ve been dreaming of visiting the Mohegan Sun, but putting it off because of the cost – stop waiting! Just do your research, shop around, and have some fun.
