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14 reviews for Showboat Casino Hotel
The Showboat is a dependable destination, with decent amenities, a nice choice of nightlife venues, and direct access to the boardwalk.
I first went there years ago, when they had their bowling alley - shame it's gone, really - and feeding hundreds of quarters to their arcade, especially on that four-player X-Men box!
Even though I find their classic New Orleans-themed decor a bit corny and, er, dated, I still recommend the Showboat for their buffet.
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The Cult was playing at the Showboat and to make life easier, we decided to stay here as well...
Bad choice. There were stains on the carpet in the hallways leading to our hotel room...not a good start. Our room was "musky" to say the least. It smelled like a combination of old sex and wet dog... yeah, i know it's an odd description but trust me, that's what it was.
Front desk told us the smell had to do with the air conditioner and sent an electrician our way. The electrician claimed it was the maid who should help us and offered to call her into the room to "spray".
Look, I know this is AC, but next time how about you give me a hotel that doesn't tell me a story about its former occupants and their sexual escapades! ...blech!
As far a casino-based resort vacation goes, your enjoyment is dependent on three things: Your Room, The Food and The Casino. I'll break the review down into those three categories.
First, The Room. (4 Stars)
Since I went in the off-season, there were deals aplenty and one included a free room upgrade from a Deluxe room to a Premium room. The premium room was very good in most respects. The bathroom was spacious, with room for two sinks. The bed was comfortable and the 42" plasma TV was nice. The option to play Nintendo 64 for $6 per hour was puzzling, considering the N64 hasn't been relevant for over a decade, but I digress. The only bad thing about our room was the view, which was a view of another part of the casino's roof, and their 3 xenon spotlights pointing right into our window. A bummer, but the light-blocking curtains took care of it. Overall it was a comfortable room and well worth what we paid for it.
The Food (1 star)
I was pretty psyched for Showboat's cajun themed buffet, since I am a fan of cajun food and, living in the northeast, can rarely get any worth eating. Unfortunately I'll never know if that buffet was any good because they only actually open it on the weekends, sticking weekday guests instead in their Mansion Cafe. I ordered a $15 chicken parmesan plate, pricey for chicken parm but to be expected for such a captive audience. What I did not expect, however, was for the chicken to be undercooked on the outside and extremely dry, hard and overcooked on the inside (a sure sign of being cooked in a microwave). I normally just suck it up and avoid complaining, but my knife literally would not cut into it and it hurt my teeth to bite into it. I brought this to my waiters attention and he apologized and brought me a new one. This new one was still on the tough side, but I could cut it. Unfortunately it still tasted freezer-burned and microwaved. I say with absolutely no exaggeration that putting a little shredded mozzerella on a Banquet freezer chicken patty would have actually been tastier. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else to eat.
The Casino (3 stars)
If you like slot machines Showboat has you pretty well covered with plenty of slots starting at 1 cent and up. Unfortunately I'm not a big slot guy and wanted to play table games like roulette, big 6, baccarat, craps and let it ride. Unfortunately they open one or two tables of each game and that's it. Tables were so crowded that I didn't even attempt to play any table games and some games, like Big 6, only open on weekends. Not much variety if you want to venture away from the slots.
Misc
During my trip in AC I stayed at both Showboat and Bally's and, with a difference of only about 10 dollars more per night, I felt that my stay at Bally's gave much, much more bang for the buck with better food and a much bigger casino (with catwalk-access to caesars as well) and not to mention direct boardwalk access. Also, I found that things were much more segregated between Gold/Platinum Total Rewards Members and Diamond/SevenStars members at Showboat, making Gold/Platinum members feel a bit more left out.
Overall I wouldn't recommend Showboat when Bally's offers so much more for only $10 extra per night.
A few years ago, a group of my friends went to AC for my friend's bachelor party. Having been multiple times before, he recommended Showboat for our stay and since it was his party, who were we to complain? Unfortunately, shortly after our check-in, he received a phone call about a family emergency and had to leave immediately. Without the "bachelor", the party was going to have a huge missing part, so we presented this situation to the hotel staff and they refunded every single penny we had paid for the rooms...zero charge for us.
After their caring in handling this situation, I have returned a few times and will only stay with them in AC. Obviously, I'd highly recommend staying with them.
And for some reason, I like their poker room about the best from any I've played in before...just nice, small and had more of a "home game" feel to it.
First time staying at ShowBoat, it was ok nothing that great. The room was great nice big flat screen tv. Down in the casino it was dirty and most of the slot machines where dirty and some of the buttons were stuck. There weren't many table games open and the ones that were open had lines, I waited a long time to play $10 blackjack. Next time I go to AC I will stay somewhere else.
I stayed at this hotel back in September for the Rocky Horror convention, and also the year before just for a vacation.
The casino is pretty nice and clean. Its far from the biggest I have seen, but I normally just stick to the craps table, of which there were plenty, so I was fine.
If you like to casino hop, this is not the place for you to stay, because they are the last one on the strip. If you want to go anywhere else its a good 1 mile down to some other attractions. If you are going just to stay in the one casino its a pretty good choice, because its less expensive than most others on the strip.
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My parents used to come here a lot when I was a kid. Now they switched to Ceasars and became one of their VIPs. Wonder how's Showboat now?...
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This review is for the buffet:
It's always hovered around the $20 range. Keeping this in mind, the quality of the food, as well as selection, is probably the best in AC. From the cold salads, fresh cheese, cajun style seafood, Asian and Italian, as well as good old fashioned American cuisine, there's something here for everyone. The dessert bar is pretty incredible too. Every kind of pie available, as well as a sundae bar, and some of the best canoli.
I went to the buffet at Borgata once and it was horrid, despite the rave reviews by so many (it cost $30 and was as bad as Hometown Buffet) Showboat is 1/3 cheaper and 10x better. They also have a promo for new signups to their "players" card (through the end of 2008) that gives you a free funbook with a buy one get one free buffet, plus many other incentives (I got mine in August while visiting).
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Mardi Gras themed Showboat is one of the many classic AC joints that have stood the test of time while enduring some very necessary renovations over the past couple of years. The rooms in the new tower have a new makeover, the Foundation Room looks relatively chic, and Club Worship has given some new life to this place. Overall, Showboat isn't for everyone as the younger crowds have now flocked here and the gaming isn't what it used to be prior to the Harrah's takeover from a few years back.
The rooms here have always been solid, if not decent for AC standards especially for the price. Most players can expect a room comp at a place like this with some good action in the casino, but the requirements aren't as stiff as nearby Caesars or Borgata. Still, the suites here are spacious and the views of the Boardwalk / Beach are fairy good despite being at the tail end of the AC "strip."
Eateries here are limited, but most of the casinos in AC aren't known for their variety of good places to chow down but rather the seedy city life that its reputation is practically built upon. The French Quarter buffet is a lot better than most people think, in fact, its downright delicious during lunch time when they break out the Cajun specialties (po boys, jambalaya, gumbo, etc.). The Canal Street Baking Co. is a nice little cafe to enjoy a drink and sandwich before heading out.
Don't frown at the nightlife, its probably the best place to enjoy quality nightlife in a club, lounge, and concert hall. With all of the weekly acts that come to the House of Blues, the Showboat remains one of the popular spots along the Boardwalk, and these have been a big boost for its recently renewed vitality.
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Showboat casino in Atlantic city...hummm. Never been to Atlantic City before but have been to Vegas many times. The showboat, to us, was equivilant to a cheezy downtown older Vegas hotel.
The first room we saw was in the Orlean tower on the 5th floor. It was crappy. The coffee table was all chipped and scratched and had pieces of vener missing. The room smelled of stale cigarettes and the carpet was stained, as was the furniture. The next room on the 20th floor was better, although the furniture was still dirty and stained. The front desk clerk was real nice about changing our room and we had no problem after that. The price was ok.
One positive, the bathrooms were very nice. Large, clean and fresh. It was almost as if the hotel didn't have money to renovate everything, so they just did the bathrooms. They were well kept and had the nice feature of the toilet in a seperate room.
Don't even bother with the French Quarter Buffet. There are better ones in nearby casinos. I mean really, macaroni and cheese, french fries and fried chicken on a $25 dollar buffet??? And don't say, it is for the kids. Kids should not be in a casino. That is why people go to casinos...ADULT entertainment.
Service in general...housekeeping was good but the restaurant staff was lazy or non-exisitent. Desk staff was ok, reservations was a cranky...
Breakfast, The Manson Cafe, was very slow ,as was the service at the buffet. The "Cafe" was really just a banquet room that had had tables put in, so all the food was brought from somewhere far away in those room service things...you know the ones I mean, the metal tops for the plates to keep them warm. Well, unless, the food was cold when it was cooked, the wait staff had let them sit around awhile AND they had to walk a long way with it. You are better off going to the starbucks in the lobby, get coffee, muffin and juice and eat a big lunch somewhere other than the Showboat!
And speaking of room service. We arrived on a Sunday around 2 in the afternoon. When we got up the next morning at 7, the rooms servce trays that were in the hall the afternoon before, were still there. The rest of the week we didn't see that problem, so I give them the benefit of the doubt on maybe it was busy on Sunday.......but still....that is way too long.
The Casino gambling is ok. Never really crowded.
So, yes, we will go back to Atlantic City but we will not stay at Showboat...not even for a comp. Too old and dirty. It needs to be tanked and started over.
IMHO
This review primarily concerns the poker room of the Showboat Casino & Hotel, so don't rely on my 4-star review for the actual hotel or much else. With that disclaimer in mind, I really enjoy playing poker at the (relatively) new House of Blues poker room. The room has around 30 tables, and is situated at the boardwalk end of the casino, on the ground floor right below the HOB. Although its a trek from the self-parking and bus entrance, the poker area has big windows that look out onto the boardwalk and ocean, which is somewhat soothing after an 8 hour donk sesh ending at 6am. The dealers are very friendly and personable, and the floorpeople are generally attentive. Because its a smaller area, the two or so cocktail servers make the rounds frequently. The big tables fit people nicely with some room to spare. My biggest qualm with the Showboat poker room is that its far away from the sandwich place (which is good I might add), and its also far from the exit. However, being able to take a few steps and be on the boardwalk is nice.
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The Showboat is the second-best hotel in Atlantic City. Borgata is #1, that's true. But Showboat does a good job with what its got. A good tip: definitely ask for the Bourbon tower. It is miles better than Orleans.
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As much as I dislike the Buffet format so popular at all casinos, sometimes when traveling with a group of friends this venue becomes the obvious choice. You all know the reason why, someone wants Italian, another couple begging to go for Deli, and yet more shouts for Chinese, Subs, Seafood, Steaks, Pizza, Ice Cream, A New Car, A Pony! Well, maybe not a car and a pony, but I'm sure you get my point. "Let's just go to the buffet" becomes the universal chant., although one of my friends was still demanding a new car! If you find yourself in a similiar situation while visiting Atlantic City, head straight over to The Showboat Casino Buffet. To attempt to list the food groups, let alone the individual items, would take hours. Let's just say you won't leave there hungry! Most everything I tried was okay to good, and the crabcakes were very good. If doing the Buffet thing is your only option, then Showboat should be your first choice.
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Show boat has come a long way. Our suite was nicely made up. The master suite had a nice size living area, eating area, lounge, wet bar, and powder room. The master bath was big [ picture uploaded above]. It had a huge hot tub, double sinks, walk in shower, and a private wash closet. the master bdrm itself was impressive, with wrap around windows. The adjoining bdrm had 2 queen sized beds, and a typical double sink bthrm. 36 inch LCD monitors through out, with even a little one in the bathroom while your sitting in the hot tub. The rooms were newly renovated and was very modern and clean. As great as all this was, you can tell the job was done 1/2 assed. Light covers were missing from the powder room, lights in the adjoining rooms were so dim, you had a hard time even seeing while you brushed your teeth. Water took a long time to heat up, and initially moving into the room, the hot tub was dirty. SO if you don't mind making a few complaints, or you really don't care, and just need a place to lay your head? This room was fantastic.
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