So, after getting the "sneak preview" at Horseshoe Baltimore a week ago, I decided to check out MGM National Harbor a week after it re-opened on June 29. I arrived around 4:30 PM on Monday afternoon, figuring that it shouldn't be too busy at that time (although I hoped to have gotten there a few hours earlier).
There are only two entrances to the casino, one from the parking garage and one from the hotel lobby area. Parking is free (and valet is currently not available), so I self-parked and took the elevator up to the casino level. Normally I take the stairs, but I thought there might be additional security, and I know the doors to the stairs open right near the security entrance.
One of the elevator banks was closed, and there were signs indicating that there should only be four people per elevator. Getting to the casino floor level, there was a roped off queue, but I saw a sign that said Gold/Platinum expedited entry, or something like that. I have a Gold card, so I headed over there. I guess I saw some other people waiting, but assumed that they were in the "regular" line. When someone said something about it, and the security guard confirmed it, it was my turn to "check in", so I just sheepishly walked to the guard. Of course, the guard could have told me to go to the end of the two person line, but she didn't. She took my temperature with a hand scanner and told me to pull my mask down to my chin and head to the security podium. They never asked for ID, but after a few minutes, they told me to put my mask back up and I could enter.
Walking into the casino and past a few rows of slot machines, I saw the table games and took a quick photo.
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| View at roulette. |
There didn't seem to be shield dividers at roulette, but there were at the other tables.
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| The "bank teller" plastic divider. |
I went back to check the upstairs casino and poker room, but I discovered that it was currently closed.
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| No poker or race book (well, I didn't know they had a race book). |
On the monitors around the casino, they were displaying the safety guidelines.
Further down at the craps table, you could see the dividers, sectioning off three people per end.
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| $50 minimums! I'll pass. . . Or take the don't. . . |
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| Dividers on the baccarat table. |
One of the lounges, Felt, was blocked off.
As it was at Horseshoe Baltimore, several machines were turned off to keep people spread apart.
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| Off for your safety! |
They did install a hand washing station on the casino floor.
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| I don't think it was $1. . . |
The placement was interesting, since there are restrooms a few yards away.
A look into Blossom, another lounge, was empty. Perhaps it was the time of day?
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| Empty tables in Blossom. |
One of the nice things about MGM National Harbor is that they have an atrium that they decorate, similar to the Bellagio Conservatory.
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| The frog's tongue moved in and out. |
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| Water coming out of the watering can. |
Someone can tell me how to format my photos better!
There were tables and chairs in the area.
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| Sanitized for your protection. |
And more signage.
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| Keep your distance! |
Just a reminder that the valet is closed. Although I'm not sure why they need the sign as you exit as well, since you would have known this when you entered.
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| Valet still not available. |
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| You were also out of luck for VIP check-in, although this serves as the Platinum lounge as well. |
The lobby area did offer a hand sanitizing station and masks, something I don't recall seeing at the garage entrance.
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| I thought about getting an extra mask or two. . . |
Shockingly to me, the lobby bar was actually open. All of the other times I had visited during the day, it had been closed.
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| I almost felt like getting a drink, but I didn't want to p-p-pay for a drink! |
Walking down where Ginger (the restaurant) was, I saw a sign for a virtual waitlist.
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| Although you'll still have to hang out somewhere while you're waiting. |
The hostess stand had a divider up.
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| Shielded and masked! |
I did see people dining at Ginger. I had lunch there one time when I had a comp, and it was good. I'd go there again if I had a comp. . .
The food court area had a few restaurants open. There are some open tables, and they've removed some chairs and added dividers.
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| You can still pass your french fries to your friend through the opening! |
There were also spots for you to stand while you're waiting in line.
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| Looks further than six feet, but I wasn't going to measure. |
And you know things are bad when. . .
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| You're not getting your Starbucks here! |
And if you're a water fountain person, you are out of luck.
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| No bottle refills either! |
The bathroom sinks have built-in hand dryers, but they all had signs indicated there were turned off for your safety.
Up until February of last year, I knew about a few games here in the 99.54% return range, but when returned this February, I discovered they finally removed them (sadness). So currently, the best game I saw was 9/5 Jacks or Better (98.45%), and that was at $1. Most of the video poker machines are on the second floor though, and that was closed. There are some bartops, but the bar area was roped off, and many of the machines were turned off. There was a queue to get into the bar area also, and I didn't want to wait. There were three Ultimate X machines at the 5c-10c-25c denominations, but the low return rate and high volatility wasn't attractive for me to play them.
The lack of Game Maker machines also meant that there were not many keno games available. Of the three Game Maker machines I saw, two people were playing keno, the other person was playing blackjack. The one person finally left, and I decided to take a shot on VP. I had lost some earlier trying to catch lightning in a bottle on a Top Dollar machine, but I managed to get some of it back on VP, without hitting a quad.
As I was leaving, around 6 PM, I noticed there was now a line of about a dozen people waiting to get in. The line seemed to be moving at a decent rate though.
So, MGM had taken the extra step to install dividers on their table games than Horseshoe Baltimore did. There didn't seem to be a waiting list for games at MGM, although that might have been only for the "pre-opening" at Horseshoe. I know the slot floor was usually pretty tight, sometimes you'd have to move chairs to get through a row, but they seemed to have moved machines to make more aisle space. I never felt crowded or unsafe.
It's a much nicer casino than Horseshoe, but neither has decent video poker (or comped alcoholic drinks), so I don't see much of a reason to consistently visit.
