We were walking around SM Megamall today, looking at what’s new at the new SM Megamall Fashion Hall, and we chanced upon the Megamall leg of City of Dreams’ #CODManilaonTour. They will be at the Megamall until Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014. They will be at SM Southmall next.
Of course, I was curious why everyone was lining up to enter, so I asked the helpful City of Dreams staff and they told me that people can sign up for membership to City of Dreams, take pictures at the booths, and win prizes!
The line wasn’t that long and it only took us less than 5 minutes to get inside. They ask you to fill out a short membership form, and you need to present a valid government ID.
I was able to get my membership card right away! Here’s a picture of the City of Dreams Membership card (with my personal information blotted out):
Unfortunately, we went to the event past 9pm, and all the other booths had closed and the mascots had already left. I was able to play some sort of game where I won a City of Dreams poncho.
The reason I am excited about this is not because I am a casino junkie (even though some people beg to differ). According to City of Dreams’ website, aside from the casino, the complex will house three world-class hotels, elite nightlife clubs (I’m not the clubbing sort so I don’t really care about that), some world-class restaurants (yey!), an edutainment center called DreamPlay by DreamWorks (hence all the Kungfu Panda and Madagascar mascots), and the inevitable shops for shopping.
Why get a membership? It’s free! You never know, they could start charging for membership in the future. Early members usually get lots of perks. When places like these start, they usually have promos like a very low rate for the buffet (remember the P88++ buffet breakfast at Resorts World?), or free games or chips at the casino, to entice people to come. Sometimes, you also get discounts from other establishments within the complex if you are a member.
Also, it’s better to get your membership early. When City of Dreams opens, the lines for membership can get really long. I remember when Solaire opened, we were fortunate there were no lines when we signed up for membership. We were there the second day since Solaire opened, a bright and early 9am Sunday morning. By mid-afternoon, the lines were horrendous.
Here’s another reason to get a membership to these places –
Free parking! Free food! And you can even win some money (know your limits)!
When we need to pick someone up from the airport, we just leave the house a few hours before the flight is scheduled to land. We head over to Solaire (still free parking as of today), and play a little (again, know your limits). They have free food and drinks. The drinks are easier to come by, just ask for drinks from the staff or wait by the makeshift coffee/tea bars; the sandwiches run out very quickly. Bottled water is there for the taking (just take enough for yourself to drink, okay?).
If you’re hungry, you can use cash or your membership points to buy food at the Food Court. The food is surprisingly good at Solaire’s food court, and not as expensive as you’d expect. I love their Beef Rendang, which is a good portion size for only P175, as I recall. It’s quite spicy but oh, so good!
These places are open 24/7 so even if the flight gets delayed by a few hours, you’ll have a comfortable place to stay. Even if you only win your money back or just break even, that’s not so bad. Again, know your limits or don’t play or just while your time away at the slot machines.
Realize that you don’t need to be playing the casino the whole time you’re there. You can play a bit, rest, walk around, watch other people, then go back to playing if you feel like it.
The reason we prefer Solaire is because of the free parking.
Who knows, the City of Dreams Manila could be another place to hang out, right?
Because waiting at these places sure beats the old standby of waiting at that convenience store near Park N Fly (15-minute limit), or waiting at the side of the road to NAIA only to be chased away by guards/ cops.
Just stay at these 24/7 complexes and wait for your “fetchee” to call you to let you know that their flight has landed and that they are finished with Immigration. It will only take you 5-15 minutes to get to whichever airport terminal you need to go to.
