Hotels in Great lakes to stay at during Boot Camp graduation

[Catherine A Ponder]

The Naval Lodge is filled up and I would like to know where would be a good place to stay and also any details about Graduation. I know it is March 13 th.

[Toni (Andyman's Mom)]

we stay at the Residence Inn in Wakeegan- free breakfast! They have a shuttle to take you the the graduation if you don't want to fight the traffic. About $100 a night. It's clean they are friendly...about 15 minutes from the graduation.
You are in for a great time. The pride you will feel in your sailor is HUGE!! Have fun!

Toni (Andyman's Mom)

[Cindy Black]

Definitely check out the Hotel Indigo, 450 North Milwaukee Avenue, Vernono Hills, il....#847-918-1400. The Navy (military) rate for this hotel is $69.00 a night. The hotel itself is like staying at a luxury hotel, great food, room service, the accomodations are awesome and it's a great place to relax with your new recruit! It's about 10 minutes from the base, it's very easy to get to the base from the hotel. Yes, there are hotels available directly across from the base itself, but they are awful compared to the hotel indigo. The other nice thing about this hotel and it's location is that there are alot of eateries, shoppping, etc right by the hotel. Also check out the Gurnee Mills (?) mall while your there. It's big and awesome. Good luck, Graduation goes very quick, remember your camera and batteries!

[Cindy Black]

Oh, I forgot to tell you, the traffic getting on base for graduation isn't bad, just make sure you get there early with plenty of time to go through the gate....where they will check your car (with dogs). Then you'll instructed on where to park, you'll go through the entrance building to show your id and get hand stamped for admittance into the auditorium area where graduation is. This is where the lines/crowds are the heaviest. Seats are very limited and to get the best view of your son/daughter, get there early to get a seat in the lower section as opposed to the upper level. Be patient and oh yes the metal stadium seating is horribly uncomfortable so be prepared. When my son graduated, we got there 1.15 hours early...although it was a long wait, it was worth the front row seats with the awesome view of my baby!

[ETwifey]

I would search anywhere in the Waukegan, IL area. Also there is the Gurnee Mills is nice too, there is a mall to go to and walk around and buy things. I personally would stay in Gurnee Mills area cause Waukegan can have it's rough parts. My husband was stationed there.

[Kari L]

Hi Catherine,

We stayed at the Residence Inn in Waukegan too. LOVED IT!!! It was CLOSE to base-took us 10 minutes tops. We did a "Practice run" the night before so we would know where to go! The Residence Inn had a GREAT free breakfast. Cooked eggs, sausage, waffles.....it was really nice. We went to base and got our sailor every morning early and they let him come eat with us. VERY nice people. It is around a few other hotels, and we didn't see any riff raff. It was stinkin cold though too!!! Might be different in summer!!!! LOL They did have a shuttle, but we were glad we didn't take it, cause we had to wait around on our sailor, visited the NEX, and the shuttles were gone when we were done. Not sure how that works? You might ask. Also, it took more runs to return everyone because their sailors returned on the shuttle too...navigating isn't bad at all.We used our VZ Navigator on our Verizon phones. Cost us $9.99 for a month of service then we cancelled it when we got home!! We searched for restaurants, bowling alleys, etc. It was great. Also, Jelly Belly has a factory just over the WI border, about 45 minutes away, and there is a nice outlet mall there too. Outside though. But our sailor didn't want to go to the Gurnee Mall. All of the RDC's were there "picking on" the guys!!! (Too many rules to remember!!!) You will have a BLAST!!!! Take lots of pictures, and get LOTS of hugs........store up!!! ;0) Kari

[Lori-Zach'smom]

Hotel Indigo in Vernon Hills is the perfect place to stay. It is very clean, quiet and the staff is extremely helpful. You can't beat the price of $79 a night! We stayed there from the 28th of Jan thru the 1st of Feb. If you need to use a taxi, use Gurnee Taxi since they can drive on base for pickup and drop off. The hotel calls American Taxi and they have to drop off sailors a block away from the base. Have fun at graduation! When I first saw my son's face, the smile I got was worth a million bucks! I will never forget it.
Lori

[Mary Beth ~ PNM of Nathan!]

Hi to everyone! I'm getting excited for our PIR date of May 1st! Thanks for all of the info re: the best hotels. I wanted to book early because they're filling up quickly. I just called the Hotel Indigo in Vernon Hills. The price right now is $79 for Thursday and $109 for Friday & Saturday (that's with the PIR discount). From the discussions it sounds really nice but I was hoping for a better price on the weekend. Will ckout Residence Inn next.

[Tina]

We went to PIR on 3/13/09. We stayed at the Navy Lodge. It was great and so close. So glad we made that choice. 1-800-628-9466

[Mary Beth ~ PNM of Nathan!]

Thanks Tina and congratulations to your sailor and to your family! How wonderful for you all :) I also booked at the Navy Lodge but I'm a little worried about the idea of not having a place to eat. The price is excellent ($65 per nite and no taxes). I figured that I'll keep researching as I have time to make a final decision - there certainly are a lot of choices! BTW to everyone that is looking to book soon for PIR, I just checked the Residence Inn and they only have studio suites for $94 and 2 BR suites for $139. That's the best price offered; apparently the rate increased due to the spring season.

[Tina]

There were fast food very close. We got breakfast sandwiches at the Mini Nex- which the Navy Lodge gives you a card so you can shop there. You can also purchase gas, which is lower than any place else.We got the sandwiches for the morning of the PIR since you need to be in line by at least 6:15AM. We still waited 45 min. to get in.It was an hour to get off the base, but we just visited while we waited.

[Leslie]

This past Fri was my son's graduation. It was an amazing experience and will eager you to attend. You will enjoy and feel complete watching your child walking into the ceremony hall, marching in his/her uniform looking sharp and proud of themselves.

Currently I'm staying at the Homewood Suites, their staff is very friendly and always eager to help with directions and anything that will give you a pleasent stay. They have a Navy Graduate Package with maps and places to go and to shop. The rooms are very clean, their beds are very comfortable. I booked a suite with kitchen two beds and sofa bed for $89, a night. If you look at their website is a little expensive, but if you call them and mention that you will be in town for PIR they will give you a discount. Is 12 miles from the base. I very much recommend Homewood Suites to complete your weekend of enjoyment with your Sailor, cook their favorite meal and at the same time save some money on eating out.

The address is:

10 Westminster Way
Lincolnshire, IL 60069

Ph.# [phone]

Good Luck to everyone. Oh, If you are driving and you're not familiar with Chicago, dont come in during rush hour (after 430PM), LOL it happen to me!! you will be in traffic for a while, also bring enough change for tolls in every exit is .50 and during the toll bridge is about 7.00 all together. Bring a GPS, if you can, just in case they still have contruction you can do detours and its easier.

[Amy bamk]

My sons graduation was 3/27 and we stayed at the Springhill suites Marriott in Gurnee for a military grad rate of $54.99 a night. I highly recommend it. Free continental breakfast, two double bed, double pull out sofa, flat screen tv, refridgerator, microwave, sink, indoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center. It was very nice, clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. We brought our GPS with us. Just a few suggestions. Gurnee Mills mall a must. We were fortunate enough that the Chicago Bulls had a 1:00pm game on Saturday so we got there five minutes before game time and they had just released $10 tickets, my son loved it. Also did the Sears tower. No matter what you do enjoy every minute with your new sailor. Because before you know it's Sunday and you are saying good by to them again.