My daughter just got back from her first 6 months on a ship

[Patricia Gorrall]

I was so happy to see her after the 6 months at sea. But I have a question to all those parents who have had their sons/daughters go out.....Did they put on weight? Is it like the 15 pounds that the kids put on when they go away to college. Do the ships have gyms ....what is the food really like....can they eat healthy

[Melissa (Tucson)]

My son lost weight while on deployment from working out in the gym and running everyday.

[Vickie - Rooney's mom]

My son gained weight from working out every day, but he doesn't have any fat, he's always been a skinny kid. There are gyms on the ship and treadmills everywhere (at least on a carrier), they can eat healthy, the mess has calorie and carb counts on the food covers. They do serve everything from pancakes to cereal to sausage and eggs for breakfast. The food seems heavy on carbs.

[fly 2]

My son never looked better after his deployment!!! He worked out daily looks great. I have never heard of anyone gainning weight??? The food is not all that good!!!! They do have gyms.

[popperwhopper]

Hello Patricia,
My son is still out to sea. I can't wait to see him, I know that it is going to be GREAT! I think he will be home for Christmas. He is in a Sub some where out there. I'm sure your arms felt just wonderful when you hugged her. Did she have alot to say when she came home and was this the first time out to sea? How much longer does she have to serve?

[Patricia Gorrall]

Thank you for your response
I tried to type you a note and then the computer went down...so if this is a duplicate....ignore
I think your son is so brave to be on a sub......My daughter is on a carrier...she helps launch and secure the planes on the deck......We had a terrible scare...she got hurt and did not tell anyone...then her leg got really infected and finally they made her go see the Drs.........she is ok now... When she got home I held on to her for such a long time. We only had 2 days and we had every relative at the house to see her. It is amazing how much you can miss a child....I never felt this way with the kids that went to colllege. It is the Navy that makes a mom proud of what their child does.

[Deb Marvin]

My daughter also toned up and lost weight while at sea. She worked out every day as there was nothing much else to do after her work shift.... the food isn't great... but she ate a lot of vegetables and salad.
If you have a chance to do a 'Tiger Cruise'... do it! I'm so glad I did; it was one of the best weeks of my life. This past November I sailed from Hawaii to San Diego with my daughter on the Ronald Reagan... you get to see first hand what their lives have been for the time they're out to sea!

[lemmonsStepmom]

We went on the tiger cruise 3yrs ago...flew to hawaii and cruised back with my step daughter Karra. first 2 days everyone was tickled because the food was so much better because of the visitors...3rd day here came the white gummy rice and some kind of dog food gravy on top...i'm sorry but i thought it was bad...Karra had care package food everyone had sent to her on the 4 month deployment hid in her office drawer....lots of snacks and yes, she gained the extra weight on every cruise...when she's on land she can cook better and have more time to excerise...deployment is ruff...she only has one more sea duty to go....this is her 11th year...

[PETTY OFFICER]

that was not dog food, pathetic you said that, its called mystery stew and i love it, my favorite dish on the ship and i went to ship gym regularly so i did not gain weight, i want to go on more deployments, i love it

[Cathy]

Petty Officer Sam, thank you for saying that, my daughter is finishing culinary school next week and I'm sure she would be very hurt knowing how hard she and the other sailors are working in school.

[MJ__JM's Mom]

"Mystery Stew"....ahahahaha. Oh come on, Petty Officer Sam...hate to burst the bubble, but mystery stew is a "mystery" for a reason. LOL Eh, as long as YOU love it, what's the diff. LOL ;)

[Cathy]

I'm sure you didn't stop to think that your remark about "dog food gravy" reflects on those fine sailors who provide the food on all of our Navy ships. My daughter is one and she would be very hurt by that remark. It must not be easy to provide food for hundreds and make it all taste like mom's home cooking. Let's just be careful that our careless remarks aren't trashing any of our sailors who are far from home and doing their best to make our country safe.

[bibasquez]

They go out for 6 months to sea? I suspect that my son may not have told me about this yet, because he may not want me to worry.

Would anyone care to share this information with me? Is out to sea on a ship, submarine? Do they dock at all? How can I send him packages?

Thanks in advance.