Need advice on the best place to stay

[ProudMom(ship 04 division 804)]

 

Hello! My son graduates from boot camp Feb. 11, 2011. I'm looking for advice from moms who have already been through this and can give me some ideas of the best places to stay while we are there.

Thank you!

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

first of all join your PIR group here is the link   http://www.navyformoms.com/group/pir21111

[JessicaB-Sailor Mom]

Okay, I stayed at the Ramada and it was fine. That is where the M&G is held the night before PIR.

 

There is probably a discussion in your PIR group about the hotels...in the forum there, you may have to click on "view all"

 

If not, ask on there to see where everyone else is planning on staying

[BunkerQB]

From Andie3 on December 14, 2010

We stayed at the Country Inn and Suites in Gurnee.  It was fabulous!  They have a pool/ hot tub, a
great breakfast is offered for free and different hot things every day.  Gurnee is about 10 minutes from the training center and full of places to eat and shop.  My son spent a ton of time at the outlet mall and Target
buying boxer briefs and Starbucks! He also bought a DS for his flight to his A school. *giggle*  Your son should know before hand if he is grad n go. 

When is his PIR?  Do you have enough time to write and ask him?

 From PattiM-proud mom of sailor Alex on December 11, 2010

Hampton Inn in Libertyville is very nice and includes morning breakfast, pool and hot tub.  We had 2 Queen size beds and a pull out couch, refridge and microwave .  We did not know in advance that we would have our
son with us for the entire weekend, so our extra space worked great for sleeping and conversation.  Libertyville
has some good restaurants too and is 15-20 minutes from the base.  Took the train into Chicago for sightseeing $7.00 per person for unlimited trips on the weekend( free for those in military uniform-the water taxi in Chicago
took us to the Navy Pier -also free for those in uniform).  We actually drove into Chicago on Sunday  and parking was $14.00 for the day and traffic was no problem.

 From cheryllynn-proud mom of a sailor on November 4, 2010

We stayed at the Courtyard, Marriott in Waukegan. Very nice hotel. Very helpful and pleasant employees.
Breakfast is served in the lobby area each morning. You can order buffet or menu and you have to pay.
There is a shuttle taxi service that you can sign up for at a charge of $6.00 a person each way. I think it may be a little cheaper for the Sailor. They will also bring your Sailor back to base in the evening if need be. We decided to
use the shuttle in the morning to PIR, even though we had a rental car, just to get there easily and find our bearings. We did get dropped off at the opposite end of the entrance to the hall so if you go in the winter prepare for a walk to get in. Dress warm. I believe any shuttle service has the same drop off spot so you will have to walk.

 

From Dillions Mom *Sailor* on November 6, 2010

we stayed at Springhill Suites, it was very nice, clean, staff was friendly. I would not recoment taking a shuttle to the PIR, we waited for this lady to come and she drove a mini van, she didnt do it that often so she was confused where to drop us off, it was a ways from graduation and we walked completly around the base to get there. she is usually a school bus driver and her van only held 7 people at a time. if we had to do over, we would of drove.

 From Sassafras Proud Mom  of a Sailor on November 7, 2010

We stayed at the Days Inn in Waukegan -- which was basically an okay place to stay... clean, refrig &  microwave, but no pool or spa and no great restaurants nearby and a LONG/SLOW 8 miles to the base. On
the other hand, Gurnee and Libertyville seemed to have LOTS of interesting things to do. ~~~

 From Sassafras Proud Mom  of a Sailor on November 7, 2010

About accommodations: If it's in your budget ($170+ per night for 2 adults + 2 kids), this place in Gurnee looks like a hoot. http://www.keylimecove.com/    They have an indoor waterpark... which we found out about on our
last day in town... so I really know nothing about it other than what's on their website... still, I guaratee you, had we stayed at the waterpark hotel we would likely not have done anything but swim and play the whole weekend...

 From TRea’s Mom (ship 09 div 015) on December 6, 2010

Just stay away from the Super 8 in the 600 block of Green Bay Road in Waukegan. The prices are reasonable, but we stayed there and it's on my list to not repeat that mistake. The cops had to be called the last night we were there for a party across the hall that got very loud and profane. Not good!

 Also from TRea’s Mom on December 4, 2010

But we did come upon a couple of experiences in the Great Lakes area that I would like to pass along. First, regarding choice of a hotel, DO NOT stay at the Super 8 on Green Bay Road. We chose it first and foremost because of the price. We just couldn't afford to spend a lot on accomodations, but for what we got, it was way overpriced. The showers were terrible, not much water pressure and the water temperature was all over the scale, first hot and then cold, without touching the control. Also the shower curtain was hanging by a very loose set of screws and we had to be careful not to pull the rod off the wall. The hotel is generally rundown and
they are obviously not investing anything in it. The beds were okay at best. But the worst was the very loud party that took place across the hall from my room, and I do mean loud!! There was music so loud the floor was vibrating and then the party spilled out into the hall with people yelling curse words. Finally the police were called and they arrested some people. When I talked to the hotel manager about taking something off my bill for inconvenience, he said they handled it the best they could and would not be giving any discount.

 From Joshuas PROUD MomofaSAILOR on December 16, 2010

Hey Y'all - I've only been on here a few times since PIR (10/29/10) - I just found this discussion and didn't see any mention of the Navy Lodge - which is where we stayed. Only $65, per night NO taxes - and we had a very decent room.  It's a no frills place, but we had a room with a small kitchen - stove top, microwave, coffee maker and fridge.  The staff was WONDERFUL!  We had arrived about an hour and a half prior to check in time, but the manager allowed us to go ahead and check in (I guess we looked as exhausted as we were after our all-nighter of driving!).  It was just down the road from the graduation hall, and there was an NEX express just around the corner (They were mainly like a convenience store - with gas pumps).

Cbryant on October 19, 2010

My son's PIR date was 10/8. We stayed at the Navy Lodge. We had a room with 2 queen beds and a kitchen. $67. a night and no tax was great. They also had grab and go breakfast bags. They give you temp. NEX cards so you don't have to have your sailor to purchase things. It's the closest lodging to the base. Leave the lodge no later than 6am to go to graduation. The line gets long. This is HIGHLY recomended to get there early so you don't have to stand in a long line to check in. Keep your parking pass in your window all weekend. You have to have it to get on base at the NEX entrence when you pick up your sailor for liberty the rest of the weekend. By airline tickets early. Fly into Milwaukee. It's a lot less traffic than going into O'hare. We rented a car through Enterprise
at the airport. It was easy to pick up and drop off. Reserve on line and get the weekend rate. We never took the train. We like to drive ourselves. But parking in Chicago can be expensive. Hope this helps. I read everything on N4M before going to graduation and all the info was a God send.

 

I got the above info from the following discussion.

PIR DEBRIEFING

We also have a number of discussions about PIR in this group. Click on link, then click VIEW ALL under "Discussions"

New Moms Stop Here

We collected the following tip within the San Francisco/Bay Area Group  PIR TIPS

If you recruit forgot to order photos or DVD, don't worry - click on the link to a blog and just follow the instructions below. I have seen the bounded book w the photos - it's beautiful but I am sure expensive.

December 17 Graduation

 

PIR Schedule for the day. You should confirm the following:

0630: RTC Main Gate opens to visitors.

0700: The drill hall is open.

0845: Guests must be seated.0900: Graduation commences.

0920: Divisions arrive at drill hall

1030: Ceremony concludes with Liberty Call.

2100: Liberty expires for recruits.

 

[hisbiggestfan(Ship 11 Div 061)]

priceless information... thank you all