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Comment by redheadlass on July 26, 2018 at 9:00pm

Well my son was living in  Alabama prior to going to OCS, and he left his car with a friend there. . I think he will be doing OHARP there (at least that is what his recruiter told him) so he will need to get back there so I think he will have to fly as he flew from Alabama to Providence to begin OCS. 

Comment by Allison on July 26, 2018 at 5:02pm

My DS graduated OCS in 2017, then stayed on base in Newport for several weeks waiting for his OHARP orders. He then spent nearly four months with OHARP waiting for his slot in Pensacola. His OHARP location was near our house so he lived at home during that time. In each case, he drove so he would have his car.

Comment by jsefamily on July 26, 2018 at 3:58pm

redheadlass, it was almost four years ago for our DS, but his orders came AFTER the graduation ceremony.  None of the SNA received their orders until after lunch and they trickled in.  We were preparing for our DS to not come home with us but rather move into other living quarters on the base when they finally arrived.  I think generally the orders arrive just before graduation events, but there is no hard and fast rule or timing.  As with everything in the Navy, we all learn to be flexible!  ;)  

Comment by Nancy on July 26, 2018 at 12:15pm

OHARP orders come along with the orders to Pensacola. They are not separate. SNAs usually get their orders sometime within the final week of OCS. My DS got his about 3 or 4 days before graduation. My son drove his car so he would have it. Also, it was in the location of his previous residence, so not far away and air travel not needed. I imagine most would drive to their OHARP duty so they can have a car, but I could be wrong. They can request a location for OHARP, which could help in planning. It doesn't always mean they will get it, but it is somewhat likely.

Comment by redheadlass on July 26, 2018 at 11:56am

I have another question. For those of you whose LO's were Naval Avaitors, I know after OCS they go to OHARP.  Can anyone out there tell me about what time ahead of OCS graduation did your LO receive his/her orders for OHARP? And do they have to make their own plane reservations to OHARP or does the Navy do this? I understand most of the time they have to report to their OHARP location on Monday morning immediately after the graduation. 

Comment by jesnavymom on July 25, 2018 at 9:36am

We went to The Mooring in Newport for dinner. Excellent but expensive. Three of us had the Uptown Salad. Yum! If you go, ask for a table with a view. We ate at The Landing for lunch. They are also on the water with a good view. Excellent lobster rolls. Another place we enjoyed was Newport Vineyards. They have very good wine and two restaurants. On Wednesdays, they have live music on their patio. May I also suggest a boat tour. We did Newport Harbor Sightseeing Tour. It was reasonable and wonderful. My son loves to fish. So we also booked their fishing trip on their sister boat. Don't miss The Breakers or the Cliff Walk.

Comment by redheadlass on July 24, 2018 at 4:03pm

These are all excellent suggestions, ladies. Thank you all so much! Now I am thinking of maybe asking my son and see if he would want to have nicer lunch on Friday or wait till Friday night. It is the Newport Wine and Food Festival that weekend so I imagine everything will be crowded. But your point about being all dressed up and no where to go makes sense.  So, anyone have any restaurant suggestions for lunch or dinner in the area? I do have hotel reservations in Middletown, not Newport. 

Comment by CindyN on July 24, 2018 at 3:21pm

Parking in downtown Newport is a challenge, at least in the summer. I have been to Newport/Middletown twice, once for my son's OSC graduation 3 years ago and then again this summer while he is there for training. We stayed at hotels in Middletown both times and used Uber/Lyft if we were going out to dinner in Newport. Lots of Uber drivers around so never waited long for ride, even from our hotel. The weekend we were there this time (3rd week in June) there were fewer Lyft cars around so the wait was longer if we happened to use that app. Not sure if that is normal for the area. Given you pay for most parking in downtown Newport, using Uber/Lyft wasn't that much more and worth it to avoid driving around looking for parking.

Comment by Andrea S on July 24, 2018 at 2:21pm

Redheadlass,

Jesnavymom is totally correct.  My son was in the 11-18 class so here are my words of wisdom:)

First, I would say to get a place as close to base as possible.There are plenty of places to stay the area close to base. We rented a house on VRBO but there are hotels & AirBB is a good option.  Just to give you an idea how many times you will go on base...you will be getting all his stuff in the afternoon before Hi Mom's, you will go back to base for Hi Mom's around 5, you will go back to base to drop him off before 5:30 if he stays with you (my son wanted to be back by 11 so he got sleep for the last run), the last run is around 6:30 am and you don't want to miss that, then you need to be changed and back for graduation around 9:30 (if graduation is in the morning). We actually came back by 9 to pick up the last of our sons belongings before graduation, and then he had to go back to the uniform shop before he left to get some last minute items. So you will find the base to be a home away from home for 2 days..lol.

Second, you will get dressed up for 2 events: Hi Mom's & Graduation. Some chose to go out and eat/celebrate after Hi Mom's (especially if your LO has an immediate duty assignment) and others went out on Friday.  We were originally going to go out after Hi Mom's (that event was only light finger foods) but then decided to eat at the house to be able to visit more.  We made reservations for after graduation at 1:30 thinking that would give us enough time and it was plenty (we did take lots of pictures after). I would have made the reservations for more like 12:30.  We had the Volvo boat regatta in Newport that weekend so it was very crowded.  Some restaurants downtown have their own parking so that is something to look into.

I have to tell you that the coolest experience of the whole thing for me was when I got to sign him out after Hi Moms.  I was his "buddy" while he was on shore leave.  To see him salute the flag and ask for permission to come aboard (their building is treated like a ship) was inspiring.  It was then that I realized just what OCS is about and how it will change his life forever.

Comment by jesnavymom on July 24, 2018 at 1:14pm

Redheadlass, we just returned from Class 14-18 graduation. We drove from Illinois. My son did not receive orders and is still in Newport. If I had it to do over again, I would do 2 things differently. We made dinner reservations for Friday evening. I would recommend lunch reservations instead. We were dressed-up already and hungry. Our 3 kids were hungry after graduation so we had to get lunch. Every place was crowded and it was tough to find a parking spot. Then, dinner seemed too close to lunch. We toured The Breakers in between because we didn't know what else to do so dressed up...which brings me to my second point. Make reservations at a closer hotel. Because of cost and our choice in hotels, ours was a 35 minute drive away from base. The drive got old. We couldn't go back and forth because of the distance, but we did anyway - 15 times over the toll bridge! We still had a lovely vacation and, of course, a wonderful time with our son!

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