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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!

Comment by Andy'sMom on July 23, 2018 at 7:33pm

Redheadlass, my son commissioned in May this year.  As the other 3 have stated, he had to be out of his room as of Commissioning, so we went there early Thurs afternoon to pick up all of his belongings.  He got leave Thurs night after Hi Moms so he was able to stay with us.  We had to get him back to base by 5:45 Fri! We were a big group - 9 plus him - so we rented a house.  We chose to do all our cooking at the house so it was easier to socialize.  Plus he was wanting some home cooking!  He was exhausted as well - fell asleep on the floor as we were cooking!  He is an SNA, so his orders were to report for OHARP on the following Monday.  We stayed in the area until Sunday and did some sightseeing.  

Comment by Eaglemom01 on July 23, 2018 at 2:36pm

My son graduated 01-18 last October.  The message we got was he was NOT allowed to go back into the barracks because he was now an officer. He gave us his last few belongings right before he headed to graduation (we had picked up the rest earlier before hi-moms dinner) after the graduation run that morning.  If they have orders they can leave right after graduation and if not they move to a different barracks while they await orders.  We had the luxury of time with our son as we had done sightseeing earlier in the week. We did take him out to eat and visited the Tennis Hall of Fame and drove out to see Plymouth Rock that afternoon. He came home with us as he had delayed orders to start Nuclear Power School in February.

Comment by CindyN on July 23, 2018 at 1:31pm

Redheadlass: Our experience/schedule was similar to Nancy. My son was exhausted after graduation and slept for a good 4+ hours. As we didn't know when we bought our tickets where/when he would go next after graduation, we planned to stay the weekend and spend time/sightsee with our son in the event he wouldn't be coming back home to pack up. In the end, he did come home to pack up and drive back to VA with his car. But we spent Satuday and part of Sunday playing tourist.

Comment by Nancy on July 22, 2018 at 6:34pm

I think they pack up earlier now. Seems like they are out of their barracks before graduation, or very little left. We were able to get most of his stuff on Wednesday night, and got to talk with him about 20 minutes outside the barracks. Then we went to dinner with a few couples we met through this site. Then hubby and I did some sightseeing Thursday morning and we were able to pick up LO and rest of gear Thursday afternoon. We went together to Hi moms, and he was able to spend Thursday night with us in the hotel room, as long as he was back next morning by something like 4:30 am. At this point he had practically nothing left in the barracks. He caught a ride back to base with another one staying in the same hotel as we were. Then after graduation he just wanted to come back to hotel room and crash. He napped several hours, then we had a nice dinner and did some sightseeing together Saturday morning before catching a late flight home. It's pretty much up to you to do whatever. He didn't have to report to OHARP until Wednesday, so he still had a few days with us. Depends on their designation and their orders. Most NFOs report right away with no OHARP at all, SNAs might get a little longer and have OHARP to boot. Have no idea about the others.

Comment by Charlene on July 22, 2018 at 6:20pm

Hi Redheadlass my son graduated from PCS about 18 months ago in April We also had a long trip. We are from El Paso Tx. I guess we were lucky because my son was able to pack up and then spend 3 days with us. After graduation we went downtown to a nice restaurant. The next day we drove into Boston. There is so much to do in this area I'm sure it will be a great trip for you and your family

Comment by redheadlass on July 22, 2018 at 6:00pm

Well I think we will be sticking around the area for the weekend as we are coming a long ways from California. Another Navy Mom on this site said her son stayed with them over the weekend and flew to OHARP location on Sunday. I think my son will probably be able to do the same. We are planning on flying out on Monday.... Can visit the area even if our son cannot.

Comment by Noni on July 22, 2018 at 5:25pm

Redheadlass
Most don’t stick around. Right after graduation the candidates are sent back to their barracks to pack up. My daughter was able to come home with us but most go to their duty station right after graduation.

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