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Comment by willsmom93 on December 6, 2014 at 4:18pm

As a retired teacher, I would be laughing my butt off. My boys would jus roll their eyes - there goes mom again - as long as I didn't take home a kid as a souvenir!

Comment by diannep on December 6, 2014 at 3:58pm

Oh, and highlight of our PIR trip other than PIR itself?  When my 2 sons (23-sailor and 25) and I were driving around the Great Lakes and surrounding area after PIR....me driving.....just exploring....and I ended up in a school pickup line!  Yep, sure did.  Couldn't see a way to get out of it where I was, so just kept moving up wondering whose child I would get???  :-)  My sons were horrified....they couldn't believe I did this (didn't do it on purpose!)....and told me to TURN AROUND.  Well, no can do...not enough room.  Finally, I was able to go the wrong way just for a few feet so I could turn around.  Disaster averted....I was laughing hysterically about the whole thing, but sadly, my boys saw no humor in this experience.....party poopers....  :-)

Comment by diannep on December 6, 2014 at 3:55pm

socalmom:  You are very welcome!  I am a lifelong S FL gal so had no experience driving in snow, other than when I was 16, newly licensed, driving my parents' station wagon (dating myself here!) with friends/brother in the car....on vacation in NC....was very slowly stopping for a stop sign at the bottom of a hill....missed seeing the patch of ice in front of me which we hit, spun out, and into a wall.  Uh oh.....no one hurt, thank goodness, but I was scared to death to tell my parents....damage was minor, had bent the top of the hood where it couldn't be opened, but big deal, right??  HA!  Thank goodness for my 14 yr old brother who told me no worries, he would break the news to the parents....they knew I was a careful driver but clueless since ice in S FL on the roads....well.....it would only be on our roads if someone poured if from a cup!  :-)   They were nice about it....and allowed me to grow up!  :-)

All of this to say....I rented an SUV when there, figured bigger was better, was only for 2.5 days.....and had my very saavy commercial driver licensed older son with me....however, he only drove once, said I could drive.  Like CatMom said, the roads are kept very clear up there.  We did have flurries on PIR Day, but not enough to cause an issue.  So hopefully you will have similar conditions when you attend PIR and are driving! 

Comment by CatMom509 on December 6, 2014 at 5:56am

Friends,

I just posted my "PERTINENT PIR TIPS!!"  Please check it out for any tips you can use for your own PIR~~

Comment by CatMom509 on December 6, 2014 at 5:50am

socalmom21,

I'm also from Southern Califonia and my Sailor daughter's PIR was in March 2013, so it was snowy, but didn't snow while I was driving around.  The roads were very well cleared.  The only thing you have to watch for is spotting the driveways, which are harder to see with the snowbanks. 

I rented a car and opted for the extra insurance "just in case".  My car rental from Thursday to Saturday totaled $124 from Enterprise Rent-a-Car.  I have a coupon which I will put up that gives a free upgrade.  I used Sarge's shuttle service to go to PIR, which was $3.00 per person each way.  Came back to the hotel for a little bit for her to freshen up, then we headed out in the rental car to get something to eat andshe wanted her eyebrows done.  Then we just relaxed in the hotel.  I had Sarge take her back to RTC, so we could get some rest to drive out to the Midway airport at 12:30 am, which was an hour away.  Came back to our hotel to rest because our flight left in the evening.  So it's a bit of driving and we didn't even have the entire weekend with her.  If your SR has A school at Great Lakes, then you will need a rental car for Wednesday/Thursday to Sunday evening.  Many families have been coming in an extra day early because the snowy weather can delay flights~~

Comment by socalmom21 on December 6, 2014 at 2:21am

Diannep: suggestions noted!!! So very much appreciated. :)

Comment by diannep on December 5, 2014 at 11:49pm

Ian'sMom:  Take if from my son's experience....NO CARE PKGS!  He was there for Christmas holidays in 2009.  Someone sent him a pkg directly from a vendor, no name in the pkg.  He was grilled by his RDCs....who sent it, why, etc.  He had no clue!  We still don't know to this day, but it was filled with Christmas goodies that were taken from him....and his RDCs enjoyed them later in their office!  Thankfully when they realized that he had no clue who sent the pkg, he was not punished for receiving it.

Comment by diannep on December 5, 2014 at 11:47pm

Navy Lodge to Sundance Saloon (Sarge's MeetandGreet) is 4.6 miles, 10 min drive. 

Comment by diannep on December 5, 2014 at 11:44pm

socalmom:  It is more economical to rent a car.  The shuttles/taxis can add up.  Are you flying Southwest?  If so, they usually offer a discount code for cheaper car rental.   Someone on one of the PIR groups just posted recently for all to be on the lookout for them in an email if you booked with Southwest. 

We rented a car when up there Feb 2010 for my son's PIR.  No regrets....got a good deal on the car then. 

So I would suggest you consider car rental! 

Comment by socalmom21 on December 5, 2014 at 9:35pm

Good evening all...
We are from Southern California ad never been to GL. We are thinking about not renting a car and going to try shuttle service/taxis. Can anyone share feedback on this decision - good/bad idea? Also, does anyone know how close the Meet N' Great is to Navy Lodge? Any suggestions and/information would be appreciated. Thanks a bunch.

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