Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Can I ask what kind of hours your son works? As a MA my son works 14 hour shifts 3 days on 2 off and where they put him to live is an hour commute each way. He's so exhausted. I wonder if other rates have those shifts too? He leaves for work at 3pm and returns home at 7am. On his days off he does his food shopping for the week, laundry, etc. Seems like a lot. Some of his friends in other rates seem to have much better hours. Does this sound typical?

Actually that shift sounds like what my son will be doing beginning in August. Those are long work days, especially since they have to fend for themselves in terms of buying and preparing food, doing laundry, etc. in their free time.The drive is tough and he hopes to get moved closer but who knows.I'm exhausted just hearing about how long he works! and its so hot there!! Oh well I guess it's going to be tough for awhile. Thanks and good luck to your son.

.Kassie and other moms:

I think your sons will do fine. But I wanted to let you know that my husband and I open our home and invite any interested sailors to come over on the weekends. We feed them and play board games on Saturday evenings and on Sunday I cook a sit down meal with home made bread and dessert and we give them a place to hang out. My husband is retired Navy so we have a heart for sailors. :) If any of you are interested, I can pm you our cell number and you can let your sons (or daughters) know about us.

Yvonne and John

hi Forever proud..I was just wondering how long it took before they flew your son out to meet his ship that was on deployment when he arrived in Norfolk? Do you know if that timeframe is typical for someone arriving in Norfolk and needing to be flown out to meet his ship?

Several Hampton Roads cities ranked high on this list of the best (and worst) 150 US cities for families, including Virginia Beach at #3, and Chesapeake, VA at #8.  Nice!  http://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-for-families/4435/

Thanks for sharing that list Marcy.  Our sailor lives in Virginia Beach!  We live in Riverside, CA - #63 on the list.  Guess he's doing things right lol!

Hello everyone!  I just joined your group but am not new to the Navy.  Here's my background:  My son has been in the Navy since 2011 and has been serving on an aircraft carrier for almost three years home ported in Japan.  His ship is on it's way to the U.S. (yeah I'm super excited about that!)  My son re-enlisted this spring and once he gets to Virginia he will be going to Mississippi for advanced schooling but then his orders will take him back to the carrier so he'll be spending several years in Virginia.  I will be coming to Virginia to see the ship come in and this is my first time to see a Homecoming (never made it to Japan). As time draws closer I'm sure I will have lots of questions but right now can any of you give me advice on where to stay.  Is there any areas of Norfolk that I should avoid?  If you get a beach front hotel can you get a glimpse of the ship coming in and still have plenty of time to drive to the base?  Yes I'm totally clueless as to what to expect!  

Thank you all for your help and I'm looking forward to being a Virginia Mom and being part of your group!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome joshmom! We were fortunate to stay at my daughter's apartment, but our first choice would have been the Navy Lodge!

Don't think you want to stay at a beach hotel and drive in after you see the ship!  You want to be on base and at the pier!

Hopefully another Mom with experience in that area will answer.  I have only stayed at the Navy Lodge in Sasebo, Japan, when my youngest and I went on the 4 day 3 night Gator Cruise back in 2010.  So, my daughter cam to Fukuoka and we rode a bus from there to base and she was with us to check us in.

When we were there in November 2015, I know another sailor friend said he could help check us in before her Homecoming.  So, I don't have an answer for you....Sorry.

Joshmom, for a homecoming you can make the reservation and check in without your sailor. They give you 24 hours to bring in your sailor to finish the check in. They are flexible though. I got there on a Thursday ans the ship was returning on Saturday, I let them know when I made the reservation and she noted that on it. For just a visit the sailor has to make the reservation and be with you when you check in.

I made my own reservation at Navy Lodge online but we did need a sailor to check us in and as coming for a ships deployment return was not really an option. We were lucky though as his twin drove up from Charleston and checked us in (he is also a sailor)

Is there anyone on this site that has a sailor on the USS Ramage? Crew or Rider?

My son is on the Ramage :)

Hi!  Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations or do's/don'ts regarding sailors at Norfolk storing their vehicles while underway on deployment? What does everyone normally do - base parking, off base storage, etc..?  Thanks :)

Hi all - Happy Monday!

I'm definitely interested in info on vehicle storage while on deployment too.  My son had said he thought he might ship his car home (to CA!) but that's close to $1000 (and then he has to ship it back!).  We just visited him last month & told him to ask around & see what others do - there are plenty of storage facilities but he's worried about his car sitting for a long period of time.  Hopefully someone will be able to give us some suggestions CC0727!

Thanks Marcy!  I've forwarded that on to my son ;-)

Oh also down town has great shopping. Simply J's on King street had really cute anchor tops and dresses.  Great ice cream also I thin on King St. got written up in bon Appetite. Also by the aquarium is a restaurant over the water that serves she crab soup, really SC and so good. 

thanks!!!  @ Marcy - that is a lot of great info!  has anyone had any experience using either the lot behind the next or the storage sites that were mentioned?  like any good reviews or bad experiences?  thanks again! :)

Looking for advice. We're moving soon from San Diego to the Norfolk area. I can't for the life of me decide where to live. I like Ghent from looking at it online but everyone I've talked to said living in Norfolk is really bad. I've also been told to look in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach....My husband doesn't want to be too far from base. Any help is appreciated. Its so hard doing this from the other side of the country.

Eva - my son lives here with a roommate.  Nice apartment complex in VA Beach.  (It's a little expensive I think - but 2 single guys, what can I say!).  They have 1 bedrooms too. We visited in July - they are nice & it wasn't too far from the base (both Norfolk & Portsmouth).

http://www.ripheat.com/midtownCityView.php

B'sNukeMoM That place looks really nice, unfortunately until I get a job when we get to norfolk, thats a little out of our price range. 

This will be my son's next station. If there is any advice or ideas I can pass along to him, please let me know. Thanks. 

Does it cost to park on base?  And thank you all for answering my questions. I'm glad I found the  Navy for Moms site, it has helped a lot throughout boot camp and knowing  I have a place for questions just make me feel easier about her being so far from home.

We are in Chicago, but depending on how long she will be deployed it may not be a bad idea, thanks

I am glad my son bought a car while in Groton since it is so important to have one in Norfolk.  I have not been there yet but planning a trip this month or next.  You do have to watch the pot holes though in the parking.  Where my son parks his car there are lots of pot holes.  He picked up a nail yesterday and his tires were really worn so today he was getting new tires on mom and dad's dime.  He could have gotten one tire to replace the bad tire(chunk out due to hitting a pot hole) but I made the executive decision for him to get 4 new ones.  If he had not and we got up there later in the fall to bring his car home while he deploys we probably would have spent part of our time up there taking care of getting tires before we drove it back to GA.  We want to see the boat off and since he will not be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas or his 24th birthday we wanted to give him a big hug and spend time with him.  He has told us it will be very busy that week but that is ok. We will take whatever time we get and may Christmas shop or site see while he is busy.  He does have to eat at some point so maybe we can feed him a meal or two.  Also Pennys, tell your daughter to watch her speed up there.  My son has always been a good driver but he has gotten two tickets up there.  They set speed traps up there, no breaks like here in GA. 

Thanks for all the good advice, you guys are very helpful and I am very appreciative!

Is there any place to check on base to see if sailors are selling their cars? I'd much rather see my son buy from another sailor than to buy from a dealership looking to take advantage.

Concernedad - my son got pre-approved through Navy Federal for a car loan.  They also gave him a list of reputable dealerships in Norfolk and a list of the ones to stay away from.

there are usually ads in the Flagship of sailors selling their cars. 

Yvonne

This might be a stupid question but should my husband take his passport on deployment?

Hi all - Happy Tuesday!

Eva - my son was advised by his LPO to get a passport (which he did) and to plan on taking it with him on deployment.  You never know when you might have some time off & want to do a little traveling!

Oh and no question is a stupid question ;-)

Eva, my son was told that he had to take his passport when he deployed last year.

Ok thanks B's and JackieD. Good thing he has one! He's just got orders and found out he's going on deployment with 1 months notice. 

A passport is not required but certainly easier if they have one. You never know when there will be an emergency and they need to fly back. If they have a passport, they may be able to fly commercial. Otherwise they have to get special Nato orders. It is just easier if they have one.