Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

There is no bus service to the piers for the most part. On the weekend there is a bus that returns to the pier from the main NEX but for some reason doesn't go directly from the pier to the NEX. So you can get back from the NEX on the weekend but if you want to ride a bus to the NEX you have to ride it around the whole loop which takes near 45 minutes I believe. It costs $2 to ride it and my son tried it and was able to get back from the NEX once but was never able to get to the NEX.

During the week there is nothing but taxi cabs.

Oh dear sounds to me like he better get someone to teach him driving and get a license and a cheap car.  We did get advice to get a cheap car and sell it when you have a long deployment. I don't think that sounds too logical though. How about bikes? 

I've not inquired about bikes so someone else will have to provide that information.

CO-TwinSalorsMom Ship03Div233  Drivers in Norfolk, as in most of VA (I can say this because I live inVA) are insane maniacs.  If your son can learn to drive here, I'd say he could conquer the world!

CO-Twin, Tonya,

Make sure your Sailor asks for their Sponsor to meet them at the airport when they arrive into Norfolk if possible. It will be very confusing for a new Sailor getting to the ship in a Taxi and reporting aboard the ship all alone. Not to mention, trying to pack their seabag, garment bag, backpack, etc. all by themselves is a pain.

My son was lucky that his sponsor offered to meet him at the airport and it was much easier for him than if he would have had to do it alone.

Tonya,

Oh yeah, forgot your daughter is driving...that will be much easier for her. She already knows someone on the Bush? Just make sure she knows someone onboard when she arrives. If she arrives after working hours she's going to be on her own until the next work day which can be overwhelming for a new Sailor. Is much better if there is someone to show her around the ship, her berthing, how to get to her shop, etc. If it is after working hours they are going to check her in on the quarterdeck and get her a rack in berthing and then she'll be left to fend for herself.

Since my son is on the Bush also I'm sure he would be happy to help as well. If she doesn't know anyone I can give you my son's email address and he would be happy to answer any questions she may have. I'm sure he would be happy to show her around the ship but he obviously won't be able to go into the female berthing and he works in a different division, but he could certainly show her around the ship.

Tonya,

Do you have any idea what day she will be arriving in Norfolk? If the ship is underway that is going to change things on how she checks in. If you let me know the day she is going to check in I may be able to tell you offline where she'll need to check-in at.

The problem for Sailors is there simply isn't a bus that runs to the piers where the ships are except for one on the weekend and it doesn't take them to places on base they may need to go. The buses may be great for visitors out in town but for Sailors not so much. Kind of disappointing the largest Navy base in the world doesn't have transportation for Sailors.

When my son got to Norfolk, about a year and a half ago, he didn't take his car.  He soon found out about the lack of public transportation.  He walked to where he needed but couldn't wait to bring his car back.  He did that for six  months and hated it, especially when it was cold.  He was much happier once he had his car which also doubled as a storage unit.  He also needed a way to get AWAY from the ship since he lived on it.  He had friends that lived off base and he crash at their apartments on the weekends. 

Helen,

Exactly what my son found, he didn't make it six months and after a month of walking miles on the base in the rain every day he had me ship him his car. He is much happier now that he can get away from the ship and has a place to store some of his extra things.

Tonya,

What do you mean "car pool area"? There is a HUGE parking lot across the street from the pier that the Bush is tied to. It can be a very long walk to the ship depending how far back in the lot they have to park due to everything up closer being full. It would be a terrible walk if a Sailor had to carry all of their stuff, seabag, garment bag, backpack, etc. all at once. Beauty of having a car is you don't have to do it in one trip like you would have to do if you took a taxi and were just dropped off at the end of the pier.  Is that what you're referring to as the "car pool area"?

Also, it is better check in mid week or early in the week. If she checks in on a Friday she is going to be on her own for the weekend and won't have a clue what is going on. Checking in mid week if possible gives her a day or two to check in, meet those she will be working with, find her shop, find the mess decks, etc before she has to be on her own for the weekend. I know it isn't always possible to pick when you check in but if she has some leeway then this is something to keep in mind.

Checking in on Friday evening will probably result in her being given a rack and told to report to work Monday morning and she'll be lost all weekend because she doesn't know where anything is.

Lol, it is a "rack" but "little slot" is a better description of it. :)  Here is a picture of my son's rack on the Bush. His is the open one on the bottom left...

They are called racks and the racks are located in the berthing compartment. Here is another of the entire rack...

The Enterprise is on the next pier over from where the Bush ties up. The Enterprise is being retired and has been inactivated and isn't going back out to sea so her friend will be in port when she gets there. There is a parking lot directly across the street from the Bush and the Enterprise.

Dad of Sailor, Thanks for the photos- just want to let you know that I didn't think they were that big.  Maybe different sizes on different types of ships?  My son on a DDG cannot roll over- his shoulders get stuck. He is a medium- large build. I don't know what the "big guys" do.

navymommo,

The big guys hope they can get a top rack which is open and isn't enclosed on the top. Or they suffer and wish they were "little guys".

My son is on an LPD and they did make the racks a "little" bigger.  They are "L" shaped and have a place where you can velcro an iPad so you can look at the screen. 

Dad ~ your son's rack looks bigger than what my son currently has. He's just happy to have a place to lay his head.  He can pretty much sleep anywhere.

Tonya,

Your daughter will tell you about it and it normally happens upon return from a deployment. So after a 6-10 month deployment they allow family members to come on-board for a couple days before the ship returns to port. There are some restrictions on who can be a guest, not boyfriends or girlfriends and I don't think spouses are allowed either, at least they weren't when I was on a ship.

If you can make it work it is a great experience to see your daughter and how she lives and works every day.

The Bush group is a bit slow...maybe we need to get it going huh?

WOW Dad of a sailor  Thanks for that, it sounds like something definitely to do.

Yeah, if they allowed spouses or BF and GF's it would turn into the love boat instead of a warship.

Laurie,

Wow, that is awesome...very cool you both get to go. You'll love it and it is a once in a lifetime opportunity that most civilians only dream about experiencing. Gives you a good appreciation of the sacrifice those Sailors make every day for months at a time to keep the rest of us free. Seeing your son after many months away is a great benefit as well.

This is yours truly in a middle rack on an LHD (USS Iwo Jima).  I'm 5'7" and with my elbows bent, my fingertips are touching the rack above me!  I don't know how those with a top rack swing up into that narrow space, not to mention sleep in any of them!  The second pic is the storage space beneath the mattress.  

I recommend that parents look into getting a "Navy rack pack" for your sailor.  Most commands allow them, but double-check.  These are curtains made just for Navy and CG ships, are darkening and have pockets sewn in for storing iPads, alarm clocks, whatever, and your sailor's last name is embroidered free.  The curtains snap into the track inside the existing curtain.  The company is woman-owned and she is terrific, tell Pat I said Hi lol She will answer all your questions.  http://www.navyrackpacks.com

The curtains are neat but I would caution any Sailor about leaving anything valuable in those pockets like an ipads or the like. Even with the Sailor asleep in the rack it wouldn't take long for the ipad to go missing. Unfortunately the Navy is not immune to theft and there are thieves in every berthing compartment. For stuff that isn't of value those curtains are a great idea.

Anybody know what the racks are like on the USS Bainbridge?

CO-Twin,

Small... :)

Little slots made me laugh, thanks.  The second posted rack does not look bad.  What are they like on smaller ships?  My son's ship has 270 crew.  Will they have a bit more room?

Good thing my son Twin1 is 5'8" his twin2 is 6'4" might be more of a challenge.

Good thing my son Twin1 is 5'8" his twin2 is 6'4" might be more of a challenge.

@abuon18, as Dad of Sailor said earlier, if spouses/girfriends/boyfriends were allowed, the Navy ship would become the Love Boat!  :)  The Tiger Cruise is a way for family members and friends to see what life is like on a ship, not romantic reunions - those will happen in a day or two.

This was posted for a longer-than-normal Tiger Cruise aboard USS Carl Vinson last year but should answer most of your questions (some requirements may change but the essence is there): http://www.navyformoms.com/profiles/blogs/tiger-cruise-frequently-a...  

dad of sailor, while sex is prohibited it still happens while they are on deployment.

when my daughter was on the bush her brother went down to florida for the tiger cruise.  there is a lot of paperwork that has to be done, including a physical.  and there is an minimum age.  if your sailor is a female and the person going on the tiger cruise is a male your sailor will have to get a male sailor to sponsor the tiger and visa versa. 

they had several buses that left out of norfolk that took the tigers from this area down to mayport to meet the ship.  i don't remember how much it cost.

but, my son loved his time on the bush, met some new friends and it was a fantastic experience.  if you can go you really should.

duhhuh58,

I'm know it does, I spent 26 years in the Navy so I'm well aware of what goes on out there. Though, when I was in my younger years we didn't have females on ships, that was later in my career. There is no way you can lock males and females together for months at a time and someone isn't gonna find a way or place to answer natures call. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and gets to spend it with family and friends. Don't forget to remember those that gave their lives in service to this country so we can enjoy the freedom we have today.

Theresa, duhhuh, beachmom76 and others in Hampton Roads, how are you doing and what's up with the approaching tropical storm??  Reading about it, and seeing that this weekend's Harborfest events are being cancelled (like the Parade of Sail) or relocated.

I saw that USS Gunston Hall was scheduled to be open for tours June 7 - 9 as part of Norfolk's Harborfest - http://wtkr.com/2013/06/05/uss-gunston-hall-will-open-for-tours-dur...

*Hampton Roads and nearby areas that is :)

@Sandra AM Mom,

there are day cares in and around the bases.  some are base run and some are home day cares.  have your son check with the Fleet and Family Readiness they should be able to get you a list of day cares.  My grandson was with one lady that actually kept children while the parents were deployed.