Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Prayer for save journey. 

My son has made 4 calls in 6 weeks not sure how?

There is a number on the back of the 'ship to shore' card so you can reload it for your sailor.  The cards are sold at the NEX, so if you have one near you and are eligible to make a purchase, that's another option vs. online.   And be prepared 24/7 to answer every odd-looking numbers that show up on your phone :)   Getting a call from your deployed sailor - priceless!! 

Marcy, thanks my son had not told me there were rechargeable. I wonder why he is always on the hunt for a new card and doesn't just refill his? I'll have to inquire, thanks again.

we have an att card that we can re load by calling a toll free number.  our son has used it several years from everywhere.

Rod, even the ship? I don't think you can use the AT&T Universal Calling Cards from the ship, I think they need a special card and it only works from the ship is my understanding.

The card that my son has is from the ships store, is an AT&T card and it is rechargeable by anyone that has the number from the back of it and calls the toll free number and adds money with their credit/debit card.

http://www.corp.att.com/gov/militaryprepaidcards/navy.html

http://www.marineparents.com/deployment/comm-cards.asp

You can purchase them online:  AT&T Ship to Shore Prepaid Phone Card.  They ship to FPO addresses.  Be sure to give the ship's nine-digit FPO ZIP code so it doesn't get returned :)  

I asked my son if he needs these and he said anytime he has the time to call he just picks up the phone a calls. I guess he has a ship to shore in where he works onboard. Lucky boy. Maybe this is a need on big ships.

GoldnG8r--   I order the cards and just had them sent to me and then i put in a box to send to my sailor. that way i know he got them.

CO-Twin's Sailor is an IT and works in a space that has access to the phone lines that can call off the ship, every ship has them. The problem is they are supposed to be for official business and most Sailors in other rates don't have access to them. IT's that work in the radio division have access because it is their equipment.

No his Cell phone is on Military hold while he is deployed. that way he has no charges while he is gone. His ship has a phone in the Galley for the sailors to use and I think he has one where he works onboard that he can use.

He can only use that phone when he is off duty and it is not in use. But you are right one of the perks for IT's. It is nice they give the newbie IT a perk.

If you click on view comments then you can comment via a smart phone I think. do you have internet access on your phone?

Hi there!  My son is also on the San Antonio!

I put both my twins phones on military suspend during BC and now one again who is out on deployment. they suspend service until you reactivate it up to three years.  There are no fees during that time. 

My son leaves for Norfolk tomorrow. He will be looking for housing for himself and his wife. I have heard from others to avoid Portsmouth and Norfolk. What areas should he look at? What are come complexes that are mostly military?

My son is also in the hunt for accommodations. He liked Hampton but the commute through the tunnel is brutal so he ruled it out. He liked Virginia Beach but it was expensive. He's now looking at a gated complex in Norfolk that is a bit spendy but cheaper than VB and the commute is easy. 

Virgina Beach and Hampton are supposed to be the nicer areas to live from what I've read.

I know Great Lakes has military housing, doesn't Norfolk? The area in Great Lakes is very nice and open with parks and lots of green and a NEX right there.

The commute from Hampton is pretty awful, but from what I hear it is worth it because of how nice it is to live there. The other areas we have been told to look in are Virginia Beach, Chesapeake (near Greenbrier), and Old Town Portsmouth-which is different than Portsmouth! We have been told the further away from base you are the nicer it is, and I can definitely vouch for that! I haven't moved there yet but have visited enough times to know that I don't feel safe anywhere near base. No matter where you live the commute is going to be awful, whether it is Hampton with the tunnel or not so honestly I would tell them not to let that be the deciding factor. Our friends who live in Chesapeake, usually a 20 minute drive to base, it takes him 45 minutes to an hour in the morning. There are 80,000 Sailors on that base after all- with the majority commuting in at the same time, it's going to suck no matter what!

The guys that live in Hampton that work with my son say the commute is often times 1.5 hours each way. I would hate for him to spend 3 hours of his already limited time on the road commuting. He did really like it up there though so we'll see, he may end up there after all.

Thanks everyone for the information. It will help tremendously in his search for housing. From what I have heard, there is a waiting list for housing on the base.

Area of Norfolk are nice.  My future son-in-law lived in an apartment in Ghent, 15 min. to base.  VB is more like half an hour to base.  My daughter rented an apartment close to the Norfolk Zoo, in an old victorain house.  She also rented a house along Granby Street.  All were nice and a safe place to live.  My son is in Yorktown as he is on Enterprise and it is being dismantled in Newport News.

Colleen, I too like the Ghent area, and no tunnels or bridges between it and the base.  One way to search for rentals - go to http://www.forrentuniversity.com and search "Old Dominion University."  Another area to search in Norfolk is around Virginia Wesleyan University. 

Hi,my daughter just went to Virginia on her first assigment (OS)on sea duty(destroyer).her ship is going to b deployed nov 2014.Can anyone tell me what she should expect....

singingbird,

Yes, there is PPV (Private Public Venture) housing for single Sailors but there is a long waiting list. My son was told it could be up to two years before he can get a room. I've asked him about it several times and he's not interested in waiting that long and is looking for accommodations now.

I don't know what determines the length of time you have to wait, maybe the smaller ships have a shorter waiting list?

So my son has been assigned on a destroyer for sea duty (his first assignment).  He will live and work on this ship,  can anyone tell me what this experience may be like?   Will he be able to have some type of housing on base or off base at any given point?  This is all new to us,  so any bit of info will be helpful. 

kim,

Hi and welcome to the group. Yes, your son will live on the ship if he is single. He will have the opportunity to get a room off the ship once he is qualified and waits for a room to become available which can take a long time, my son was told up to two years. That will only be were he sleeps in port as he'll go to work on the ship everyday and of course be on the ship 24/7 while they are underway.