Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

Wow!  What a great experience.  Enjoy your time with him!

Hello everyone! I am new to this site. My daughter is a Hospital Corpsman stationed in Norfolk. She just made Blue Jacket of the Quarter! Super proud of her!

Hi, Just wanted to say "Hello" to you all...my sonjust arrived to his ship last Tuesday....enjoying it so far..we are from NJ..he is happy to be stationed "close" to home so he can see his 4 year old son more often..librarygram

Ignore any spam/emails from "Cindy Starkenberg" - it's been reported and this 'person' is being removed by N4M's admins.  

Unfortunately this happens every once in a while on N4M :(  If you ever see a problem, use the "Report an issue" link at the bottom of the page.

Josh'smom,

Every command has a different policy on special liberty and three days off work consecutive is normally the max they will authorize. The CO can authorize 4 days but that is normally for specific circumstances, not just so someone can have a four day weekend.

He gets 30 days leave/"vacation" a year to allow him to go home when he wants. If they will give him a Friday off for free I'd jump on it.

Remember, there are limits on how far they can travel from their duty station when not in a leave status. If he travels outside this distance and is caught or gets in an accident or trouble he will get in trouble. My last command we could not travel more than 250 miles away from the command without being on leave.

There is a way to get permission to travel outside the boundary on liberty but he must get written permission to do so if he's not on leave.

You can show up or call them...:) They may have  a room...:)

Cindysch319 - just saw this so I'm not sure why you're looking for lodging near Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth. My son had surgery there a couple of weeks ago. I stayed at the Navy Lodge on Hampton Blvd. in Norfolk.

FWIW, it's at least a 20 minute ride with no traffic and could easily double that at times. Norfolk traffic is crazy! That being said, I absolutely loved the Navy Lodge. Staff was friendly, room was immaculate, breakfast was decent and FREE . . . I would definitely stay there again! It was just a few minutes away from my son's apartment and he had one-day surgery so it worked out fine. You do need to be military (or be sponsored by someone military) to register. I was driving in the morning of his surgery and planned on checking in later that afternoon . . . my son went there the week before and was told that he had to be present for me to sign in. That just wouldn't work because we weren't positive that he was going home and I didn't want to burden him post-surgery. After re-explaining the situation they supposedly made "special accommodations" where he held the room under his credit card. When I got there, they first told me that he had to be present . . . once I again explained the situation, I got the "OK, we worked that out before" and I was able to switch the payment to my credit card. A little frustrating but again, well worth it!!

Again, not knowing why you need to be near Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth . . . let me say this, I was very impressed with the care and treatment my son received there. It's an amazing place with very nice people. We were there at the beginning of the government shut down and the non-military staff weren't even sure if they would get paid BUT they were there and treating patients without a grumble at all. The only negative I need to mention is that parking SUCKS big time! When we pulled into the garage around 5 am on the morning of surgery we were able to park in the first row, first floor of the garage . . . 5 days later when we went back for his initial check-up in the mid-morning we circled level after level of the parking garage and I eventually let him out near the elevator so he wouldn't miss his appointment. I worked my way back down to the ground level and basically stalked people walking back to their cars until I got a space.

Good luck on your trip there!

Cindy, I too recommend Navy Lodge (was there last week in fact, and went back and forth to Portsmouth several times).  The nicest hotel in Portsmouth also happens to be within walking distance of NMCP - The Renaissance Hotel and Waterfront Conference Center, and rates right now are good.  http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/orfpt-renaissance-portsmouth-...

PS - re Navy Lodge reservations - you don't technically need a reservation to stay at the Navy Lodge, but you DO need your sailor (or retired military with ID) to check you in and they are strict about that - glad it worked out for Ken but I wouldn't count on it.  It fills up on the weekends and when events like homecomings are going on, so reservations are recommended, especially if you plan to stay Fri - Mon.

The only hotel near the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth is the Comfort Inn right outside the gate it is only average, the rates are about 89.00 per night. There is a Renaissance Hotel on Water Streeet that would have a nice view not much further away I think the rates are a little higher. The Navy Lodge is in Norfolk, not too far away. The Comfort Inn is the most convenient.

You need a ID card to stay at the Navy Lodge. If you're there to see your Sailor return you're not going to have an ID to check in. Your Sailor may be able to handle the reservation over the phone or mail ahead of time but it's going to take some planning.

CO-TwinSalorsMom, here is all the information about Navy Lodge Norfolk:  http://navyformoms.com/group/norfolksailorsfamilyfriends/forum/topi....  You can make the reservation yourself, just need to provide the name, rate and rating of the sailor (called your "sponsor") who will check you in.    

When making your reservation, tell them you're coming for a homecoming.  Your sponsor will need to show his military ID within 24 hours of your check-in.  Reserve as far ahead as possible, as it fills up (and it is usually full on weekends).  I was there two weeks ago, and just updated some of the photos on my Discussion :)  It's a great place to stay for a homecoming or just a visit to Norfolk!

Marcy  what happens if you want to check in before the ship arrives?  He can't check us in of he is on a ship.  We I hope will have his twin with us who is at GC at nuke school. can he check us in with his ID?

Sure, anyone with a qualifying ID can check you in. Just make him the "sponsor".

Great info Marcy.

Not to be Debbie Downer, but it's always best to err on the side of OPSEC until dates are publicly announced, and at this point, that's information being shared with families only via their ship Ombudsman and Family Readiness Group.

OPSEC GUIDELINES

✓ Donʼt discuss future destinations or ports of call.

✓ Donʼt discuss future operations, exercises or missions.

✓ Donʼt discuss dates and times of when we will be in port or conducting exercises.

✓ Donʼt discuss security procedures, movements, or arms.

✓ Donʼt discuss readiness issues and numbers.

✓ Donʼt discuss specific training equipment.

✓ Donʼt speculate about future operations.

✓ Donʼt spread rumors about past, current or future operations or movements.

✓ Donʼt discuss deployment or homecoming dates (including Tiger or Family Day Cruises)

✓ DO assume the enemy is always trying to collect information.

✓ Keep in mind there is no guarantee of security for information transmittal, or that a chat room or forum described as “military” has its membership restricted to militarypersonnel and their families.

✓ Be smart, use your head, and always think OPSEC when using email, phone, message boards and chatrooms, including Navyformoms.com.

Keep Your Family Safe: Practice Operational Security on Social Media

I didn't mean to sound unsympathetic; it's natural to be curious, and excited for each other!!  Just want to be sure enthusiasm doesn't trump caution.    

COmom, regarding your earlier question - yes, your son at Nuke school can be your sponsor and check you into the Navy Lodge with his military ID.

It's on the bootcamp group page,right the hand side for the new Navy mommas..:)

Freemason Abbey restaurant will be open noon - 4 pm on Thanksgiving Day, but you'd better get a reservation in ASAP, as it will be by reservation only :)  http://www.freemasonabbey.com and restaurant photos.  It's in a former church in a pretty section of Norfolk near MacArthur Center, not far from the base.

Thanks Marcy!

If transportation is not an issue, another great option is the Thanksgiving Brunch at Swan Terrace (Founders Inn). It is about 15 miles from base.

http://www.foundersinn.com/diningvenue-en.html

U.S. Fleet Forces Command said today that the new Flame Resistant Variant (FRV) coveralls will begin being distributed to Sailors in the fleet before the end of the year. 

I read about those on Navy Times a while ago.  

Navy Dad, I have sent you a friend req.  I would like to talk to you privately as soon as possible regarding my son.  Please email me and I will give you my phone number so I talk to you.  Thank You,
Cyndi

CyndiH,

I accepted your friend request, please send me a message of how I can help.

My son didn't put our names in for the tiger cruise, and it's too late now.  

Can anyone who's been on one tell me what it is like, Please and Thank You!!

Hi, I am new to this group, joined just yesterday! We will be going to Norfolk for the SAN homecoming. We are considering Navy Lodge or Hampton Inn, but as we have never been in the area, we are not sure the best place to stay to be closer to the base or the nicest accommodations near base.  Any comments are welcome!

What is a tiger group?My son just came down to Norfolk a few weeks ago..