Norfolk Sailors - Family & Friends

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. 

My sailor in Norfolk did not need a passport yet, His twin in Pearl Harbor was told to get one.

My son is on a world tour right now.  His first stop in March was in England.  He didn't need a passport.  As long as he had his military id, he was fine. But I agree, if there is an emergency he may need one..

Hi all - Happy Wednesday!

HeyMa - good luck to your sailor in San Diego - he will love it there!  We live about an hour from SD - love visiting, so many fun things to see & do ;-)  And of course you can't beat the weather!

Aw HeyMa - that's even better news!  BZ to him!  And enjoy your visit to San Diego ;-)  What a special welcome home that will be!

Thanks for the responses. 

As to the facebook page for Norfolk, can I get a name to look up?

Also, my son was considering buying a motorcycle instead of a car. Any pros or cons worth passing along?

Concernedad re: Norfolk FaceBook page, just type Norfolk in the search field and several pages should come up.

Thanks all for the info. Any other tips would be appreciated.

Hi all - Happy RED shirt Friday!

My son is currently living in housing in a less than desirable area of Portsmouth. He's hoping to get an apartment closer to Newport News in the spring. For those of you who have sailors living in apartments in the Hampton area, what is a reasonable expectation of rent for a 1 bedroom, and do most apartments come furnished? Just trying to get an idea. Thanks!

If your son is going to Norfolk everyday he might want to reconsider moving to Newport News. He will have to deal with the HRBT, (Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel) everyday. that can be a real pain. One fender bender can add a huge amount of time to his daily commute.

He might want to look at apartments in Virginia Beach. It will be a 20-40 minute commute depending on if he is closer to the oceanfront or an expressway. Lots of sailors in Virginia Beach area.

A furnished 1 bedroom in Chesapeake (another town close to expressways) is about $1,000/month. An unfurnished 1 bedroom in Virginia Beach can run about $900.

He should check with the housing office first. They might have some leads on available apartments. I also know that getting approval to live outside of housing isn't always easy.

Hi all - Happy Monday!

My son lives in Va Beach with a roommate.  We visited in July and it's a nice apartment/complex.  Lots of amenities.

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

Thanks for all your help on apartments! My son is an E4 now and saving up so he can afford something. One of the places he was looking at is  http://www.liveatcordobahampton.com/ Does anyone know of it or the area it is in? Thanks you are all so helpful!

Hi all - Happy Wednesday.

I saw a disturbing story on the news this morning out of VA. A reporter & her cameraman were shot & killed on live tv during a broadcast and the lady they were interviewing was injured.  And this was a tourism segment at a water park. Absolutely horrible and heartbreaking for the families.  I just can't fathom what would possess a person to do something like this. 

Hello everyone, my granddaughter is leaving for her ship next week, and I was wondering if she should take a small suitcase with her civilian clothes? how much room will she have on her ship? Just curious.

Your Granddaughter will have a seabag with her and possibly her day pack and maybe one other bag. she should have all she needs. they have a small locker and the space under their rack mattress I think it is about 4-6 inches deep. I know my sons take some limited civies with them for shore leave.

No suitcase. A seabag for all of her Navy gear, a garment bag for dress whites, a backpack for civilian clothes and misc items. All of those will fold flat as a pancake for storage which is minimal.

If she is deploying she will need to have some conservative clothes for port calls. The less she takes the better. Remember she has to carry all of the stuff down a very long pier.

Check with the USO office in the airport.  They should be able to contact someone.

http://www.norfolkairport.com/

757-233-0567 (phone)

Second floor of the arrivals terminal.  That telephone number is the USO number.

Hello!  Do you have any info that would help me keep informed while my son is on deployment? I read somewhere that we need to sign up for info to be emailed to me, and he needs to connect with the communications unit on the ship as well... Just want to stay posted.  Was also wondering if we con welcome him home when he returns?  thank you!

Email List: To be included in the email distribution list, your Truman Sailor must email the Communication Liaison from his or her ship account at HSTFRG_RSVP@yahoo.com. Have your Sailor provide his or her rank/rate, name, department and division along with the names of people they wish to add, their email addresses, and relationship to the Sailor.

Navymomnow - I posted below the info my son had for the Truman.  If yours is on a different ship you would need to find the email for the FRG (Family Readiness Group) & have your sailor email the same info to them!