Care Packages

[Birdie]

Just wanted to get some feedback as to the best way to address and ship care packages. I've send a couple, but my son hasn't gotten them. He mentioned that I should sent it Registered Mail. Does that really make a difference?
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks,
Birdie

[Gwen]

Wow, after readig these I feel I am not alone. I sent my son 2 packages on Sept 22, he has not seen either one, and has not come back to me, so must still be on the move? i am sending one small one Monday through Mail Box etc, and get trackin info to see where it stops! Just something to entertain me I guess. He is also VFA 34.

[CharlotteT (Sailor Tori's Mom)]

Registered mail would be great IF they were signing for them once they get on the boat :( unfortunately they are signed for once they get to their "Destination" befoer going anywhere.... SO like if all the care packages were going to "Base" for example before getting shipped of the another country or another ship to go to replenishment or whatever. SO I thing it may just be a waste of money to do that.
I have sent Tori probably 10 packages she has received 2. I have sent SEVERAL other sailors packages and NOT one of them have received them yet!!!
You would think by now, they would have gotten it right, after all they have been the Navy since when?

[CharlotteT (Sailor Tori's Mom)]

What is going on is the exact question. You would think they would have a better handle on the mail by now, they have been doing this since 1775 right. I mean they are great at their jobs, and that is protecting our country each and everyday. I would think that as sophisticated and on top of everything as they are, mail would be trivialisticly simple but WHO KNOWS. I am sure it depends greatly on where they are when how long it takes them to get there.

[Andrea]

Hi CS,

I think the zip code is really important and they must have recognized the FPO-AP zip so your daughter received the package.....I am amazed at how many others are having trouble shipping to the ship....the address MUST be correct....whatever Division the sailor is in or it or it might b sitting on the ship.....have your sailors go search the mail dept on board....last deployment one package was sitting in there waiting for Kev.....he did finalyl get it after 5 weeks....the fruit cocktail was in plastic containers.....I will shop for cans next time....:)

[G-Ma]

Thank you Andrea for this info.

I know it just had to go by her zip code but, I talked to the lady at the post office today and she was shocked that it did arrive to her and not get returned. Wow I am surprised to hear that happened to the fruit cocktails. Thanks for letting me know what type of containers.

[leftintexas (shannon's fiance)]

reposting from the abe lincoln fb page

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) Hello friends and family,
I know you’re concerned about mail so this note is to give you the facts and dispel some rumors:

We’ve only been in 5th fleet about a week, and after crossing the entire Pacific and Indian oceans our mail is still catching up to us. The biggest challenge with mail is the transit across the Pacific and the Military Postal Service Agency (MPSA) trying to time delivery to where we are at any given time. Our mail has been routed to 5 different locations since we left Everett (San Diego, Hawaii, Guam, Singapore and Bahrain). We still have piles of mail dotting across the Pacific all being re-routed to us and it will probably take a good month for all the mail to finally reach us.

Now that we're in 5th Fleet mail times should reduce significantly, however this is far from a perfect science. It can take anywhere from 7 days to over 45 days for packages to reach us, and that is a pretty good rule of thumb for all of deployment. As a side note, in talking with the Truman they are seeing mail bags being received over 2 months old.

Good news is we have 5000 pounds of mail (40+ pallets) that should arrive this week. We are pushing all the mail out to our Sailors as fast as we can. Please note there's nothing we can do here on the ship to make things any faster.

To dispel some rumors, VFA-34 and the other squadrons have received mail numerous times over the past few weeks. None of our mail was accidentally sent to the Truman, and none of the mail fell overboard.

*** Please please please*** ensure you put the correct address on your mail. We have over 50 “Smiths” onboard! Your mail absolutely must have your Sailor’s department and division clearly written on the package or letter. Anything without a department/division causes our Post Office sailors to manually look up each name in the ship's directory to figure out where they work … adding to the delay.

Finally, although you may want to take your frustrations out on facebook, please know that the facebook page is meant to be a positive atmosphere to share news, photos and videos about our Sailors.

Thank you for all your support,
LCDR Marks

[Denise]

Does anyone know when we should mail packages out in order for them to receive by or shortly before Christmas? I've been looking around but haven't seen any "definitive" dates. Thanks!!

[gsdkids (daughter AN)]

Previous postings on the main page said all Christmas mail should be out by 11/12. My postmaster said that Thanksgiving should be safe if it mailed Priority. However, I'm doing my best to hit the 11/12 date.

[QMmom68]

Yeah, my postmaster told me that the November 12 date is the most realistic date, that he did not advice that you wait much past that, or it more than likely would not make it. 2 more items and some wrapping and I will have mine ready to go out by Friday.

[chadanddianedivision155]

Hi! i don't think its the postal service i think it is customs. they can hold packages as long as they want.  the company i work for deals with customs and some packages we get are held for weeks,,,,sometimes months.

thanks

diane

[Dawn L.]

Can anyone tell me if any baked goods make it there without getting moldy? Will they make it there if they are vacuum packed? I'm curious to know what things are really good to send on a deployment. I've thought of some things, but just really wanted to know about homemade cookies, pumpkin bread, etc.. Thanks for the help.

I just sent Ben his first package to the ship and it took 10 days from Ohio. There wasn't any food, just clothes, because he told me no food because it spoils. 

[Judi]

My daughter was on the Lincoln from 2001 to 2006. I would send care packages regular mail or priority mail. Some times she would get them in week other times it would take a month. I was told when they had enough they would deliver them to the ship. Also please pack extra, you would be surprised at the amount of sailors that don't receive mail. That tore at my heart strings, I always packed extra. She's been out now almost four years, her last years she was stationed in Key West, at the Navy Airfield.