Good hotel for graduation?

[Damaris]

Hi everyone! My son is now in boot camp on ship 11 Div 244. His graduation Date is Aug 5. Does anyone know of a nice hotel with a suite? 

[ebigirl]

Yes, he was "ours" for about 8 hours after PIR and then about 4 hours at the airport Sat. morning.! From the time "Liberty" was called after PIR until 7pm when he had to be back on base and in his ship. His A school is NOT at Great Lakes, so his bus left from RTC to the airport (O'Hare in our case) at 4am on Saturday morning. We met him at the airport at about 4:45am, waited for him and the rest of his group to check in, and then got security passes at the check-in counter so that we could hang out with him until his flight left mid morning. I don't know if your SR's A school is at Great Lakes or not, if not, your SR will more likely than not be leaving for his A school Saturday morning following PIR.

Let me know if you plan on meeting him at the airport if he's leaving on Saturday...I highly recommend it if you can. Don't expect to get any sleep during this madhouse timeline between the meet and greet, PIR, and going to the airport. I don't want to bog you down with any  info you don't need/want, but am willing to answer any questions you may have. All of this can be VERY confusing. :)

[Damaris]

Please tell me all but I think his A school is at Geart Lakes. tell me all about the time I need to get to Graduation and all I need to know.

 

[ebigirl]

If his A school s at Great Lakes, he will spend about 5-6 hours immediately after PIR checking in and moving across the street from RTC. When he is done with that, he will have liberty all weekend. I think he has to be back in his room at A school at night...not really sure about this as we didn't go through this process.

He will have liberty but my understanding is that they have to remain in uniform when in public. There are staff members from RTC that could be out in public with their families on their days off, and they do look for new Sailors who are in public to make sure they are in uniform, wearing the uniform properly, and following all of the rules. No smoking, mom or girlfriend on his left side so his right arm is free to salute if need be. We saw a few higher ranking Navy personnel at the hotel the afternoon of PIR...you never know when they might pop up! He will need his Navy swim trunks if he plans on swimming at your hotel. If he's just hanging out in your room, he can change into comfy clothes. I would pack some civi shorts, underwear and tee shirt, and take his favorite shampoo/body soap for that looooong shower he's been dying to take by himself (without 80+ other SR's). Just make sure he doesn't leave the room for anything without being in uniform!!

If you reserved a suite at the hotel (the 2 bed 2 bath suite), it has a full refrig, microwave, stove and even a dishwasher. Pack or buy a bunch of munchies and his favorite soda to have on hand...he will love you for it! He can now have his cell phone, laptop, all electronics that he has been missing for the past 8-9 weeks. If he is talking on his cell phone in public, he must be sitting or standing in one place, no talking and walking! One other very important no-no, even if he is of age, he is not allowed to drink alcohol in any way, shape or form. He could be discharged if caught, hardly worth it imho.

PIR; arrive early if there are a lot of divisions. The max is 12 divisions per PIR (that was our number). If there are fewer, being super early is not so much of an issue. Ask your SR when he makes his "I'm a sailor call" how many divisions are in his PIR group. The divisions come through the huge garage doors in numerical order, starting with the lowest number division in their group. Our division was the very first through the door, and so we sat directly in front of the garage door. Try to sit lower in the bleachers if possible. When they call Liberty, all hell breaks loose!! You don't want to be fighting to get down from the bleachers.There are two garage doors. They come through the set of doors that when your sitting in the bleachers are on your left. They do have the divisions marked either by signs on chairs facing the bleachers or signs hanging from the rafters. I've forgotten when your PIR date is, but I'm assuming it's soon, and it will be HOT in Chicago. Dress for the weather, business casual is what my husband called it. Nice shorts and a polo shirt would be perfect. I saw everything, and I mean everything, from soup to nuts as far as clothing. Yes, it's a formal occasion, but there is NO need to break out the tux or sweat to death.

We've already covered the tissue issue, just wanted to remind you once again. We went directly to our car and leaving the base was a dream. NO lines to deal with at all. If you want to go to the NEX, there is one in Libertyville. Don't hang around trying to get to the NEX on base. It's very small and will be jammed with people after PIR.

Decide on somewhere for lunch BEFORE you get to PIR and know how to get there. Another great reason to have the GPS. Everyone will be starved, and not in the mood for trying to find somewhere nice to eat. All your SR wants is food that isn't Navy food, and lots of it!

That's all I can think of right now, but will post again if more tidbits come to mind. Are you flying or driving?

[Damaris]

Thanks so much yes we are driving. thats a hold lot to remember but I will read this discussion a lot to get it down. I need to start a list of things to take like his laptop,clothes to relax in. I hope you dont get tired of me.so thanks again

[ebigirl]

You can print it this out and take it with you. No, I won't get tired of you! The only "stupid" questions are the ones not asked, imho. Ask away! If you find out that your SR's A school is NOT at Great Lakes, then there is another whole chapter to fill you in on.

It looks like you have 10 divisions in your PIR group.

Lemonelephant: Thank you for the correction. I don't like to give the wrong info., so feel free to correct me if needed. 14 divisions is a lot of people!! Thanks for the link to the TG website.  Thanks again.

[MidwestMom]

We stayed at the Navy Lodge because there were 10 of us and we were able to book two rooms next to each other - $65/night and no tax.  It was close to base and we took several walks through the area.  I considered it a perk to be located within base housing and a few parks and playgrounds within walking distance for our grandchildren.  Let me tell you, base housing has improved since the mid 80's, lol!  No pool, but it was a nice place with kitchens in our rooms.