Tiger Cruise

[M's mom]

Do any of you Moms have any experience with an aircraft carrier tiger cruise from Pearl Harbor to San Diego?  (For those who don't know, a tiger cruise is when friends and family of the sailors can come aboard a ship/sub and are taken on a short cruise.  Some of these are only day cruises out and back from port, but sometimes the carriers will host a tiger cruise from Pearl to SD!!!)

Are the officers only allowed ONE guest?  I remember seeing the TV series "Carrier" on PBS about the Nimitz, and I seem to recall that some of the pilots had their wives AND kids on the tiger cruise?   I understand that the guests must be medically cleared beforehand, because there will be stair-climbing and such on the ship, but do any of you know if a well-controlled type II diabetic would be automatically disqualified?   Our son is currently aboard a Pacific Fleet carrier, and my husband and I will be disappointed if they have a tiger cruise and only ONE of us will be allowed to go!

What can you ladies tell me about these cruises?   Thanks!

[Diane2557]

Hi M.s Mom!: my husband and I did a tiger Cruise aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan in 2011. We flew to Hawaii to see the ship come up the Harbor and pull into port. We spent 3 days there enjoying the island with our son before boarding the carrier for 6 days at sea to San Diego. It was the most exciting adventure of my life.

Both my husband and I went, but our son sponsored my Husband and a fellow female pilot sponsored me. Spouses ARE NOT allowed on a cruise because they can be a distraction to the sailors, but children 8 and up, parents, friends can go. The limit is I each individual civilian must have a sponsored. So if you want more than that your child must find other sponsors for them. The CO for my sons squadron had both his 8 or 9 year old son and his grandfather who looked after the boy as the CO had to continue doing his work. But I'm not sure if he sponsored both of them or had to have another colleague for his father. By the way, you will not get a room to stay with your husband. Sexes are separated for sleing arrangements. My son roomed with our son (he had a 4-bunk room, whil I was paired with another mom of another pilot in his squadron. You are also place in sleeping accommodations of your sailor. So, if he/she is enlisted then you more than likely will be in a room with lots of bunk beds stacked 3 high. If your sailor is an officer, then you will likely be in an equivalent "state room" which is a small room with 2-4 people. I actually wound up in a higher level state room than my sons rank. A lot also depends on the availability of rooms of those sailors who decide to give up their room and fly home a week early. Also, no private bathrooms. It's like being back in old dorm rooms and communal baths.

I don't know about someone who's healthy but requires medication. They will determine that based on your application and your doctor's recommendations (part of the application) They do not allow anyone who cannot walk up and down the steep, steel stairs, have casts from an injury or inhibits, in any way, being mobile. Anyone who has had recent surgery cannot go either. Towards the end of the cruise they will send you documentation to apply. I don't know if they cut off at a certain number and obviously fewer people are allowed on smaller ships. Onthe aircraft carrier, they were carrying about 4500 sailors of which about 1100 left the boat to accommodate 1100 family and friends to board for the cruise. Once you are accepted they will send you lots of information including an agenda of activities, safety information, and how and what to pack. Packing is important. As little as possible is the key. Remember you will carry all your own luggage on and off the ship and down and up those stairs.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions you might have. Diane R.

[M's mom]

Diane R, Thanks so much for the helpful info!  I am so glad that there is a way for both my husband and I to go, if my son finds another colleague to sponsor one of us, because my son thought he could only have ONE guest and I was afraid I was going to have to arm-wrestle my husband for the honor!  Haha    We knew it would not be luxury accommodations with private baths etc.!  We are used to camping and "roughing it" so even folding cots on the hanger deck would be OK with us, just to have the experience.  I will tell our son about the possibility of having a female officer sponsor me.  His wife will be sad that she can't go, but I understand the Navy's position that having the spouses come aboard after nine months of separation might cause lots of, um, "distraction" for the sailors!  ;-)

[Diane2557]

Glad to help. What is your son doing on the USS CV? Is he attached to the ship or the air Wing?

[M's mom]

Diane R :  My son is with the air wing.  He is an aviation intelligence officer who works with debriefing the pilots after missions, etc.  He is with the Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ 139, EA-18G Growlers, based out of Whidbey Island Naval Air Station, WA, near Seattle.  He was at Whidbey for about 13 months before leaving on this cruise (his first.)   Emails from him seem upbeat so far.  He seems to have adapted to carrier life.   They had shore leave in Singapore recently, and he enjoyed that.  The Vinson has an official Facebook page for this cruise on which they post lots of photos and news, so that helps a lot to know a bit of where he's at and what's going on.   What does your son do?

[Diane2557]

Wow! Our sons must know each other!!! My son did his deployment in 2011 on board the USS Ronald Reagan with Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ 139 as an Ea-6B Prowler pilot! 2012 was his transition year to the Ea-18G Growler. 2013 he switched to the RAG, VAQ 129 to train and the end of 2013 through this year he works as an Ea-18G instructor. He and his wife and 4-year old daughter live in Oak Harbor just off NW Heller St. (just across from the high school) and a couple miles south of NAS Whidbey Island! DO KEEP IN TOUCH.

[M's mom]

Diane R:   Hubby and I were just in Oak Harbor in July visiting son and his wife before he was deployed!  Nice place--they love it there.  I remember seeing the high school by the highway.   They live in an apt in the north end of town just north of the Best Western Hotel where we stayed.  His wife is staying in Oak Harbor while he is gone.  She works at The Home Depot.  My son graduated from OCS in Sept 2012 and was just promoted to LTJG.  He expects that when he gets back from deployment, he will have about 6 mos left at Whidbey before moving to his next assignment.   His first name is Mason.  (I understand we're not supposed to use last names here.)  Mason is an unusual enough name that if you ask your son about an Intel officer for VAQ 139 named Mason, from Indiana, I'll bet that your son does know him!!!!   Small world!   :-)

[Diane2557]

M's mom: Our son also loves the area...as a pilot, he enjoys flying over all those mountains. Chris lives just south of the base in a small community of 24 families (next to the elementary school and across the street from the High School, southwest of the Best Western about 1/4 mile north of the intersection of E. Whidbey Rd and Heller Rd). We were last there just a year ago this week for our granddaughter's 3rd birthday. They just told us this past Saturday that they are now expecting their second. 

No last names or ships should be used on this public site, however, mom's that want to interact directly often exchange their email addresses. He's now been at Whidbey since his winging in 7/27/2008 (he had a naval scholarship in the NROTC program at Auburn U where he graduated and was commissioned as an Ensign. He was accepted to flight school and following 3 years training in Pensacola and Meridian, Miss. I joined N4M just after its start and joined DJ's Naval Aviation, Mom's of Officers, and Prowler Moms. I also joined Georgia Navy Moms. I just checked the Prowler Moms and the last entry was one of mine dated Sept 2013. There are 11 moms listed. I really haven't been on N4M much the last couple years the group sizes increased and i had less time to participate and read all the postings. 

Chris is now a LT and just started his 3 year rotation as a Growler instructor. So he'll be there at least that long. It was a difficult time last year for Chris and VAQ 139 when a training jet crashed in western Washington. Chris new the instructor and the two students that were in the jet. The won student pilot and her husband were both members of VAQ 139. Sad, sad, sad. So, of course I'm always worrying about him now as a pilot. But he really enjoys it and his superiors say he's a really good instructor. 

Here's my email: [e-mail] if you ever want to talk or would like more info about that fabulous cruise you and your husband are planning on taking!

[M's mom]

Thanks, Diane.  My name is Kim, and my email address is:  [e-mail].  I am going to email my son and ask if he knows your son.  Email to/from the ship has been spotty lately. I know that they sometimes go off line for reasons.  I know it is up to the Captain's discretion if they do a tiger cruise or not, but I'm really hoping that they do, and that we will both get to go!   Sounds like quite an adventure!    I appreciate all the info and advice from a veteran Navy Mom, since my son has only been in for two years and I'm still new to all of this.

[M's mom]

Diane:  Just got an email back from my son on the carrier, and he DOES know your son!  That is crazy that you just happened to answer my question about the tiger cruise, and it turns out our sons know each other and are stationed at the same base.   The Dept of the Navy has issued a release that the Carl Vinson is headed to the Persian Gulf to relieve the carrier George Bush which is there now, so I guess I'm allowed to write that here since the Navy has put that out in a news release.   Praying that all of VAQ 139 returns back to Whidbey safely,  (and ALL of the Vinson's crew, as well.)    BTW, my son's call sign is "Face," so your son may know him by that!