Most updated Information on package deals, airport, airfare, hotels, car rentals/taxi ect.

[lovemyson]

Just trying to prepare for PIR, no date yet but...any experiences or advice?

[OldSarge]

Welcome to our new Navy Family. Please take the time and read this document. It will be a life saver for you while you are here for the Navy Boot Camp Graduation.

Please read the important information enclosed. Also, please add me as a friend on face book. Your information will always be kept private.  My phone number is 847-212-0246. 

My Wife and I look forward to meeting you the night before the P.I.R. My wife and I have been hosting the meet and greet for the last 4 years. In 2014 we feed over 14,000 Navy loved ones. We do this each week for our new Navy families out of our personal funds. We kindly ask for a contribution at the buffet table to help offset our out of pocket expenses. A contribution is not required to eat, we welcome all our new Navy loved ones to dinner. Without your support, this would not be possible.

I am writing this document to assist everyone who is coming to the Navy Passing In Review (PIR). You may pass this information to your loved one’s recruiter so they can help future parents, spouses, girlfriends, and boyfriends.

Here are some of the pitfalls that loved ones are running into when they arrive to Illinois. I have enclosed a checklist of things to do prior to arriving at Great Lakes for the graduation. Please take the time and read this and pass on to others who join the PIR groups later on.

 

DISCLAIMER – John Spadaro, also known as “Sarge” is the author of this document. Any alterations of this document/post render it invalid. I am not responsible for loss of funds, travel incidents, or any unfavorable consequences resulting from use of the information contained in this document. Information is deemed reliable from the sources it originated from. All captions, photos, logos, business names and trademarks are the intellectual property of the copyrighted holders. I am not employed by the United States Navy nor am I compensated in any way, by any venue, business, person, fictitious person, or corporation mentioned in this document. This document is for informational purposes only and is protected under the Copyright Laws of the United States of America and other entities or governments. Use of this information is at your own risk. Information contained on the the MyNavyTaxi.com website is also protected by copyright laws of the United States and other countries. 

There are many fine restaurants that offer free meals for your sailor on graduation day when they are accompanied by family members who also order a meal.

There are several shopping malls around the area. Gurnee Mills offers over 500 stores, 30 restaurants/fast food and 20 movie theaters. All under one roof!

Hotel Information

The list of Hotels and Taxi Services that the Navy sends out in the letter for graduation is OUTDATED. Some hotels no longer exist or have false advertising regarding their distance to the base. Additionally, check and double check before you make reservations with a transportation company because certain taxi/limo services are not authorized to access Great Lakes nor are they authorized to pick up at Naval Facilities including the Navy Lodge and the Gateway Inn.

Also use YELP to review your hotel before making a final decision. The web address for local hotels on YELP is

http://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc=hotels&find_loc=great+lake...

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this important document. See you at the Meet and Greet.

 Travel Checklist 

1. Get transportation tickets, i.e. Bus, train, airline AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE and check the terms of travel insurance. I highly recommend that you plan to arrive on a Wednesday before graduation. If there are flight delays or cancellations on Thursday, you may not make it to graduation. One extra day at a hotel is well worth the cost of an addition plane ticket or missing graduation.

2. Schedule your Taxi/Limo as soon as you know your sailors graduation date.

3. Download Navy Family Guide PDF http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/fam_guide.asp

 and Gather I.D.’s as indicated in Navy Family Guide. PLEASE make sure they are not EXPIRED *** If your I.D. is expired you will not be able to board aircraft or trains nor will you be able to access the base or rent a car.

4. Schedule dog or house sitters.

5. Make sure prescription medications are enough for trip and in their original bottles. You can also get a note from your doctor describing what medications you are traveling with if you don’t wish to take the original bottles.

6. Notify schools for children who will be absent.

7. Ask neighbors to hold mail or notify postal service.

8. Make a security sweep of the house. Insure that windows are locked, timers are set, and car and truck doors/trunks locked, water plants, lower heat or air conditioning. Also notify your home security or alarm system providers.

9. Check airlines regarding baggage charges and weight limits. Some airlines charge for carry-on luggage or back packs.

10. Bring device chargers, laptops, I-Pads and cell phones. Note – fully charge all devices prior to leaving home.

11. E-mail/call forwarding for work or home if you need to keep in touch.

12. Don’t advertise on face book or other social media that you are traveling. Thieves can search anything on the internet and find out you are away from home.

13. If you have a smart phone; download the INRIX free traffic app. Great app to see what traffic is ahead of you. Don’t forget your EZ-PASS or I-PASS and GPS. Also download Flightview, best airline tracking app on the planet.

14. Carry enough cash for taxi’s, trains, buses or tolls. The metra train does not accept credit or debit cards. Illinois tollways do not accept paper currency in the cash lanes – coins only. Most exits are unattended and coins are required.

15. The Majority of rental car companies in Illinois do not accept out of state DEBIT cards. Check with your rental car company before you book a reservation even if you made the reservation on-line! Best to use a credit card not a debit card. Some rental car companies may accept Debit cards however they will put a hold on your bank funds and in some cases up to $400.00 in addition to the rental. As stated below, it could take 4-7 days to release your funds and your cash may not be available.

16. Charge your hotel room on a credit card not a debit card. The hotels in combination with your financial institution, can take up to seven days to make your funds available after you check out.

17. If staying at a hotel that has a pool, bring your own bathing suit. Bathing suits are hard to find in this area especially during winter season.

18. Bring your car seats if necessary. Illinois law requires them

19. If driving - know the Illinois rules. See this link - http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/publications/pdf_publications/dsd... 

Illinois is a hands free cell phone state. Bring copies of auto insurance declaration page if renting a car or driving.

20. Print out your gate pass if you are planning to drive to RTC for graduation. No gate pass needed if using a taxi. See link here to print GATE PASS -> http://www.bootcamp.navy.mil/consent1.asp you will need the password in the letter that was sent to your home.

Timeline and things to around Great Lakes after graduation.

Keep in mind that there are three group classifications of graduates. I will address each group with detailed information. Keep in mind that this is subject to change by the Navy.

This is not official Navy document.

There are unofficially three groups of graduates.

Departing out of area “A” school sailors (group 1) NOTE - if your sailor is shipping out to an "A" school outside of Great Lakes Paragraph BB and CC do not apply.

Hold over’s (T.H.U.) (group 2)

Great Lakes “A”-School Students (group 3) ** includes those who will be here for 10 days or less (example CS students shipping to Ft. Lee and Unassigned seaman.)

Departing sailors (group 1) This group of sailors are classified as those who graduate boot camp and are ready to ship to their “A”-School outside of the Great Lakes Command Area the next day, example - San Antonio, Pensacola, Groton, San Diego, etc..

These sailors will be available immediately after graduation (10:35 AM) and can leave the RTC (Recruit Training Command) if they don’t have duty watch. They can ride to the hotel in shuttles/taxi, or your personal vehicle. Most must be back on the toe-line no less than 20:00 hrs (8:00 PM). Check with your sailor for their return time. I do not recommend going to Chicago for several reasons.

1. Time is limited. The traffic will take over an hour to drive to Chicago and at least an hour and one half to drive back to Great Lakes during rush hour (3:30 PM -7:00 PM)

2. The earliest metra train to Chicago from the Great Lakes Train Station departs at 11:17 AM. The ride is about an hour and 15 minutes.

3. The latest train (to ensure that the sailor gets back in time) from Chicago to Great Lakes leaves Ogilvie Transportation Center at 6:00 PM – see this link

http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_sys... 

4. Sailors cannot be late. The Navy will not accept any excuse for a sailor missing their muster on Friday evening. There are severe consequences should they be late.

Sometimes a sailor may have duty (WATCH). Check with your sailor to insure that they get back to RTC on time. Keep in mind that there will be long traffic lines to return your sailor to Gate 6 that evening. Allow enough time for traffic and their walking time. Gate 6 is located on Buckley road (route 137) and Illinois street.

Sailors that return to RTC that evening CANNOT bring their cell phones or any non-issued items. Please make sure they have their I.D. cards, Identification Tags (Dog Tags), and their gear, i.e., rain coats and covers.

If your need round trip taxi service from your hotel for you and your sailor, set arrangements your cab driver prior to 4:00 PM Friday afternoon. Friday night cab service is tough if you don’t make reservations especially on pay-day weekends.

Remember – not all Taxi Companies are authorized access inside the Great Lakes Naval facilities.

You can meet your sailor at the airport the next morning if you wish to spend more time with them before they depart. Your sailor will know at graduation time WHAT airport they are going to, the time their bus departs from RTC, and the airline. Coordination is the key and a meeting place should be established.

You CANNOT transport your sailor to the airport nor are they allowed to leave the airport once they have checked in however; you may get a room with the family at the Hilton O’Hare which is at the airport and is connected to terminal 2 where the USO is located. 

The bus will drop off the sailors at Door 2A-UL (terminal 2) at O’Hare. Those flying out of Midway will be dropped off at Entry # 1.

Last but not least - if you plan to see your sailor off at O'Hare, the Extended Stay America which is located right next to the airport and has a great rate for Navy Families ($72.00) per night and has a free shuttle back and forth to the airport. Here is an example on how you can benefit from this.

SCENARIO - Your sailor departs from Great Lakes at 00:30 (12:30 AM) on the bus from Great Lakes to O'Hare. You desire to meet him at O'Hare and give them their Phone/Laptop/x-box, etc...  You don't have to arrive when the bus does however, you are going to be exhausted and want to see him/her. Your flight departs also on Saturday let's say at 2PM. So now you must decide - do I get up right after midnight and drive to O'Hare or do I leave at AM - see him/her off and then catch my flight. Remember - you must still pay for your hotel room for Friday. You are going to be exhausted!!! Here is what I tell parents at the meet and greet.

"Check out of your Hotel on Friday and put your luggage in your car of give it to your cab driver to hold. Enjoy the day with your sailor and when you drop him off at 7:30PM, go to the Extended stay at O'Hare. Now you can get a good night’s sleep and either drive less than 4 minutes to the airport or take their shuttle. Spend time with your sailor and when they leave, you can either go back to our hotel or, stay at the airport and catch your flight. Simple and less tasking on your part. I will explain this more in detail at the Meet and Greet.

Paragraph BB

Group 2 holdovers (T.H.U)

This group of sailors is classified as those who graduate boot camp and are not leaving RTC because of an administrative or medical holdover. Sailors are placed in this group because additional procedures that must take place prior to them departing for their “A” School at Great Lakes or out of the area. Examples are but not limited to the following:

. Sailors who have not completed their security clearances.

. Sailors who require additional medical treatment or medical waivers.

. Sailors who need administrative waivers or reviews.

 

These sailors will be immediately available after graduation and you will only have about 20 minutes with them. These sailors will then go back to their boot camp barracks and they will be processed out of the boot camp barracks and reassigned to the T.H.U. (temporary holdover units) on RTC. This includes sailors who are also scheduled to take their “A”-School at Great Lakes who are now holdovers.

Once they are processed into T.H.U. they will be available around 14:00 hrs (2:00 PM) and you can meet them at the RTC NEX (also known as Recruit Heaven) located across from the RTC Graduation Hall. You can wait at the NEX for them.

Remember, their return time to RTC (GATE 6) will differ from those who are shipping out. Check with your sailor for their return time. They will most likely have Liberty on Saturday and Sunday; if they don’t have duty. If you plan on picking them up at RTC during that weekend, YOU MUST HAVE THE GATE PASS. You can give your sailor their cell phone that Friday night when they return. 

Paragraph CC

Great Lakes “A”-School Students Group 3

This group of sailors are those who graduated and are not holdovers; and will be assigned to the Great Lakes Naval Service Training Command (NSTC)”A”-Schools right after graduation. 

These sailors will be immediately available after graduation and you will only have about 20-30 minutes with them. These sailors will go back to their boot camp barracks and they will be processed out of the boot camp barracks and reassigned to NSTC on Main side. They will be bussed across the street to Main Side and in-docked to their new home for the next 10-365 days of training. 

Once they are processed into their new ships on main side they will be available around 15:00 hrs(3:00 PM) and you can meet them at the Main Gate #1 The address for your GPS is Farragut Ave – Great Lakes. 

Remember, their return time to their ship (toe-line) will be at 22:00 hrs (10:00 PM). Check with your sailor for their return time, each ship has different requirements. They will most likely have Liberty on Saturday and Sunday starting at 07:00 (7:00 AM) and ending at 22:00 hrs (10:00 PM); if they don’t have duty.

If you plan on picking them up/dropping off at their ships during that weekend, you must have an unxpired military I.D.  or have your sailor in the vehicle when you go through the gate. If you are using a taxi you must have your sailor-  or a military I.D. to enter inside the base.

Note: not every taxi service can enter inside the BASE gate. Ask the driver if he has a "Rapid Gate Card" if he/she does not, you will have to walk about a mile to sign your sailor in and a mile back. 

You can give your sailor their cell phone that Friday night when they return.  

Very Important - make sure that your sailor has their Liberty Card, Map of the Ship areas, I.D. Tags, I.D. Cards, locker keys, and their glow belts (issued at in-dock) when you return them to the main gate. If they lose any of these items, they can be denied liberty for the remainder of the weekend. There are serious consequences for losing Liberty Cards and I.D. Cards or Military Gear. You must sign out your sailor out and sign them back in on Saturday and Sunday. If you don’t have a vehicle it is about a ¾ mile walk to the ships from the main gate. Remember – your sailor must accompany you onto the base to sign them in/out for liberty.

Recommend restaurants

Here are the direct links to the restaurants

http://www.wildberrycafe.com/libertyville.html

(breakfast/Lunch-  no evening dinner) wildberry’s  17 mins from base $

http://www.theshantyrestaurant.com/menu/dinner/

Ribs – Fish Wadsworth IL – 23 mins from base $

http://www.viewmenu.com/egg-harbor-cafe-15/menu?ref=google

Breakfast - Lake Forest 14 mins from base $

http://www.allmenus.com/il/west-deerfield/16700-sushi-kushi-toyo/menu/

Japanese Lake Forest 17 mins from base $$

http://www.stevensofgurnee.com/menu1.html

Steaks - Gurnee 19 mins from base $$$

http://www.silopizza.com/html/menus.html

RIBS-Pizza Lake Bluff 8 mins from base $

http://www.royalthaigurnee.com/menu.html 

THAI- Gurnee 19 mins from base $

http://www.themarkethouse.com/menu

Steaks - Lake Forest 13 mins from base $$

http://www.pfchangs.com/Locations/LocationDetail.aspx?sid=4400&...

CHINESE -Northbrook 29 mins from base $$$

http://giordanos.com/location/gurnee/

Pizza -Gurnee 22 Mins from base $

http://eatatanastasias.com/waukegan/ 

American food -Waukegan 12 mins from base $

http://www.thegreenroomlibertyville.com/

European - Libertyville 17 mins from base $$

http://www.allmenus.com/il/warren/25344-joes-crab-shack/menu/

FISH Gurnee 21 Mins from base $$

http://www.viewmenu.com/austins-saloon-and-eatery/menu?ref=google

RIBS - Libertyville 20 mins from base $

http://mickeyfinnsbrewery.com/beer.php

EVERYTHING Libertyville 22 mins from base $

http://www.allmenus.com/il/vernon/234422-portillos-hot-dogs/menu/

AWESOME see menu Vernon Hills 22 mins from base $

http://www.casabonitalibertyville.com/

MEXICAN Libertyville 17 mins from base $$

http://www.firkinrestaurantlibertyville.com/

American/European Libertyville 18 mins from base $$

HOTEL REVIEWS

http://www.yelp.com/biz/navy-lodge-north-chicago

http://www.yelp.com/biz/red-carpet-inn-north-chicago

http://www.yelp.com/biz/holiday-inn-express-hotel-and-suites-waukeg...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/springhill-suites-by-marriott-chicago-wauke...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/candlewood-suites-extended-stay-hotel-chica...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/courtyard-chicago-waukegan-gurnee-waukegan?...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/residence-inn-chicago-waukegan-gurnee-waukegan

http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-quinta-inn-and-suites-chicago-gurnee-gurnee

http://www.yelp.com/biz/holiday-inn-gurnee-gurnee

http://www.yelp.com/biz/fairfield-inn-chicago-gurnee-gurnee

http://www.yelp.com/biz/keylime-cove-and-waterpark-gurnee?osq=Hampt...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/comfort-inn-gurnee

http://www.yelp.com/biz/red-roof-inn-waukegan

http://www.yelp.com/biz/quality-inn-waukegan

http://www.yelp.com/biz/ramada-waukegan-waukegan?osq=Americas+Best+...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/midlane-suites-wadsworth? 

http://www.yelp.com/biz/days-inn-great-lakes-n-chicago-lake-bluff

God Bless our sailors, our Navy families, and the Great United States Of America

Additional Helpful links.

http://www.choosechicago.com 

http://www.flychicago.com/ohare/en/home/Pages/default.aspx 

http://www.mybaseguide.com/navy/21/ns_great_lakes 

Regards,

John Spadaro

U.S. Army Retired (20 Years active service to our Country)

847-212-0246

Facebook "Sarge John Spadaro"

[lovemyson]

Thank you OldSarge, we look forward to the meet and greet! I tried adding you but it would not allow me to on facebook. 

Thank you!

[Georgiagurl43]

Is there a guest house on post for parents that's in the military to stay for graduation.

[OldSarge]

The best advice is to Stay at the Navy Lodge. The Gateway Inn on base is too complicated if you are not Military. Also check out the reviews links 

[D's Nana]

Can we be picked up @ O' Hare and taken to Navy Lodge, without reservation?..I RSVP  for the meet and greet, already! I have reserved Navy Lodge

Do we have to have reservation to catch a ride?