graduation

Comment by Brenda Kay on November 4, 2009 at 6:30pm

mandy,my sons PIR was Aug 28th we stayed at the navy lodge, found it to be very nice and clean and the people at the front desk very helpful, It has a small kitchenette with a small stove and fridge and some silverware ,dishes,microwave,coffeepot,ect, you will need to download the parking pass about 11 days before PIR the password should have been in the 1st letter you received that had his address.when you download the parking pass use all caps at least we had to. We left the lodge at 6:00 and its only 1 mile from base and we waited in line on the street for about 25 minutes so plan on leaving early,wear comfortable shoes because you will walk about 3or 4 blocks, the stands fill up fast,we were in our sets by 7:00 and by 7:30 there was no place to sit.the ceremony itself takes about 1hr45minutes,you'll think its never going to end. when they call Liberty its a stampede down to the floor so sit close to the floor. Hope I've helped, my sailor is my baby and the 1st in the military also and I know how scary and confusing this all can be,also even though my son was not a grad and go and we thought we had all weekend with him,the night before PIR he was told that he was leaving at 6:00 on Sat morning,was so very disappointed,be prepared

Comment by marybubbasmom on November 4, 2009 at 8:00pm

My son graduates on Friday...we are staying at the Residence Inn. I heard its really nice...it includes a hot breakfast and has a shuttle to the base! Check out all of the hotels in the brochure they send you along with the letter. There are several nice hotels close to the base. Join a group or create one yourself. I am in a group with all people that are graduating on 11-6. It was so helpful to chat with other moms and you get all the information you will need along with making lifelong friends! Good Luck

Comment by bethann'smom on November 4, 2009 at 9:42pm

my daughter grad nov 13th we are staying at the Ramada it was in the booklet they sent home. we where going to drive to base but listening to everybody i think we might take the shuttle because it gets to go straight in by only concern is wanting to leave they say the shuttle makes nonstop trips till everyone's back. her battle station test is tomorrow hope it goes good

Comment by andre'smom on November 4, 2009 at 10:46pm

my son grad is also nov 13th my family and I is staying at the Hilton Garden's. I think we are also going to check into the shuttle bus it sounds like it would be the most practical way to go. Hopefully my family will get into town in enough time to come to the meet and greet.

Comment by Joanie on November 5, 2009 at 7:31am

When my son graduated we stayed at the Navy Lodge and I couldn't have been more pleased - it was cheap, clean, convenient, just fantastic. You need your sailor's social security # to make a reservation. The desk staff sees parents of grads every single week of the year, so they were knowledgeable and helpful. When I asked for restaurant suggestions, they said the grads always seem to want steak, go to Flanagan's - my son did indeed want steak (they can't cook that for 3000 people so they never get steak on base), and Flanagan's was fine.

Seating at PIR is first come, first served. Many people get to the gate 15 minutes before it opens - I think it was about 6:00 that the gate opens. Even if you don't do that, your seat won't be bad. There's bleachers and they guide you to the bleacher section that your kid's division will be standing in front of. The "comfortable shoes" recommendation from Brenda Kay is a smart one.

I don't know if anyone knows how much time they will have with their sailor until they get there. I know one family who had flights back home for Saturday morning and their son was free all weekend, so they could have been with him if they had planned for it. I planned to be there till Sunday night, figured if he couldn't be with us we'd go sightseeing in Chicago or something. I was the luckiest mom in the world - my son was only able to be with us for about 20 minutes when PIR ended, but then at 7:30 Friday night he was able to leave, and he didn't have to go back to base until Sunday night! I was able to be with him all weekend, he even stayed at Navy Lodge with me. It was a great bonus after being prepared to spend the weekend "killing time". He's my only child, and his dad and I split when he was a year old, so him leaving for the Navy was pretty hard for me; being lucky enough to get that much time was a real blessing. And a real highlight for my son was to be able to take a shower alone and for as long as he wanted!

Best of luck with the planning. You'll never forget the time, and you'll never regret being there even if it is a very brief visit.

Comment by KarenC ship13div362 on November 6, 2009 at 8:42am

My son graduated Oct 16th. We stayed at the Residence Inn in Waukegan (? spelling). It was very clean, and I got the room with a seperate bedroom. It had a refrig. and burners to cook, and even a dishwasher. They had a hot breakfast every morning, and a buffet every night. They gave us a packet with all the info on the graduation with directions, and places of interest. I got the room which usually went for $146. per night (I think it was), for $80. a night with my entertainment card. It would be worth it to go out and get one of these books, as I saved over $250, and the place was great. Have a great time, amd congratulations!!! Oh.....bring LOTS of tissues!

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