Welcome to NavyDads Charles! I'm sure you'll find the site as fun and useful as I have. Explore and make some friends, add your comments to a discussion or two, read the postings in the various groups-- even start one or two. I have! If you have any questions or concerns about your sailor and what he is going through...ask! I'm sure someone here will have the answer or can point you in the right direction to find out. I'm lucky enough to have two sailors- my son Eric just returned from a seven-month cruise on the carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) and my daughter Kat returned last fall from a seven-month cruise on the carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). And Charles this is a great place to brag about your sailor as well! So join in and let us know how Randy is doing!

As a parent of a sailor currently or soon to be at Great Lakes you'll have many questions about what your son is going through. Thanks to one of our members we have two excellent videos that you can access from the Video area on the NavyDads.com main page: New Bootcamp 1 of 2 and New Bootcamp 2 of 2. These videos will answer many of your questions and concerns and will give you a better understanding of how the United States Navy transforms our children into sailors!

Be sure to spend some time in the Bootcamp group- there are many questions and answers available to help you understand what your sailor is going through. And as PIR draws closer, be sure to spend some time going through the PIR-Tips, Hints and Helps group- we’ve tried to assemble some tips and suggestions to make your sailor's PIR more enjoyable. And stop by the NavyDads offical store- Navyoutfitters.com. Show your support for NavyDads by wearing the latest in NavyDads attire.

And Charles- it goes by faster than you think and before you know it will be time for Battle Stations and PIR!! It gets easier! Best Regards- Paul

Charles - Check out this link from the Navy for Moms site:

http://www.navyformoms.com/group/pirjuly312009div260267937/forum/topics/rate-your-place-and-more

We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott. It wasn't cheap ($119/night for 3 adults and a 12-year old) but was very nice and had a lot of restaurants within close walking distance. They provided a 15 page booklet of info about graduation, restaurants, attractions, even a train schedule. We referred to it often. They had a shuttle that ran to PIR several times on Friday morning, then made repeated round trips until everyone was back. Cost of the shuttle was $3 person each way. They have a very nice breakfast for $8/person, much better than the free ones you get most places (and which we usually get). There were a lot of Navy families there. Wherever you decide to stay, make sure to mention that you're there for a Navy graduation, as some offer discounts.

I should have mentioned, the Courtyard by Marriott was about 10 minutes from RTC. Also, they let us have a late checkout on Sunday for no extra charge, which helped out a lot.