USS Nimitz Tiger Cruise 2013

This is to attempt to help those folks who might be interested in a Tiger Cruise in the future.

As you have probably seen posted here and in other sources, it may be a chance of a lifetime so don't pass up the opportunity. Only after we got on the ship with our son, did we find out that it would probably be the only deployment he would ever have and so it was truly our only chance at a Tiger Cruise. And it was thoroughly enjoyed by all!

I will tell you right up front that, information coming from our kids on the ship is very brief and intermittent. When you take into consideration that we are dealing with young folks that may not phone home often to begin with, plus the fact that they are under strict regulations about what they can disclose, limited computer time, as well as their seemingly total disregard for parents need for details, details, details, information is slow in coming!

We received an e-mail from our son with him stating the dates for the "Cruise" and attached to that e-mail were a couple of PDF's for us to print, fill out, scan, and mail back to him. Those PDF's were for general information about do's and dont's on the "Cruise" and for health history. What to bring and what not to bring and things of that nature. Nothing official ever came from the Navy about the "Cruise" save for those PDF's. So don't expect to see anything official with a Navy letterhead. You won't get it! Private contact from your sailor is all you're going to get. And that private contact will be limited!

I was in contact prior to the "Cruise", with several others that met here at Navy For Dads. We formed a little e-mail group because you can't reveal specific info here at Navy For Dads, but you can in private e-mails. Some parents were a bit frustrated because other folks had already received an e-mail and returned their PDF's before they even got their e-mail from their son or daughter. You'll have to be patient, as difficult as it is, and take the information as it comes.

Information available here in the Tiger Cruise group will tell you what to bring and some general info. Some things that might not be covered though are:

1. It is warmer at the Hawaii start, and colder at the San Diego end of the "Cruise" so you should allow for that bit of a climate change. It was warm and muggy in the non-air conditioned parts of the ship at the beginning of the "Cruise", yet we had fall/spring jackets on most of the day during the last couple of days. Of course, this was a December "Cruise".

2. In the sleeping berth that I was in, there were numerous outlets where you could plug in a phone or battery charger. No problem there. The sailors were all doing it with their phones, etc. The berthing areas are all air conditioned and freezing cold! The air temp cannot be controlled so be sure to have shorts, T-shirts, pajamas or some such thing that you can layer to keep you warm in bed. You'll need it.

3. What everyone wants to know is, how cramped is the sleeping bunk? I am 6' tall. When I lay flat on my back, I made a fist and put it on my forehead, made a fist with the other hand, and stacked it on top of my first, and my top hand was touching the bottom of the bunk above! You can roll over in that bunk. But you don't make any move in that bunk without thinking about it! You cannot sit up at all. The bunks are stacked three high. If you get a bottom bunk, you have to get down on your hands and knees to get in it. If you get a top bunk you have to climb to get in it and drop to the floor when getting out. The middle bunk is the easiest go get in and out of. You get into a bunk by going in head and hands first and you get out by backing out feet first. You cannot sit up on the edge of the bed like you do at home. There is a storage area about 8"-10" deep under each bunk, the full length of the bunk. Lots of room for all your stuff. Just make sure you pack things in soft crush-able bags. There is no room for suitcases.There may be a locker available to you. Make sure to bring a keyed lock and not a combination lock. This picture was taken during one of the brief times that lights were on. It is a ship at work around the clock and some people are working at night and sleeping during the day so the lights are out in the berthing areas most of the time, with just soft red lights left on, which makes it very hard to read the numbers on a combination lock.

Some berthing areas are quite noisy and others are quieter. But again, it is a ship at work 24/7. They don't stop working because the "Tigers" are on board. Some berthing areas may be near a work area where things are being dropped and banged and things of that nature. Others are near a part of the ship that may have a constant machine-like drone that never stops. You will likely be berthing near where your son or daughter works so that may give you some indication of what to expect. If he or she works on the catapults for example, you may be in for some topsy turvy nights!

4. There were a number of tours that we could sign up for that took us through most of the ship. About the only part of the ship that was off limits was the nuclear power section which is where our son is. Depending on the job your son our daughter has, will determine how much time he or she may be able to spend with you on the "Cruise". The nuclear department for example, has fewer staff and so my son was working most of the time and didn't really get to spend much time with us on the ship. It made things a little difficult at first as, "Tigers" are not supposed to be wandering the ship without a sailor with them. But he was able to get other sailors to go with us until we got accustomed to the surroundings. After all, you are spending most of your time doing the tours and you are are going as a group with a sailor leading your group, so you are in good hands. After a while you get accustomed to your surroundings and learn where to go for various things. And there are 5,000 other people on their with you! There is never a time or place where there isn't someone available to ask for directions.

5. I was not prepared for the crush of 5,000 people in such small confines. Do not be fooled by how wide the ship is at the outer edges of the flight deck. It is much narrower everywhere else.

6. If you've never been on the ocean before, go prepared to get seasick! Hopefully you won't have a problem but if you plan ahead to bring Dramamine or some such thing, then you will be prepared. Our "Cruise" lasted 7 days and I was seasick for about 24 hours right in the middle of it. I took Dramamine and was fine after that. And I have been on the water lots in my life, just never on the ocean. The ship does not porpoise much, but it does roll side to side. And it's that rolling motion that makes people sick. We were on one of the tours that took us way up in the "Tower" on a day that saw the most rough seas of the trip and that's what put me over the edge. My wife and the other "Tigers" that we became familiar with on the "Cruise" had no such trouble.

7. When you are in Hawaii, waiting for the ship to come into Pearl Harbor, you will have no way of knowing exactly when the ship will come in. Your sailor will probably have told you the day, but not the time. They are not allowed to give out that information. I would suggest getting to Pearl Harbor by 7:30 at the very latest and just hanging out around the park there, to wait for the ship to come in. It does not cost anything to park your car and hang out at the park while you wait. Your sailor may have some free time while in Hawaii but the ship only stays there overnight and leaves the next day, so do not expect to have several days there with your sailor. They are ending their long deployment and are on a mission to get back home, so they are not lingering long in Hawaii!

I could go on and give a lot more detail but that would give away too much of the trip. It truly was the chance of a lifetime and we still can't get over some of the things we experienced on that ship. You will leave with a much better understanding and appreciation of what our sailors go through on long deployments in some pretty tough conditions!

I hope this blog helps some others that may be planning a Tiger Cruise in the future. Enjoy!