Hotels suggestions please for OTC Newport for OCS Graduation

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by NavyDads Admin (Paul) on February 3, 2017 at 7:04am

This will be a great addition to this group!  While we have tons of info for RTC, OCS graduation info is pretty sparse....thanks for all the efforts to update that info!

Permalink Reply by Jonas Berman on February 3, 2017 at 7:41am

We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites Newport/Middletown.  Probably not the cheapest in the area, but quite comfortable with a nice buffet breakfast, less than 5 minutes from the base.

Permalink Reply by LTB on February 3, 2017 at 9:07am

Yes NavyDads Admin (Paul), this hasn't been covered anywhere that I could find. I did locate a thread from several years ago at another site where someone asked the same question. There wasn't a single reply until I joined to ask the same question bumping the thread up and not one person has responded to me either. Sad.

Jonas Berman> thank you so very much. We'll take your recommendation. Hampton Inn and Suites is usually very clean. Big ouch on the pricing though... a single room with a king sized bed is $209 for Thursday night and $319 for Friday and Saturday nights without the 13% hotel tax for Newport and RI. We just booked a suite because our son will presumably be spending Friday and Saturday nights with us and I'm embarrassed to say what the suite cost. Interestingly enough, their rates are half of the rates I posted above on other weekends so, I'm thinking they may be bumping the rates up on graduation weekends. Same thing happens out our way for the kids graduating from boot camp at Great Lakes. 

Hampton Inns' Cancellation policy is 72 hours which is fine in the event he rolls for any reason between now and then. Looks as if they may provide a modest discount for AARP members given they asked me if I was a member. We are not AARP members. 

This is awfully expensive for the convenience of being 5 minutes away even with a hot breakfast of pancakes and possibly scrambled eggs being included in the rate. There have got to be other options out there for parents flying in so I hope others will contribute by sharing where they stayed. 

I thought I read somewhere that there were accommodations right at the training facility for parents. Some sort of a high end Lodge? That's actually where we would prefer to stay if it still exists. Would have been too risky holding out for a Lodge given the number of HS and college graduations in the area the same weekend. 

Permalink Reply by Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom on February 3, 2017 at 9:13am

Here is a link for Newport Hotels....that is pretty steep especially for Winter rates! Look into the Wyndham Inn on Long Wharf....

https://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g60978-Newport_Rhode_Island-...

Permalink Reply by Jonas Berman on February 3, 2017 at 9:22am

Whoops, sorry about the price!  I think I had some Hilton points which defrayed the price.  Also, if I recall, there was a lot of discussion of places to stay, including the Navy Lodge, on the Facebook page for our class or on the OCS Facebook page

LTB said:

Yes NavyDads Admin (Paul), this hasn't been covered anywhere that I could find. I did locate a thread from several years ago at another site where someone asked the same question. There wasn't a single reply until I joined to ask the same question bumping the thread up and not one person has responded to me either. Sad.

Jonas Berman> thank you so very much. We'll take your recommendation. Hampton Inn and Suites is usually very clean. Big ouch on the pricing though... a single room with a king sized bed is $209 for Thursday night and $319 for Friday and Saturday nights without the 13% hotel tax for Newport and RI. We just booked a suite because our son will presumably be spending Friday and Saturday nights with us and I'm embarrassed to say what the suite cost. Interestingly enough, their rates are half of the rates I posted above on other weekends so, I'm thinking they may be bumping the rates up on graduation weekends. Same thing happens out our way for the kids graduating from boot camp at Great Lakes. 

Hampton Inns' Cancellation policy is 72 hours which is fine in the event he rolls for any reason between now and then. Looks as if they may provide a modest discount for AARP members given they asked me if I was a member. We are not AARP members. 

This is awfully expensive for the convenience of being 5 minutes away even with a hot breakfast of pancakes and possibly scrambled eggs being included in the rate. There have got to be other options out there for parents flying in so I hope others will contribute by sharing where they stayed. 

I thought I read somewhere that there were accommodations right at the training facility for parents. Some sort of a high end Lodge? That's actually where we would prefer to stay if it still exists. Would have been too risky holding out for a Lodge given the number of HS and college graduations in the area the same weekend. 

Permalink Reply by LTB on February 3, 2017 at 10:19am

Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom> Ohhhh... the price you found looks phenomenal on the Wyndham Inn on Long Wharf. Thank you. Did you stay there?  Am liking the looks of Hotel Viking and Ocean Cliff Resort real well too and the reviews look good as do photos of the property. Interesting site that Trip Advisor is. Great find.  

Jonas Berman> The price is what it is. We're just grateful you personally stayed there and were able to tell us it was comfortable and within 5 minutes of OCS. I'm admittedly a stickler for cleanliness and presume you would have said something if it wasn't clean. 

I take it you have a 2nd child going through OCS being as how you mentioned the Facebook group for "our" class? I am not on Facebook or any other type of social networking. Would you be in a position to cut and paste what's over at Facebook over here? If not, I understand. I've got a friend who can get it and will wait for her to come over. I'm most curious about the Lodge, that's where we wanted to stay and I read that it booked up fast somewhere. I also read it was expensive but it would be worth it. This is a once in a lifetime graduation.  

Permalink Reply by Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom on February 3, 2017 at 10:27am

I've never stayed there personally.....right on the Waterfront...in the middle of Downtown...but I frequent Newport in the Summertime (live pretty close). It is a great place to visit...a Summer resort area. Accommodations are plentiful...especially at this time of year. There are many great restaurants and things to do. Plan on visiting the Mansions on Bellevue Ave. during your visit to see how the other half lived (i.e. Great Gatsby was filmed there). They are open for tours. The Cliff Walk and scenery is absolutely beautiful! Take a drive along Ocean Drive for some great seascapes...

http://www.newportmansions.org/

Permalink Reply by Jonas Berman on February 3, 2017 at 10:34am

Oops, left out the "y" for "your class".  Just one, he's down in Pensacola now, waiting to "class up" for flight school.

I couldn't find any specific conversation about places to stay on our class FB page, maybe if you go through the Officer Training Command page you'll find it:

https://www.facebook.com/OTCNewport/

Permalink Reply by LTB on February 3, 2017 at 1:39pm

Navy Dads Co-Admin Tom> Lucky us that you live so close! Something tells me our son is going to want some fine dining experiences at the really great restaurants you mentioned in the area. Don't know that what they've been feeding him is bad and I'm sure it's nutritionally balanced with lots of fruits and vegetables however I'm sure what he's been fed can't hold a candle to the food at a great seafood or steak house. I'll run visiting the mansions by my husband and son. Not something we've ever done before but.... there's always a first time for everything. We're honestly more outdoorsy type people so am pretty sure we'll be taking your advice to do The Cliff Walk as well as the drive along Ocean Drive. Thank you so much for the personal recommendations. Think I'll check into what state or federal parks (natural areas) might be in the area.

Question for you since you live so close- if you had to recommend three hotels based on location, views, and proximity to the graduation ceremony and cost was not a major factor; which three hotels would you suggest?  

Jonas Berman> Close enough y/our class. ;) I have to type here for some reason as opposed to using talk to text so I've made quite a few whoopsies myself. Makes no difference because you were there and it wasn't too long ago. We've got reservations at the hotel you stayed at and won't give them up unless something more desirable comes along like.... the lodge. Better safe than sorry.  

Neat that your son will be going to flight school. I take it his dream is to be a pilot? I think the movie 'Top Gun' from more than 20 years ago did a good job recruiting pilots for the Navy and continues to do so. 

Permalink Reply by Jonas Berman on February 3, 2017 at 2:00pm

Yes, it's his dream, though he's never flown!!  He should start in a week or so.

For his graduation, we had a nice meal at The Mooring.  Also heard good things about Restaurant Bouchard and The White Horse Tavern.

Congratulations and good luck!

Permalink Reply by LTB on February 3, 2017 at 2:37pm

How incredibly exciting that your son will be starting in a week. Way to go!!!

Our kid dreamed of taking his degrees and becoming a Missionary and if he couldn't be a Missionary he decided he'd join the Peace Corps. I think we about needed a defibrillator when we heard that. Fortunately, we have a family friend who was a Navy Chaplain who discussed how he could "serve" in the Navy. The rest is history. He'll be following his dream to serve only it will be in a submarine 20,000 leagues beneath the sea where there will be no bullets whizzing by getting a paycheck and not in some 3rd world country with little more than food, housing, and a security detail for compensation. We couldn't be happier for him or us. We have the utmost respect for the Navy and I bet everyone at this website does too!!!

Love it! I'm getting restaurant suggestions too. Thank you. 

Permalink Reply by Jonas Berman on February 3, 2017 at 2:57pm

Funny, for our family it was a bigger adjustment to accept his wanting to join the military.  He had a similar desire to serve and give back, and I think the Peace Corps would have been more what we were thinking of.  Now that we've adjusted we couldn't be prouder of him.

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