From SLE to NASS?

Hello all, I have been a lurker for some time without much need to ask anything until now. Here goes- My DD will be attending SLE and then NASS back to back, I'm just trying to figure out the logistics. Travel, hotel, and what not. There is one night in between. Have any of you done this? It makes me nervous!

I would love to fly out at the end of SLE and deposit her safely at NASS myself (never been to NA), but not sure if that's doable yet. Opinions?
Thanks!

Hello, I'm in the same boat going from AF SS to Naval Academy sports camp. My Mom hasn't decided whether she will fly out to Annapolis or not, just can't imagine myself at 16 checking myself into a hotel. We'll see.

CA_hopefulmom: We had the same issues last year for my DS. We sent him to West Point on his own. He caught the USMA bus at Newark and that worked fine. It was a nice, stressful, very mild R-day kind of day.

Then, I flew up to pick him up from SLE. I rented a car and stayed at the Thayer (for the convenience). BTW, if you've never been to West Point, I would encourage you to take the opportunity and visit. It's a special place and you'll better understand her experience once you see it.

After picking him up, we drove to Annapolis. It took just under 5 hours. We could have flown, but it would have taken longer 'door-to-door.' He talked non-stop for about 2 hours, then crashed.

We stayed at the Annapolis Springhill Suites b/c I had confirmed the laundry facility. The laundry from SLE was gross - wet, muddy, etc. Maybe your DD will keep her stuff cleaner... I ran into several parents doing SLE laundry - it was pretty funny. Once I dropped him off at NASS the next morning, I flew home out of Baltimore.

This plan allows you to see USMA and USNA, if that's important to you. I don't think the NASS 'graduation' is worth a trip from the West Coast if you've already visited USNA.

Thank you for the reply, that sounds like an ideal plan. Yes, we have visited West Point before, although I'd like to see it again and I'd love to see the Naval Academy while I have the chance. Hotel names with laundry facilities are much appreciated!

My son is doing them both back to back as well but I'm from the NY metro area so I, thankfully, have family and friends in the area. I'm actually flying him up a few days early so he can visit with everybody Then for USAFA his sister will be there to pick him up and drop him off. Very blessed!

Most hotels have laundry facilities these days. That shouldn't be too much of a concern. Be sure to bring quarters and I've found the laundry pods to travel best in a doubled ziploc.

Yes, you will want a laundry facility! When my son went, it rained horribly the last day so all of this things were soaked.

Annapolis is very nice and the Naval Academy is beautiful! If you have a chance to go see it, I recommend you do so! I sent my son to NASS by airplane (his first plane ride alone, but it was a direct flight with the midshipmen there to pick them up at the airport, so it was fine). I flew to Ohio to spend the week with a friend and then we drove 6 hours to Annapolis to pick him up so that she could see the area. A great mini trip! Yes, the clothing will be filthy. Unfortunately, the mud stains never did come out of my son's NASS sweatpants.

My DS did them back to back last summer (followed by a week of Boys State.) We live in NC, so I drove him to Philly, stayed overnight, then drove to West Point the next morning. After dropping him off, I drove back to NC. A few short days later, I drove back up to West Point, picked DS up, drove to Philly where we did laundry and my son recharged. Next day, I drove him to NASS and dropped him off, drove back to NC... you get the idea. He was exhausted after all of this but loved every minute of it. He accepted his appointment to WP in January

Thank you for the helpful replies! I'm really hoping I can take her or talk my husband into a mini vacation of sorts. It sounds like everyone who went greatly enjoyed SLE and NASS, my girl is SO excited!

Congratulations orangestripe on your DS's appointment! How exciting!

CA_hopefulmom said:

Hello all, I have been a lurker for some time without much need to ask anything until now. Here goes- My DD will be attending SLE and then NASS back to back, I'm just trying to figure out the logistics. Travel, hotel, and what not. There is one night in between. Have any of you done this? It makes me nervous!

I would love to fly out at the end of SLE and deposit her safely at NASS myself (never been to NA), but not sure if that's doable yet. Opinions?
Thanks!

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Yep, just like all the other posters, we did them back to back. Went from WP to Annapolis to spend the night. All is true about the laundry- I would suggest taking your own stain removal supplies. My husband and I went out to a laundromat while son crashed in the hotel room for awhile. Then out to dinner and he was back asleep. Round two started the next morning. Fun, fun times! Just accepted appt to USNA!

As you can see, many have done this and there are many ways to do this. A couple of years ago, we did the all fly route into USMA (sent him on his own with no issues) and then picked him up and flew to USNA (airport shuttle to downtown hotels is a breeze) , then sent him home on his own. You'll have no issue on laundry facilities, and time to visit the Yard and the city. Look at your options, plan it out now, nice time of year to visit and enjoy yourself!

I went to the two sessions back to back last year, and met a few kids at SLE who were going to take the train down to Annapolis alone and spend the night there before going to NASS the next day. I talked to them at NASS again the next week and they had met up on the train and spent the ride down together.

Just to clarify, there is no train to Annapolis, for those unfamiliar with Metro DC/Balt area/Annapolis.

Amtrak runs the Northeast Regional and Acela Express several times a day between DC's Union Station and Eastern Seaboard cities to the north. You can take the train from NYC Penn Station to Baltimore-Washington Airport (BWI), NOT the Baltimore city stop. Then it's a taxi ride to USNA 24 miles away. Or, Uber. Or, jump on the free shuttle bus over to BWI Airport Terminal, and take a Super Shuttle from there. I am sure there is commuter bus service from BWI to various Annapolis stops, for the cheapest option. There may even be a stop at the Amtrak station. No actual knowledge on that.

DH and I often take an AM NE Regional from BWI to NYC for a day or weekend. Easy to buy tix online or via app. Boarding pass/ticket on phone or print out. The earlier you buy, the cheaper they are. Free Wifi on train, electrical outlets for devices, big seats. Best to buy in advance, as trains are sometimes sold out at certain times. Acelas are much more expensive, with fewer stops, but usually not that big a difference in time unless your trip is longer. Fun to go fast, though.

https://m.amtrak.com/mt/www.amtrak.com/northeast-regional-train?un_jtt_redirect=un_jtt_iosV

We did this last year. Plenty of time. Picked up DS at SLE and drove down to Annapolis. He slept the whole way. We stayed at the Doubletree out on 301, there were a bunch of Restaurants close by.