How much communication you have will depend on what ship you are on and where you are sent to. Be prepared for long gaps of time with no communication. On some boats, my son could make contact 2 - 3 times per month. On other ships, he went weeks and weeks with no contact. If your...
We got most of our son's stuff at the Tractor Supply Store (We have them in Texas, but I don't know about other states) It turns out he didn't need a lot of the stuff. Have your middie ask an older student who was assigned to the same route/type ship to find out what he REALLY needs. My son...
It's a lot less hassle just to take a taxi all the way. My son has never paid more than $40 for this ride, and there is ALWAYS at least one other student arriving at the airport at about the same time, and they can share a cab.
My son was also "missing" stuff when he returned from sea. It turns out that boxes were merely moved around to make room for more stuff. His boxes finally surfaced several weeks later -- after he had replaced a lot of his belongings thinking they had been stolen. He says the storage place is...