Hotels USNA Annapolis 2016 I-Day PPW Parents Weekend Commissioning Week CVW

farmgirl1776 said:
I'm looking online to right now to book and wondering: Are we spending our time on grounds at USNA or do we have our kids to ourselves and should just splurge for the waterfront house/nicer hotel?
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Why a nicer hotel? Your kid will probably want to sleep all day. :) it varies, but they will be tired, and longing for soft clean beds and cable TV. They may want to show you around, but they won't need fancy digs.
 
^^ Regarding the nicer hotel, I just wasn't sure what is involved with PPW. I didn't want to spend extra on a nicer hotel with a suite or renting a house if we weren't going to be there. Also, when I made my reservations, I thought my kid would be staying with us. Reading the forum, I see that they have to return every night....
 
farmgirl1776 said:
^^ Regarding the nicer hotel, I just wasn't sure what is involved with PPW. I didn't want to spend extra on a nicer hotel with a suite or renting a house if we weren't going to be there. Also, when I made my reservations, I thought my kid would be staying with us. Reading the forum, I see that they have to return every night....
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You will have 4 years to figure out what the best set-up is for your family, sharing info and tips through various connections such as SAF and USNA Parents Club. By the time Comm Week rolls around, you will be Naptown Experts.

The pendulum swings back and forth as to whether plebes get overnight liberty on PPW. For several years, it has not been overnight. You won't know for sure until the PPW sked comes out.
 
When visiting during PPW please keep in mind the town is busy. Traffic is heavy. You need to plan extra time to get your plebe back to the yard on time. Last year we rented a condo from Airbnb which enabled our plebe to decompress. As always ask your plebe what they prefer and go with it.
 
PPW ending as traffic piles up by Gate One is a nightmare. You will see Plebes jumping out of cars and running to make report time. Plan accordingly. It is fun to watch but not for them.
 
time2 said:
Really where you choose to stay is a personal decision based on your finances, how many will be in your party and how many times you think you might be going back and forth to USNA (you really don't want to waste lots of time making 10-15 mile trips multiple times to a hotel), there is no one right answer for everyone. In some prior years, the plebes had overnight liberty, but as I mentioned previously, what they did in some prior year(s) may NOT be the same schedule as this year.
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I totally agree.

For June 30th, (for us) the thought of being pinned to a Shuttle Bus schedule that is simultaneously serving the Stadium Parking lot filled with thousands, including I-Day Parents/families + hurried USNA Sport Campers getting picked-up/dropped off within yards of one another is not my way to savor the Induction Day experience. :)
 
We did not stay close to the Naval Academy for I-day last year. We stayed at a hotel by the Annapolis Mall. We parked at the stadium and rode the buses over. After we left our DS when he checked into Alumni Hall, we wandered around the academy all day. There's a lot to do (tours, picnic, shopping at mid store) and it kept us busy all day. Then after everything was over we got on a bus and it took us back to the stadium. There were buses running constantly and we didn't wait very long. Staying close is nice but it didn't really matter so much for I-day.
 
If you are on foot, utilize Gate 3 whenever possible. It is never crowded and the security is less rigorous.
Take King George Street to Maryland Avenue. Walk down Maryland Avenue to Gate 3. Oftentimes you can find parking on King George Street along the USNA perimeter wall.

There is also a gate at the corner of King George Street and Wagner Street put it tends to be open only on very busy days.

One other suggestion - rent the smallest car possible. It ups your chances of finding street parking.
 
MIHOSER said:
If you are on foot, utilize Gate 3 whenever possible. It is never crowded and the security is less rigorous.
Take King George Street to Maryland Avenue. Walk down Maryland Avenue to Gate 3. Oftentimes you can find parking on King George Street along the USNA perimeter wall.

There is also a gate at the corner of King George Street and Wagner Street put it tends to be open only on very busy days.

One other suggestion - rent the smallest car possible. It ups your chances of finding street parking.
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To amplify above - Gate 1 is for those without DOD ID. Gates 3 and 8 are not. What I am not up to speed on in current regs, is what they provide non-DOD-ID parents/sponsors so they can use 3 and 8. I am sure a current parent here knows. I have a DOD ID so never think about it.

There have also been the recent updates about which state driver's licenses are non-compliant, and alternate ID is required.

Parking on King George St. (runs alongside Yard wall) is restricted parking, as is most of DTA, with specified times of day and exact number of hours allowed to park. Residents have unlimited parking and special stickers. You are not allowed to move your car from spot to spot. Annapolis parking police are vigilant in their efforts to increase cash flow to the city coffers. Read all signs!

See this link. It's for STEM but has basic info.
http://www.usna.edu/Users/math/rmm/STEP/Directions.htm
 
I still think I-day entrance is allowed for drop off with Admittance Papers. Gate 1 may have new rules and no walk on without new documentation. Three is great if open (Harrison Ford walking out) and Eight is the best. Drive down take a left and park on the point. Take a 1/c spot.
 
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Capt MJ,

I was always able to use Gate 3 for entrance and I was just a parent without a DOD ID. My S graduated in 2014, so things may have changed since then. I just showed my driver's license and was in w/o a problem. Rules?

I agree - it is a good idea to always read (and obey) the traffic signs in Naptown! I think the parking police get a % of violations written.

Another thing to watch for - if you park near City Dock during low tide or a westerly breeze, you may find your car sitting in water if the tide and/or wind direction changes before you get back.
 
Force Protection Condition was changed from Alpha to Bravo in May 2015 and has been at that level ever since. No driving on the Yard without USNA ID, DoD creds or handicap tags. Here is text from a press release from that date:

USNA Changes Security Posture
POSTED ON: FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015 1:56 PM BY NAVAL ACADEMY PUBLIC AFFAIRS


The U.S. military has increased its force protection condition from "Alpha" to "Bravo" at all U.S. bases. This is a general security measure, not a response to any specific or imminent threat. As a result, USNA and Naval Support Activity Annapolis have changed their security posture until further notice.

This change will not affect USNA's normal operating hours. Gate hours remain the same. As always, drivers can only enter the Yard with USNA IDs, DoD credentials or handicapped tags. Additionally, all occupants of the vehicle over the age of 18 – not just the driver – must now show a government-issued ID (driver's license, passport, etc.)

Visitors may also be subject to scans and baggage checks, which may cause delays entering USNA and NSA Annapolis North Severn Complex. Please plan ahead, especially during Commissioning Week when there will be a greater number of visitors to the academy.

For more information on visiting the Yard go to http://www.usnabsd.com/for-visitors/tips-for-visitors/. For more information on Commissioning Week events, go to https://www.usna.edu/CommissioningWeek/.
 
Nothing like up to date knowledge - well done gentlemen.

I think in the future I'll stick to reading posts rather than writing using outdated information. Apologies to all for the misinformation.
 
MIHOSER said:
Nothing like up to date knowledge - well done gentlemen.

I think in the future I'll stick to reading posts rather than writing using outdated information. Apologies to all for the misinformation.
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It's all good conversation. If there's an area of fuzziness, usually someone is inspired to dig for the current reference.

The eternal takeaway: change is constant.
 
Paperwork you will get for I-day usually provides info about driving onto the Yard for plebe drop-off. The practice list above has generally been the same where you can only drive onto the Yard with certain specific authorizations. I don't read anything different there.
 
Read somewhere (which of course I can't find now) for I-day and PPW there will be no driving/parking on the yard. Parents are instructed to park at the stadium and take a shuttle.
 
^^ Could be. I know in the past for I-day, you could only drop off people and not park in the Yard since there is very limited space for parking. Post 32 above refers to general rules that might be modified for special events like I-day, Commission week or PPW.

Best to follow the instructions provided by USNA for this year.
 
I know this thread is a few months old and I-Day and PPW for '20 have passed. However, I feel compelled to write this and let folks know that we had serious issues at Loews for both I-Day and PPW. We only returned for PPW because I had made a pre-paid reservation prior to I-Day. I won't bore with the full story. However, among the issues was double billing that took a long time to get them to fix, despite being given all the information they needed. If you stayed for PPW check not only your hotel bill, but also monitor the account for the card you used to make sure no unexplained charges from Loews appear. There were other issues as well. Feel free to message me if you want the whole specific story.
 
I looked up the movie clip from when Harrison Ford (Jack Ryan) walks out of gate 3, in the movie Clear and Present Danger today.
It was to settle a bet. My friend said that the "tail" (hitman) that Ryan picked up was wearing the issued "marshmallow" sweatsuit, and I maintained that it was NOT that sweatsuit, but was indeed gray, and read "Annapolis" on the front with two crossed oars. I was right, of course.
The "extra credit" bet was "which gate did Jack Ryan walk out of?". My friend said that it was the Barry Gate, and I won again.

That's a Hanover St. sign behind Jack, so he's walking Southwest on Maryland Ave., away from Gate 3.
Lunch is free today. Cha-ching! :)
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THParent said:
I looked up the movie clip from when Harrison Ford (Jack Ryan) walks out of gate 3, in the movie Clear and Present Danger today.
It was to settle a bet. My friend said that the "tail" (hitman) that Ryan picked up was wearing the issued "marshmallow" sweatsuit, and I maintained that it was NOT that sweatsuit, but was indeed gray, and read "Annapolis" on the front with two crossed oars. I was right, of course.
The "extra credit" bet was "which gate did Jack Ryan walk out of?". My friend said that it was the Barry Gate, and I won again.

That's a Hanover St. sign behind Jack, so he's walking Southwest on Maryland Ave., away from Gate 3.
Lunch is free today. Cha-ching! :)
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Isn’t that the movie, “Patriot Games”?
 
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