When should we arrive for Pre "R" day activites

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proudofmyboy

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The time is here for us to plan for R day. I know there are activities that occur before R day. When do you recommend we arrive and where should we stay? Thanks
 
Possibly Friday, possibly Saturday, possibly Sunday. No help, huh? You will receive information on what is happening and when. OCF has an ice cream social, some of the swabs2B meet by company, some coaches have a team meet, and so on. Your swab2B should decide what he/she does/does not want to do. Some want to meet everyone, do everything. Some want to chill with just family. This is a big step for them, so let them decide. When DS left for Prep School Orientation, there was a picnic the night before, which was great. The next year for swab summer, he wanted to hang with us. But he already knew a bunch of his classmates, so it wasn't such a big deal.

Several hotels in the area have special rates for CGA. We've used the Holiday Inn downtown and it has been perfect. A lot of people from our region used the Springside Inn and had get togethers. So others from your area, which you may get a chance to meet at a Meet and Greet put on by your Parent's Association, may do something similar.

Any parent of a 2017 will tell you to bring an umbrella.
 
AuxNoob said:
Possibly Friday, possibly Saturday, possibly Sunday. No help, huh? You will receive information on what is happening and when. OCF has an ice cream social, some of the swabs2B meet by company, some coaches have a team meet, and so on. Your swab2B should decide what he/she does/does not want to do. Some want to meet everyone, do everything. Some want to chill with just family. This is a big step for them, so let them decide. When DS left for Prep School Orientation, there was a picnic the night before, which was great. The next year for swab summer, he wanted to hang with us. But he already knew a bunch of his classmates, so it wasn't such a big deal.

Several hotels in the area have special rates for CGA. We've used the Holiday Inn downtown and it has been perfect. A lot of people from our region used the Springside Inn and had get togethers. So others from your area, which you may get a chance to meet at a Meet and Greet put on by your Parent's Association, may do something similar.

Any parent of a 2017 will tell you to bring an umbrella.
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We arrived on the Friday before R-Day in 2010. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express in Mystic then and many times in the following four years. Good luck.
 
The closer you get, the more stressful it will be. Give yourself and your kid some time to relax. Don't overplan. That R Day really looms large when it's fast approaching. I appreciated the downtime because it certainly wasn't going to be available after all the "fun" started. It'll also give you some time to try and make it feel normal.
 
If you Google CGA Class of 2019, you'll find a link to last year's schedule of events for R-Day. It will give you a good idea as to what will be on the schedule. Of course, changes may be made. As previously mentioned, if your appointee is a recruited athlete, they may have additional social events with their team. Our daughter met with her team on Sunday.

Let your appointee decide how they wish to spend their last few days. Since we had to travel a great distance, we actually arrived the Thursday prior. This allowed our daughter to settle in and enjoy some of the local area and not feel stressed due to travel.
We have stayed at several hotels, but prefer the Hampton Inn in Mystic. They have a CGA rate for around $85/night.

The appointees will actually get to know each other somewhat prior to R-Day through the class Facebook page, and may wish to meet up with their new friends/classmates the weekend prior to R-Day.
 
It's a huge step and like many others, I advise you to let your incoming Swab, set the tone and agenda.
 
We rented a home on the water in Mystic and made a vacation out of it staying also for several days after R-Day. From there we were able to visit both Boston and NYC during the week. If you are coming from the West Coast, I'd recommend arriving earlier to give time for your Swab to adjust to the time change. Through the connections made prior to R-Day (through social media), it was helpful to arrive early so the cadets can hang out and get to know each other. (Parents too). That helped with some of the stress level. Official events start on Sunday, so I'd say as long as you are there prior to that, you'd be fine.
 
I would second Grevar's suggestion to arrive early enough to allow time for your Swab to adjust to the time change.

We rented a condo in Boston for 2 nights before heading to a rental house about 20-25 minutes away from CGA for 3 nights. Frankly, if you'll need 2 hotel rooms like our family, we found VRBO and/or Homeaway to be a more cost effective option. Our local Parents Association had gotten the swabs together for a couple of times before R-day so our swab wanted peace/quiet/family time. We attended the "can't miss" events at CGA leading up to R-Day but otherwise our Swab simply wanted to "chill" with family.
 
Thanks for the input. We are from NJ. I think we will come in 2 days before. Chill that 1st day, enjoy the day before activities and then on to R day.
 
Hotels fill up fast around there. We stayed in a bed and breakfast near Mystic, but it smelled musty and I am spoiled, so I didn't like it. LOL!
 
Prepare yourself mentally and emotionally, especially if this is your first child leaving home. I did, my husband didn't. He came home saw all of the reminders of him and cried. He wasn't right for a couple of months. It's a very proud day, but you hear screaming and marching as the swabs march all around and you wonder "what's happening with my child...". Then you get to see them for about 10 minutes and then it's goodbye. There were parents bawling all over the place. I patted one mom on the back and told her it would be O.K. My son said it was the worst day of his life.....
 
We are coming in Sat around lunch on the train and staying at the Holiday inn. Could drive from Jersey, but I dont want to make that drive home, emotional spent. Look forward to meeting others Sat and Sun.
 
Wonderfulmom said:
There were parents bawling all over the place. I patted one mom on the back and told her it would be O.K.
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Wonderfulmom - That might have been me you patted on the back!

We thought we were prepared for RDay. USCGA was my son's first choice, he worked so hard to get there and we were thrilled for him. He attended AIM so he had an idea of what he was in for. But when we were given 10 mins to say goodbye after he went through the day of "processing" and he ran up to us through the crowd with a look of uncertainty & panic, it was probably one of my hardest parenting moments. After getting his first taste of getting yelled at by his Cadres and knowing he was facing 6 more weeks of Swab Summer, he was definitely emotional. It was hard on all of us. I barely held it together long enough to say goodbye, and then I was a mess.

I would reiterate what others say about not making too many plans, except visiting the Academy the day before. This will be the last bit of down time they have for a LONG time, keep it relaxed and be ready for any range of emotions.

Congrats & good luck!
 
proudofmyboy said:
Thanks for the input. We are from NJ. I think we will come in 2 days before. Chill that 1st day, enjoy the day before activities and then on to R day.
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@proudofmyboy ,
We arrived Saturday evening before Monday R day (my DS's HS graduation was on Friday night, so getting there earlier was not an option), and I don't think we missed any of the formal occasions. There were some informal meetings, like kids meeting at Mystic Pizza, but the Meet and Greets (church, sports, etc.) were on Sunday.

Also, check the Parents Association website, as some of the local hotels have USCGA rates. Can't book through the websites, though, you have to call hotel directly. Keep in mind that, depending on reporting time and allowing for the lines getting through the gates, you may need to be out of you hotel by 6AM or earlier to make it there on time.
 
If you check I think it's actually seven weeks, not six.
 
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