Plebe Parents Weekend

Fast forward and you'll have the BEST memories of PPW...and be planning for 2C Parents' weekend! GONAVY...Amazing family you are getting ready to join! Airbnb for PPW - best idea! PM if you have any questions.
 
Congrats to you and your "Plebe to be". It's a great Idea to be booking early too-------But I hope your hotel choice criteria included physical proximity to USNA.

Your plebe will be EXTREMELY concerned with reporting back to base on time! The squad-mates your DS/DD will have built a unique bond with all suffer if your DD/DS reports back late, (at least thats what they firmly believe at the time). I have never seen my DD so concerned about being on-time, before or since---like obsessed.

The farther away you are from campus the more uncertainty you bring to the "Back to Base Scenarios" running through your plebe's fevered (figuratively or literally) brain.
PPW is an interesting time, its great to see your Kid again and it's wonderful to see how much growth has occurred in just 6 weeks. That said, it's a weekend with an exhausted 17-22 year old, many of whom will be coming down with the first stages of plebe-hack, most of whom will be struggling to balance sleeping in a "real bed!!!" against waking hours spent with families that they have looked forward to seeing for 6weeks. I'm Just-saying, why add long distance transport to that equation.

We stayed at Lowes Hotel for IDay and PPW, it was about a 10-15 min walk to Gate 1, which meant that DD wanted to leave for base about 45 mins before her report time. I wonder what her travel calculus would have produced had we been miles from campus? There are cheaper options than Lowes close to base. I am sure there will be a trade-offs in Price/Amenities vsLocation, but IMO in the broad scope of things booking close in is the way to go.

Note: there is another school of thought that that " a plebe wants to get as far away from Nap Town whenever possible". I have witnessed this from my CL 2020 DD on other visits, but I think PPW is different.

Best to you, and your plebe-to-be. You should be proud of Him/Her-------------and proud of yourself as a parent! I'm just happy that there are people like you and your kid walking around.

Seems early for PPW threads, but since you (and others) are ahead of the curve, I thought to offer up "my put".

Note: for 2c weekend we tried our first Air B&B. Worked great; lots of good ones in Annapolis.
 
There are a bunch of hotels in the Riva Road area which are very convenient to DTA (Downtown Annapolis). I am talking a ten-minute drive, tops. You will not be able to park and say your goodbyes when you take your Plebe back to report back. There will be a LOT of traffic, so dropping your Plebe off within 300-400 meters of either one of the pedestrian gates is about as good as you'll probably get. It will be a "see you tomorrow" thing and out the door the Plebe goes, while you get to be stuck in traffic for the next 30-45 minutes. Repeat each night. Woo hoo.
 
I second the AirBNB recommendation,
Our family stayed at an AirBNB right in DTA, only a few blocks from Gate 1. For the price of two hotel rooms, we got a whole house, with 3 BR, and a small backyard.

The big thing during PPW, is that Plebes (at least ours) want to get away from the yard and just hang out. If you are in a hotel, the only time they can be out of uniform is in your room, which might be a bit cramped. If you rent a house, the can hang our in shorts/tshirt, cook out on the grill, and relax in the sun. Anytime they are out in public, they need to be in their whites.
 
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Unless they are going for a run or using the hotel's gym(USNA shorts and blue rim with socks and running shoes) or at the pool (USNA swim suit).
 
We booked a VRBO (basically same as AirBnB) for both I-day and PPW. We've stayed in one of them before, and feel 100% certain that this is the way to go. They both have outdoor space - which will be especially nice for PPW, as we'd love to have our mid and any of his company mates and families over for a BBQ - or just to hang out.

It is NOT too early to book. In fact, most of the ones on VRBO and AirBnB within close proximity to the yard are booked for both I-Day dates and PPW. I'm spending $300/night for a 3-BR, fully equipped home. off-street Parking pass included.
 
We did Lowe’s for Iday (walking distance, enjoy DTA before Iday and get a feel for everything), and a small house rental in Cape St Clair (with outdoor covered porch, yard, grill and private beach access) which was an easy maybe 15 minute commute (and no USNA Mids in sight, as far as we knew). Exactly what THParent said, no matter where you are, drop off will be a quick ‘get out of the car’ thing. Just make sure and go early. We left 2hrs before report time.

A house allows for your plebe so have their own space in a bedroom, and the rest of the family can be active in the rest of the house. There were 7 of us so that was important. Our Mid was able to completely let down and relax. And the beach was awesome.

Lots of ways to do it !! So many memories of this last year for us!! Congrats again.
 
Loews is no longer Loews, it's now called Hotel Annapolis. It is less expensive than the Loews. It is about a 20 minute walk to Gate 3, which is closer to Alumni Hall (reporting location). We walked to the check-in and then got our DoD ID's so we could access the Yard by vehicle. We had to wait about 90 minutes because the computers kept crashing. After that we got breakfast in DTA and then came back to try and see our plebe. We stay along Riva Road too - less expensive and free parking but you can't walk anywhere.
 
For those new to the area Lowes is now the The Annapolis Hotel it changed ownership Iday/PPW last year.
 
Can someone explain what a general outline of what goes on during PPW? Ive booked VRBO for I Day but I have no clue how many days or how often during those days I’ll get to see DD. Like does she go back to the yard each night? I think I read somewhere is Thu-Sunday? Thank you all for putting up with newbie parent questions
 
Can someone explain what a general outline of what goes on during PPW? Ive booked VRBO for I Day but I have no clue how many days or how often during those days I’ll get to see DD. Like does she go back to the yard each night? I think I read somewhere is Thu-Sunday? Thank you all for putting up with newbie parent questions

While waiting for answers, use the search function here on SAF to find the dozens of threads over the years describing the general schedule. Use “PPW” and “Plebe Parents weekend” in your search string. There was a post very recently that described a recent PPW schedule. There are also years and years of great tips.

Yes, assume they do go back to the Yard every night, as that has been the practice for some years.

Bookmark this link and look for the official schedule to be posted.

https://www.usna.edu/PlebeParentsWeekend/index.php

Source: Google search string “USNA Plebe Parents Weekend”

If there is a nearby USNA Parents Club, that’s another resource for info-sharing from those who are a few cars ahead of you on the rollercoaster.


Handy Links for Appointees & Parents
https://www.serviceacademyforums.com/index.php?threads/Handy-Links-for-Appointees-&-Parents.65672/
 
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We booked a house for Fri, Sat, and Sun nights right near Gate 3. Even though PPW starts on that Thur, remember we parents do not get to pick up our Plebes until Fri afternoon. Since my brother lives only 45 mins away from USNA, we will stay at his house Wed and Thur nights. My point is, if $ is tight, you can stay further away on Wed and Thur nights. You don't need to be right there. You won't be with your mid until Fri night, so no need to worry about your child being within walking/running distance of a gate Wed and Thur. We are staying until Mon morning to be sure we get all of Sun with our son.
 
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