Accommodations for I day

We went the vrbo route for I-Day and PPW. For I-Day we purposely rented a house a block away from Gate 8. Glad we did. Avoided all traffic-related stress and we could go in-and-out as we pleased. And getting a resident street parking pass was a huge plus! For PPW weekend we rented a house in Eastport. Close enough to the academy, but far enough that my plebe wasn't constantly looking over his shoulder for a detailer.
 
About PPW, which day is better for hotel check out? I see plebes have to go back to the Yard by 6pm.
 
We dropped off our plebe and continued the drive home. There isn’t organized things going on after drop off. So depends on flight schedules, etc. We were driving so headed out.
 
We booked a couple of AirBnB's for I Day and Parents weekend. We're fairly close (5 minute walk to restaurants etc..) for I Day and we're on King George St (about a half a block from the gate) for Parents weekend. We wanted to be really close so our son didn't have to rush or worry about traffic in getting back to the yard.....just a 60 second walk to the gate.
 
Also consider booking early for PPW. My personal opinion is that, if you can swing it financially, it's nice to be close to USNA for that WE. Makes getting back at night much easier/quicker. That said, some folks stay in more "remote" locations and do fine.
 
Lowes (Graduate Annapolis?) worked well for us on Iday 2016. About a 10-12min walk from the main gate. this eliminated "time in transit" uncertainties for us. We are on the West Coast, so we flew in for a couple of days to give DD just a few days to settle into east coast humidity in June. Graduate Annapolis was nicely located close/within to the center of Annapolis. The location and the size of the hotel made it easy to connect with other Plebe Families embarking on the same journey we were. A huge Huge thing for DW who wasn't fully sold on USNA right up to Iday.

Note: Families and DDs/DSs are different, but I want to add this. We limited Iday to DW, DD and me. For us, this was the right decision. Like most Plebes, DD was a pretty tuff 18yr old, but for those days/hours leading up to marching into Bancroft she was stressed and a little frightened; for good reason. DW and I were proud of her and sad for her at the same time; we were kinda tense too. Iday was a time/event that I will always remember in my relationship with DD, (Waay more important for me than PPW). It was the last time I was Daddy to DD as a child. DW and I were there during those days/hours, to stand with her as she jumped into "uncertain waters". It was DD's time, DD's event and I'm glad that I wasn't worried about the logistics, wants, needs of siblings, grand-parents, Etc.. They all made the trip out for PPW to party though.
 
Sticking around that evening isn’t a bad idea, as it’s a chance to decompress after a long and emotional day. You can gather with other plebe parents at a DTA eatery. Or you can do takeout and chill in privacy. (We opted for the latter, as we didn’t feel like joint commiseration.) Traveling home the next day also gives you time to explore Naptown a bit, if uou weren’t able to beforehand.

But please, please, please refrain from stepping onto the Yard the next day in hopes of glimpsing Junior. I know this is tempting for some parents, and I’ve heard stories of some getting up early to watch PEP. In the same way that no plebe wants to be “that guy,” don’t be “those parents.”
 
I concur with the idea of getting a hotel for I-Day and an Air BNB for PPW. We actually made a summer vacation out of I-Day, spending time in the Balt/DC area with the family. For I-Day you will want to get to the stadium well before your scheduled time. There will be delays with busses and check-in.

For PPW the kids have liberty but can't spend the night off the Yard. So an Air BNB is a great option because you have an entire house. Bring the X-Box, Playstation, or whatever he/she wants. Remember, they will be suffering from serious "technology withdrawal" and they'll have a lot of Snapchatting and Fortnight'ing to catch up on. All they will want to do is leave the Yard...they don't even want to be within walking distance. So with an Air BNB they can just veg out, play games, sleep, and relax. Get some food to grill out...make it fun. They aren't allowed civilian clothes at all and they need to be in uniform whenever they are off the Yard. So pack some of their most comfortable regular clothes for them to wear while they are hanging out at the Air BNB house. You'll need to bring them back to the Yard at night to sleep.

One more thing... Remember to fill out the application for a Yard pass (it's included in your BFE packet). If you send it in with the rest of the pre-I-Day information you can pick up your pass when you're there. Then you'll be able to drive on the Yard to pick up your Mid on PPW (and forward) and avoid downtown Annapolis parking. BTW - For off-Yard parking, you can usually park in the marina (right next door to USNA) but it is metered parking. You go to the pay station, enter your parking spot and license plate #, and then put the parking voucher on your dashboard. But if you either forget to pay or if you overstay your time they WILL ticket you to the tone of $40 (ouch!!).
 
The early bird gets the worm....or in the case the most convenient lodging. Gibsons Lodging. Look it up. Directly adjacent to gate 1. And it has
PARKING!!!!! Large parking area off the street.
Rooms are cheap by Annapolis standards, simple, clean, cozy, old building. Some rooms share a bath and that is what we did with our plebe last year. We got him his own room for his last night of freedom! No state of the art cable TV in rooms but actually WI FI was not bad. Common room in downstairs of main building (3 separate buildings all surround parking area) has continental breakfast provided. It was quite fun visiting with families from all over the country in the common room last May as virtually every guest there was there for I day. Our Plebe last year had a 6:30 AM check in time so we went back after dropping him off. Parents and their almost plebes were coming by all morning.
Book now!! I have stayed there twice for football games as well. I liked it more than Historic inns of Annapolis which does not have parking. Downtown Annapolis does not have hotels until you get to West street about a mile from the gates, so we have mostly used Airbnb, Gibson's, and Historic Inns. Good Luck! Agree with Airbnb for PPW so you have your own kitchen and your midshipman can be casual. Look up 44 Fleet street for PPW. 3 bedrooms and parking just up the narrow street that goes down to the water behind Iron Rooster.
 
There is the Waterfront Marriott in DTA - waterfront + harbor views + easy walk to USNA = $$$$
 
Capt MJ said:
There are threads upon threads about hotels. Search on I Day Induction Day, hotels, etc.

Don’t worry too much about distance from USNA. There will be parking and shuttle buses at the stadium on I Day. Some hotels offer shuttles to DTA (downtown Annapolis).

Some hotels offer “USNA friends and family” rates and codes - call the hotel property directly to ask.

There are the usual business chains in and around Annapolis. Some people also choose to do Airbnb, so they have a homelike atmosphere or that might enable them to walk onto the Yard.

Booking early is never a bad thing. You’re competing against 1100+ families for lodging. Some incoming plebes come solo, but many come with parents, and some even come with entourages of grandparents, siblings, GF/BF, family friends. Add in divorced parents - Annapolis is bursting at the seams.
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Something to keep in mind from I-Day 2019: for the plebes with later reporting times, there were not enough buses at the Stadium to transport incoming plebes and families, and keep to the schedule. So, after waiting in line at the Stadium for about an hour, they just started pulling the plebes. It was a different goodbye than envisioned by all of the families. We did meet up later after the Swearing-In Ceremony, but it was a lesson to us about being prepared for changes. As always, Semper Gumby!
Capt MJ said:
There are threads upon threads about hotels. Search on I Day Induction Day, hotels, etc.

Don’t worry too much about distance from USNA. There will be parking and shuttle buses at the stadium on I Day. Some hotels offer shuttles to DTA (downtown Annapolis).

Some hotels offer “USNA friends and family” rates and codes - call the hotel property directly to ask.

There are the usual business chains in and around Annapolis. Some people also choose to do Airbnb, so they have a homelike atmosphere or that might enable them to walk onto the Yard.

Booking early is never a bad thing. You’re competing against 1100+ families for lodging. Some incoming plebes come solo, but many come with parents, and some even come with entourages of grandparents, siblings, GF/BF, family friends. Add in divorced parents - Annapolis is bursting at the seams.
Click to expand...
Something to keep in mind from I-Day 2019: for the plebes with later reporting times, there were not enough buses at the Stadium to transport incoming plebes and families, and keep to the schedule. So, after waiting in line at the Stadium for about an hour, they just started pulling the plebes. It was a different goodbye than envisioned by all of the families. We did meet up later after the Swearing-In Ceremony, but it was a lesson to us about being prepared for changes. As always, Semper Gumby!

We went the hotel route for I-Day and rented a house in Annapolis for PPW. Having 3 additional family members PPW, it was great to have the extra space. Plus, DS had a few rough moments and it was good for him to be able to escape to his own room at the rental house.
 
Annapolis in June is VERY hot and humid. (Think spending 4 days living in a sauna.) Elderly grandparents with heart or breathing issues will be struggling. Step outside, take 3 steps, and the sweat will be pouring down. There are local companies that will rent wheelchairs for a few days.
 
With regards to PPW, our Mid had a lot of laundry he brought with him (as did many others) so it was nice to have a washer/dryer at the Air BnB we stayed at. They go through a lot of clothes in plebe summer and the turnaround time from the USNA central laundry facility takes a bit of time. He was encouraged by some of the detailers to just take his laundry and do it at PPW--he was glad he did. Just another thought when considering hotel vs renting a house...
 
Aina Haina said:
With regards to PPW, our Mid had a lot of laundry he brought with him (as did many others) so it was nice to have a washer/dryer at the Air BnB we stayed at. They go through a lot of clothes in plebe summer and the turnaround time from the USNA central laundry facility takes a bit of time. He was encouraged by some of the detailers to just take his laundry and do it at PPW--he was glad he did. Just another thought when considering hotel vs renting a house...
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Plus mom (me) gets to dote on them, washing their clothes. Cooking favorite foods. It was cathartic for me. LOVED having the house PPW! With most excellently chilled air conditioning.
 
EAL said:
When is parent's weekend 2020?
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I was trying to figure that out too. It’s not on the USNA calendar yet as far as I can tell. It’s usually XXX weeks after Iday, and on a Thursday- Sunday. My GUESS GUESS GUESS is Aug 13-16. Guess. Won’t know for sure until the calendar at USNA.edu is set.
 
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If all the stars align and my DS is offered an appointment, my daughter's wedding is on August 8th and I would hate to miss Parent's weekend! Should have thought that through!
 
EAL said:
If all the stars align and my DS is offered an appointment, my daughter's wedding is on August 8th and I would hate to miss Parent's weekend! Should have thought that through!
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I feel ‘ya. I have a daughter trying to plan a wedding. I’m voting. For Christmas one, feeling that break is the best chance for everyone to be here. She wants spring/summer [emoji849]. It’s ultimately up to her but I’ve told her one, two or 3 bros may not be there.
 
EAL said:
If all the stars align and my DS is offered an appointment, my daughter's wedding is on August 8th and I would hate to miss Parent's weekend! Should have thought that through!
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justdoit19 said:
It’s ultimately up to her but I’ve told her one, two or 3 bros may not be there.
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One of the certainties of Military Service is that you will be separated for family events, holidays, etc. Needs of the Navy controls all. I had one Classmate miss his own wedding when his ship was extended in the Persian Gulf when another ship got hit by a missile (USS Stark in the 80's).
 
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