Plebe Parent Weekend arrival date?

I will offer my input regarding "must attend" events as they differ from some of the others posted on this thread. I recommend PPW (I concur on morning PEP), Herndon & President's Day Weekends. My Mid preferred we didn't visit on game weekends as they had many other obligations & the game ate up a ton of time that could've been spent together, away from campus (eating, eating, EATING). 2C Parent Weekend is 'always' a game weekend so we passed on that, again for the listed football game reasons & my Mid said he "didn't care about us coming for that." Herndon was by far my favorite event & my Mid along with his buddies were in the best spirits which made visiting & pampering them during this time super fun & relaxing. We went the Friday before Commissioning & left after watching the Blue Angels practice on Tuesday. Escaping the crowds of incoming visitors for graduation. Mids also tend to have a lot more freedom with it being the end of the school year. I also went every President's Day weekend for a few reasons. Anytime you can visit with a Monday holiday obviously it affords more time with your Mid. Being in February means it falls during the Dark Ages & hits right after 6 weeks so my Mid was always VERY ready to get away from Bancroft (and EAT)! Also, if your Mid doesn't plan to come home for Spring Break & doesn't end up with leave until 3rd Block a February trip has you getting a visit in between Christmas Break & July/August. An additional event we went for was the Travis Manion 5K. It is not an actual USNA event but is scheduled on a non football weekend near 9/11. Many Mids participate in the race which is a great opportunity to see how your running abilities measure up & the Start/Finish festivities are pretty incredible. It was an honor to run it for sure. I suggest to visit as often as is financially manageable. There is no shortage of things to do!
 
We live in Western Kentucky with a family of four. Looking at flying to Annapolis for I-day on June 25th. Maybe driving? Reading the list serve, I'm wondering if we need to come for I-day? Should we wait for Parents Weekend? How are hotels in Annapolis? Will they be open? Are restaurants open? In Kentucky restaurants are not open. Drive through is available for some. Tennessee has opened restaurants. And flying? We've never been to Annapolis. Our DS has, but we haven't and we're really looking forward to seeing the Naval Academy and Annapolis. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you.
 
All the normal patterns are broken this year, and the playbook is being written as they go along. MD has taken a very conservative approach so far.

Hotels are open. You might as well book and make sure you know the cancellation window.

About the only thing I’ll offer at this point is Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington (BWI) is the closest airport.

There are dozens of threads with advice on PPW - hotels, arrival dates, what to do, where to eat, etc. Use google to search, and put “site:Service Academy Forums” (spacing intentional) in the search string.
 
Capt MJ said:
All the normal patterns are broken this year, and the playbook is being written as they go along. MD has taken a very conservative approach so far.

Hotels are open. You might as well book and make sure you know the cancellation window.

About the only thing I’ll offer at this point is Thurgood Marshall Baltimore-Washington (BWI) is the closest airport.

There are dozens of threads with advice on PPW - hotels, arrival dates, what to do, where to eat, etc. Use google to search, and put “site:Service Academy Forums” (spacing intentional) in the search string.
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Thank you.
 
I am guessing there will be some info sent along in the next week or so on I Day. BWI is an easy flight from Nashville on Southwest (you said you were W. KY so assuming closest major airport). So if you book a flight you can get a refund or move things around easily. Agree on a refundable hotel. No one knows what I Day will look like this year. There is a chance you might be dropping off your DS at the front gate and not see him again for who knows how long. You can always wait another week or so until word is passed on I Day. As mentioned Maryland has been on the slower side of reopening. As of now the Yard is closed to visitors also. Do what is best for your family, ensure things are refundable and be prepared to any situation at this point.
 
I just rebooked our southwest tickets. For a lower price. $83. We are a high market with limited service options so tickets are higher priced. Generally about $250.
While it’s a great deal for the buyer, it made me very sad.
 
In a town hall meeting with the Plebe Summer OIC, he stated that PPW is already off the table. There's no harm in keeping reservations if there's no cancellation fee, but just a heads up.
 
navalaviator00 said:
In a town hall meeting with the Plebe Summer OIC, he stated that PPW is already off the table. There's no harm in keeping reservations if there's no cancellation fee, but just a heads up.
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Not a surprise, given that total length of Plebe Summer will already be shorter. Need to retain as many training days as possible. And surely after all the precautions being taken, no one would see an influx of a couple thousand family members as a good thing.
 
Plebe Instagram story said that info will be shared soon. That it’s up for approval, and will be shared as soon as approved. Wheels keep chugging along!

I guess next after that for parents is 2/C weekend. Fingers crossed for that!
 
DKTKT said:
^---- YES! Also, get your "DIBS card" for this! (I think that's the name - ?) Whatever the special ID for driving a car onto the USNA campus is, get it! Even if you are not driving! Last summer only those with their "DIBS card" were allowed early morning access to the Yard (even just walking on). I had one, and was able to get my whole party in early with it. But there were a bunch of families lined up who could not get in until later (like 6 am?) and so missed the start of that PEP, came in like mid-way through? There were a bunch of disappointed families.
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Is your DIBS card suggestion intended for everyone, or only family members without military ID cards? Since we have military ID cards, we weren't planning to get DIBS cards since military ID cards also allow base access.
Based on your note though, I am concerned whether there may be some special occasions where military ID won't be sufficient but DIBS will. Is that the case?
 
Outside of the COVID environment, I've never had any issues with access to USNA with a military ID.
 
mapa said:
Is your DIBS card suggestion intended for everyone, or only family members without military ID cards? Since we have military ID cards, we weren't planning to get DIBS cards since military ID cards also allow base access.
Based on your note though, I am concerned whether there may be some special occasions where military ID won't be sufficient but DIBS will. Is that the case?
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I never got the parent card when my son was at USNA and just used my Retired ID card which worked just fine. Blue and Gold Officers get the same card as parents and my state's BGO's always get offered the cards before we go for our annual training. The yard seems to be closed to those cards at times but I've always got on with my DoD card.
 
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