R-Day Worth Attending?

Regarding airports... Don't forget about Hartford (BDL)!! It is even a little closer to New London than Providence. We come from Michigan and never have a hard time finding direct flights to either Hartford or Providence, so we just choose the best price or schedule.

I would pick these two over Boston because not only is it an hour's drive closer to CGA, but the airports are so much smaller and easier to deal with.

Nicole
 
heartcross said:
I didn't go to USNA's I-Day because of finances. We saved my flight $$ so that Mid's older sib could come for PPW. It was the right decision for us. I have a wonderful photo of Mid being sworn in by her BGO. Priceless!
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And for those families who can't make it, don't worry. Many parents will step in and take photos of your newly minted and lost Swabs and send them off to you. For the new Swabs, if you don't have family, and someone volunteers to do this, let them. The first photos of you in uniform are a trip and when you get old, you will want them. Its makes Mom and Dad connected to the day also. Its one of the great parts of the SA culture. They will lend a hug, water, and snack. USNA has an entire section of Alumni on hand for that day with cell phones, water, snacks just for that.
 
NavyHoops said:
And for those families who can't make it, don't worry. Many parents will step in and take photos of your newly minted and lost Swabs and send them off to you. For the new Swabs, if you don't have family, and someone volunteers to do this, let them. The first photos of you in uniform are a trip and when you get old, you will want them. Its makes Mom and Dad connected to the day also. Its one of the great parts of the SA culture. They will lend a hug, water, and snack. USNA has an entire section of Alumni on hand for that day with cell phones, water, snacks just for that.
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USCGA has an even better resource, his name is Paul Duddy and he is a Godsend. He is the unofficial photographer for all cadet related activities at the Academy. As long as you have joined the USCGA Parents Class of 2020 FB page, you will see the hundreds of photos that PD posts daily. During my oldest DS's Swab Summer, I poured over PD's photos daily to find my Waldo and I will be doing it again this summer to catch a glimpse of my youngest DS's SS experience. Not a day went by where I didn't see a picture of my DS in the summer of 2013. I treasure those photos and the letters that DS sent home during that time. It's amazing how far he has come since July 1, 2013 - R-Day.
 
nigel said:
Regarding airports... Don't forget about Hartford (BDL)!! It is even a little closer to New London than Providence. We come from Michigan and never have a hard time finding direct flights to either Hartford or Providence, so we just choose the best price or schedule.

I would pick these two over Boston because not only is it an hour's drive closer to CGA, but the airports are so much smaller and easier to deal with.

Nicole
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While I wouldn't recommend this for I-day, especially if the cadet doesn't have a lot of travel experience, at some point in your cadet's career, you will find that airfares/schedules into Hartford or Providence are not particularly good On one or two occasions, our cadet used a Baltimore routing (Baltimore is a big Southwest hub). My cadet flew into Baltimore and then took the free shuttle from the airport to the adjacent BWI Amtrak station and caught the train to New London. While you add a six hour train ride, you may save on flying time if you don't have a direct flight into Providence and Hartford. Plus the airfares to Baltimore were often 100 to 150 less than the New London area airports, while one-way train fares generally were $60-$90. Plus you get dropped off in downtown New London and don't have to worry about a ride/huge cab fare from the airport to the academy. It takes some planning and is not optimal, but just another option to look at. On the times our cadet used it, there was a substantial savings in travel expenses and only a modest increase in total travel time given Southwest's schedules at those times.
 
This seems to be moving to a travel perspective. One option to consider over flights to JFK or LaGuardia is Boston Logan, then use the train to New London. I have not done this, but have heard it can bypass many of the NYC back-ups on flight. I've also heard horror stories of people flying into NYC, then trying to drive up 95, because they didn't know better. Don't do it. Just don't do it.
 
AuxNoob said:
This seems to be moving to a travel perspective. One option to consider over flights to JFK or LaGuardia is Boston Logan, then use the train to New London. I have not done this, but have heard it can bypass many of the NYC back-ups on flight. I've also heard horror stories of people flying into NYC, then trying to drive up 95, because they didn't know better. Don't do it. Just don't do it.
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Agreed! We've done the drive from LaGuardia to New London. Terrible! The reverse if even worse on a Sunday afternoon. Never again. Boston is much easier and about the same distance.
 
I would attend as many events as possible. Going down this path happens very fast and once, although, the Swab/Cadet life seems to go by slowly. It is said that "it's a good place to be from."
 
AuxNoob said:
This seems to be moving to a travel perspective. One option to consider over flights to JFK or LaGuardia is Boston Logan, then use the train to New London. I have not done this, but have heard it can bypass many of the NYC back-ups on flight. I've also heard horror stories of people flying into NYC, then trying to drive up 95, because they didn't know better. Don't do it. Just don't do it.
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Travel into Boston or Newark can be the cheapest for those coming from the West Coast. Boston to New London is very easy, by way of the free Silver Line bus to Boston South Station and then Amtrak into New London. From personal experience, this is an easy trip, and cadets are very able to navigate it. I have also rented a car several times in Boston and driven to New London. I have never had any issues, but my arrival times were not during the busy drive times.

Newark airport has a monorail that connects directly to the Amtrak station. From personal experience, this is also very easy for cadets to navigate.

I have in the past found great deals into Boston...ANC-BOS roundtrip for under $370. Pays to check all the options.
 
The BEST airport to go to CGA is Providence, but I think you have some good alternatives listed here too. Bradley (Hartford) is a bear. Providence is a straight shot on I-95… and Amtrak is also an option from PVD.
 
Providence is always our first choice, but it usually involves one stop from Houston. We usually find better fares into Boston and the flights are direct. We traveled RT back in February for $120. The only thing you have to be careful of is timing - you do not want to be arriving or departing close to rush hour. That's especially true in the summer on a Friday afternoon with all the traffic headed to Cape Cod.
 
@F15DOC , we did go to R day last year, but for us it is only a 3 hour drive. On Sunday, there were several events and informational sessions that gave us quite a bit of information. On R day itself, you will not see your swab after you drop them off until they swear in late in the day. There are informational programs for parents most of the day. After they swear in and have their photo taken, there are about 15 minutes to spend with your swab. Ours was very tense and emotional, knew he was being watched by cadre. He was teary, as were we.

While many parents did attend, there were many who did not, and many of those swabs who did not have parents present were taken under the wing of parents that were there. They were fine. Given the choice between R day and parents weekend, I would say take parents weekend! By then the kids have settled in, and they are so happy to get some time away from the academy!
 
1. I'm a Yankee....meaning I travel all over the place in my little Fit....180,000 miles on a Sept. 2007 base model. This past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling on Amtrak from Stamford, Ct headed to RI (about 30 mins. north of New London). It was: smooth, fast, clean and enjoyable sitting next to the Snacks and Bathroom. Yes, I am now spoiled...it was worth the $45 one-way fare. Check it out...parking can be a problem but not if you're connecting from Baltimore, NYC or Taxi.

2. Don't forget about the Mystic Aquarium Day when the cadets do their thing....may be a good chance to meet up (I think it happens at the end of July).

3. Again, Good Luck to all Waitlisters...May 1 is right around the corner!
 
SueRI said:
2. Don't forget about the Mystic Aquarium Day when the cadets do their thing....may be a good chance to meet up (I think it happens at the end of July).
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Old Mystic Village Flag Ceremony. Whether your swab will be there or not depends on what swab company they are assigned to.
 
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