Roller coaster II: Get Me (The Parent) Through Plebe Year Class of ‘25 🎢

cluelesscandidateparents said:
What are DBIDS?
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It’s the ID you can get as a Mid guardian, that allows you driving privileges on the yard. You will get info on this. Discussion here was surrounding the hours that they are processed. It requires you to be present, get photographed, and some background done (it’s processed at gate one area).
 
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justdoit19 said:
It’s the ID you can get as a Mid guardian, that allows you driving privileges (and others) on the yard. You will get info on this. Discussion here was surrounding the hours that they are processed. It requires you to be present, get photographed, and some background done (it’s processed at gate one area).
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Cool thanks. Hence my username lol
 
cluelesscandidateparents said:
Cool thanks. Hence my username lol
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You’ll get there! It takes a minute. Or year 🤪

*it’s also not required. We didn’t have one for the first 2 years of our Mids usna career. Highly recommend, though. If nothing else, you can drive on and pick them up. VS them having to walk to the gate to meet us.
 
Old Enlisted Marine said:
Finally took the trek to USNA to convert the temporary DBIDS paper to a legit card, I feel like BIG BUSINESS now! 😉 Not easy trying to get down during the week. And of course another stop at the Mid store. Also the high light of course seeing DS for a few in between classes.
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We did as well Easter weekend - disappointed they expire before commissioning! Only good for 3 years ...
 
28 days....we got to spend time with DS this past weekend post "rest of family" spring break trip to DC during the week.

We were able to catch the last Distinguished Artist Series performance on Friday which was fantastic. For a school that does not have an actual Music degree program, the USNA Music Department is top notch. The SecNav, UK ambassador, Jordanian Ambassador sat two rows BEHIND us! What a fantastic experience for the USNA community to have these programs. It was the largest symphony orchestra to play at USNA. Of course the USNA glee clubs represented well.

DS secured overnight liberty and we hit some out of DTA places--Julip for lunch, Yellowfin for dinner and Double T for Sunday brunch post church. Of course we paid our tuition bill at the MidStore and I made my first visit into the (not so) secret package store in Walgreens :)!

DS is anxious to not be a Plebe anymore. He is ready for the next adventure. He is already strategizing what to do with his stuff during the summer. I offered some advice but it is in his hands. He is excited about the Plebe company shuffle and is hoping for a 1st Reg company to be closer to classes, MidStore and services. However he recognizes the risk of being on certain decks that get a lot of foot traffic or that contain the 'Dants offices.

All in all he is well and enjoying his Not College.

BTW---the Costo in DC off of 50 has a huge liquor and wine section. Guy in front us had almost $1000 of liquor in his cart that he paid using his Costco credit card rebate check :)
 
justdoit19 said:
You’ll get there! It takes a minute. Or year 🤪

*it’s also not required. We didn’t have one for the first 2 years of our Mids usna career. Highly recommend, though. If nothing else, you can drive on and pick them up. VS them having to walk to the gate to meet us.
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Note that only parents get the DBIDS. Lesson learned this weekend when I left my DBIDS at home--- as long as MIDN is with you or one other person has the DBIDS you can still drive in. DW had to do the driving when DS was not with us :)
 
LT360 said:
Of course we paid our tuition bill at the MidStore and I made my first visit into the (not so) secret package store in Walgreens :)!
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I've seen this a couple of times? What do they sell there, or is that the actual secret? Not the fact that it's there, but what they sell?
 
HopefulDad2026 said:
I've seen this a couple of times? What do they sell there, or is that the actual secret? Not the fact that it's there, but what they sell?
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It is a nice little package store tucked away in the back of the Walgreen’s. In MD, normally grocery stores and drugstores don’t have alcoholic beverage licenses, especially distilled spirits. They are very scarce in Annapolis and hard to get. The pre-pharmacy business had one, and Rite-Aid, then Walgreen’s, wisely kept it. There is no external sign. It is ideally located near the Navy Stadium and Comm Week rental housing in the area, otherwise, you have to drive out to the Mall retail shopping areas. Easy parking, with Graul’s grocery store, Naval Bagels and a Chinese food place all right there, all you really need. It has an excellent and well-priced selection of potent portables.

We have met more old shipmates and DH classmates and friends and neighbors there over the years than I can count. Everyone chats in there. Visitors welcome.
 
Capt MJ said:
It is a nice little package store tucked away in the back of the Walgreen’s. In MD, normally grocery stores and drugstores don’t have alcoholic beverage licenses, especially distilled spirits. They are very scarce in Annapolis and hard to get. The pre-pharmacy business had one, and Rite-Aid, then Walgreen’s, wisely kept it. There is no external sign. It is ideally located near the Navy Stadium and Comm Week rental housing in the area, otherwise, you have to drive out to the Mall retail shopping areas. Easy parking, with Graul’s grocery store, Naval Bagels and a Chinese food place all right there, all you really need. It has an excellent and well-priced selection of potent portables.

We have met more old shipmates and DH classmates and friends and neighbors there over the years than I can count. Everyone chats in there. Visitors welcome.
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Got it, so pay tuition bill at Midstore, then drown your sorrows at Walgreens. I guess I'm ready for I-Day now.
 
Capt MJ said:
It is a nice little package store tucked away in the back of the Walgreen’s. In MD, normally grocery stores and drugstores don’t have alcoholic beverage licenses, especially distilled spirits. They are very scarce in Annapolis and hard to get. The pre-pharmacy business had one, and Rite-Aid, then Walgreen’s, wisely kept it. There is no external sign. It is ideally located near the Navy Stadium and Comm Week rental housing in the area, otherwise, you have to drive out to the Mall retail shopping areas. Easy parking, with Graul’s grocery store, Naval Bagels and a Chinese food place all right there, all you really need. It has an excellent and well-priced selection of potent portables.

We have met more old shipmates and DH classmates and friends and neighbors there over the years than I can count. Everyone chats in there. Visitors welcome.
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And long lines every time we have been!!

A Mid sponsored trip to the NEX, when able, also works.

This is such a foreign thing to me. In my state? We can purchase liquor anywhere. Walmart. Gas station. It’s odd to have to plan for it!
 
Capt MJ said:
It is a nice little package store tucked away in the back of the Walgreen’s. In MD, normally grocery stores and drugstores don’t have alcoholic beverage licenses, especially distilled spirits. They are very scarce in Annapolis and hard to get. The pre-pharmacy business had one, and Rite-Aid, then Walgreen’s, wisely kept it. There is no external sign. It is ideally located near the Navy Stadium and Comm Week rental housing in the area, otherwise, you have to drive out to the Mall retail shopping areas. Easy parking, with Graul’s grocery store, Naval Bagels and a Chinese food place all right there, all you really need. It has an excellent and well-priced selection of potent portables.

We have met more old shipmates and DH classmates and friends and neighbors there over the years than I can count. Everyone chats in there. Visitors welcome.
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There is Mills’ Wine & Spirits on Main St. in DTA (Downtown Annapolis), but you have to deal with parking and DTA pricing for the boating crowd who water taxi or take their tender in.

I also mean “potent potables” in my post above, but Siri intervened. “Portables” also works well.
 
justdoit19 said:
And long lines every time we have been!!

A Mid sponsored trip to the NEX, when able, also works.

This is such a foreign thing to me. In my state? We can purchase liquor anywhere. Walmart. Gas station. It’s odd to have to plan for it!
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Yes, the Navy Exchange across the Severn River at the Naval Support Activity is outside the security gate. There is a nice package store (“Class VI” to my Army and AF friends) inside the store, plus robust snack aisles. Anyone with the right govt ID and 21 years of age can shop there.
 
LS1988 said:
We did as well Easter weekend - disappointed they expire before commissioning! Only good for 3 years ..
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They’re good for four years, until after commissioning week. But you need to renew them at the three-year mark. We learned that when we tried to drive through Gate 8 during DD’s firstie-year plebe summer. We had to turn back, park by Gate 1 and renew in the office. Took all of 10 minutes.
 
justdoit19 said:
And long lines every time we have been!!

A Mid sponsored trip to the NEX, when able, also works.

This is such a foreign thing to me. In my state? We can purchase liquor anywhere. Walmart. Gas station. It’s odd to have to plan for it!
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Yep, Sam’s Club, Trader Joe’s, no liquor at all, in MD.

And in an unrelated oddity, with the exception of 3 counties, auto dealerships in MD are closed on Sunday.
 
Capt MJ said:
Yes, the Navy Exchange across the Severn River at the Naval Support Activity is outside the security gate. There is a nice package store (“Class VI” to my Army and AF friends) inside the store, plus robust snack aisles. Anyone with the right govt ID and 21 years of age can shop there.
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I have already warned DS that we will be making this stop once he is 21. Scary to think it is only 18 months away.
 
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