<p>Any parents back from Plebe Parent Weekend - tell us about it. I am looking ahead to next year, so I would appreciate any tips or suggestions (I already know to take socks and bubble wrap for the glasses ;)). </p>
<p>Also, there will be 3 adults and 1 teenager in our family attending, so I'm looking for opinions on the best place to stay for a reasonable price.</p>
<p>PPW was great.</p>
<p>We stayed at the Thayer and it was great (no security lines to deal with, easy on post parking, and had some heavenly morning runs around the post). It is pricy though - the Holiday Inn at Fort Montgommery is a good alternative.</p>
<p>Friday was a quiet day. There were no uniform factory or laundry tours this year, and our cadet did not seem enthusiastic about us attending classes. We could have arrived midday Friday instead of on Thursday, but enjoyed ourselves anyway. </p>
<p>Saturday was great. We skipped the Q&A preferring to get a good seat on the bleachers to see the review. Bring a blanket to sit on or at least a small towel to wipe off the heavy morning dew. If you want to video the event, sitting on the top bleachers allows you to stand without obstructing anyones view. Dont miss the academic open houses it was great to meet the profs and chat about the program and our cadet. Bring a coat to wear over your evening outfit for the banquet/hop. Even though I wore a warm outfit (velvet skirt and jacket), I was still really cold standing outside in the reception line waiting to enter Ike Hall. We didnt do the bubble wrap and socks thing. Our cadet took the glasses up to his room so we didnt have to cart them around. We got them from him the next day and they arrived home safely in our checked baggage after being packet in tissue paper inside a plastic Tupperware container.</p>
<p>On Sunday we had breakfast at the Holy Innocents church (Episcopal), attended the service and then went down to the Palisades Mall. We had a relaxing day watched a movie, ate dinner and returned to the hotel. Our cadet was back in the barracks by midnight. This was the only day where our cadet had no duties or responsibilities.</p>
<p>We picked up our cadet at 8am as requested and headed back to the Thayer for breakfast. In retrospect I think he would have preferred to sleep in. We took a drive and had lunch at Cold Spring before saying our good-byes at 2pm so that our cadet could get his homework done for the coming week. Before leaving we stopped off at the cemetery. My husband and I both had time to reflect as we paid our respects at the foot of Emily Perezs grave (class of 2005) .</p>
<p>We left awed and humbled by the young men and women we had met over the weekend. We wouldnt have missed it for the world.</p>
<p>I didn't know they had eliminated the uniform facotry and laundry tours! With no uniform factory tours was there an opportunity to purchase the black wool parka with the grad year on the front? I was really looking forward to putting a 2011 below my 2008 next year! I guess I could buy the 2011 at the C Store and do it myself, but seeing all the parents proudly wearing their new jackets was such a kick...</p>
<p>And did they eliminate the rainstorms from the weekend, too? :D</p>
<p>Yes, they had parkas on sale at Ike Hall. They had 2 tailors there who were sewing on the patches so there were plenty of parents sporting their newly acquired attire :). The cadet store also had parkas for sale.</p>
<p>MOT - the weather was gorgeous (sunny and cool) - one small shower an hour or two before the banquet and that was it. I whole lot better than last year I hear.</p>
<p>Thanks Ann, sounds like you had a great time! I would love to stay at the Thayer but it is probably out of our budget. I'll check out the Holiday Inn. </p>
<p>One question, do the cadets have the option of spending Sunday night with their family or do they have to go back to the barracks to sleep?</p>
<p>I hope they bring back the uniform factory tour next year. That was one thing I was really looking forward to.</p>
<p>Hi WAMom68: Yes, cadets have to sleep in the barracks every night. Taps is usually around 1AM, but it depends on whether the cadets have duties or not.<br>
Other parents may have suggestions about where to stay. We were given good advice last year: make your hotel reservations early - the hotels nearby fill up really fast.</p>
<p>Ann, that is exactly why I am looking for a hotel NOW! :D</p>
<p>WAMom68 - I agree with Ann and the other posts, make your reservations ASAP. But I doubt you will be able to make them a year in advance. Mark your calendars for March-ish and then ask the hotels when would be best. The Holiday Inn Express in Ft Montgomery is second closest to the Thayer and worth it on these kind of weekends. We didn't book early enough and had our regular and very nice room in Newburgh, but the 25 minute commute is tough late at night. You might want to consider booking ( and paying for) the Thayer JIC, I am positive you could find someone to take them from you come closer to the weekend. I know I would have!</p>
<p>After the parade our cadet's company had a fashion show, which was enjoyed by all, and a barbeque which was thoughtful and timely. The weather cooperated beautifully His company had set aside changing rooms in the barracks prior to the dinner on Saturday night and many people took advantage of this. We changed in the 6th floor bathrooms of Ike Hall and that wasn't too bad either. The men's and women's rooms are nearby for toothpaste, etc exchange!</p>
<p>Unlike many, our cadet was determined to have every minute with us and resisted our many appeals for him to sleep. Finally I told him I needed to sleep in a bit on Monday or I wouldn't be safe driving home and that got us a later start and him a few more minutes of sleep. Be prepared for tired and time-greedy cadets who want both sleep and a longer weekend.
As for the weekend events, the Hop was not the highlight by any stretch of the imagination. Time spent with our cadet, who marveled at how "nice" WP was without the pressures of plebedom, was the highlight. Followed by academic visits and the dinner before the Hop. At dinner it was especially lovely to see the pride of each cadet in their dress greys and the pride of their families seated next to them. </p>
<p>In all it was a wonderful yet bittersweet weekend, and all too short.</p>
<p>Does anyone know when Plebe Parent Weekend will be for the Class of 2011? Is there a way to figure it out if it is not published, eg, the second weekend in October? The Holiday Inn in Fort Montgomery takes reservations fifty weeks in advance for anyone that is interested. Thanks.</p>
<p>October 12-15, 2007
USMA's Master Calendar will tell you any scheduled event
<a href="http://www.dean.usma.edu/sebpublic/usmacalendars/default.cfm?usr_actn=search%5B/url%5D">http://www.dean.usma.edu/sebpublic/usmacalendars/default.cfm?usr_actn=search</a></p>
<p>Thanks a million WP2010Mom . I hope to see you there.</p>
<p>We made our bookings in January for R-day. I think A-day and PPW bookings were made in February. Even though the exact dates may not be published yet the Thayer had a good idea of when PPW etc. would be and were taking bookings accordingly. They said they would move the booking if the expected date differed from what they had predicted. Other hotels may have a similar policy. We made our bookings for graduation 2010 on R-day :eek: The Thayer started taking reservations at 8:am (phone only) and were sold out by 8:30am (you pay upfront!)
We had an extra booking at the Holiday Inn Express for R-day and there was no shortage of people willing to snap it up when we no longer needed it.</p>
<p>WP2010Mom: the fashion show and barbeque must have been fun - interesting how the companies are all so different.</p>