USS Yorktown thoughts

[fishinmom]

Hi Y'All,

Hope everyone had a safe trip home!

Congratulations to all the parents and kids, for being such a well behaved group! Thank you!

Dianna, thank you for this opportunity. It was great and my family had a wonderful time (even though I opted to get a hotel room for myself the second night). This was my husbands first experience with homeschooling with others, and he was quite impressed. In fact, during one of the movies, he leaned over and whispered, "Just think, we are sitting with some of the brightest kids in the country right now." From a man that is not big on compliments, WOW!!

I heard Dianna talk about making this a yearly venture. Well, my kids have already asked if we could go back. LOL If we do that, I do have a few suggestions.

1. Sleep - Warn parents that haven't gone before, that it is very similar to a camping experience with lots of people. Let them know that even though they will have to pay the same price, they are able to sleep at a hotel that is very nearby, within one block, if they think they might not be able to handle the sleeping arrangements. Maybe we can see about trying to get a group discount at a particular hotel for those that would need it.

2. History/Science lesson - I would like to see the kids broken up for these by age next time, this way the teachers can focus their lesson on a more general age group. Might help keep the kids focused a little better. Another idea is have the lectures be a little more intense, and let the families chose which one would better suit their child at the time. This time, my kids were all into the science, but really didn't seem able to focus on the history. Not sure why???.

3. Food - I knew going in that the food would not be great. I was actually surprised that the cooking staff beat my expectations. However, my family felt that there needed to be more protein in the meals.

4. Communication - I noticed a lot of parents walking around and looking lost (including us). Maybe a quick itinerary update the day before or after we arrive. Listing free time would also be helpful, so we know that nothing is going on in that time block. OH, and maybe we should all pitch in to get Dianna a megaphone, so she and her husband don't have to spend so much time yelling. The ship staff did not seem to want to share their microphone.

5. Interaction - As I'm sure we all noticed, interest in local field trips seemed high. Maybe we can come up with other ideas for local trips. I am new to the area, so am not sure what to suggest, but would be willing to help in the planning.

6. Tours - We would also like to have a proper tour around the ship. I felt as though I said "I don't know" to my children a little to often. I understand that a tour may cost more money. I am not rich and am not sure how much more I could afford, but adding it as an option would be great.

7. Q & A - Do you think we could fill up one of the free times with a Vet from a ship similar to the USS Yorktown to answer questions. Maybe give some of his personal experiences. One of the best ways to learn about something is through another's personal experience. I, for one, would feel honored to hear of a Vets experiences directly from him. If needed, I would be willing to try and find a vet that would be willing to volunteer his time.

Once again, THANKS to Dianna for the wonderful planning and to all the families for being such a great bunch!

Mistee Adams
K12 Star
South Carolina
fishinmom@mac.com

[Dianna]

Dianna, thank you for this opportunity. It was great and my family had a wonderful time (even though I opted to get a hotel room for myself the second night). This was my husbands first experience with homeschooling with others, and he was quite impressed. In fact, during one of the movies, he leaned over and whispered, "Just think, we are sitting with some of the brightest kids in the country right now." From a man that is not big on compliments, WOW!!

I'm so glad your family enjoyed it, even if you did get a hotel room! :smile2:


I heard Dianna talk about making this a yearly venture. Well, my kids have already asked if we could go back. LOL If we do that, I do have a few suggestions.

We're thinking about making this a yearly trip because I've already received a few requests from those who want to go back, and from others who didn't get a chance to go the first time.


1. Sleep - Warn parents that haven't gone before, that it is very similar to a camping experience with lots of people. Let them know that even though they will have to pay the same price, they are able to sleep at a hotel that is very nearby, within one block, if they think they might not be able to handle the sleeping arrangements. Maybe we can see about trying to get a group discount at a particular hotel for those that would need it.

Now that I've been, I know more about what to expect and I'll definitely make arrangements with the local hotel for a group discount. That said, the moms who stayed the second night said that they actually slept very well (the heat issues had been resolved). However, they did say that the bathroom was freezing. :redface2:


2. History/Science lesson - I would like to see the kids broken up for these by age next time, this way the teachers can focus their lesson on a more general age group. Might help keep the kids focused a little better. Another idea is have the lectures be a little more intense, and let the families chose which one would better suit their child at the time. This time, my kids were all into the science, but really didn't seem able to focus on the history. Not sure why???.

This is a great idea! I'll talk to the coordinators about this.


3. Food - I knew going in that the food would not be great. I was actually surprised that the cooking staff beat my expectations. However, my family felt that there needed to be more protein in the meals.

I agree. I also didn't care for the boxed lunch. I said something about that on the evaluation, but I'm going to discuss that with them when I call, too.


4. Communication - I noticed a lot of parents walking around and looking lost (including us). Maybe a quick itinerary update the day before or after we arrive. Listing free time would also be helpful, so we know that nothing is going on in that time block. OH, and maybe we should all pitch in to get Dianna a megaphone, so she and her husband don't have to spend so much time yelling. The ship staff did not seem to want to share their microphone.

I didn't realize that so many parents didn't download the schedule (Plan of the Day) before we left. I had called every family before we left to make sure they received it. For some reason, however, they didn't think they needed it on the trip. I wondered why so many people came up to my husband and I asking what was next, and what time we needed to meet for meals, etc. (These things were listed on the schedule.)

When I finally got extra copies of the schedule and asked if anyone had lost theirs and needed another one, at least half of our members hands went up. They said they didn't realize they needed to download the schedule. A lightbulb went off then and I realized that's why a lot of the families were wandering around not sure what to do. :confused2 Next time I'll emphasize that they'll need to download the schedule, and also create one of my own that's more detailed and clearer so there will be no question about what happens when. :smile2:


5. Interaction - As I'm sure we all noticed, interest in local field trips seemed high. Maybe we can come up with other ideas for local trips. I am new to the area, so am not sure what to suggest, but would be willing to help in the planning.

I received a great suggestion before the trip, and just received another one today. I'll definitely be posting information about more local trips soon. :smile2:


6. Tours - We would also like to have a proper tour around the ship. I felt as though I said "I don't know" to my children a little to often. I understand that a tour may cost more money. I am not rich and am not sure how much more I could afford, but adding it as an option would be great.

Due to the cramped nature in different areas of the ship, I think it may be difficult to do one tour for the whole group at one time. However, they have a map available with the different self-tours available, with the tours numbered and the paths clearly marked. I think they cost extra, though, and weren't available at the front desk. I'm going to definitely ask them to send me a copy of this map for each family next time so they'll have it before we arrive. Information about many points of interest was on placards at many points along the tour. (Did anyone else see the cookie recipe? I think it was for 110,000 cookies and contained 500 eggs!)


7. Q & A - Do you think we could fill up one of the free times with a Vet from a ship similar to the USS Yorktown to answer questions. Maybe give some of his personal experiences. One of the best ways to learn about something is through another's personal experience. I, for one, would feel honored to hear of a Vets experiences directly from him. If needed, I would be willing to try and find a vet that would be willing to volunteer his time.

This is a great idea! Several of the fathers and grandfathers who went with us were actually vets and they talked about their experiences as we were touring the carrier and submarine. Their comments were so interesting. Before we go again, I'll definitely talk to them about asking a vet from the USS Yorktown to talk to us. (They have an alumni program and they meet each year at the Yorktown for a reunion.)


Once again, THANKS to Dianna for the wonderful planning and to all the families for being such a great bunch!

You're welcome, and I'm very grateful for your comments and suggestions. I do hope we can do this trip again next year!

Warmly,
Dianna