USS Yorktown 2006 - Trip Report and Photos
One hundred twenty-three parents and children joined us for a
two-night campout on Charleston's famous aircraft carrier, the USS
Yorktown. We met at the Yorktown at 4:00 pm on Sunday, December 3rd,
spent two nights on board, and departed on the morning of Tuesday,
December 5th.
After getting oriented on Sunday and stowing our gear in our
berthing quarters, some of us ate dinner together at a nearby
restaurant to get to know each other. Then we re-boarded the
Yorktown, toured the ship for a while, and then met to watch
a movie in the ship's theater. Everyone was tired the first
night and was ready for "light's out" at 11:00 pm.
We woke up to breakfast in the ship's mess hall the next morning
before participating in special science and history educational
programs, a tour of Fort Sumter, and self-tours of the ship throughout the
day. That night we were treated to a film about the USS Yorktown.
The weather started out wet and dreary, but ended up sunny and beautiful. This was a
great time of year to go. According to the locals, visitors
shouldn't go if it's above 70 degrees outside because the ship gets
hot inside with the higher temperatures. And since we went midweek, we
also avoided the crowd of 500-600 campers that usually stay on
board during the weekends.
Exploring the ship was a wonderfully historic (and adventurous)
experience. It's huge (a little longer than the Titanic), and had a
maze-like interior that we all (children and adults) enjoyed
navigating. There were also planes and helicopters to tour. They
have three other ships that visitors can explore: a
submarine, a destroyer, and a Coast Guard ship. All were worth a
visit, especially the submarine.
The staff that coordinated the program for us were great, although
there were a couple of times that they seemed a little unprepared
for us (they're not as experienced with mid-week groups, I think).
The special science and history programs received mixed reviews. It
seemed to depend on the age of the child on whether he/she enjoyed
them or not (but most said they were worth doing again). The tour to
Fort Sumter was great - most of us wished we could've spent more
time there.
Most of the meals were good, but the boxed lunch could've been
better. The first night in the women's berthing area was a little
rocky due to the staff mistakenly turning on the air conditioner
instead of the heater. (Brrr...) The climate in the men's berth
was better - but there was one particular snorer they'll be talking
about for years to come.
(Smile...)
The second night was better, from what I was told, because everyone
was so exhausted they fell asleep in spite of the snorer.
Overall, I've received very positive reviews of the trip, and many
want to go again, or have told friends about the trip who want to go
next time. I've talked to the program coordinators about ways to
improve our next experience, and they look forward to hosting us
again. I'm tentatively planning another trip to the Yorktown in
December 2007, so watch for updates. Thanks to everyone who traveled
with us the first time!
To get the latest information about all of our trips, please
subscribe to the Traveling Homeschoolers
mailing list. To discuss plans for our trips, visit the Traveling
Homeschoolers forum on our
message boards.
Trip Photos
Getting to know eachother
Enjoying the USS Yorktown (and other ships)
Touring Fort Sumter
I'll post more pictures as they become available. I forgot my camera
(again - oops!) and have
asked others to send me more pictures.
