Hey guys/gals gots a few questions for you. Its time to go back to a ship and I can do either Norfolk (yuck) or Hawaii. Im in Va Beach now and overall I think the east coast Navy experience wasnt that great. I was stationed in San Diego for quite a while and think that the west coast is much nicer, both workwise and environment wise. Id rather get no bs answers from you all than talk to someone on a ship out there that I would be going to relieve who might be inclined to blow smoke up my a$$. I have been to Pearl quite a few times but it was always a liberty port so my memory is obviously lacking. So on to the questions...

Most important I guess is would you stay or come back after being there for 3 years? I cant say I would stay here if I had a choice, and I feel like going somewhere different.

For fleet guys how is the base layout? Is it crowded, do you have to park a mile away from the pier? How is traffic coming into the base? The fleet base at Norfolk has its own freaking interstate and its still backed up all the time. Are most of the ships on tropical hours? I think more u/w time is a given. Ill probably be going to a newer DDG.

What are the gas/food prices like at the NEX/Commissary?

I understand that some of the cops are d!cks and that the gun laws are about as bad as Cali, but thatll take some more research on my part.

Thanks!

 

Hawaii = paradise despite the traffic, cops, and the fact it's an island once your here your here.

Since your going to ship. I say go for it, by the time you get sick of the island it's time for deployment.

plus the pay increase is always good...

 

Not a Navy guy, I'm working on Pearl as a civilian contractor. My replies in Red above.

 

gun laws not that bad... all you need for hand guns are your order bringing you to hawaii and some minor paper work and a few fees..

trust me i looked into it already since im a local resident in hawaii and i'll be bringin my hand guns back to hawaii with me

 

The fleet base at Norfolk has its own freaking interstate and its still backed up all the time. Are most of the ships on tropical hours?

What do you mean by "tropical" hours?



What are the gas/food prices like at the NEX/Commissary?
yea gas/food are higher, but you will be compensated in Hawaii with COLA (cost of living allowance) which is a few extra hundred every month

 

My advise: Hawaii nice to visit, not stay. Hawaii ships are now considered forward deployed just like the ships in Japan (lots of U/W time). Traffic: Shitty. Houses: Expensive. Car mods: everything must be shipped (more money). Not to be to much of a hippocrit; I've done two tours in Hawaii since '99, but the u/w and training cycles are gettting a bit to much to enjoy the islands anymore. Stay on the mainland! IMO

 

Damn I forgot I made this thread, thanks for the replies! Im still trying to go to a sea duty billet thats not a ship, but need to prepare for the worst.

Trop hours are usually like 0600-1300 with no lunch instead of the usual 0700-1600, and I figured Id be underway alot so that wont matter much. But thats where the money is, between my sea pay starting again and the extra pay I may have a nice pay jump coming.

Im assuming gas around $5/gal, and food will be about 2x as much. My MO is to get a small cheap place near the base so I can ride/pub trans in, I have it down pretty well so I hope it can work out that way. Are there alot of places to rent that are close (<10mi) to base?

From what Ive seen the gun laws are even worse than Ca. You cant even carry a gun unloaded unconcealed. Also no mags more than 10 rounds, and Ca even has a special things for mil that you can have that kind of stuff. Im not trying to settle there, just do a few years to see something new and get back to the west coast.

 

its not that big of an island, more then half of it is less then 10 miles from base.

 

Gas is only $3 a gallon! Public trans is a bus, that's it!

 

anyone got info about MDSU-1 on Pearl Harbor? That's where i'll be headed off to... shore duty FTW!

 

Guam??

 

Yup......worked right next to them a couple of years back. Nice bunch of guys. Don't know if Chief Jones is still there, but he made my life a lot easier than it might have been with someone else.

MDSU-1 is actually located (I'm assuming they are still located there) on Hickam AFB on pier Alpha 1. You guys are going to be sitting next to some piers that the Army has control of too. It's a weird location out there.