Hello,
I am a hawsepiper looking to help a friend out. Is there a good, safe, place for sailors upgrading at Atlantic Maritime in Norfolk to stay relatively long term? Any leads are appreciated. I traveled around the country to upgrade years ago, but it would be a dream if one of us could upgrade in one place.
Thank you and fair winds.
I think you meant MID-Atlantic Maritime in Norfolk.
Mid-Altantic has recommended hotels with shuttle service that offer weekly discounted rates for students. Do NOT pick the cheapest hotels across town, you will spend many hours waiting for shuttles and stuck in traffic. Don’t ask how I know this. Pick the hotels that are close, very close, to the school; they are worth the few extra dollars.
For a long stay there is: Air BnB, Craigslist.org, kangaroom.com, short term housing.com , Local rental management companies, etc. Bear in mind that Norfolk has a bunch of high crime dangerous areas. Again, stay close to the school.
For the reasons outlined above, for most people it would make much better sense to go to MPT in Fort Lauderdale. The schools are both good quality. Lots of housing options through the school, including some “crew houses” that are really cheap. Lots of nice condos available too. Many good hotels with shuttles or safe 1/2 mile walks to the school. Fort Lauderdale is a fairly nice place, especially in the winter. It also has lots of cheap flights.
Thanks for the info, Tugsailor.
Yes, I meant Mid-Atlantic. I had a good experience with crew housing at MPT, but have not heard much about Mid-Atlantic. Most who I’ve talked to had family in the Norfolk area or just took one class and stayed in a hotel.
My friend is paying out of pocket and trying to get a bunch of classes in at once.
I paid out of pocket and took classes all over the US. Where I went to school mostly depended on where a particular class was available when I had the time to take it. I’ve taken classes at both MPT and Mid-Atlantic. I thought they both gave excellent courses.
Personally, I prefer Fort Lauderdale and MPT for a variety of reasons. When you look at the total cost of courses, flights, meals, lodging, perhaps a rental car, and things to do on days off , or on a vacation afterwards, you cannot beat MPT and Fort Lauderdale. Norfolk sucks and it will end up being more expensive. I also thought my classmates at Fort Lauderdale were much more interesting.
The one advantage of Mid-Atlantic is that they have a lot of night classes for guys that are still in the military. The school is basically geared toward people getting out of the military. One of my very capable friends was able to take both a night class and a day class at the same time and knock two courses out in one week. A significant cost savings.
Seattle has two excellent schools: Crawford, and PMI (MM&P union school). Seattle is a very nice place. However, it can be a real challenge to find affordable housing near the schools. October through April will have lower rates. City traffic is heavy and time consuming. So is public transport.
The Louisiana community colleges, and Clatsop community college in Oregon have by far the cheapest course prices.
I took a similar path. I saved up and used vacation time for classes at most of those schools, but was unsure about Norfolk.
I heard Mid-Atlantic has a good program and the ability to double up classes is an asset. However, you confirm my hunch that Seattle and Lauderdale are likely better for someone looking to take a series of classes over a few months.
I found great cheap lodging (often not right away, but once I got my bearings), helpful, interesting classmates and fun stuff to do in both Seattle and Ft. Lauderdale as well. We also advised each other about upcoming classes- I had mostly good experiences not just at PMI, Crawford, and MPT, but also at Clatsop, TRL, CAL Extended Learning and SUNY Professional Ed and Training.
Anyway, I’m sure not only my friend with find this thread helpful, thanks!