naval station norfolk

First, a disclaimer - I did not take the bus tour available to the public, I was here with the Boy Scouts of America. We were able to see a fast attack sub (USS Boise, SSN-764), a destroyer (USS Mahan, DDG-72) and an aircraft carrier (George H.W. Bush, CVN-77). Sadly (but understandably), no pictures of the sub (they held onto all cameras and phones). The shipboard tours were very informative, and they encouraged pictures on the Mahan and George H.W. Bush. We ate an early dinner at the Ship's Cabin Galley, which was decent, but not memorable. If you can get a shipboard tour, keep in mind that they are *not* accessible - "stairs" onboard ships are in reality ladders.The base itself is large, and well-cared for, but the stars of the show are the ships docked at the piers.

This is basically to a closed audience. If you have a child or family member in the U.S. Navy who is returning from sea duty you HAVE TO SEE THEIR RETURN. I retired from the Air Force and Never experienced anything like this. TRADITION. Every American should see this. God bless the USA and it's Military.

This navy base is HUGE! Went to see my grandson on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. Enjoyed our visit. Hate to see him go away for so long

OH MY !! The base again...Is in continual construction, and change. Easy to get turned around. Was stationed here in 84-88. So much has changed.

We were pinched for time when we got to Norfolk, but we made time to se this. it was so very worth it. We opted for the narrated cruise rather than touring the USS Wisconsin ( next time!) The cruise was excellent. We learned so very much about the ships, and the port in general. All informative and very interesting. Just to see the aircraft carrier USS Truman was a thrill! The size and scope amazing. I would do this again in a heartbeat.

Whether you were in the US Navy or not, touring Naval Station Norfolk is worth it. Even though you will not be allowed to get off the bus much, and you will not be able to go on any of the ships, you will have a great view. No where else will you get to see destroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers and an assortment of other naval vessels. The guides are career Navy members and are all knowledgable.

The NEX is really one of the best PX. We really enjoyed to shop there the three years spent in Norfolk

We took the bus tour and it was wonderful to see the US Naval Base up close and personal. Check in process takes a bit because they look for your photo ID and do a bag check etc. but you are at a naval base you know... lol - We saw mnay ships including a carrier! Made our son's day!

We were in Virginia Beach on 30 December. Visiting a retired navy aviator who REALLY wanted to show us the Naval Station.According to the website, the tours run EVERY DAY EXCEPT PUBLIC HOLIDAYS. "One tour daily, except Mondays, unless Holiday; Tour will depart at 1:30pm."After reading a bad experience of another tripadvisor contributor (thank you!), we phoned. No answer. Our friend was sure it meant the office was temporarily unstaffed and would open before the tour.So we went to Norfolk. Notice on the door of the tour office just had a printout of the website on it. No statement such as TOURS RECOMMENCE ON xx JANUARY. Nothing.We saw a car parked near the back door of the tour office. So we went and banged on the door and it opened. The nice man who opened it said they were closed until 3 January and he was there doing a stocktake. I told him that he should tell someone that they NEED to update their website. He was very apologetic. And our friend was so terribly disappointed.Pull up your sock Naval Station Norfolk!

The bus tour is nice and cheap ($10) and lasts 40 min. You can see ships at berth but this part doesn't last very long. Then you tour the base and see maintenance facilities and living areas. I wish you would spend more time seeing the ships and get more explanations about them.

Coordinate your visit with the Public Affairs Office and you won't be disappointed. Google the most recent contact information, don't forget ID, and spend the afternoon, bring money for Navy Pride gear!

Big AWESOME NAVY ships and subs! You can't get more manly than that. No public access via POV, but I think they have a tour office off of the Base for the public.

My family is a military family so getting on the Naval Station is easy for us but I wanted to do a guided tour to get some information about the Ships that are housed there and it was well worth the money. I think it was $10 per person and active duty gets to do the tour for free. It takes you all around the Naval Station and then back. The tour was about 45 minutes long and you do get to take pictures but only in designated areas. It was the most impressive thing I have seen in a long time. The ships are amazing.

I have experienced great prices and customer service with commissary and NEX. The prices on base are cheaper than Walmart and others. I staff are very friendly and nice.

We fully expected this to be 5-stars. We drove 40 minutes to find the tours don't operate on Christmas Eve. On one hand being closed is fine, on the other Hand update your website to reflect being closed so time and money isn't wasted.