My son's ship.
On May 23d, they had a "family cruise". The ship was returning from a 3-week float; instead of coming into port, they anchored at sea, and invited the families to ride to the ship on a Landing Craft Unit (LCU) and ride the ship into port with their sailor.
We gathered at a McDonald's on base, and were bussed to the LCU dock; loaded on the LCU and rode out to the ship - it took about an hour to get there. Docking with the ship out in the Atlantic was really cool - the ship opened the door to the Well Deck, and we rode up to them, and the front of the LCU opened to form a ramp, and we walked onto the ship! As I stepped across the 2-inch gap of ocean, a wave splashed my left leg. It was so cool to be that close to water THAT deep!!
It was wonderful to get to tour the ship; now when my son (aka "TeslaDragaon") tells me about the "hangar" or the "shop", or the "galley", I can picture exactly what he's talking about. Not only that, but I have PICTURES of all of the above!
And they did a helicopter show, to demonstrate what our sailors are trained to do. It was a delightful trip, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to ride on a Naval ship, and I shall always treasure the memory.