Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego — Attraction in San Diego

I now know why less and less people want to join the military. Seriously though.. You really have to come to a self conclusion why no one wants to join or why they get such a bad rep for themselves. The recruiters will try to be buddy-buddy with you and act all friendly, they will never tell you what you’re getting yourself into though. And please remember that they are just using you, you are just a number to them. All your patriotism will rot away once you go into the training company and the drill instructors will make fun of you and mock you for the reasons on why you decided to join in the first place. They literally place stuff in your head. Your so called senior drill instructor which everyone calls a “father figure,” is secretly reporting/typing down everything you tell them either one on one conversations or any actions/words you’ve publicly said to anyone else. They are rats. Your senior drill instructor is anything but your so-called ‘friend’ or ‘father.’ Every little thing you say will be used against you and you will be ridiculed for it. No one believed me when I was in there and was only warning them, but it’s in the system though. Their loss… Your recruiters can see it, so can the boss of the recruiting station. It felt like high school all over again, because a lot of the kids there are young. A lot of them basically just graduated HS; so they practiced gossiping consistently and they always seemed to get me in the middle of it despite me trying to avoid it. The Chaplins are horrible. If you request a Chaplin, they are suppose to be there to hear you speak about your issues, instead they are doing most of the yapping and talking for you. I don’t care how much the DI’s have served in the military or their background is; they act like the recruits, they’re just was bad as them with the bad mouthing about other people in there. It only makes every else’s lives harder when someone else is talking bad about you. And it’s a joke when your squad leaders are the biggest gossipers of them all. Unfortunately, they’ll become ‘Marines’ despite them not really earning it. They’ll never change as people from the time they got shipped out to the time they see their families on family day. They only get worse and more egoistic in all reality because they shoot a gun and chase around imagary enemies. A lot of them will most likely get UCMJ’s and article 15’s for their poor behavior. I have no pity for these recruits or ‘Marines.’ Avoid the military, especially...

Some places may offer discount vacations, others might even offer a free vacation, but to my knowledge this is the only place that will actually pay you to take a 3 month vacation free of charge. Once there, you'll receive a number of other free amenities including free meals, free water (although it's kind of yellow), free haircuts (although they seem rushed and way too close), 1-3 free phone calls and free personal trainers. But wait, there's more. While vacationing at "The Depot" you'll get free lessons in marching, shooting, martial arts and pugil sticks.

The amenities are rather sparse, but it's all part of the experience. While the mattresses are thin and the pillows are barely there, I never had an issue going to sleep in under 5 minutes. They have community showers and insist you use them each day, although sometimes only one shower head is allowed to be used. The restrooms were always spotless, even if they were missing the doors. Still, I found it quite nice some days to use the facilities while having a quaint conversation with one of my new found friends.

I would however avoid the sand pit, or that rather small piece of linoleum known as the quarter deck (which was odd because I never found any quarters there, even with my face pressed against it.) The personal trainers can be a bit up tight, but their routines are often filled with some of the best comedic material I've ever heard, although, I will warn you they're not very good at taking a compliment. Every time I laughed at one of their jokes, it was not received well, although I did usually win a trip to the pit, but it wasn't my cup of tea, although you may like it.

One negative is that there are zero women here. In fact, you most likely will not see a single woman until the end of your 13 week stay. Which I think accounts for some of my fellow travelers marrying very large women after leaving.

Finally, at the end of all, they give you a huge sendoff, beginning with each of you--who are still there--receiving a small token of achievement known as an "EGA". My ceremony was attended by a movie star, R. Lee Ermey, and was a spectacular moment, even if there seemed to have been some onion ninjas who seem to have ambushed a good number of my new friends. Then on the last day, they have a whole parade in your honor and invite your family, many of whom no longer recognize their sons.

While I had mixed emotions about my trip when I left there in 1998, I cannot recommend it highly...

I took some time off a while back and booked a stay at this resort for about 13 weeks. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I figured "what the heck?" To my pleasant surprise, this place was amazing!

The other people staying at this resort were friendly and most of us got along well. I slept in a building with an open floor plan that accommodated quite a few people. The only complaint I have is the bathroom situation can be a little hectic. Also, sometimes tornadoes would blow through and mess up the furniture, so be prepared for that.

The food was so delicious, I don't think it took me longer than a couple of minutes to eat it. I felt like such a pig, but what's the fun of a vacation if you have to watch what you eat? Plus, it's almost a shame to sit inside stuffing your face when you could be outside mingling with your friends and trying to get the full experience of this depot!

From the time I woke up until the time I finally went to sleep, there were tons of activities to do. There was never a dull moment. Also, the staff here are extremely courteous and helpful and will never let you doubt yourself. They will always help you find a way to conquer whatever it is you are doing that day.

If I have to say something bad about this place, which is only fair in a review, I would say the proximity to the airport is a little annoying. Sometimes the jets taking off would keep me awake and it always made me sad knowing people were leaving San Diego without ever knowing this gem of a depot existed.

When it was finally time to leave, which came WAY too quickly, I was sad to see this place go. From all of the staff and people I became good friends with to the beautiful interior and exterior design, I just couldn't stand the thought of waking up somewhere else. Alas, all good things must come to an end.

I HIGHLY recommend this place, but make sure you book 13 weeks so you can experience everything this place has to offer. Anything less than that and you aren't doing...