Paris Trip 2007
Paris Trip March 29th – April 1st 2007
Thursday 29th March, 2007
Thirty nine pupils and six members of staff left Elton Primary School at 07:15 to head for Dover in our fabulous new coach provided by Hollins Travel. The weather was a bit grim to begin with, but that didn’t dampen our spirits. The children were able to watch the DVD’s and the Sat Nav on the two screens in the coach. We collected our driver for the remainder of the trip when we reached Keele Services. Gary already knew quite a few of the staff and children because he had taken them to swimming lessons last year. We stopped for a comfort break and then drove down to Northampton Services to eat our packed lunches. Mrs. Levy organized the seating inside the services for the children. When we arrived at Dover at 15.00 for our ferry at 15:30, we were baffled to discover that our booking had been mysteriously cancelled. After contacting Rhapsody Tours we were able to book another P & O ferry sailing at 16.30 on the Dover to Calais route. This of course lengthened our journey and affected our arrival time at the hotel. We were forced to make a stop at MacDonalds en-route to Paris for our evening meal. We eventually arrived at our hotel at approximately 23:45. The pupils were excellent and eventually all were sorted in their rooms and fast asleep.
Friday March 30th 2007
Breakfast was taken at 08:45. The children were all down in the restaurant on time and we were ready to leave for Disney by 09.30. The weather outside was really miserable and we had to ensure everyone had a waterproof coat. When we arrived at Disneyland we picked up an extra ticket for Mrs. Levy and made our way to the coach park. The weather hadn’t appeared to put visitors off and the entrance seemed as busy and congested as always. We had our first minor glitch here when one child lost his ticket. Mrs.Raseta and Mr. Roberts sorted this out and when we were all safely inside the park, we formed our three larger groups to keep together within the park - Mr.Gardner and Mrs.Smith taking charge of the tall group, Mr.Roberts and Mrs.Raseta the middle group and Mrs.Levy and Mrs. McDermott the smaller group.
We noted that Disneyland Park closed at 18:00, so we made arrangements to meet up at the parade at 16.00 and do some shopping before leaving for our evening meal. All the groups were enthusing about what they had done and which rides were their favourite ones. There was still time to scare the living daylights out of Mr.Roberts on Space Mission 2 and to rearrange Mrs Smith’s hairstyle.
After leaving the park the children ate at the Casino Cafeteria at Valle D’Europe Shopping Complex. The staff were so welcoming and helpful and the restaurant was very attractive too. We were even able to organise a special birthday treat for Liam. We returned to the hotel via Charles De Gaulle Airport and saw Concorde lit up. It was a shame that a child wasn’t too well on the coach. Thanks to all the staff for sorting him out. When we arrived back at the hotel we realised two more parties were in the hotel.
Saturday March 31st 2007
Breakfast was again taken at 08:45, mainly because the other groups were in the queue before us. Some of our party had been woken by teachers from the other schools and by a mix up with the time of the wake up call. We actually were rung at the correct time as well. Not to worry, after a polite word with reception Mr. Roberts wrote out the list of room numbers for our party for the next morning to avoid any repetition. Mrs. Levy waved us off as we left the hotel at 09:30 for Paris. We enjoyed a really comprehensive tour of the major sights of Paris. Our driver, Gary, was extremely helpful and obliging. It did have a knock on affect with our timings from then onwards. We were also delayed at the Eiffel Tower booking kiosk which didn’t help matters either but at least it was fine. All the group leaders took the opportunity to take snapshots of their groups and eventually, we were able to ascend the Tower.
Mrs. Raseta stayed down to collect those who came down from the second stage. All thirty nine children went this far, the balcony 115 metres above Paris offered an ideal view of the city. Only six pupils returned to the base with Mrs. Smith and the other thirty three enjoyed the thrill of ascending to the summit in a panoramic cabin. The excitement and achievement was a real plus point of the visit. After discovering the thrill of looking over all of Paris, and the infinity of the horizon from 160 metres above the level of the second floor, we returned to the shop on the second floor to buy souvenirs, before meeting up to return to our coach.
Time was moving on we were never going to fit in our whole itinerary. We drove to the quayside of the Seine to buy a sandwich and drink. It was now raining, so we ate on the coach. After lunch, we took a one hour cruise on the Seine. Another child wasn’t feeling well, so Mrs. Smith stayed with her on the coach. We were back at the coach for 17.30 and it was already time to head off for the Monte Carlo Restaurant near to the Arc de Triomphe. Many of the children were still full and so the meal wasn’t as enjoyable, however, the restaurant was very attractive. It was just a pity that we could not rearrange our booking for later, but the restaurant was fully booked.
After the meal we walked the short distance to The Arc de Triomphe. Following another photo shoot, we used the underground walkway to the Monument. We viewed the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, before ascending the spiral staircase to the top. We enjoyed the different views, especially of the Eiffel Tower and the Champs Elysees. After descending, we returned to our coach. Gary then drove us to see the Place de la Concorde before we ended our day with a visit to the Trocadero for night photos of the Tower, shimmering and sparkling. We returned to the hotel and the children were asked to pack their luggage so that we could depart early the next morning.
Sunday April 1st 2007
After a wake up call at 06.45, the children brought their luggage down to Reception, loaded it on the coach and joined the massive queue for breakfast. We handed in our keys and departed the hotel at 08:45. We drove to Montmartre (famous for the Artist’s Quarter and the beautiful Sacre Coeur Cathedral). The weather at last had improved, the sun was shining and there was blue sky for our final photo opportunity. Everybody really enjoyed the atmosphere of the Place de Tetre. We were able to see artists setting up and working. This was a bonus because of our early arrival. The artists were friendly and genuinely helpful. After more souvenir shopping we returned to the coach for our journey to Calais. We made a stop about lunchtime for sandwiches and drinks before continuing to make our way to the port for the ferry to Dover. We were once again unable to make up any time. The ferry was due to leave at 16.40 but was half an hour late leaving. We were able to organise a meal for the children on the ferry and the staff in the restaurant were especially helpful. They opened a separate queue and paypoint for us. However, the delay in sailing time meant we were two hours later arriving in England at 18:00. By using the telephone tree system we were able to inform parents of the delay. We eventually arrived back at school at 23:40. Everyone was exhausted, pleased to be back safe and sound and hopefully full of happy memories.
All the staff were in agreement that the trip had been another success for the school. The factors that were outside our control such as the weather, traffic and travel delays and a few poorly children etc. were the only down points in what was otherwise, a memorable experience for the children. Our children were extremely well behaved in the hotel and their safety was never at any point compromised.
I would like to thank those parents who entrusted their children to our care, thanks for attending meetings, being punctual on the day of departure and helpful on arrival. We would welcome your comments on this feedback and your child’s experiences of the trip. Enjoy the photos on our website. There is a prize of a souvenir booklet from Disneyland for the best photo/scrapbook from the trip.
A GREAT BIG THANKYOU TO THE STAFF ACCOMPANYING THE CHILDREN AND ALSO TO MRS.OGDEN AND MRS SALTER FOR THEIR HELP WITH ALL THE ADMINISRATION FOR THE TRIP.
To all at Rhapsody Tours for their organisational skills and experience in making this our second enjoyable and successful visit to France.
To our driver Gary Halliday and all at Hollins Travel.
And last but not least, Mr Emmott and the Governing Body of the school for their approval and permission in allowing the trip to take place.
Mr.D.Roberts (Educational Visits Co-ordinator) April 2007