Blackpool School - Christmas in Paris 2010

A Year 8 school trip from a high school in Blackpool travelled on 1st December 2010. This is their school trip travel blog.

We set out on the very snowy journey from Blackpool to Paris. It was our third such visit in the last three years, and the second to be organised by Adaptable Travel. Despite the snow, our driver guided us expertly and without delay to our hotel – the Kyriad Hotel at Disneyland Paris.

The hotel was fantastic – comfortable rooms with ensuite facilities, excellent buffet breakfasts and evening meals, and English-speaking staff who are used to dealing with the needs of school groups. The hotel’s proximity to Disneyland means that a free shuttle bus is in operation, allowing us to take our group along to Disney Village to do some shopping in the evenings.

On the second day, our educational programme began with a tour of the sights of Paris. We crammed a lot into the day, with a visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower, a visit to the Louvre to see the Mona Lisa, a walk along the Champs-Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe (where we climbed the spiral staircase to the top!) and an evening visit to Montmartre to visit the Sacre Coeur church and for some souvenir shopping. The day was tiring but fascinating, with many interesting Paris facts being shared with us by our excellent coach driver.

The next day saw us visit the magnificent Stade de France where we enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of this excellent stadium (built for the World Cup final) by expert English-speaking guides. We saw the players’ changing rooms (we could even get into their giant baths and lie on their treatment tables!), sat in the top tier of the stands, did our exercises in the warm-up area, and walked down the famous tunnel to the pitch. Even those pupils who had little interest in football found the tour fascinating and worthwhile.

We spent the afternoon at Europe’s largest Science museum, Cite des Sciences, with three huge floors of interactive educational exhibits, a 3D cinema, a planetarium, and a huge IMAX cinema which needs to be seen to be believed.Finally, the day was rounded off nicely with a Seine river cruise from which we could see the famous sights of Paris with an interesting commentary.

Our final day was our Disney day! The morning was spent at Disney Studios, home of the Tower of Terror and Rock’n’Roller Coaster, as well as great tours about movie special effects and stunts. Then on to the main Disneyland Paris theme park in the afternoon – Space Mountain proved to be the highlight here, as well as It’s a Small World! We were very lucky to be in the park on one of the rare occasions that it stayed open until 10.30pm, meaning we could enjoy the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Christmas Parade, and stay on the rides long after most people had gone home!

All in all, our 44 Year 8 pupils had a truly wonderful trip, full of fascinating experiences and packed with fun activities. Thanks to Adaptable Travel for their expert help which makes the organisation so easy – and here’s looking forward to next year’s (already fully booked) visit!!

Written by Mr Cox, Teacher High School in Blackpool