5:15am is an unbelievably early start to the school day, but this is how the Edinburgh trip kicks off. The first highlight was seeing Darren one of our favourite Ulster bus drivers pulling up to the school gates. The second was the bright clear skies which promised a smooth crossing on the boat.
By 7:30am we were safely on board the ferry based in the entertainment lounge and already establishing our dominance on the interactive games available to play. Visits to the shop were led by Mrs Balfour a shopping aficionado who was able to help the pupils determine the best value. Excursions on deck were led by Mr Hodgins in an attempt to dilute the screen time with some much needed fresh air.
The crossing was fairly uneventful although there was the usual lost wallet, child caught with too much money, claims of a sore tummy while brandishing a huge bar of Dairy Milk and the inevitable requests for an arrival time.
Once we reached the Glasgow Science Museum the children devoured their packed lunches. Refuelled and raring to go we took our seats in the IMAX cinema and watched a 40 minute 3D show entitled ‘Under the Sea’. Judging by the shrieks and attempts to reach out and touch the 3D images this was a very successful first activity.
After the show we spent some time exploring the exhibition floors and it was impressive to see the children interacting with the displays and experiments. The time went by very quickly indeed and if it weren’t for the attraction of getting to the hotel, and finding out their rooms, the children would have played on for much longer.
When we arrived at the hotel the room keys were handed out. For the next hour the children were given time to settle into their rooms, unpacking or taking a shower if they wished.
At 6:30pm we headed down for dinner. The hungry travellers were delighted to discover that there was a great selection to choose from. Several had seconds and even the pickiest of eaters polished their plates off.
After dinner we headed off to the park for rounders, football, a zip line and some time in the playground.
Day one could not have gone better and the children have been excellent. They have gone to bed and settled well. Goodnight everyone.
Photos can be viewed in the gallery section of the website.