PLP involves something called field schools, trips students can take to learn and enjoy somewhere else besides school. This year, our grade nine class travelled to Florida to learn about Disney and the fantasy it brings. It was a very exciting, exhilarating trip that included going to Disneyworld, NASA, Cocoa Beach, Universal Studios, and more. I had such an amazing time in Florida and in this post, I will talk about some of the events that occurred throughout the trip.
An Image taken in the Plane landing in Orlando
Our main purpose and goal of the trip was to get footage of a ride of our choosing and documenting the life and fantasy of it. Our class would then create a short documentary with voiceovers, videos, pictures and whatever else we needed to finish our movies. You can find my post on my video in another blog post, talking about Creating my Movie
The trip was scheduled to go from February 3rd to the 12th. Our class departed Vancouver to leave for Orlando, Florida at around 5am, an early time for a flight but worth it for the experiences we were just about to see. We got there around 2pm eastern tim, and we immediately felt the warm, Florida weather. Throughout the trip, our class had to endure the 25 degree weather almost everyday. It rarely rained and for the first time since October, I could wear a t-shirt and shorts. The next day was our first day with Disney. We went to the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, located just North of the other three parks. Although many of us were tired, we all had a great time at the Magic Kingdom. My favourite ride there was probably the Space Mountain, a roller coaster with tight turns, big drops, and a very dark and intriguing scenery.
Photos taken in the Magic Kingdom
Our second day in Disney was one of my favourite and least favourite days in Florida. My favourite part was going to one of the best theme parks in Florida, Universal Studios. Universal is a park for all ages but attracts more thrill seekers than fantasy lovers. We went to Universal for not only fun, but to also see and experience Harry Potter land. We went to Harry Potter land as sort of a “Reward” for doing so well at our Blue Sky Presentation on Harry Potter. Other attractions include a Hollywood themed coaster, Rip Ride Rockit, The Hulk Coaster, Simpsons Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, and more. My least favourite part was when my favourite team, the Falcons, lost the Super Bowl, but thats for another post.
Harry Potter World at Universal Studios
This was our short break from Amusement parks as after Universal, we left our hotel for Cocoa Beach on the east coastline of Florida. There we went surfing, airboat riding, visited NASA, the Kennedy Space Centre and a wildlife refuge. Our first stop was airboat riding and the wildlife refuge. At the wildlife refuge, our class learned about different species and wildlife around Florida and its ecosystem. The airboat ride let us travel through the ponds and lakes of the coast and see animals like turtles and crocodiles. Surfing was a lot of fun. For most of us, it was our first time surfing, while others had done it before and excelled at it. I feel I did really good for my first time, and I plan on doing more in the future. NASA and the space centre was very interesting. Im not that much of a space nerd, but I am interested enough to enjoy and learn some things about space and rockets. One of the things I learned there that I thought was really cool was that there are over twenty rocket launches in a year. I though the most was like two or three but I found it very entertaining that almost two rockets per month launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida. The Space centre included an astronaut training lab and a museum that we all experienced together.
Photos of the Wildlife Refuge + NASA Space Center
The final days of our trip was in Orlando and had us going to the final three Disney parks, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Epcot. As far as thrill rides and attractions go, Epcot was definitely the worst, although I thought it was cool that Disney added a world showcase where you can learn about different countries and nations and what they believe. Our class did a workshop where we learned about what it is like to be a global citizen and learn about different cultures. The next park we visited was Animal Kingdom. Animal Kingdom is like an interactive zoo, featuring a wide variety of animals and attractions that included a drive-around zoo where you could see zebras, rhinos, giraffes and other African Animals. Our last park was Hollywood Studios. We did a workshop at Hollywood Studios where we learned about how we view ourselves and or goals as well as creating our own personal company or brand. It was actually really cool as while we all filled out our goals and worksheets, I realized lots of things about life that I want to do and don’t want to do and what careers I would like to pursue in the future.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom + Nightshow at Hollywood Studios
Once we were done with the final three parks, PLP 9 headed home. On the last day, we went to Disney Springs to do some shopping, then headed to the Airport to go back to Vancouver. The six and a half hour flight was a long one, but we were all happy to be home.
In all, Florida was more than amazing, it was extravagant. The trip was creative and innovative. There was never a time when one of us had nothing to do. The trip was so packed, some of us were tired even on some of the attractions. To conclude, this was a spectacular trip. It was a great one, one to remember for years to come.