DAPHNE — Teacher Missy Schmidt arrived at Christ the King Catholic School right on time Tuesday morning, ready to set off for New York City with her eighth-grade students.

But to her surprise, the chartered bus — set to carry the 46 students to the Pensacola airport — was nowhere in sight.

Nearly an hour later, and with a 4 a.m. planned departure just minutes away, Schmidt wasn’t deterred by the lack of a bus.

She quickly found parents willing to drive the students to the airport.

And soon, a stream of vehicles began leaving the school’s parking lot in a makeshift caravan.

In all, a total of 104 local people, including students, parent chaperones and family members, are on the trip.

Despite it all, Schmidt was eager to take this parish-sponsored trip with her students — a three-day adventure that includes plenty of sightseeing and a Broadway play.

“I personally can’t wait to see ‘Mary Poppins’ and I think the kids will love it too,” Schmidt said as she packed some last-minute provisions.

Schmidt said she’s also looking forward to seeing David Scott, a Christ the King graduate who now lives in New York and works in the theater.

Scott helped arrange for the students to see “Mary Poppins” and is planning to spend some time with them, Schmidt said.

“He’s meeting us at the top of the Rock — the top of the Rockefeller Center. He is excited about surprising the kids,” she said.

Scott also planned to be with the students at the play, Schmidt said.

Fourteen-year-old Katie Dowd said she is excited about the play, but mostly “just can’t wait to get to New York City.”

Getting up at 2 a.m. was no problem for Claire Schmidt, who said she was looking forward to the plane ride with her friends.

A little more sleepy than her friends, Amber Maurer, 13, could only muster one word, “Wow.”

Abby Alsip,14, planned to go ice skating on the trip, she said.

“I guess it will depend on the weather and our schedules throughout the day,” she said.

Students were set to arrive in New York at lunchtime Tuesday and will return late Thursday night.

Tuesday’s agenda included eating lunch in Manhattan, touring the city on foot and then meeting at Ellen’s Stardust for dinner before going to Rockefeller Center.

Wednesday’s highlights include a tour of the city, dinner at Planet Hollywood and seeing “Mary Poppins” at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

A visit to NBC’s “Today” show and a walking tour of Central Park are planned for Thursday morning.

All of those plans suited Alayne Naylor, 13, just fine — especially the walking tours.

“I love being around lots of people and being in big cities,” she said, adding that this will be her first trip to New York City.

Parent chaperone Pam Barbera said she was looking forward to sharing this experience with her son Andrew and husband Jason.

“I only got one hour of sleep because I was so excited about this trip,” she said.

“None of us have ever been to New York before so that makes this even more exciting.”

A parent who wasn’t making the trip already had a good idea of what the students will experience since she’s from Long Island.

“Actually, my ancestry goes back to owning the Empire State Building property,” said Joanna Fields, whose daughter Stephanie is making the trip.

This will be a life-changing experience, Fields predicted.

“I think just the height of the buildings will overwhelm them; I think they will just be in awe,” she said.

“They will really enjoy the play, because it’s magic on Broadway.”