"Oh boy!" - Mickey Mouse, Gay Clubs, and Spring Break?

Driving down I-95 for far, far too long. Traffic clusters the highway, one car to your immediate left, another to your immediate right, a consistent 50 mph. The last two hours of my trip down to Disney World, all the way from Pennsylvania, were exciting and irritating. Driving through Jacksonville, on the winding highways, going up and then down, curving, blinded by the afternoon sun, I sat in the middle lane tailing the other driver for our party of 8, her distinct green Vermont license plate standing out amongst the sea of cars. As soon as we breached the humid Florida air, the weather, which had been oscillating between cloudy and rainy, was cast off by the infamous Florida sun. The interior of my car began heating up, until I switched on the air conditioning, kept on reserve during the long, dreary winter months in OH.   

Eventually, we reached the dreaded Orlando traffic, moving at a snail’s pace, slugging our way forward inch-by-inch. The anticipation to get out of the car, and into our resort compounded as the drive dragged on, while the happy families next to us waited for their turn to enter the promised magical experience of a Disney World vacation. College students seeking a final, exciting Spring Break before graduation, we decided to stay at a resort in Disney, shockingly, due to affordability. We fell into a Disney Spring Break by accident, when one of our friends, whose family are frequent Disney-goers, said they could procure free accommodations for a few days at the Saratoga Springs Resort. Would I recommend Disney World for college spring breakers? Yes, if clubbing and beach days aren’t your end-all be-all. 

Despite the Disney accommodations we did manage one beach day and two club nights. On the drive down, stopping at our friend’s house in Charlotte, NC, we went to “Scorpio,” a local gay club, and watched a drag performance by a runner up on RuPaul’s Drag Race. The best part of that night was enjoying, for the first time that year, wearing short sleeves and shorts in the cool night air. “Scorpio” is a standard club experience, although it wasn’t too full on the Thursday night we went out. The high-ceilings, and less than lively crowd made the club feel almost too spacious for the sweat-inducing, sensory club experience on offer at other venues. The best feature of “Scorpio” is definitely the split bars, two on the first floor, with a third in an upstairs, open-air environment. Being one of the larger gay-clubs in the area, “Scorpio” is usually fuller, and has its fair share of local regulars, with some driving up to 45-minutes for the experience. Overall, 7/10. In Orlando, we went to the famous “Southern Nights”, watched another drag performance, and took advantage of the generously poured, bottomless mixed-drinks on offer. “Southern Nights” was a fantastic club experience, they had convenient $10 parking next door, a fun central stage to dance on with your friends, multiple bars, and low ceilings. The club’s decor, with posters, tv- screens playing the music videos of the songs for the crowd, and the brown bar tops complimenting the mostly interior black, made the club, simply put, a vibe. “Southern Nights” featured an outdoor bar as well, and the drag performances were particularly entertaining, one performer featuring Lady Gaga’s new song “Disease,” whose music video served as inspiration for the drag queen’s persona. Overall, 9.5/10. Our beach day, a 45-minute drive from our resort, was also a blast. Beautiful pink and purple sea shells decorated the beach, Publix subs, with a cold soda, and a good book delivered exactly the relaxed beach experience I try to replicate on vacation. Overall 10/10.

Naturally, being in Disney World, we needed to visit the parks at least once. We decided to purchase an astounding $200 ticket for Magic Kingdom, and spent the day riding almost every worthwhile ride in the park, including Tron, for a grand total of 15 hours. Is Disney World magical? No. Except for, maybe…the fireworks show taking place on and around the Neuschwanstein inspired castle in the center of the Magic Kingdom Park each night. Whether it’s getting rear-ended by strollers, watching stressed adults lead their kids around the park, or waiting in the 2 plus hour long lines for a single ride, Disney World is far from magical. Everything is absurdly expensive, and the lines are ridiculously long. Not to mention, Disney tries to scrape every dollar out of you, despite their already insurmountable prices for many families. Soda fountains have the ability to detect whether you purchased a soda cup, or are trying to fill up a normal cup for water, with soda. From personal experience, the machine beeps, yells error, but doesn’t tell you that you have the wrong cup. To be fair, I was trying to get a free soda, but installing a system that detects which cup you have is a bit over the top, no? I have never seen that feature—anywhere—before Disney. Perhaps more serious, is the price gouging of fast passes, which need to be purchased on top of the $200 park ticket and ensure speedy boarding of popular rides. A measly $200 for entry and some extra $$$ for a wait time sometimes still 45-minutes long. Sounds great to me!

The fireworks show and rides are the park’s saving grace. The food, crowds, and prices, leave something to be desired. Would I buy my ticket to experience the “magic” of Disney  again? Yes. But only because we eked out every dollar of our pass. Had we not stayed 15-hours, done absolutely everything, and seen the fireworks, it would not have been worth the money. Disney World is the pinnacle example of American capitalism, fun for one day, but makes you question society by the end. Not to mention, I feel extremely bad for the parents who have the pressure of providing the “magical Disney experience” to their pre-pubescent child, who probably won't know nearly all the details, costs, and effort their families obsess over. That’s the real tragedy. Overall, 5/10.

So, is Disney right for a college students’ Spring Break? Well, Saratoga Springs provided all of the Spring Break activities I enjoy (lounging by a pool), at an extremely affordable price for me (free). If other people have the same opportunity for free accommodations, absolutely, who wouldn’t do that? But, why was my Spring Break fun at Disney? Probably, because we didn’t actually do that many quintessential Disney activities. We had our Mickey fill at Magic Kingdom, and went to the nearby Disney Springs outdoor shopping area 2-3 times. We focused on relaxation, spending the week with our friends (who are after graduation, will be spread around America), and we participated in the stereotypical college endeavors of beaches and clubs. A central part of our experience was also the nearly 24 hours time period we spent in the car with each other, driving from PA, to NC, to FL, to OH. It might sound cheesy, but it wasn’t the location of the Spring Break that was super important. Rather it was the act of going on a designated “Spring Break.” The week I spent almost exclusively with my college friends, doing something outside of college, and relatively unique, will live in my memory for a long time to come (taking lots of photos together also helps). The people made the experience special. While it might seem obvious, I definitely did not have the same appreciation for the community and friends around me until I got to college, and even then, not until I had already put a few years of college behind me. As I ready myself to move somewhere different and begin the next phase of life, finding the right people to spend my time with is a priority. College is an especially unique environment for living and experiencing early adulthood with your peers. I imagine forming the same community after graduation will be more difficult. However, spending time with my close friends throughout college has refocused my attention on what is really important in my life. Maybe not so much the setting of where I am, but who I am spending time with. Of course a beautiful and exciting city helps, but my friends have made even the rural setting of my college experience special. Maybe an extreme example, but what’s better, a big city or beach living where you are alone? Or a removed, secluded community, with friends? Spring Break with friends, overall, 10/10.