One of the attractions of big-ship cruising is the variety
of cuisines, and for some folks the sheer quantity of qual- ity food is irresistible. My goal is to dine very well, to expose Keanu to a variety of new foods, and at the end of the trip to weigh the same as we did when we boarded. Disney offers what they call “rotational dining.” We’re
assigned a pair of food servers, Ramsey and Vitor, and they fi ll us with lobster ravioli, raspberry spinach salad with pecans and gorgonzola, seared scallops and sea bass, fresh breads and dessert. Keanu pronounces the chocolate mousse “spectacular,” while I savor the lemon buttermilk pudding. Every night on the Dream you can see a live Disney stage
show in the grand Walt Disney Theatre. Tonight’s opener is The Golden Mickey’s—A Timeless Tribute but Keanu and I opt to watch it live on the fl at screen in our suite. Next morning, after a fi ne breakfast at the Enchanted
Garden, Keanu wants to explore the Oceaneer Club and Lab, where he takes pirate lessons from Disney’s own renegades. I read a book on a quiet covered deck, loving the respite and the luxury of time to myself. The schedule includes a port day in lovely Nassau. Many of
the ship’s 4,000 passengers take leave of the Dream to explore the city and parts of the island. Keanu is happy to stay on board. After a casual lunch at Cabanas, we play nine holes of Goofy golf on Deck 13. Dad wins but Keanu makes me promise a rematch. Later, I say, as I’ve been eyeing the enclosed triple hoop basketball court. We shoot lay-ups and jumpers, with views of Nassau across 180 degrees of the horizon. Hungry again after our games, Keanu munches an apple
and strawberries. Newly recharged, he shouts, “I want to swim!” So we quick change into our suits and bolt up two fl ights of stairs to Deck 11, where two kid-friendly pools await, beneath a monstrously large TV screen that begins showing Monsters Inc. Several spray-fi lled hours slip by. Keanu
Keanu James plays Goofy golf on the stern of the Disney Dream, en route to Castaway Cay.
is in his element here, as kids of all cultures and countries play around us in a cacophony of shrieks and cries, with mostly delirious parents looking on. Did I mention that there is a secluded, over-18-only pool for parents who need a sanctuary of peace? Before leaving the manic pool
scene, Keanu and I wait in line for 30 minutes to ride the AquaDuck, a 90-second ride with one heckuva view, and a great way to chill, or be chilled. After all that play, dinner is a wel-
come event, and the Royal Palace is all that the name implies. Our fun and dignifi ed waiters greet us warmly, and Ramsey skillfully shows off a card trick to Keanu, recreat- ing on the cards the effect of movie frames as they fi rst were done 125 years ago, with a stickman drawn on all 52 cards slowly pulling a card out of his top hat. Ramsay asks me to pick a card, King of Spades, using the same deck of cards, and somehow he shows my exact card choice on the fi nal frame of his movie. Crazy! Magical fun, wonderment on Keanu’s face, and Dad can’t fi gure out how it’s done so artfully, but the spontaneity is perfect. It’s a true moment of sur- prise and bewilderment on a young boy’s face, which is so delightful and priceless to me, or any parent. Though the requested dinner attire
is “cruise casual,” many of the adults and children dress up, with shiny shoes, sport coats, the odd bowtie, and cocktail dresses on the younger ladies. This feels so much like a “rite of passage,” learning to behave like an adult with manners and style. After diner, we see our fi rst live show,
Villains. Disney doesn’t disappoint with this fast-moving, snappy show featur- ing spot-on comedic timing, adept voices, superb stage lighting and surprisingly topical references to current events and celebrity peccadil- loes, ahem … Fun for the kids and juicy for the adults.
22 EnCompass January/February 2012
www.AAA.com
© Kerrick James
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