My wife and I recently took the Oosterdam on a 7 day 'Mexican Riviera' cruise. (Dec 8-15 2007). I should point out this was only my second cruise, her first, so we're not experts. We travel extensively, and know our way around. We're in our mid-fifties, but are very active. The ship itself is everything we'd hoped for. Decent sized cabin with good sized veranda. Nicely appointed ship. All the amenities. Wonderful bed and linens. The staff was a joy, thoroughly helpful, courteous, and happy. We used room service extensively, (I sprained my ankle a week before the cruise), and service was very fast, food was hot every time. Our cabin steward never let me run out of ice for my ice pack. And he was uncanny in his ability to find the right time to attend our room twice a day. I can't say enough about the staff. Shore excursions appeared to be the standard fare. Here's an idea folks: Make your own shore excursions! Do a little research! Save a lot of money, get away from the crowds! Plan a personal adventure tailored to your particular interests. In most towns, esp. in Mexico, you can hire a cab for all day, for about half the cost of what one person pays for a cruise ship sponsored shore excursion. Go parasailing. Do a SCUBA dive. Explore the old town. Visit a flea market. Get out of town for cocktails and lunch at a more remote village. This is especially true for a group of 4 or more, but works for a couple too. We cruised with a large family group, and I was the tour guide for groups of 5 to 10 people, because I'd done the research. Let's talk about the food. I'm a gourmand. If you don't know what that means, this part of my review is probably not for you. The food was dull. Plain and simple. In the main dining room, the dinner menu looked great, but the food was not anything like we'd hoped. French onion soup should be BAKED! With bread in it. And ONIONS! Lots of them! Overcooked lamb, undercooked steak. Medium rare does not not mean raw. Tasteless lobster was a real disappointment, the one night it was offered. The Lido buffet (basically the only other dining option) could take a few lessons from Royal Fork or Old Country Buffet. How about roast beef every night, not just the first night? Mashed potatoes and gravy shouldn't be too difficult. How about springing for some spices in your pasta? Maybe just some gourmet soups? We never even tried the pizza, one look was enough. I must admit that our expectations were high, we heard this was supposed to be a great dining experience. Sorry, it was all flash and no substance. In a nutshell, I'd have to say that the Oosterdam was a great value. I don't believe other ships will have better dining, it's all about trying to appeal to American tastes. As long as you don't have high expectations, you'll eat well. If you don't like kids running rampant, this is a great cruise ship! Spa was well rated by those in our group who used it, albeit expensive. We were not impressed by the music and shows, but that's all about our personal tastes, others in our group enjoyed them. One final note. Everyone in our group seemed to pay a different price for the cruise, even though we all had the same cabin class. We paid about $400 less than most. Do your research! Unless you don't care about cost.