We enjoyed ourselves on this cruise and thought it might be helpful to share our experiences with everyone. My wife and I are both in our late thirties and we have two young children (3 and 5). We decided to bring the kids with us for this cruise as well as my mother and her husband. We have been on a total of 10 cruises, and this was our second on HAL. We have sailed on RCCL, X, and NCL. Though we have enjoyed all our cruises, we would put HAL and X in a higher category then the others. Two years ago we sailed on the Westerdam to the Caribbean, and we really enjoyed it! We figured that since this was a holiday week (Thanksgiving) it would be a good time to bring the family, so off we went. I can say that we were very at home on the Oosterdam because it is very similar to the Westerdam! Embarkation from San Diego was simple and we were on the ship in around 20 minutes. Things were well organized and even with a second ship docked in San Diego, it was very painless. We went right to the Lido for lunch and waited for our room to be ready at 1:30. Our room was a Category I large inside stateroom (#6079) that was a quad. Because we were a group of four we had little choice, but we were very pleased with this room. It was mid-ship, with more then ample space! Our bed was a king, another bed folded out from the ceiling above ours, and another bed was made out of the sofa. There was plenty of storage and closet space and we all were really comfortable. The bathroom was the standard cruise ship variety. The room was clean and everything was in good working order. Like the Westerdam, the Oosterdam was really beautiful. From the moment we walked on board, we felt that this was a classy looking and feeling ship. The carpets are dark rich colors and the common areas have great artwork that features HAL's cruising traditions. The ship was exceptionally clean and well maintained. Though this ship is a good size vessel, it never really felt like a large ship because of the unique layout. The Food is always a tough subject to review because everyone has such a different palate. The Lido Buffet is probably the nicest buffet I have seen on a cruise ship. It is well maintained and looks very nice. The only thing I can say is that the food was of much better quality then I have seen on other buffets on any other brand of ship. As many have mentioned, trays no longer are present at the Lido! I didn't even notice them missing until after the cruise when it was mentioned on CC. I still sometimes question the functionality of the Lido stations as it can be a hassle to get your meal from three or four different stations! Breakfast usually seemed to be the most crowded. The dining room experience on this trip was top notch! We were originally assigned open seating, but we really wanted to be assigned to a table, so we met the Maitre D and we were able to get a table for six at early seating in the corner of the dining room by a window! This was a prime location for us and we had an excellent waiting staff! The food seemed to be much better on this trip then our past experience on Westerdam! The menu was more varied and the food was delivered hot and tasty. My two boys (ages 3 and 5) were well taken care of and everyone in the dining room treated them like little kings! The only negative thing about the dining was the signature chef's dinner! Though it was fun seeing and hearing the waiters perform, the menu was limited and the food was not very good that night. My wife and I had dinner one night at the Pinnacle without the kids and it was really an enjoyable experience, great food and service with a much more quiet and refined atmosphere. Overall we really enjoyed the food and service in the dining areas! I really do not get too excited about the shows or entertainment, but my wife really did enjoy what they offered. They did however have a guy by the name of Joel Mason who is an Elton John impersonator and singer. He was really quite good and his show was worth the time. He also highlighted the farewell show and really showcased his talents in all aspects. He can sing, play the piano, play the guitar, and joke around with the best of them! The casino was small but more then willing to take my money and so it did! The kid's club was great and my five year old had the time of his life. They were really good to him and he was thrilled with all the great activities they offered The ports were good! We have been on the Mexican Riviera Cruise three times and though we like Cabo, PV, and Mazatlan, we only hang out at the local resorts and do the beach/pool thing.
Disembarkation was quite easy until you get your luggage and attempt to leave the cruise ship terminal in San Diego! What a Zoo! With two ships in port, San Diego is just not able to service the onslaught of passengers leaving two vessels at once! What a goat rodeo! Certainly not HAL's fault but still annoying!
Overall we really like HAL and will continue to cruise with them. The O is a great ship and I will continue to always consider HAL when booking any cruise!