This was our 8th cruise but first one in 13 years. We really enjoyed Holland America and the Oosterdam. Embarcation in San Diego was a breeze. Our cabins were ready by 1:00 so we quickly left our carry one and then headed to the Lido buffet. We found the food on board to be very tasty and lots of variety. We chose the as you wish dining and we had no problem walking up and getting a table whenever we wished. We were willing to sit at any size table so I think that helped. We also ate at the Italian and then Pinnacle Grill. The Pinnacle was awesome and very worth the money. Service was great and food was yummy. Being a cruise critic member helped get aquainted with some very nice people. We took in the Webcam wave and then the meet and greet on the first morning at sea. Our cabin was awesome, it's the first time we had a balcony and that was nice to go outside from your cabin. We enjoyed that many times especially coming into and leaving ports. There's so much storage space in cabins now, we actually had drawers that we didn't use. We liked the elevated beds as that was a great place to store our luggage. We used room service serveral times. We found them easy to reach and very prompt. We used the breakfast card serveral mornings and the food arrived on time and alwaYS HOT. The entertainment on board was top notch. We especially enjoyed the strings quartet. We tried to listen to them each evening. The Ship planned a very nice Christmas morning with Santa and everything. That was a big hit with the kids. We enjoyed the 3 ports. The only negative I could list is the photos onboard the ship are very expensive and possibly people would purchase more if they offered smaller packages. We purchased 2 photos and only wanted one photo of each, the rest were wasted. We also believe the onboard tours are very expensive. With the internet you can purchase tours from local guides for alot less money. The local guides know all the ships scedules and they make sure you're back on board in plenty of time. This was a great trip and a really fun way to spend Christmas.