Oosterdam vs. Diamond Princess for Mexican Riviera?

[junglejane]

My husband and I are in our mid-forties and want to take a Spring Break cruise to the Mexican Riviera with our 2 kids, ages 6 and 10. Previous cruise experience is Celebrity Infinity (8/06) and Caribbean Princess (6/05) and HAL Ryndam (8/96 - pre-kids). We have narrowed our choices down to Oosterdam (out of San Diego) and Diamond Princess (out of LA). Any thoughts on pros and cons. I like the Anytime Dining on Princess. I'm a little worried that on HAL maybe we'll be placed at a table with someone who's kid-intolerant.

 

On Celebrity we had traditional dining but were there with a family group, so we had 2 tables of 8. The younger kid couldn't really last thru all the courses, so I'd usually let her eat her entree while we had salad, appetizer, etc., then I'd zip upstairs to the kid's program and drop her off and zip back down to finish my meal. I'm not sure how that would work on the Oosterdam.

 

Anyone have experience with the kids' facilities on the Oosterdam? I know they have them, but how good are they? Our kids were fine on the Infinity. I don't think they need 600 other kids to be happy (in fact, I'm a little worried there wil be too many on Princess during Spring Break), but other kids and a good program are important.

 

When we compared the Caribbean Princess to the Infinity, we liked the fact that the Celebrity Infinity was a large ship but not huge, and it seemed a little classier than the CP. So we're attracted to the Oosterdam thinking it would be similar. I'd appreciate any feedback. Thanks.:)

[Atomica]

Although I haven't sailed with Princess, I did the Oosterdam to Mexico back in February, and loved it.

 

There were a fair amount of kids onboard, from a few toddlers on up to teenagers. All the kids I saw seemed to be enjoying themselves, though I can't comment on the kids program, but the area set aside for them on Deck 10 does look pretty cool.

[Sale Away]

We sailed on the Oosterdam this past Spring Break with our (then) 9 year old daughter. It was our 3rd Spring Break in a row that we cruised with her (all on different cruise lines) so we got the kids eye view on Club HAL. She really liked it. Now bear in mind that with that age group, they allowed the kids to sign themselves in and out (with the parents' permission) so she had more freedom than on either of the other 2 cruises. She didn't participate in all their activities but really enjoyed the ones she did join. There were many more children on that cruise than actually participated in the kids' program activities. We know because she had a schoolmate on board who she barely saw in Club HAL. She had really liked the program on Celebrity's Mercury but said the one on the Oosterdam was "better". I haven't sailed Princess but I believe they have more kids sailing at that time of year. I can't remember the count they told me in April but I think it was over 100 under the age of 18 on that sailing - enough for the kids to make some friends but not so many that you feel they're overrunning the ship. I didn't notice many teenagers on board and those I saw were very well behaved. Oh by the way, the time Club HAL has activities scheduled is more limited than on Celebrity. On the Mercury, I'd have to leave before desert to walk her up to the kids area. On the Oosterdam, there was often a wait before it opened up in the evening.

 

As for dining, we were assigned to a table for 8. Our table mates never showed up - even for the first formal night. We had requested a table with another family too. Oh well! After that, we opted to dine in our cabin the remainder of the cruise. If we were going to eat alone we figured we'd do it in the comfort of our cabin. :p When are you planning your next trip? We sure would have liked company at dinner!

 

As for comparing the Infinity to the Oosterdam, there are threads all over the place comparing HAL to Celebrity. We've sailed previously on the Mercury and Galaxy (same class sister ships). There are pluses and minuses to both lines but for the same fare, it's a nicer, larger cabin on HAL. I don't know what CAT you were considering but I remember feeling really cramped on the Mercury. Two sailings after ours that year, they converted our cabin to what they now call Concierge Class. Any Superior Suite on HAL is larger than that cabin was! From the standpoint of cabin comfort, HAL wins hands down. The ship overall is large but not so large that you feel lost. I toured the Star Princess on her maiden voyage and remember feeling as if there were too many cabins, too many people, too many corridors to get lost in. I believe the Diamond Princess is in the same class of ship. This past April was our first HAL cruise. We're looking at going on again at the same time next year. That says it all.

[MercedMike]

We have been on the twin sisters to both of these ... Zuiderdam and Sapphire Princess. They are both teriffic ships and we loved them both! They are very comparable in most ways.

 

The buffet on the HAL Vista ships is much better than on the Princess Jewel class, IMHO. Actually the buffet on Sapphire Princess was a bit disappointing by comparison.

 

But we really liked the Anytime Dining on the Sapphire Princess, and it is the same on Diamond Princess. The four "specialty" restaurants are very nice and work very well. They should be expecially good for your family situation as you could go with the kids, and let them go when they wanted to, and not have to worry about tablemates.

 

Check our cruise page below for our reports and pics of both ships.

 

Have a GREAT cruise!

[4 cruisers]

Junglejane, have you looked at the Mercury 7 day out of San Diego? We are on it for our spring break (April 6th-13). We're cruising with another family with a 10 year old and 13 year old (plus our 15 year old). With a royal suite, the kids have their own tv, couch, dining table, etc. and you can actually close the door to YOUR bedroom and let them do their own thing!

 

I always check the HAL board since we too are HAL alumni. We chose Celebrity for this trip because though the suites on HAL are just lovely, you can't close a door to your bedroom...it's all open.

 

Nanette

[KAYEF]

We LOVE the Oosterdam...................and HAL.

Just returned from Veendam and they were doing the same thing they did last December.................

you can dine in the Lido (for dinner).,.............I'm not sure if that's happening on all HAL ships, but someone on here will surely reply regarding what I'm about to say. They put tablecloths and candles on the tables in Lido at dinnertime and you can get exactly what's being served in the formal dining room with the exception (usually) of one entree.

On Formal Night, if you want lobster, you must go to the D.R.

The neat thing about dining in Lido is that you can "mix and match" your entree plate...................fish from one plate, veggies from another and carbohydrate from yet another............if you so choose.

We enjoyed this choice as we were still on shore at some of our dining times;) .

We prefer the freestyle dining on two other lines we've tried but there is NO comparison regarding cabin size, service provided by staff, Lido Buffet foods, cleanliness, etc. so we give up the dining style we prefer to enjoy Holland America. The cabins and bathrooms are much larger

and

watching the sun set from inside a glass elevator is AMAZING!! It just seems to be swallowed by the sea. Of course, I'm probably opinionated; I took a 23 day cruise on the "O" and would have stayed on!

[junglejane]

Thanks for the responses so far. We're leaning toward the Diamond Princess because of the Anytime Dining, which we liked a lot on the Caribbean Princess. We would love to go on Celebrity but they don't have 7 day cruise departing on 3/24/07, which is when we have to go. No flexibility on when our Spring Break is! Also, the prices are lower on the DP. But we're very curious about HAL, having sailed on the Ryndam in 1996. Also, we're coming from Phoenix, and driving to San Diego is just a little bit easier than driving to the cruise terminal in LA. We'll make up our minds in the next two weeks, so I'll keep checking back for any more responses. Thanks again!

[MercedMike]

The neat thing about dining in Lido is that you can "mix and match" your entree plate...................fish from one plate, veggies from another and carbohydrate from yet another............if you so choose.

 

LOL -- we do that in the dining room all the time! On our last cruise, our waiter Gani was wonderful, and we were always giving him a tough way to go! There were eleven of us, and we changed the rice into potatoes, had extra sides to split among all of us, ordered three appetizers, shared desserts ... rarely did a single plate appear the way it was on the menu! On lobster night he just brough a bowl of extra tails and sat it in the middle of the table! Of course Gani got rave reviews on all our comment cards.

[SHayesShip]

I have been lucky to have been on both the Oosterdam and Diamond Princess. I was in a mini-suite both times (SS and AE) and can honestly say that I liked both ships tremendously but for different reasons. I preface this to say that I did not have any children with me and can not really comment on the kid's facilities.

With the above said you have almost 500 ppl less capacity on the Diamond vs. the Caribbean Princess however they are almost exactly the same gross tonnage. My initial thoughts before going on the Diamond was that I never would like a ship so large. However, boarding was a dream because the ship has multiple boarding entrances and it went as quickly for us as boarding the Oosterdam. I also like PC dining over traditional.

To me the decor was nicer on the Diamond because the colors are quite jarring on the O compared to Diamond.

But, the service was excellent on both ships. There was more variety of food on the Diamond but I really liked the layout of the lido area on O better then on Diamond.

However, since the Diamond is a Grand Class it is a lot like the Caribbean P. whereas the Oosterdam vista class is a major departure from the S and R class of HAL.

So, to sum it up if.........

You want to go on a completely different class of HAL ship and you want to cruise out of the beautiful port of San Diego - go with Oosterdam

 

If you want to go on a much larger ship but with a lot less people then the Caribbean Princess and want PC dining go with Diamond Princess.

[KAYEF]

Also,

be sure you check the itinerary carefully...............although a company CAN and DOES change it!!

We just returned from AK and where we were in most ports until 8 or 10 at night, some ships where there only from 7 or 8 a.m. until 1 or 2 p.m.

When you are able to choose between ships that are much the same, you are fortunate because the itinerary can and should be the deciding factor.

If some ports are tendered in (such as Cabo) that's another thing to think about....................tendering in larger numbers of passengers.....time, lines, etc.

Decisions, decisions..............whatever.............you WILL have a great time............after all, YOU'RE CRUISING!!:)

[4 cruisers]

Jane, I was hoping you had the same week we do. It is very strange how the dates for Spring break are so staggered this year! I actually believe you can't go wrong with either cruise...if James Deering happens to be your hotel manager on Oosterdam, I'd go for that one...he's done an amazing job on getting that ship wonderful reviews (especially when he's aboard).

 

Nanette

[Sheebah]

While I can't directly answer your questions, you may want to look at time in port carefully for both cruises. We sailed Diamond to Mexico and LOVED the cruise, and the mini suite category, but were sad about the short stay in Cabo. We are doing the Oosterdam this December as our family cruise with 4 children ranging from 2-11.

You'll do well either way I'm sure. They will both be wonderful ships for you.

[junglejane]

Thanks for pointing out the differences in the number of hours the ships are in port. I hadn't thought to look at that. My husband, however, thinks there's nothing worth doing in Mexico and wants to stay on the ship! Right now we probably plan to go to the beach in Puerto Vallarta but otherwise stay on the ship. Can you recommend kid-friendly shore excursions in Mazatlan and Cabo? Otherwise, staying on ship weighs in favor of Princess, because HAL's kids program is closed until 5 pm on port days.

[billathome]

They put tablecloths and candles on the tables in Lido at dinnertime and you can get exactly what's being served in the formal dining room with the exception (usually) of one entree.

 

Do you mean they offer fewer number of entrees?

 

Do the waiters bring the appetizers, soup, etc. to the table in courses just like in the D R?

 

Thanks

[RuthC]

Do you mean they offer fewer number of entrees?

Maybe. Maybe not. It's been known to happen that there's an entree in the Lido that's not on the menu in the dining room. There is frequently one dining room entree left off the Lido menu.

 

Do the waiters bring the appetizers, soup, etc. to the table in courses just like in the D R?

My understanding (I don't do dinner in the Lido) is that only the entree is brought to the table. You pick up the other courses as you go down the buffet line.

[Sheebah]

junglejane,

I wish I knew. In fact, I have the same questions about kid friendly excursions. I think if the kids facilities are more complimentary for you, the Princess cruise sounds great. I think the kids will love the ship. It is HUGE and there is a lot to explore. I think they will love it. With all the sea days on these cruises, I couldn't do what you're doing and stay on the ship, I'd be bored...BUT with warm pool weather in Cabo and Mazatlan, the pool will be deserted and you may enjoy the solace there.

 

Thanks for pointing out the differences in the number of hours the ships are in port. I hadn't thought to look at that. My husband, however, thinks there's nothing worth doing in Mexico and wants to stay on the ship! Right now we probably plan to go to the beach in Puerto Vallarta but otherwise stay on the ship. Can you recommend kid-friendly shore excursions in Mazatlan and Cabo? Otherwise, staying on ship weighs in favor of Princess, because HAL's kids program is closed until 5 pm on port days.