Going to be painting my oak kitchen cabinets white. I heard that oil based paint would be best, but don't want to deal with the extra mess. Is there anything wrong with using a good acrylic enamel?

No, there's nothing wrong with using an acylic latex enamel. That is what I put on my kitchen cabinets a number of years ago. But, the oil-based paint would be more durable overall. I sanded, put on a coat of primer and then a couple coats of the paint. I also used a semi-gloss so that I could wash them. If the painted surface is going to be touched by hands a lot, then it would be better to go with an oil-based paint.