Despite the dazzling shows and stunning innovations of Quantum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean forgot one thing with their new ship… common sense in serving customers and covering the “basics”.

This was apparent on the inaugural voyage. This voyage included the most devotees of Royal Caribbean that I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship -- roughly 60 Crown & Anchor Pinnacle Members, and thousands more Diamond and Diamond Plus members. Given these seasoned travelers, we met many on the ship who have sailed on “inaugural” voyages on RC ships in the past, and based on those fantastic experiences (ranging from celebrity appearances, to daily gifts delivered to rooms, to a champagne “welcome aboard”), they expected the same on Quantum. And they paid dearly for it… nearly 3 times the price of a normal cruise.

However, they received no such “wow” experience this time. They actually received nothing of the “feel” of a special inaugural cruise… no fanfare, and no acknowledgement that suggested this was any different than any other cruise. None of the staff on the ship seemed to even know that this was the inaugural sailing. And it gets worse – even typical Royal Caribbean events such as the Captain’s champagne reception and sailaway with music (both clear opportunities to rouse a sense of exclusivity and pride in guests for being a part of this voyage) were entirely absent. Read more