We chose to do the cruise as an alternative to our usual group Thanksgiving gathering and dinner. Understanding that there would be more families and children onboard we knew it would be different than past cruise experiences so we lowered our expectations. However, we did expect that Royal Caribbean would have upped their game to anticipate the customer base and done more to keep up with the trash and empty glasses and service ware. The bathrooms were not up to par.

We couldn't get reservations in the restaurants that came with our meal package. When we did we were rushed through our meals, so much so that our beverage order came during our second course and next courses came before we were done with our current course. The food is clearly staged in containers waiting to be served resulting in cold and dry food. The level of noise (dishes in tubs, clanging of plate covers, flatware, glassware) coming from service stations is like a 24 hour coffee shop. At multiple times tables in the dining room became storage areas for unused service ware and tables remained dirty with dishes for long periods after passengers had left. The service staff was friendly enough and plentiful. As a note, we didn't sit in large groups for meals, three and four tops, with the exception of our Thanksgiving Day dinner.

It feels like Royal Caribbean has not figured out how to manage these new Quantum Class ships in a manner that is in keeping with the service traditions that built the cruise industry and that it is more about volume and return on investment. You really notice the service changes with multiple days at sea.