Service on mega ships vs smaller ships

We just got back from the Anthem of the Seas, and I have to say I am very disappointed in the service. In our previous cruises, we have always tipped extra to our attendants and servers who go above and beyond. This time, I honestly have felt that only the specialty restaurants servers were trying hard. There was one windjammer server who asked us what we wanted to drink and brought us drinks and that was on the last day. On all the other days, we had to get our own drinks.

Our first cruise in the Radiance of the Seas, I remember the service was much better and more attentive, some servers remember our names and preference and made sure we receive it when they see us. We love the mega ships, but wonder if service suffers due to the ratio of guests to workers? Do we have to give up our preference of mega ship cruising in order to get better service or is this the new norm for all ships?

Love the new mega ships, but disappointed in the service and the impersonality of it all.

We were on the Oasis in September and had wonderful service. From our room attendant to MDR waitstaff to WJ staff to the gentleman fixing the air system, EVERYONE on the ship that we encountered smiled and greeted us or offered us assistance. Our waiter and his assistant in the MDR were so spectacular, we requested them every evening. They remembered our names and our preferences and had our drinks waiting for us when we arrived. We were thrilled with the service and can't wait to return!

I haven't been on the mega ships yet and have always noticed the Crew on the Radiance Class ships are always greeting you and offering to help but not sure the smaller ships vs larger is the reason It could be the demographics of the crew on a particular sailing more then the size of the ship.. On one of our b2b cruises we had to switch cabins and the change from one Cabin attendant to the other was very different.

Good to know that it’s possible to get great service from an Oasis class ship. I guess with the massive hires for these new ships, the quality of service is going to be a hit or a miss. Thanks for the replies. We will book the Harmony for 2018 and see how that goes.

I've been on every class of Royal's except for Freedom, and never saw a noticeable difference in service. I can't wait for my next Royal cruise, the Symphony, in 2019. For me, Royal is a lot like Holiday Inn used to be. You know what to expect, and 99% of the time, that's what you get. Decent food, and outstanding service, regardless of ship.

Excellent crew on Harmony at the Summer. Wasn't thrilled with the crew on Anthem, I will say, they didn't seem too happy, didn't like the Captain or Cruise Director on AN, loved them on HM but all crews do change.

As for smaller ships, my first ship (Jewel) had a great crew. Serenade's crew was mostly good, but Enchantment's wasn't as friendly. EN was the only ship we regret booking.

We were on Anthem the first week of October. I don't think the 'service' was any different than our cruises on any other class. Bar service in any free dining area is spotty at best on any class of ship.

IMHO the Windjammer on any mega ship is a zoo to be avoided.

We just got off the Harmony and had fantastic service in the MDR the first night (we had MTD) and the second night it wasn't that great. We ended up switching to Windjammer after that because the kids liked the experience there more. It was rare that someone got our drinks for us there.

In other areas of the ship, the service was fantastic though! There was a lady at Cafe Promenade who asked about my youngest every time that she wasn't with me when I got my morning coffee (some days she was up early, some days she slept in). When my daughter was with me, the lady always spent several minutes chatting with her. Our stateroom attendant was also fabulous when we saw her in the hallway.

Overall, we were very happy with the majority of the staff on the Harmony and there wasn't anyone we were truly displeased with or had a negative experience with.

Have been on the following mega ships (plus many others)

Oasis: Great service

Allure: Great service

Anthem: Horrible

JMO

We have done Allure, Anthem, Oasis. No complaints.

Happy for the experience. Going to WJ was all about timing.

If you want GREAT service you need a 'true' smaller ship

Try WindStar or a River Cruise where the passenger count is in the hundreds rather than the thousands ....

On a Viking River I was being addressed by name at the front desk and the bar by the end of the first day ..... ditto on Windstar

You can look at the reviews of Disney which are mostly high rating, and then plus up if you buy conc' service, and most of the other lines will get good marks if you buy the mid to higher levels suited which again includes "special service" ... but is this ALL OVER the ship?

but there is an undeniable mathematical fact. If the staff has to remember 1000 faces they have a higher probability of remembering you as compared to 5000 faces.

And if it is 400 faces ........ TA .. DA

We've had great service on both large and small ships and we've also had less than great service on both large and small ships.

There's no correlation between the two. Even on the same ship and the same sailing some will say they had lousy service while others will say they had outstanding service.

Crews are constantly changing, I would say that the service on board has more to do with the tone that the Captain and Hotel Director set than anything else.

Interesting posts/experiences. I was on Anthem in July and had great service all around. Honestly I've been on all classes if Royal's ships and really haven't noticed any difference in service from the mega ships down to Empress. Not unusual to come across a grumpy crew member or two but all in all I've been very pleased with the service I've received.

We just got off the Harmony yesterday, and loved the cruise. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I was worried about the service, based on previous reviews, but was worried for nothing. They were all so nice, especially when I had my kids with me. One waiter at Sorentos came up to chat with my 4 year old the first night and brought out complementary sodas to the kids. Our waiters in the dining room were all very sweet and made sure to bring the kids fruit to snack on at the beginning of dinner. We used MTD and had about 3 different waiters. I had lunch in the dining room with just my 4 year old one day, and got up to check out the dessert display and left her at the table. At least 2 waiters stopped to check on her while I was away (I wasn't that far off and could still see the table while I was up).

We just got off the Harmony yesterday, and loved the cruise. The staff was very friendly and helpful. I was worried about the service, based on previous reviews, but was worried for nothing. They were all so nice, especially when I had my kids with me. One waiter at Sorentos came up to chat with my 4 year old the first night and brought out complementary sodas to the kids. Our waiters in the dining room were all very sweet and made sure to bring the kids fruit to snack on at the beginning of dinner. We used MTD and had about 3 different waiters. I had lunch in the dining room with just my 4 year old one day, and got up to check out the dessert display and left her at the table. At least 2 waiters stopped to check on her while I was away (I wasn't that far off and could still see the table while I was up).

We just got off Anthem yesterday. I can honestly say I didn’t run across a single rude or unhappy crew member. This is the first cruise we never entered the dining room , instead dining at Specialty restaurants or the Windjammer. Sat in the same section every meal, and Albert took great care to get our Diet Cokes and delivered with a smile [emoji4]

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We just got off Anthem yesterday. I can honestly say I didn’t run across a single rude or unhappy crew member. This is the first cruise we never entered the dining room , instead dining at Specialty restaurants or the Windjammer. Sat in the same section every meal, and Albert took great care to get our Diet Cokes and delivered with a smile [emoji4]

 

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Happy to hear this. We will be on the Anthem next year.

I love all the ships but probably prefer the smaller ones. However the best service we ever had was on the Anthem (October 2016). From the CD Dru Pavlov on down it was just an amazing crew.

We had great service both on Oasis and Harmony.

Did not notice any difference between those two and the smaller RCI ships.

We did the Allure once on her 12 day Transatlantic, service was very good. Not any different from other ships.

Service varies on the big ships just like the small ships. A year ago we sailed Oasis and had such a poor experience in the MDR on the first night that we didn't go back. Sailed her again this past summer and MDR service was fine.

Have been on the following mega ships (plus many others)

Oasis: Great service

Allure: Great service

Anthem: Horrible

JMO

I just wanted to clarify. I shouldn't have said the service was terrible. I went when the dining room rotation ended. It was more like a stressful time for the servers. Seemed like the right hand had no idea what the left hand was doing. The ship is wonderful and tons of things to do. 😋

Depends on your sailing and wait staff.. I've been on so any ship , it varies for no rhyme or reason but I do believe there's a cycle especially during peak and off oeak seasons . Not to mention the guests can greatly impact it

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When we were on the Harmony we never ate in the MDR. Mostly ate in the Windjammer. Seems every time we were in there someone would come by asking if we needed anything. But come on. I'm perfectly capable of walking and I will always get my own drink. I just don't see tying up these workers when there are so many others who need their help. But the offer is always appreciated. Had one worker who we would actively seek out his section because he was just a nice guy and we enjoyed talking with him.

My wife loved our room attendant so much she seemed to want to adopt her. hehe.

But anyway, Great service on Harmony in our experience. Now that's a big ship.

Last month we sailed Allure and the service was excellent, we disemarked and the next day boarded the Majesty out of Port Canaveral, the staff we encountered seemed as if they would rather be anywhere but there, the only exception was our stateroom attendant. I don't know if this is because she does the 4/3 day cruises but we've been out of PC on Monarch and Enchantment and did not have anything less than great service.

I suspect the levels of service varies from ship to ship based on several factors including the timing of bringing a new ship online. For example, the staffing of 2000+ for Symphony for instance will not have all newbies, as many "experienced" crew members will be drawn from other ships. Their transfers will have to be sourced with new staff. Combine that with normal turnover and the net service results on all impacted ships could be a mixed bag.