Nox

BTW, you did mention the Quantum.  I didn't mean to mention it  as a smaller class ship.  

I’ve done Alaska cruises on both radiance and ovation. As another poster said, on Radiance you can get much closer to glaciers and do a full turn so both sides of the ship can enjoy listening to the creaking glaciers. On ovation I was SO disappointed how far away we were and the lack of time spent at the glacier; the ship was just too large to get any closer safely. However, also as others have said, the venues on Ovation, like the shows and the cafe in Two70 are amazing, as well as iFly, and the Seaplex. We spent many many hours hiking the Alaska wilderness while in port (hiking upper Dewey lake is the hardest hike I’ve ever done and I live in the mountains of Utah) and found that there was still plenty of time to explore and enjoy the ship venues on sea days. Some day I’d like to take my 4 kids and personally will be choosing ovation or quantum when we go. 

I'm booked on Quantum for Alaska in May. We honestly chose it because we were limited on time options and it worked the best with our schedules. Also, we found a GREAT deal for it on the Costco travel website (so maybe worth checking there if you are a Costco member). I'm excited because there are a lot of indoor options on the top deck (like the inclosed adult solarium) plus 270 on a lower deck which has huge windows. Honestly I would have been find with a smaller ship as well.

We just got off Independence (the sailing right after you) and found the food to be delicious. Hit up the Indian food at the Windjammer every day and it was amazing (admittedly, we don't touch anything fried or "American" like cheeseburgers and hot dogs.) Best breakfast was in the MDR (breakfast power wrap - amazing!) and the Windjammer breakfast was as I expected (not stupendous, but exactly what I'd expect from a buffet.)
My only complaint about the food is that the MDR portions seemed to be drastically smaller than I ever recall from previous sailings - but our waiter offered to get my husband a second plate of his entrée the first night (I thought he must have overheard him murmur to me about the portion being small, but if he did, he certainly didn't let it affect his politeness.) Husband happily accepted, and they made sure to offer each night after.
One thing I did notice was that one night in the MDR, our waiter and assistant waiter were both very stressed and highly concerned about our wait time. They apologized profusely, as if they were anticipating us flipping out on them. It was very sad and made me wonder what they have had to deal with as of late.
I do think there are issues of understaffing, but also just a sudden influx of passengers after nearly two years without sailing.
If you choose to go on your next trip, hopefully it will better fit your expectations!

Our first cruise was to Alaska on Radiance ots. I think an Alaskan cruise ,you tend to spend more time off the ships and on excursions so you may not have the time to take in all the extras on a bigger ship. I agree with Psycho and Barb about the glacier aspect and the smaller ships can go into tighter ports in general which may give you more or better options for ports of call. Have been on the big ships and do enjoy them but when we do another Alaskan cruise I will pick a small ship.

A mix of politics and merit.  
Real people were impacted by actions of the Cuban government.  However the US government and/or many states will gladly take your land when they need or want it right here in the US.  Here's 10 cents on the dollar.  Eminent domain is alive and well.  
There are many people who did have land and property seized in Cuba so the issues are real and like everything else opinions fall depending if you and someone close to you was impacted.  
However at this point it's mostly a political conversation. 

One of the best times I've had on any cruise was when we reserved/rented the Rising Tide, on Symphony, during the 70s/80s, I don't remember the decade.  We had the complete bar open to just our party, it was a party of 14.  The bar went up half way between the top and bottom of its usual travel.  We had a birds eye view of the entire party.  The young ones in our party danced and us old folks just drank and bobbed our heads.  

The fine print of the updated Crown and Anchor society benefit grid includes a link (in red below) to an upgrade preferences site.  Not sure if this was always there or not but the link does not appear to go anywhere.
Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members will receive welcome waters & a snack on day ("welcome amenity") one of their sailing. These items will be placed in the guest's stateroom. In addition, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members can go online to RoyalCaribbean.com/UpgradePreferences or call one of our Loyalty Representatives (RoyalCaribbean.com/ContactLoyalty) in their local offices to pre-select from a list of beverages to be included with their welcome waters & snack. One beverage can be selected per guest 18 years of age or older. Preferences must be entered or updated for your upcoming cruise vacation up to 5 days before a US based sailing and 7 days for an internationally based sailing. The beverage selection list for Emerald and Diamond members will include water, juice and soda items. In addition to the previous list Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members can select from a more expanded list of beverages. If a guest has not selected an item then bottled water will be sent to the stateroom. House alcoholic brands may be substituted or changed, and are subject to availability.
 
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/crown-and-anchor-society-benefit-grid.pdf

We did Alaska on the Radiance of the Seas in Jun-Jul 2017 and loved it.  The smaller ship allowed the captain to get closer to the glacier and pivot the ship 360 degrees...Don't think he could get as close on a bigger ship.  This year we are going back on the Serenade of the Seas and can't wait.
 

Quantum class ships are a little more suited for a cooler/rainier climate than many others.  I have no idea how the smaller class ships that you mentioned are outfitted for the Alaska climate.  Is it worth it for YOU.  That is really too hard of a question for us/anybody to answer.  It's really up to you and what you are looking for in a cruise.  What are you looking for in a cruise, dinning options, shows, spa, and/or just a larger ship.  In my opinion, a Quantum class ship offers much more than the smaller ships but offers less than the Oasis class ships, the bigger the better for me.  I like lots of options in entertainment, food, shopping (for my wife.  Happy wife, happy life), just space to walk around and explore, etc.  I also like to walk and walk hard for at least 3.5 miles a day.  The walking track on the Quantum and Oasis Class ships offer that without having to walk around in a small circle SEVERAL TIMES and on a track that is less cluttered.
JMHO  

We enjoyed Ovation because of all the extra shows, dining venues, etc. That said, we definitely spent most of our time off the ship, and the seas were too rough / winds too strong to enjoy the pool deck or most outdoor activities on sea days anyways.

What I like about Quantum (and other big ships) is the variety of options. Maybe you don't go to them all, but I like having too many choices rather than not enough.