lsnhc

And here it is! I don't think I have been the victim of unrealistic expectations. It's all spelled out in the "Welcome abord" letter

You are right on the money! We received that piece of paper detailing what we could expect from the butler - it's still somewhere in the cabin. It was this document vs the reality of what the butler can ACTUALLY do that prompted my initial post. Let me be clear - we are very low maintenance and seldom complain about anything when we travel, but when we are given (on paper!) a level of expectations that are not close to being met, I do feel we have a legitimate right to be disappointed

No.... My biggest complaint here is that Azamara grossly misrepresents the whole butler thing, restaurant reservations notwithstanding.

I'm not inferring that suite passengers should get priority (that's a topic for another day). My issue is the gross misrepresentation of the role and benefits of having a "butler." Azamara makes a big deal of this being a perk with a suite. In reality, it is more of an illusion than reality.

This is our first cruise since Covid and our 3rd Azamara sailing. We got a last minute upgrade to a Club Continent suite and were definitely excited to take advantage of all of the perks, and frankly so far, we are significantly disappointed. The suite itself is very nice - certainly an upgrade from the balcony cabin we originally reserved, but candidly,the other "benefits" are pretty much a joke. The "personal butler" is pretty much a figment of Azamara's imagination - he is a cabin steward in a cutaway jacket and tie. When we first got onboard, we requested that he make reservations for us at the two extra-charge restaurants, supposedly available to suite guests every evening at no additional charge. He wrote down our requests and said he would take care of it. The long and short of it - virtually none of our desired times and venues were available for the entire duration of the cruise. When we inquired as to why this was happening, he said they were already reserved and I would have to deal directly with the restaurant manager (who simply repeated that our requests could not be accommodated). Obviously, the dining component of the suite category is a very desirable benefit, but if doesn't actually exist in reality, they should not promote it. Parenthetically, we heard our suite "neighbors" complaining about the same issue. Even though the "welcome letter" said that the butler would assist making excursion reservations, again, the only assistance was telling us to go to the excursion desk!! In fairness, he did take care of a couple of minor requests - firmer pillows and a bag of laundry - but it's abundantly clear that the expectations of having a "butler" do not begin to match the reality. Let me be clear: We really like Azamara for a lot of reasons and would definitely consider sailing again, but we do feel significantly let down from our expectations and if we were to book a suite in the future, we would know that the only real benefit would be the larger cabin (and a separate check-in line!)