I may be out of my comfort zone.... I got an upgrade to a suite

[caymancouple]

So I unexpectedly got an upgrade to a suite.  Never ever expected to have one.... silly question.  What do I do with a Butler?  What can I expect?  What can I reasonably ask for?  What is your favorite thing about a suite????   It is the lowest level suite.   Thanks

[Phxazzcruisers]

We always book a suite on Azamara, primarily to be able to dine in Prime C and Aqualina.  The butler is a nice addition, but we do not use him for much at all.  Some people use the butler a lot, others, like us, do not use them much at all.  It is completely up to you.  They will introduce themselves on the first day and discuss what they can do for you.  We also like the larger rooms.  Enjoy

[florisdekort]

We only use the butler when we want late or cappuccino brought to the suite 😝 Plus of course he brings breakfast when we order in. That’s about it. 

[laurieb]

Your butler will bring afternoon tea down the hall; you can accept or not.  He will also bring afternoon savories if you like (shrimp, etc).  That's about the only services we've used.  You'll love the Club Continent, especially the complimentary specialty dining.

[Arizonasunshine]

The butler can be a big help getting specialty restaurant reservations at a decent time. That's about all we used ours for.

[hubofhockey]

We had our first suite.  The butler was always there to set up breakfast on the balcony, bring the canapes, and answer our questions.  I still believe you should make your own specialty restaurant reservations the first day to get the days and times you want.  Go to Windows after embarkation to do that.  Ours did change a time for us.  Theyare more accessible than the room attendants.  Our next cruise is very expensive and we're dropping from a suite down to a category 6 Ocean view.  We'll miss the suite amenities, but it was good just having them for one cruise.  Enjoy!

 

 

[uktog]

7 hours ago, Arizonasunshine said:

The butler can be a big help getting specialty restaurant reservations at a decent time. That's about all we used ours for.

I would not recommend that, the butler has no more pull on good times than you have. Do it yourself at embarkation at the desk in Windows (or in Spirits if one is set up there. 
The only time we left it to the butler it was so late by the time we saw them and he went to book things space wasn’t available at the time we wanted and it was a protracted process to find another date. If for any reason they cannot fit us in at the date/time/location we want when we do the booking we are there on the spot to work an alternative. 

[hamrag]

9 hours ago, uktog said:

I would not recommend that, the butler has no more pull on good times than you have. Do it yourself at embarkation at the desk in Windows (or in Spirits if one is set up there. 
The only time we left it to the butler it was so late by the time we saw them and he went to book things space wasn’t available at the time we wanted and it was a protracted process to find another date. If for any reason they cannot fit us in at the date/time/location we want when we do the booking we are there on the spot to work an alternative. 

We sailed two B2B 7 night cruises, taking the 3 specialty package both weeks. The first week we missed the boat in terms of times that worked for the show(s) etc. but found the Prime C dining manager, available in Windows each morning, to be most accommodating giving us times that we managed to work around. He is a first class guy, best we have ever seen on a cruise ship.....we were only in a deck 7 inside, so not as if we were priority suite guests!

 

The second week we got exactly the times we wanted, as they allow you to book ahead into the following week at he B2B information meeting a couple of days prior to the second cruise. Even then, we ended up requesting a change of time one night, to enable an early evening spa appointment for DW....he delivered, with his customary huge smile and seemed to enjoy the appreciation we showed to him. He truly is a credit to Az.

[Arizonasunshine]

9 hours ago, uktog said:

I would not recommend that, the butler has no more pull on good times than you have. Do it yourself at embarkation at the desk in Windows (or in Spirits if one is set up there. 
The only time we left it to the butler it was so late by the time we saw them and he went to book things space wasn’t available at the time we wanted and it was a protracted process to find another date. If for any reason they cannot fit us in at the date/time/location we want when we do the booking we are there on the spot to work an alternative. 

I agree,  when the specialty restaurants are fully booked the butler will not be able to help. I should have been more precise. We give our butler a list of specialty restaurants, dates and times before changeover day on BTB cruises. Saves waiting in line. So far we got every reservation we requested. Sorry I didn't mean to imply that by having a butler gets you special privileges over other cabin categories.

[uktog]

42 minutes ago, hamrag said:

We sailed two B2B 7 night cruises, taking the 3 specialty package both weeks. The first week we missed the boat in terms of times that worked for the show(s) etc. but found the Prime C dining manager, available in Windows each morning, to be most accommodating giving us times that we managed to work around. He is a first class guy, best we have ever seen on a cruise ship.....we were only in a deck 7 inside, so not as if we were priority suite guests!

 

The second week we got exactly the times we wanted, as they allow you to book ahead into the following week at he B2B information meeting a couple of days prior to the second cruise. Even then, we ended up requesting a change of time one night, to enable an early evening spa appointment for DW....he delivered, with his customary huge smile and seemed to enjoy the appreciation we showed to him. He truly is a credit to Az.

Yes, Milan is  star.  The lovely thing is many of us remember him as a young waiter in the early days of Azamara.  His talent was spotted both by guests during their reviews and by managers and it is great to see him through the rank of assistant head waiter through to Speciality Restaurant Manager now.

Hope you had a good second cruise, it was lovely to meet you both .

Edited December 15, 2019 by uktog

[excitedofharpenden]

He has a cheeky, but very polite sense of humour too which really helps.  He’s a great guy as many are, but he does stand out.

 

Phil

[Bloodaxe]

Exactly the same can be said of Mustafa and Tekin on Pursuit, we have known them both since the very early days and followed their progress.

Edited December 15, 2019 by Bloodaxe

[hamrag]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Hope you had a good second cruise, it was lovely to meet you both .

 We did indeed, and enjoyed meeting you both and many others. The second week was excellent, and we did 2 ship tours and a walk off tour....thoroughly enjoyed the ports across the 2 weeks although only Nevis (taxi to Botanic Gardens, well worth a visit) and Aruba were new to us. St Barts we hired a car and literally went round and across the whole island, including the rugged terrain on the SE and spent some quick time on 4 different beaches. The airport location at St Jean beach is absolutely stunning.

 

Thanks to you and others for great insights which really enhanced our cruise enjoyment.

Edited December 15, 2019 by hamrag

[tv24]

We have always been in a suite when on AZ.  Your butler will be more attentive than your usual cabin attendant.  We ask him to bring our continental breakfast each morning when we are ready, plus some chips at cocktail hour.  Not much to ask.  The big perk that we like is access to the specialty restaurants, and we go most nights.  Much better cuisine than the main dining room, Discoveries.

[Redtravel]

the butler can be a wealth of good info.  On our first Az cruise in 2009, we asked our butler to get us a reservation in Prime C on our last day of our cruise.   We had tried and been told that they were fully booked.  Our butler got us a reservation in Aquilina and told us to order from either Prime C or Aquilina menus.  Our butler noticed that a wheel on our suitcase was loose. He had it fixed.  Need info about a port, ask. Want a reservation for a meal in a port or tour, ask.  

[uktog]

Yes the butlers then were great. That generation were externally trained. 

[Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, uktog said:

Yes the butlers then were great. That generation were externally trained. 

 

Just one more example of how thinks have changed and not for the better.

[excitedofharpenden]

Ok. Just to add a little balance before it gets too negative for the op.  My experiences with the butlers has been good on the whole, most recently on Pursuit in April. Padam was great. Friendly and attentive and a real help when I caught a cold on the ship, keeping me supplied with hot ginger tea, honey and lemon. 

 

I'm pretty low maintenance and use the butler mainly for things like room service. For me it's more about personality and if I can get on with them. A sense of humour rather than a sense to serve is more important to me. I have my favourites. There are a few. Elro, Ronald, Crooks and now Padam. 

 

Phil 

[Belfastman]

I agree Padam is an excellent butler much in the same way that Ravin was in the past.

[excitedofharpenden]

Yes, Ravin was super as was Mevin.  Ravin now on Silversea and Mevin in Yacht Club on MSC.

 

Phil

[uktog]

Pravin was also great, he is now at Crystal. Yes the names mentioned are all from the older team, you will strike gold if you get one of them! 

[Dr H]

Alas, the good old days... We booked Suite for a few cruises many, many moons ago. Then the price sky rocketed. For the record, Suites come with 4 half bottles of liquor, which you can change or mix and match. It's no big deal, because Azamara allows you to pack your own for private use in your room. The Butler. He is you cabin steward, forced to dress up in a morning coat with tails and gloves to serve you afternoon tea. Whether or not you are in a Suite or an Inside room, he will be happy to make your dinner reservations if you are too lazy to pick up the phone yourself. He will deliver tea and cakes to your room on a lovely tray at 3:30PM. If you book steerage, you get the same tea, the cakes don't come on a fancy tray. The Suite room is definitely wider and definitely a bit more comfortable. There is a tub in the bathroom, the shower is larger, almost normal size. Otherwise, no real difference. Frankly I felt sorry that the poor guy had to dress up in his costume. It's probably the American in me, and I suspect the Aussies can relate. Much as I would prefer booking a suite because of the room/bath size, personally I cannot justify the price differential. I love Azamara, would rather fight than switch, but I'm a Veranda kind of guy.

Edited December 30, 2019 by Dr H

[uktog]

32 minutes ago, Dr H said:

Alas, the good old days... We booked Suite for a few cruises many, many moons ago. Then the price sky rocketed. For the record, Suites come with 4 half bottles of liquor, which you can change or mix and match. It's no big deal, because Azamara allows you to pack your own for private use in your room. The Butler. He is you cabin steward, forced to dress up in a morning coat with tails and gloves to serve you afternoon tea. Whether or not you are in a Suite or an Inside room, he will be happy to make your dinner reservations if you are too lazy to pick up the phone yourself. He will deliver tea and cakes to your room on a lovely tray at 3:30PM. If you book steerage, you get the same tea, the cakes don't come on a fancy tray. The Suite room is definitely wider and definitely a bit more comfortable. There is a tub in the bathroom, the shower is larger, almost normal size. Otherwise, no real difference. Frankly I felt sorry that the poor guy had to dress up in his costume. It's probably the American in me, and I suspect the Aussies can relate. Much as I would prefer booking a suite because of the room/bath size, personally I cannot justify the price differential. I love Azamara, would rather fight than switch, but I'm a Veranda kind of guy.

Not sure when you are referring to but since reimagination refit about four years ago not all club continentals have tubs. Only the even numbered N1s and odd numbered N2s. Also the liquor bottles have shrunk to 375ml from the original 500ml.  But I can see your logic re verandah v suites. 

[excitedofharpenden]

6 hours ago, Dr H said:

Alas, the good old days... We booked Suite for a few cruises many, many moons ago. Then the price sky rocketed. For the record, Suites come with 4 half bottles of liquor, which you can change or mix and match. It's no big deal, because Azamara allows you to pack your own for private use in your room. The Butler. He is you cabin steward, forced to dress up in a morning coat with tails and gloves to serve you afternoon tea. Whether or not you are in a Suite or an Inside room, he will be happy to make your dinner reservations if you are too lazy to pick up the phone yourself. He will deliver tea and cakes to your room on a lovely tray at 3:30PM. If you book steerage, you get the same tea, the cakes don't come on a fancy tray. The Suite room is definitely wider and definitely a bit more comfortable. There is a tub in the bathroom, the shower is larger, almost normal size. Otherwise, no real difference. Frankly I felt sorry that the poor guy had to dress up in his costume. It's probably the American in me, and I suspect the Aussies can relate. Much as I would prefer booking a suite because of the room/bath size, personally I cannot justify the price differential. I love Azamara, would rather fight than switch, but I'm a Veranda kind of guy.

And for the record, the butler is not your cabin steward.  You have one of those in a suite too and from my observations they are very happy to dress up and look smart in their uniform.  They are proud to wear it.  

 

You are sounding like sour grapes that you can’t afford to sail in suites any longer.  To the OP, the suite experience on Azamara is very nice with the extra space and touches.

 

Phil

[Dr H]

Oh hardly  sour grapes, and it has been several years. It was just our experience that there was no real difference between being in a suite and being in a veranda room, other than the room size. The Butler was a cute addition, but superfluous. You like it? Hey, enjoy yourselves. As long as the staff doesn't dress like Disney characters, Star Wars Storm Troopers, or Iron Man, Azamara has my business. In the boiler room if need be.  Peace, enjoy your trips.