Celebrity mobile app;New MDR reservations functionality?

[kwokpot]

I was responding to another thread that implied one must use the Celebrity app to make nightly MDR reservations on an E-Class ship. My last E-Class sailing was in October on the Beyond and there's never ever been this functionality. I do have an upcoming sailing in July on the Apex and I looking on the app this button shows up? Is this new? Can you actually use the app to make MDR reservations each night while on the ship? 

Edited May 3, 2023 by kwokpot

[cangelmd]

We did this on Apex last May. You didn’t have to use it, but it was quite easy

[jelayne]

We have used it successfully on S and M class.

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, jelayne said:

We have used it successfully on S and M class.

I was on the Solstice in February and that ability wasn't on the app. 

[kwokpot]

11 minutes ago, cangelmd said:

We did this on Apex last May. You didn’t have to use it, but it was quite easy

So are you saying you were able to make nightly reservations in one of the four MDRs every night? When did this start? And more importantly why isn't this discussed anywhere, either here on CC or more importantly on the ship? We were on the Beyond in October and Solstice in February and we weren't able to do this nor did anyone on either ship imply that you can. 

[jelayne]

It has been possible on the website for quite awhile, not sure when it started on the app.  It has been discussed in a number of threads when folks went to book and the only available times were 8:30 or 8:45.  Some thought that meant that they would not be able to eat in the MDR any earlier.

They only release  40-50% of the total capacity for pre reservations, the remainder is for walk ups or reserving onboard.

[Gia2cats]

I was able to book reservations on the Reflection for our March cruise. We were Anytime Dining and I booked times in the MDR and Tuscan. We are traveling to Alaska next month and I’ve had our reservations booked for several months,

 

 

 

[kwokpot]

30 minutes ago, jelayne said:

It has been possible on the website for quite awhile, not sure when it started on the app.  It has been discussed in a number of threads when folks went to book and the only available times were 8:30 or 8:45.  Some thought that meant that they would not be able to eat in the MDR any earlier.

They only release  40-50% of the total capacity for pre reservations, the remainder is for walk ups or reserving onboard.

I understand about booking pre-cruise through the Cruise planner which I've done myself for years;I'm specifically talking about using the app while on board your cruise. During last Fall when the E-Class ships started going to all Select Anytime dining (I actually started one of the earlier threads about it on the October 26th sailing of the Beyond) it was never discussed that one can make a reservation onboard, each night, using the app. It was never told to us (rather to my parents) on the Beyond that this was one way to make dinner reservations. All they kept saying is just to come whenever you want to eat. The option to use that app to make a reservation was never discussed by any of the dining room hosts of the four dining rooms on the Beyond nor did guest services discuss this option when going to inquire why the ship went full anytime dining. The Beyond is the flagship so if this functionality was available 9n the flagship last October, when did it become available? Is it fleetwide? For which restaurants? 

[kwokpot]

27 minutes ago, Gia2cats said:

I was able to book reservations on the Reflection for our March cruise. We were Anytime Dining and I booked times in the MDR and Tuscan. We are traveling to Alaska next month and I’ve had our reservations booked for several months,

 

 

 

That's not what I'm asking. There's an implication that you can use the phone app to do it each night while on the cruise. That's what I'm asking about. Making pre-cruise reservations using the cruise planner has been available for years, but you couldn't use the phone app each night to make on the fly reservations, which now people are implying you can. 

[Gia2cats]

So sorry I misunderstood.

[cangelmd]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

So are you saying you were able to make nightly reservations in one of the four MDRs every night? When did this start? And more importantly why isn't this discussed anywhere, either here on CC or more importantly on the ship? We were on the Beyond in October and Solstice in February and we weren't able to do this nor did anyone on either ship imply that you can. 

Now that I think about it. We had a reservation at Fine Cut that we moved around a couple of times, and when we canceled Fine Cut, I made a reservation on the app at Normandie instead (where we settled after trying the others). BUT, I’m not sure how much flexibility with time you get, because we were happy with 6:30 - the system might not actually let you make “real” reservations at any time you choose. If you can’t pick a time, it’s not much of a reservation.

[kwokpot]

1 hour ago, Gia2cats said:

So sorry I misunderstood.

No worries. I wrote a strongly worded response on that thread about a TA who said that they didn't like the Edge because they had to use their iPhone every night to make dinner reservations. I have never heard of that being the case on any Celebrity ship nor has it been my personal experience.. 

Edited May 3, 2023 by kwokpot