Creating a new cruise contract

This topic explains how to create a new cruise contract.

Cruises are sold as a stand-alone service in the system.

Cruise contracts are negotiated between travel companies (both tour operators and travel agencies), and individual cruise lines or tour operators. Once the contract is negotiated you can enter the terms into the system, and sell/request cruises through the Reservations System.

When building the contract, you will add a price list, which can include multiple markets, seasons, cabin types, and components. The price list can include standard components (single and double cabins), and complex cabin options (free of charge for groups).

After the price list is defined, you need to define the allocation and release terms, which you negotiated with the supplier for each cabin. Allocations are mandatory. Even if you do not have an allocation, you need to define zero cabins in the Allocation tab to be able to sell the cruise in the Reservations System.

In the Reservations System, the cruise destination is not a mandatory query field. You can search for cruises in a specific destination or in all destinations.

• Requirements

Mandatory requirements

• Supplier accounts: Service provider, supplier paid, and reserving supplier.

• Destination: The cruise destination

• Categories: The cruise category, such as 1-5 stars

Optional requirements

• Locations: The departure port.

• Add on transfers: This information can include the transfer location, and transfer contracts. Some cruises suppliers offer a transfer from the hotel to the departure port.

• Pictures: Thumbnail images, which are displayed in the Reservations System, in the search results and in the Cruise Details page. The image size should be 390 pixels wide by 260 pixels high. The file type should be *jpg or *jpeg.

• HTML or PDF description file: A file that can contain a description of the cruise which customers can view from the Reservations system, in the search results and in the Cruise Details page, and the travel file.

• Markets: Markets are used to define different rates for separate groups of travel agents or customers. For example, the travel company can offer the cruise supplier a high volume of customers from Poland. These customers receive a 15% reduced rate from the supplier. In the price list you will create two markets with two separate price levels: All and Poland. The Poland market will receive a 15% reduced rate, which is not offered to the rest of the customers who belong to the All market. You can define the markets in advance, or create them when creating the contract.

• Season: The periods in which the prices are valid. With cruises, you need to define multiple seasons to correspond to the peak and off-peak months. Since cruise contracts are ongoing, you will be adding new seasons to your price list, while expired seasons are automatically hidden. You can create the seasons in advance, or create them when creating the contract.

• Price levels: The different cabin types, such as interior, ocean view, or suite.

• Price components: The price components are the different components that make up the price of the cabin. Each price level can be comprised of up to three component types: main (the actual cabin), supplement (extras, such as port taxes and child reduction), and board basis (meal plans, such as bed & breakfast or room only). You can create the price components in advance (in Setup - Product Definitions - Price Components), or create them when creating the contract. Basic components are hardcoded in the system.

• How

1. Go to Products - Contracts.

   

2. Click Click here to add a new item, and select New Cruise.

   A new item page opens in the Cruise tab.

   

3. In the General expander:

   1. Mandatory. In the Name field, enter the name of the cruise.

   2. Mandatory. In the Service Provider field, select the supplier account of the service provider from the drop-down list.

      In the Reservations System, the service provider is displayed in the query pane as Cruise Line, and in the search results.

   3. Mandatory. In the Supplier Paid field, select the supplier account of the supplier paid for the service from the drop-down list.

   4. Mandatory. In the Reserved Through Supplier field, select the supplier account of the reserving supplier from the drop-down list.

4. In the Product Information section:

   1. Mandatory. In the Destination field, select the cruise destination.

   2. In the Location field, select the cruise location. The cruise location can be the departure port. For example with a cruise in the Caribbean, the location can be Port Canaveral.

   3. Mandatory. In the Category field, select the cruise category.

      The Attribute field is not relevant for cruise contracts.

5. If the cruise has an add-on transfer (otherwise skip to the next step), in the Transfer section:

   1. If you want to use the same transfer contract for multiple cruises in the same location, in the Transport Location field, select the transfer location.

   2. To add an add-on transfer to the contract, select Add-on Transfer.

   3. Choose one of the following options:

      • Select from list of transfers: During the reservation process, the customer is prompted to select a transfer from all available transfers.

      • Specific transfer: Select specific transfer contracts to attach to the hotel contract:

      • 1. To add an inbound transfer, click Click here to select an Inbound Transport.

           The Add Transport dialog box appears.

           

        2. Enter the relevant search parameters for the transfer, and click Find.

        Parameter	Description
        Destination	The destination of the transfer contract. This is a mandatory field.
        Name	The contract name
        Supplier	The supplier of the transfer contract
        Category	The category of the transfer contract
        Price Level	The price level of the transfer contract

        Transfer contracts matching the search criteria are displayed in the results section.

        

        3. To add a transfer to the contract, click Add.

        4. To add an outbound transfer, click Click here to add an Outbound transfer, and repeat steps ii-iii.

   4. In the Transfer price field, select whether the cost of the transfer is Included in the cruise selling price or is Added on to the cruise selling price.

   5. If the transfer only applies to a reservation made for a minimum number of nights, in the Applies to minimum nights field, enter the minimum number of nights to which the transfer applies.

6. Select the Description File / Pictures expander. It is possible to upload Price List Descriptions in different languages. This way, you can define different files in different languages, so that the product will be displayed in the user language in the Reservation System.

1. 1. To upload an HTML description file, that can be viewed in the Reservations System (in the Cruise Details page and in the search results), in the Description section:

      In the travel file, in the travel file header, if you click the Print button, and select Send Documents, you can send the description file as an attachment in an e-mail message.

   1. Click Upload.

   The Upload File dialog box is displayed.

   

   2. Click Choose File, and select the HTML file to upload.

   3. Click OK.

2. To upload thumbnail images which are displayed in the Reservations System, in the search results, and the Cruise Details page, in the Pictures section:

1. Click Add a New Picture.

A radio button appears in which you can upload the image.

2. Click Choose File, and select the image you want to upload, and click Upload.

3. In the Title field, enter the image title.

4. Repeat steps i-iv for each image you want to upload.

5. Select the image to display as the thumbnail image in the search results.

The rest of the images are displayed in the Cruise Details page.

3. Select the Advanced Definitions expander.



1. In the Voucher and Transaction Definitions section, the fields are initialized according to the definitions in the Supplier Paid's supplier account. However, you can edit these fields if necessary. Editing the fields in the contract does not affect the definitions in the supplier's account.

2. In the Display in Booking System section, you can promote the cruise in the search results that appear in the Reservations System::

• Select Always on top to display the cruise first, regardless of the sorting method in the Reservations System.

• If you select this option, in the Reservations System search results, the cruise will receive the Most Popular icon

The Priority field and the Time Limits section is not relevant for cruise contracts.

3. In the Gross Prices section, select how to calculate the selling price:

• Based on this price list's definitions: Both the net and selling price are taken from the price list during the query process.

• Based on the Business Rules Markup Definitions: The net price is taken from the price list, and the business rules are added to it to create the selling price.

4. Continue to create the cruise price list.

Related links

• Products - Contracts