Cruise Instance Management Guide

This guide covers creating and managing cruise instances (sailings). A cruise instance represents an actual sailing with specific dates that customers can book.

Prerequisites

Before creating cruise instances, ensure: - Itinerary is configured with all cruise points (see Itinerary Guide) - Ship cabin assignments are complete (see Setup Guide)

Understanding Cruise Instances

What is a Cruise Instance?

A cruise instance (also called a "sailing") is a specific occurrence of an itinerary with: - Actual departure date - Return date - Bookable inventory - Specific pricing

Cruise Lifecycle

1. DRAFT     - Cruise created, not yet available
2. ACTIVE    - Available for booking
3. CLOSED    - Booking closed (near departure)
4. COMPLETED - Sailing has occurred
5. CANCELLED - Cruise was cancelled

Viewing Cruises

1. Navigate to Cruise Management
2. Select the Cruises tab
3. Use filters to find specific cruises:
4. Filter by ship
5. Filter by area
6. Filter by date range
7. Filter by status

Creating a Cruise Instance

From an Itinerary

1. Select the itinerary in the Itineraries list
2. Click Create Cruise or Schedule Sailing
3. Enter the cruise details:

Field	Description	Required
Cruise Code	Unique identifier	Yes
Cruise Name	Display name	Yes
Start Date	Departure date	Yes
End Date	Return date	Yes
Status	Initial status (typically DRAFT)	Yes

1. Click Save

Directly in Cruises Section

1. Navigate to the Cruises tab
2. Click Add New Cruise
3. Fill in the details:

Field	Description	Required
Itinerary	Select the base itinerary	Yes
Cruise Code	Unique identifier	Yes
Cruise Name	Display name	Yes
Start Date	Departure date	Yes
End Date	Return date (calculated from duration)	Yes
Status	Initial status	Yes

1. Click Save

Naming Conventions

Use descriptive names that include the sailing date:

Format: [Itinerary Name] - [Date]

Examples: - "7-Night Eastern Caribbean - Jan 15, 2025" - "10-Night Mediterranean - Mar 22, 2025"

Code Format: [Itinerary Code]-[YYYYMMDD]

Examples: - "7NEC-20250115" - "10MEDA-20250322"

Managing Cruise Status

Status Transitions

From	To	When
DRAFT	ACTIVE	Ready for booking
ACTIVE	CLOSED	Booking cutoff reached
CLOSED	COMPLETED	After sailing ends
Any	CANCELLED	Cruise is cancelled

Activating a Cruise

Before activating, ensure: - [ ] Cabin pricing is configured - [ ] Other charges are set up - [ ] All cruise points have correct dates/times - [ ] Availability is verified

To activate: 1. Select the cruise 2. Change status to ACTIVE 3. Click Save

Closing a Cruise

When booking should stop: 1. Select the cruise 2. Change status to CLOSED 3. Click Save

Cancelling a Cruise

To cancel a cruise: 1. Select the cruise 2. Change status to CANCELLED 3. Click Save 4. Handle existing bookings as per business policy

Warning: Cancellation may require notifying booked customers and processing refunds.

Editing a Cruise

Modifying Cruise Details

1. Select the cruise from the list
2. Update the fields as needed
3. Click Save

Note: Be cautious when editing active cruises with existing bookings.

What Can Be Changed

Field	DRAFT	ACTIVE	CLOSED
Cruise Name	Yes	Limited	No
Start Date	Yes	No	No
End Date	Yes	No	No
Status	Yes	Yes	Yes

Duplicating Cruises

To create multiple sailings of the same itinerary:

For Sequential Sailings

1. Create the first cruise with the start date
2. For each additional sailing:
3. Click Add New Cruise
4. Select the same itinerary
5. Set the new start date
6. System calculates end date automatically

Bulk Creation (if available)

1. Select the itinerary
2. Click Schedule Multiple Sailings
3. Enter:
4. Start date of first sailing
5. Number of sailings
6. Interval between sailings (e.g., 7 days)
7. Review the generated dates
8. Click Create All

Cruise Calendar View

To see cruises on a calendar:

1. Navigate to Cruise Management
2. Select Calendar View
3. Use navigation to browse months
4. Click on a cruise block to view details

Calendar Color Coding

Color	Status
Gray	DRAFT
Green	ACTIVE
Yellow	CLOSED
Blue	COMPLETED
Red	CANCELLED

Managing Cruise Availability

Checking Cabin Availability

1. Select a cruise
2. Navigate to Availability section
3. View cabin counts by type:
4. Total cabins
5. Booked cabins
6. Available cabins

Adjusting Availability

If cabin inventory needs adjustment: 1. Navigate to the ship's cabin configuration 2. Modify cabin counts 3. Changes apply to future cruises

Deleting a Cruise

1. Select the cruise to delete
2. Click Delete
3. Confirm the deletion

Important: Cannot delete cruises with existing bookings. Cancel bookings first.

Working with Templates

Cruise Templates

For frequently repeated sailings, consider using pricing templates:

1. Configure standard pricing for a cabin type
2. Save as a template
3. Apply template when creating new cruises

See Pricing Guide for template details.

Best Practices

Planning Ahead

• Create cruises 12-18 months in advance
• Set up entire season at once when possible
• Use consistent naming conventions

Status Management

• Keep cruises in DRAFT until pricing is complete
• Activate only when ready for public sale
• Close bookings 2-3 days before departure

Date Accuracy

• Double-check start and end dates
• Verify duration matches itinerary
• Account for time zones if relevant

Verification Checklist

Before activating a cruise:

• [ ] Start and end dates are correct
• [ ] Duration matches itinerary
• [ ] All cabin types have pricing
• [ ] Other charges are configured
• [ ] Status is set to ACTIVE
• [ ] Cruise appears in search results

Next Steps

After creating cruises: 1. Configure Pricing - Set cabin prices and charges

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Cannot save cruise	Check that code is unique
Dates not calculating	Verify itinerary duration is set
Cruise not in search results	Check status is ACTIVE and dates are in range
Cannot delete cruise	Remove existing bookings first
Cannot change dates	Only DRAFT cruises allow date changes