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Custom Tour Series
If you have a tour series with continually changing arrival dates, you can select the Custom Tour Series option on the Book Options menu to create a new tour series. This option is only available when the user has the permission Blocks > BLOCK NEW.
Access the Custom Tour Series option by selecting the Options button from the Business Block Search screen or from the Business Block screen. To access the Business Block Search screen, select Reservations > Blocks > Business Block. When the OPS<version number> OPERA Sales and Catering license is active, select Business Management > Business Block.
OPERA will display the Custom Tour Series screen with the columns Arrival Date, Block Code, Booking Status and Block Name. Enter the required arrival date and block status. A separate block code for each tour and a copy of the description of the original tour will default. OPERA will then create these blocks using the information from the block header, just like with the Standard tour series. The tour code for each block within the tour will default as the same block code as the original block, plus a unique suffix.
When the Block > Tour Series Handling application setting is set to M, changes that are made to a tour series will affect both the master and sub-bookings for the whole tour. If the setting is set to S, then a simple copy is made of the original tour series booking. Changes that are made to either the original booking or one of the copies will only affect the booking to which these changes are made itself.
Note: In SFA, a Tour Series will be always handled as simple copy when the source booking is for the SFA property itself (lead tour series) regardless. When the source booking in SFA is for a local or remote property, the application setting determines how this is accomplished based on the setting M or S.
Itinerary. This flag displays in a central or Multi-property environment. When checked, an additional field on the grid becomes available for property selection. Select the Resort and arrival dates. The Block Code will be defaulted and validated based on the block code rules of the selected property. Booking Status will default the Copy to Room status of the selected property.
Tour Code. Name of the Tour code. This is a new identifier that will make it easier to filter for all bookings that belong to this tour from the Booking Search screen and the Lead Search Screen. The same code will be applied for all bookings that belong to this tour; unlike the Block code that would different for each booking of the tour.
Master Block Code. (not shown) When the application setting Blocks > Tour Series Handling set to M and the custom/itinerary tour is not created in SFA, the Master Block Code field will display beside the Tour Code field and must be filled in. This determines the block code of the master block that gets created.
Arrival Date. Date in which the group will be arriving.
Block Code. Block code for the Business Block. This code will default as the block code of the original block plus a unique suffix for each booking of the Tour Series. When the Blocks > Unique Block Code application parameter is set to Y, the same block code cannot be used for multiple bookings.
Booking Status. Status of the booking, such as Tentative or Pending.
Block Name. Name of the block that is associated with the tour code. The description of the original tour will default, but can be modified if required.
If the tour series does not repeat itself in regular intervals, this option allows you to specify the dates when the tour should be repeated. The tour series will then be copied to each of the dates specified by the Arrival Dates.
Note: This option is grayed out (unavailable for use) for any business block with Picked Up reservations.
When the Itinerary flag on the Custom Tour Series screen is checked, it enables property selection from the grid. The LOV that displays contains all the properties that the current user has Blocks > BLOCK NEW permissions granted to. At the property level, this will also check for properties that are alternates of the current property when the Allow Cross Block flag is checked (along with the user permission Blocks > BLOCK NEW). In central, the LOV displays all properties that the current user has got property access to. This LOV is single select.
Once all tour records have been entered on the Custom Tour Series screen and OK is selected, the Block Copy screen opens for the first tour. If a property other than the source property has been selected, the Copy to Other Property flag is checked and the selected property defaulted into the Property selection field. The copy process then continues for this one property (see Block Copy to Other Properties for details on the 'Copy to Other Property' procedure). Once the business block has been saved, the Block Copy screen will open again repeating the previous step for each subsequent Tour Series Record entered. This process will continue until all business blocks have been created.
If at any stage the Close button is selected on the Block Copy screen instead of the OK button, the process is stopped an you are taken back to the Custom Tour Series screen. Any previously created tour records will not be displayed. The first record to show will be the tour where the creation was discontinued. Select the OK button to continue with the tour creation, or end the tour creation process by selecting the Close button. Any tours that have been saved prior to discontinuing the process are saved.
If during the tour creation the Close button is selected on the Business Block screen and the message to save changes is answered with No, the tour creation process will continue with the next tour without saving the tour that was closed instead of saved.
When using Master/Sub tours, once the tour is created, the Business Block screen of the Itinerary Tour Master will show the tours in a grid at the bottom of the screen, as is done on other Tour Masters.
In central the Itinerary Tour Master will NOT be sent to the remote property. Conversely, from the property level, the master will not be sent to central. No business events will fire for this master at all. Synchronization of the master is turned off at creation and control of the master cannot be given to the remote system. Control of the subs, however, can be exchanged freely. The subs that are linked to the master behave as independent blocks; they can be changed freely without adhering to rules in relation to the master, such as in regards to dates or statuses. Updates on the master will not be updated to sub-blocks at all.
It is, however, not possible to link tour blocks that have a link to a master in a remote system to another master in the local system, or to make them a master. These remote parts of the tour series can also not be copied to other properties in their own right.
Adding Additional Subs to Itinerary Tours and Regular Tours
Adding further sub tours to the itinerary master after initial tour creation can only be done from Options > Cust Tour Series button on the Itinerary master. The New option from a right click on the sub grid of the master is disabled for itinerary tours. The Cust Tour Series button is not available for itinerary subs.
Adding further sub tours to a regular tour master after the initial tour creation can be done either via the New options on right click in the sub grid on the tour master, or from the Cust Tour Series button on any existing sub of the tour. The Cust Tour Series button is not available for the regular tour master.
Copying Itinerary Tours and Regular Tours
Copying an itinerary master will only copy the master, not the subs. The itinerary master can only be copied to the same property (property selection not available in the copy process).
Copying itinerary sub does not allow property selection in the copy process.
Copying a regular tour master will copy the whole master sub-structure using date deltas.
Copying a regular tour sub does not allow property selection in the copy process. The subs of a regular tour cannot be copied to dates outside of the master dates.
Changing Dates on Itinerary Tours and Regular Tours
A manual date change on an itinerary master only changes the master date itself.
A date change on an itinerary sub only changes the sub date itself.
Using Options > Shift Date on an itinerary master shifts the whole master - sub structure using date deltas
Using Options > Shift Date on an itinerary sub only shifts the sub itself (itinerary subs are not limited to be within the itinerary master date range).
A manual date change on a regular master brings up a sync dialog to prompt which subs to change and which ones not to change. All subs that would fall outside the new master dates MUST be changed.
A manual date change on regular tour sub only changes the sub date. The sub must stay with master date range.
Using Options > Shift Date on a regular tour master shifts the whole master - sub structure using date deltas.
Using Options > Shift Date on a regular tour sub only shifts the sub itself. The sub must stay with master date range.
See Also
