Whether it’s your first cruise or your fifteenth, Cruise Control is a practical, entertaining guide to planning smarter, avoiding unnecessary mistakes, and getting more out of every part of the cruise experience.
WHY WE CRUISE
A cruise has a way of shutting out real life for a while. Cruise Control starts with that feeling—and how one trip can turn into something you keep coming back to.
Deck 1 — Welcome Aboard
CHOOSE THE RIGHT CRUISE
Cruise line, ship, dates, cabin, flights—getting the big decisions right makes everything that follows easier. Learn what actually matters before you book.
Deck 2 — The Booking Blues
GET READY WITHOUT LOSING YOUR MIND
From the 90-day countdown to passports, reservations and packing, this is the part where excitement meets logistics. A little preparation now prevents a lot of unnecessary chaos later.
Deck 3 — Countdown to Sail-away
Deck 4 — The Great Packing Debate
START THE CRUISE RIGHT
Embarkation day, luggage, cabin setup, storage, outlets and all the little things nobody explains until you’re already onboard.
Deck 5 — Embarkation Day
Deck 6 — Cabin Fever
Deck 10 — The Luggage Lottery
LEARN HOW LIFE ONBOARD ACTUALLY WORKS
Food. Drinks. Elevators. Pool decks. Other passengers. The unwritten rules of cruise life are often just as useful as the official ones.
Deck 7 — The Liquid Compass
Deck 8 — All Aboard the Buffet
Deck 12 — People, Personalities, and Problem Solving
AVOID THE LESSONS PEOPLE LEARN THE HARD WAY
Ports, excursions, cruise myths, sunburns, rough mornings, disembarkation and getting home without turning the end of your vacation into a disaster.
Deck 9 — Ports, Plans, and Panic
Deck 11 — Cruise Myths, Busted
Deck 14 — The Morning After
Deck 15 — Disembarkation Survival
GO FROM TAKING CRUISES TO KNOWING HOW TO CRUISE
By the end of a cruise, you know what you loved, what you’d change, and what you’d skip next time. The end of the book is about turning that experience into smarter choices for whatever cruise comes next.
Deck 16 — The Re-booking Reflex
Bonus Section — The Casino Equation
You’ve seen what’s inside. Now take Cruise Control with you and make your next cruise easier, smoother, and a lot more enjoyable from booking day to the trip home.
Looking for the Cruise Control Resources?
If you’ve read Cruise Control and are looking for the planning tools, checklists, and resources mentioned in the book, you can find them all in one place.