Cruise Control by Becker and Earle

A participant is given four different full color travel brochures, each highlighting worldwide selections of exciting vacation cruises. After looking them over, the spectator then gives three of them to other people in the audience. The four participants combine their thoughts to create an imaginary dream cruise, including all prices for their choice of ocean liner and destination, hotel stay over, shore trips, and guided activities. They also freely select the month in which they will travel, how much spending money (by grabbing a random handful of travelers cheques) theyll take with them, and even their seating preference for shipboard meals. All their vacation expenditures are openly recorded on an envelope the performer holds (for large audiences, you can use any size pad at all - the envelope is simply more convenient when working for small to medium size audiences).

Then all the expenses are visibly totalled and that figure is also clearly written on the envelope or pad. When the enclosed, typewritten letter is removed and read aloud (as participants visually read along), it even confirms their choice when they embark, seating reservations, and printed in large, bold type the total cost of the dream cruise.

Following a hurricane of applause, the performer notes there is a P.S. in the letter. When the post script is read aloud, suggesting an amount of mad money to take on the cruise. Remember the travelers cheques? They are now counted aloud for the first time and their total exactly matches the amount suggested in the letter! And the applause becomes a typhoon!

Cruise control comes complete with full color brochures which are custom designed and professionally printed on durable stock intended to last for many performances, plus fifty colorful "Travelers Cheques" in $20, $50, $100, and $500 denominations which are so authentic looking you may be tempted to spend them! All brochures, options, and prices are absolutely different from one another. No impressions. No carbon paper. No double or secret writing. No switches. No pre-show work. No stooges or assistants. And you get everything you need except for the beaches and sunny skies.