While on a Cruise starts with the very moment when the author begins her journey as a writer and finishes with the completion of this as her sixth book. In between these moments are engaging and thought-provoking stories that examine how situations, environments, and relationships shape people and how a person's attitude and character ultimately shape what they get out of life.

Some of the stories in this collection are based on or inspired by the author's family tales, childhood memories, and her personal experiences. Others, from the fictional tale of young girls in a Catholic school in Lisbon, to a brother supporting a hypochondriac sister in Montreal, to a married couple in a seniors' home learning to look forward instead of back, introduce multilayered characters struggling to live the best way they know how and reveal the fascinating stories of everyday people.