I'm hopeful that Cruz knows exactly what he is doing. I would like to see him continue, even though his odds of winning on the first ballot or a later ballot are near zero, for tactical reasons. The first time I think it would be acceptable to admit that he's lost would be after the convention rules are decided and approved by the delegates. I want Cruz still in the race as the establishment makes their final, hopefully unsuccessful, effort to stop Trump.
I have been to many conventions. For Trump's sake, I prefer that Cruz drop out at a very specific time, but I won't go into that much detail until that time comes.
The time to cease is after the deal is made