At any given moment across a beach in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., cruise ships speckle the horizon, their gargantuan bodies reduced to dots in the distance. I grew up near this beach, and most of the people I knew growing up had been on cruises. They would go away for a week or a weekend, drawn by the promise of escape, and return to land with bad sunburns, stories of small adventures and a few extra pounds. For these people, cruising was an occasional vacation. For Mario Salcedo, the subject of this Op-Doc, it’s his everyday life.

Accompanying article.