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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

Such a fun read! I wish the cruise had lasted a few more days because my curiosity is piqued about the pompadour!

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With any luck, I'll see him again on the high seas!

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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

This was a delight. Thank you for taking us along on your cruise Mr Estrin. It was worth the wait. My favorite part was the documentary about the documentary of the making of the ship. PEOPLE!!!

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Thank you! In retrospect I probably should’ve gone to the ship’s store and asked about purchasing DVDs of all their content.

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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

OMG you could have some kind of party with that!

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Jun 29, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

This was great, Michael! Funny stories, and I loved the photos of the landscape and of the reliable mammals.

I, too, am obsessed with closed circuit hotel TV. Channels you can only watch in one place in the world? Whatever they’re showing, I wanna see it.

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Thank you! It is funny how otherwise mundane content feels exclusive just because it's on a closed circuit system. But there's something appealing about watching content that wasn't produced for a general audience, even if I'm not that audience. Related: I really miss the glory days of public access television. Sure, anyone can use YouTube these days, but back in the analog days, only the truly committed weirdos made content, and it was glorious!

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Jun 29, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

For that reason, I'm also into retro employee training videos. There are hilariously dated ones out there, like the ones for Wendy's and Blockbuster Video.

Yeah, public access was a vibe. I miss it, too.

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I would totally pay money to attend, and perhaps even produce, a film festival of old employee training videos.

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🏆🥇💰

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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

Best account of a sea-voyage ever. I have never been on a cruise (by design) and this provided me with all the juicy details without a moment of seasickness. I will be laughing for the rest of the day. I think you need to keep going on these things. Oh wait. You can. You are a captain. P.S. The photos were just gorgeous.

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Thank you, Elizabeth! Glad I could give you all the cruise life details, minus the seasickness. It's funny that you should mention another cruise. Before this adventure I was kinda lukewarm on the whole idea, but after this experience I think I might actually be a fan of cruises. I started doing a little more research and there are ships / itineraries that are more my style - smaller ships, remote destinations, enrichment programming, etc. Anyway, hopefully I'll have another travel adventure to share soon! Oh, and if you ever find yourself on the water, Dramamine is a helluva drug, but be sure you take the non-drowsy version, otherwise you'll miss everything.

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Sounds like Skagway would have been excellent before they got rid of all that depravity, debauchery, and violence. I head out of town to *find* those, not avoid them.

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Good point! If population is any kind of guide, I think you're right about Skagway. That town's numbers were much bigger when its selling points were depravity, debauchery, and violence. I might just have to go back there and run for mayor on that platform.

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Jun 27, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

You didn't happen to get a photo of the All Wright x3 shirt guy did ya?

I enjoy reading your adventures. You're a very good writer and seem to have much fun in your travels. Thank you for sharing!

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Thank you, Adrain! I wish I had a pic of the All Wright, All Wright, All Wright shirt! That really would've been the cherry on top.

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Excellent, Michael!

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Thanks Paul! And thanks for leaving a comment to let me know, really appreciate it!

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Jun 26, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

Heh, honestly your trips off the ship on to land were stunning and right up my alley, history/landscape wise. I know my in-laws never hop off the boat which seems claustrophobic. Answer: yes, but would choose a cruise with lots of opportunities for excursions.

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Jun 26, 2022Liked by Michael Estrin

A very fun read. My in-laws are always going on cruises and this shed some light on just why that may be.

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Thanks & glad it answered some questions for you about your in-laws and cruises! Wondering if reading this will inspire you to join them, or stay away?

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Yeah, this was the longest cruise I’ve ever been on. The previous two were 3-day cruises down to Baja out of LA. Fun, but not my style. This one made me rethink cruises as a way to travel and see the world, as opposed to a floating resort.

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