The ship we slowly passed is also headed west, so it is probably empty unless it is taking Fords or Chevys to Hawaii, or military service members' personal cars to Hawaii. Uncle Sugar pays to ship these.
Across the Pacific we seldom see another ship. Mid-Atlantic is the same story. There are "sea lanes" where we do see lots of other traffic. South along the eastern coast of Spain from Barcelona to Gibraltar is a watery freeway; a ship there is rarely out of sight of several others 'steaming' in either direction.
The seacoasts of Italy are also busy. The Mediterranean is criss-crossed by hundreds of ferries, many quite large enough to take a number of large semi trucks aboard. You see these in the Baltic Sea too.
This is a long cruise - 26 days. There are essentially no inexperienced cruisers aboard. Because our destination is Asia there are a substantial number of Asian passengers.
The Sapphire Princess is headed for a new home port in Japan, she and two sister ships will sail from there for the next several years, catering to Japanese travelers while cruising Asian waters.
I've been wondering if that venture will prove successful for Princess. American firms often find their wares do not find automatic acceptance in Asian markets, but must be tailored to local tastes.
I've been wondering if that venture will prove successful for Princess. American firms often find their wares do not find automatic acceptance in Asian markets, but must be tailored to local tastes.
