I was determined to be up early enough today to catch the 10:00 a.m. interview with Captain Fabrizio Maresca in the theatre. That shouldn’t be so difficult, but a warm, dark cabin and continued rolling seas are conducive to sleeping late – even for Ted!

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Captain Maresca, originally from Sorrento, has been a captain for 38 years, progressing from a yacht, to ferry, to cargo ship, and time in the Italian navy …and with Princess for the past 24 years. He comes from several generations of ships’ captains. His wife and his 17 year old daughter often sail with him, and, when he’s not doing his job, he likes to travel and spend longer periods in one place, where he has the chance to ride his motorcycle!

He told us that the waves and swells we experienced yesterday reached 20 feet, which he described as 4 on a scale of 1 to 10. We are travelling at a speed of 16 knots/18 mph/30 kph, which he explained is the “sweet spot” for seas like this; faster or slower and we’d feel the seas even more. Captain Maresca predicted that the rest of the Atlantic crossing would smoother, but forewarned us that the day between Lisbon and Bilbao is often rough.

We learned that the bridge crew consists of four people – serving “watches” of 4 hours on and 8 hours off. The entire crew complement is 1306, most of whom are hotel and engine staff. The Regal Princess has 4 diesel/electric engines powering the propellers and the ship’s services. The ship is able to use various kinds of fuels, to accommodate what different ports are able to provide (more about that in a later ship talk).

The Captain took tons of questions, including about things like the ship’s water (100% drinkable from the taps, and much more pure than water available in our homes), and leftover food (some incinerated, and the rest treated and disposed of at ports; NONE has been released into the ocean for at least 20 years).

It was a fun session, that really demonstrated the Captain’s passion for his job, and why the crew all seem to be so happy to be working on this particular ship. We learned that crew members all work 7 days per week, on varying shifts. They have their own pool, disco, and dining rooms. Most share rooms. Contracts vary from 3 to 9 months in length, and on the Regal there are currently 65 nationalities represented.

Being at the Captain’s talk meant that I was also able to take in the destination talk in person for a change: Bilbao Spain this time.

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That made it time to find some lunch: a lovely mozzarella and tomato sandwich and crisp Granny Smith apple from the International Café, which is quickly becoming my go-to daytime spot for food, especially since its location on The Piazza means being able to find a table within the sound of the day’s live music. Three open levels mean seating can generally be found without too much hassle. While there’s a distinct lack on this ship of quiet classical music like what we love so much on Viking cruises, nonetheless any live music (even if a bit too loud, in my opinion) is so much better than canned tunes over a sound system.

Deck 7, the Promenade deck, was closed due to the ship’s motion, but the track up on deck 18 was open, so …. while I was completely lazy just sitting and reading, Ted was walking laps. The view up there, that he shared via Messenger, was pretty spectacular with the way the clouds streaming by.

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Dinner in the main dining room continued to live up to the high standards Princess has set for our evening meals.

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Tonight’s entertainment in the main theatre was Inna Tolstova, a Russian violinist and performance artist currently based out of Spain.

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That left time for a nightcap and more music in the Wheelhouse Bar, where Luis Melgar plays and sings nightly.

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And that was it for the night! Clocks move forward AGAIN tomorrow.