Over the years, we’ve sailed with dozens of captains. Some have been outgoing; some have been a bit more reserved. Some have looked like they were born to be a ship’s captain, and others have looked like they stumbled into the job, though capable and skilled. We remember fondly our captain who took us around Cape Horn, getting on the PA regularly to encourage us and tell us we were doing great, as the seas churned, the winds howled and we faced the wrath of mother nature. He was our cheerleader, our leader, and I would have followed him off the gang plank.

Our captain on this journey has been Captain Marco Cataldi. He hails from Leece, Apulia, a small town in the south of Italy, and after graduating from university, he captained cargo ships for a dozen years. He joined Princess in 2006 as a third officer and was named a Captain in 2016. The captain is ultimately responsible, under the law, for aspects of operation such as the safe navigation of the ship, its cleanliness and seaworthiness, safe handling of all cargo, management of all personnel, inventory of ship’s cash and stores, and maintaining the ship’s certificates and documentation. Being the captain of a passenger ship must require not only management and navigational knowledge and skills, but also an incredible amount of patience and diplomacy.

Captain Marco is a quiet soul, though he’s unbelievably approachable. He had to deliver some pretty tough news to the 2000 passengers, that our itinerary was going to take a drastic change due to the Red Sea troubles, yet he did so with compassion and concern. After the announcement, he immediately came out to talk and “take the heat” from folks who didn’t understand that the decision was made at corporate, not by him.

We watched one night when the seas were particularly choppy, he was in Horizon Court (the buffet) helping those who needed help navigating to their seats, often carrying their plate for them. He makes the rounds of the clubs and groups around the ship, and greets people at parties and special events. He’s always unassuming, not wanting the attention for himself, but to make sure everyone is having a good time. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, being willing to jump in the pool for our Golden Shellback ceremony!

Captain Marco will disembark from the Island Princess in three days, in Port Louis, Mauritius Islands. He definitely deserves a break and we are happy for him. But we are sad to see him go and hope he knows how much he will be missed. He has been the best of all the other captains and we now have a new bar going forward for which to compare all others.