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According to Ballard the exchange below took place on the 19th but I believe that date may be wrong. I'll go with Homer's having them leave on the 18th.

Again-the quotes are from 3 of the Bismarck survivors.

Adi. Adi. 'Wake Up!"
Franz's loud whisper was the only sound in the darkened sleeping quarters. First Adi and then the other men in nearby hammocks began to stir.
"What is it?
Why are you bothering me in the middle of the night?" Adi muttered testily.
"The ship is moving!" replied Franz. "Our mission has begun."
By now someone had turned on a light and others were sitting up, rubbing their eyes and talking in hushed voices. Then the room fell silent as Captain Lindemann's voice blared over the loudspeaker.

"Seamen of the Bismarck. Exercise Rhine has now begun. Tomorrow morning we will join forces with the cruiser Prinz Eugen. Together we will sail through the Danish islands and into the Norwegian Sea. When the moment is right we will break out into the Atlantic Ocean where we and the Prinz Eugen will attack convoys carrying food, fuel and weapons to our enemy. I know you will all perform your duty with courage and honor during our difficult and important mission. Three cheers for the Bismarck."
Three Sieg Heils rang out in sleeping quarters and duty stations throughout the long ship as it slid westward through the starless night. Adi, Franz and Heinz talked for awhile, then tried to get back to sleep. But this proved difficult now that the months of waiting were finally over.

Far above, on the bridge, Captain Lindemann was also wide awake. Unlike most of the sailors on the Bismarck, he was aware of the elaborate and careful planning that had gone into Exercise Rhine. He also knew how difficult and daring their mission was. There were only two routes into the Atlantic, but both passages were constantly patrolled by British ships and planes. Breaking through either of them would require absolute secrecy, perfect timing, great skill and luck.

The Bismarck Breaks Out- Occupied Poland, May 19, 1941 (Chapter 3)

It was almost midnight when Mullenheim-Rechberg (one of Bismarck's gunnery officers, and a survivor of her sinking) look a last walk on the Bismarck's deck before heading to his cabin. As he watched the distant Norwegian coast fade from view, he couldn't shake off the feeling of worry that he'd experienced earlier in the day when he'd watched the Prinz Eugen being refueled while the Bismarck had sat idly by.
Why had Admiral Lutjens failed to refuel the Bismarck? Mullenheim-Rechberg had served under Lutjens before and knew him to be a resourceful commander. Was the admiral, perhaps, losing his touch?

Suddenly Mullenheim~Rechberg noticed yellow, white and red lights flickering over the coast. If he had known what they meant he would have been even more worried. This was antiaircraft fire provoked by British bombers sent to attack the ships. The Germans didn't know it, but they had been spotted earlier that day by a high-flying British Spitfire reconnaissance plane.
The enemy was already on their trail.

BISMARCK did NOT refuel. ‘He’ [Lindemann refused to use the commonly accepted ‘she’ for BISMARCK]will not refuel in Norway, either.

Yesterday you said this is an enduring mystery of the Bismarck saga. Is there speculation as to his Lindemann's reasoning for not refueling? I can only think of two possibles - the extra time in port required and loss of secrecy. But if they were stopping for provisions anyway both become moot.