Speaking as a Navy veteran, I was overwhelmed with Kate McCue became a Captain of a major cruise line. I recently heard news that Captain Kate is retiring from Celebrity Cruises
TheStreet.com reports, “To call Kate McCue, captain of the Celebrity Beyond megaship, a fan favorite would be an understatement.
McCue is not only a cruise ship captain but a social media star, with more than 1 million followers on Instagram and more than 84,000 YouTube subscribers.
Her popular Captain’s Log short-video series can be found on several social-media platforms and each video routinely gets hundreds of thousands of views.
She started her cruise-industry career in the early 2000s, when Disney Cruise Line hired her as a third mate. In 2003 she joined Royal Caribbean, and over the years McCue worked her way up the ranks, obtaining her chief mate and master’s license, which cleared the way for her to take the helm of a ship.
McCue made history a decade ago when she was named captain of Celebrity Summit, becoming the first American woman to ascend to the rank of captain of a large cruise ship. She then did short stints as captain of Celebrity Equinox and Celebrity Edge.
The 47-year-old captain then took the helm of Celebrity Beyond, the cruise line’s newest megaship, when it launched in spring 2022.
McCue unexpectedly announced on social media that her time with Celebrity has come to an end. In an Instagram post that included a video of McCue’s favorite moments from her time with the cruise line, the beloved captain shared:
“Today, I say farewell to Celebrity. I’ve spent the last 22 years on 11 ships in the Royal Caribbean Group, from 2nd officer to Captain. I have seen some of the most beautiful places, met inspiring and wonderful people, and had opportunities to live my 12 year-old dream out loud.”
Best wishes to Captain Kate and I hope to meet you one day in the near future. Fair Winds, and Following Seas shipmate!
