For the first time in the cruise industry - and in Celebrity Cruises' history - an American female will take the helm of a mega-ton cruise ship. '", Copyright 2023 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. An All Female Bridge and Officer Team "She came to Celebrity and shortly after, I was sailing on the Quantum of the Seas with Royal Caribbean with my husband [Nikola], who was the chief engineer and he brought the phone in while I was sleeping and he said, 'It's Celebrity'.". Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Now I keep in contact with my family twice a day and I see them on Skype. We do 12 weeks on, 12 weeks off. This is a real glimpse at the Captain's life on a mega cruise ship! When my husband and I were working together, we'd get back to our cabin, order room service, watch our Game of Thrones, and go to bed. I have my dream job, but my biggest life goal would be to compete on The Amazing Race. Kate McCue at the helm of the Celebrity Edge. McCue spent the spring, summer and first days of fall navigating the choppy waters of Covid-19's cruise restrictions and trying to do her best by her staff. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Also a lot of time on my hands to play with it and see what works.". The thoughtfulness and imagination she put into this ship is only matched by her forward thinking to move the industry beyond what it is now and see what it should be.. Now McCue is at the helm of the newest and largest ship in Celebrity's fleet, The Beyond, which makes its debut in April 2022. It's more traumatic for me to come home. It takes a paper chart, digitizes it, and draws a red dotted line from point A to point B. A: "Yep" Q: Will I be sticking around Italy? Also Read: 12 Major New Cruise Ships Arriving in 2022. "I was focusing so much on that, that I couldn't enjoy what I wanted since I was 12 years old, that had come to fruition. My wife and I are sailing on Beyond's 9 night repositioning cruise from Bayonne to the Caribbean and Fort Lauderdale on 10/26/22. Thanks Auntie Lani, Uncle Johnny, Emily, Artist Ernst Arnold & @karmaandluck "But, don't worry, I'm here for you," McCue added with a smile while she took her seat. Since the start, it's been our aim to provide the latest cruise news covering all the major cruise lines. From photos of cotton candy sunrises on the horizon, to videos of dolphins dancing in the waters below to clips of crew tie-dying shirts to pass the time, McCue's Instagram is a whirlwind look at life on board the ship. By McCue's husband, who also works in the cruise industry, was on board Edge on vacation at the time. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. She is currently employed by Celebrity Cruises and is the captain of the Celebrity Beyond. I believe the more open we are about it, the easier it is going to be for women coming up. Speaking to CNN at the height of the crisis. And I see the news. We're always on call, but no one works 24 hours a day. "It was important for me to stay as long as I could to make sure that the 1,350 crew members that we had on Celebrity Edge -- and all of the crew members that we had in our fleet in the Caribbean -- that we could get off, did get off.". She thought it looked like fun to work on the ship, maybe as an event planner. The ships steering wheel is smaller than the steering wheel on a car. Captain Kate McCue will take control of the new vessel when it debuts in Spring 2022. Learn How You Can Sell Alaska This Summer: Part 3. This part is when I get to educate everyone on the difference between a boat and a ship. The captain's quarters tour was a good example of what McCue really aims to do with her social presence, which is to make the seafaring life accessible and relatable, particularly to women. According to Comparably, a cruise ship captain's salary is around $93,328 per year, in a salary range from $48,485 to $180,308. Today was the first time IN a classroom but they were easy on me and very sweet! Fox News Flash top headlines for March 19. We sailed with the Captain on Equinox in 2019 and she added positivity to our cruise. I would just love to be the captain. So I will actually go back to the cabin with this buzz. It's such an adrenaline rush. These are places that most people will not see in their lifetimes. My name tag only says Captain. Some people still tend to call me Kate. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. When she became the commanding officer of Celebrity Summit in 2015, it was the first time that an American woman had been named captain of a "Mega" cruise ship. So when they see me around the ship they are always surprised and the number one question I get asked is, if you are here who is driving (and this is driving me crazy) the boat. In July, she became the first American female captain of a megaton cruise ship. AAA Travel Alert:Many travel destinations have implemented COVID-19related restrictions. With that,McCue's path wasset. What it's like to be a cruise ship captain - CNN Its cutting edge, everything is so technologically advanced. I would love if my husband was part of it, so we could build it together. Kate McCue net worth Apr, 2023 - People Ai Every summer the cadets [what undergrads are called at CMA] go on a training cruise to get hands-on experience for going to sea. Not only is she one of the very few female captains in the industry, but she and her cat have become Instagram celebrities. The last voyage of McCue's December-March stretch was to coincide with International Women's Day, a special Celebrity sailing in which the ship was entirely staffed by female officers. I think, to be honest, it's necessary to miss people to be able to appreciate them. Meet Captain Kate McCue - YouTube In 4 years we've gone from 3% to 22%. McCue has three primary accounts: Her Instagram, which she called her "digital photo album"; a TikTok, where she can show off her self-professed goofy side; and a YouTube channel, where she produces more educational content -- a recent video, for example, was titled, "Repatriating cruise ship crew during a pandemic.". She is very personable and fun to talk with. Before she was employed at Celebrity, McCue worked her way up from 2nd officer to staff captain at Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. And prior to that, she was a 3rd mate at the Disney Cruise Line. Fame | Kate McCue net worth and salary income estimation Apr, 2023 | People Ai Kate McCue net worth 4.06 Million Millions of dollars 87% Net worth score Disclamer: Kate McCue net worth displayed here are calculated based on a combination social factors. Twenty-five years later, McCue, 37, has realized her dream. McCue, a San Francisco native, received her bachelor of business administration in both marine transportation and business administration at California State Universitys Maritime Academy. I was always supported by my [all-male] captains. I have to do laundry, I have to make my own food, make my own bed. Spouses are. If a guest is coming with a service animal, they stay with them the entire time, while people with pets is a different story. Cooking in the galley. #pleasedontcallitaboat , This feels SO bizarre to say but TheCaptainKate.com is officially live! So, I am living the dream now for both of us. The reality star and Florida native is pregnant with her first child, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal, due May 2023. When I started in 2015 we only had a 3% female bridge team fleetwide. The video has been viewed more than 1.2 million times and McCue has more than 321,000 TikTok followers as of Thursday. He could, prior to the pandemic. It would be fantastic if every crew member had a cat, although, the reality is that my office and my home are the same space, and because I have a conference room, my cabin is a good size and I am not leaving Bug Naked alone. August 30, 2019 Cruises 10 min read. Tasks is on vacation and his brother Dimetris is relieving Captain Kate on the Beyond. That will be my equivalent of having a child. My cat has 24/7 supervision. Then I moved up to chief officer safety. Captain Kate McCue, who has more than 3.5 million follows across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, has already been breaking records as the first American female to captain a major cruise ship. The plan was she'd work three months on board, and then three months off. After about six months of sleeping on the couch, I thought, I have to get a real job where I could move up. If I don't do it, how will people see it?". Kate McCue, the first American woman to captain a megaship . Instead, she hangs out in busy areas of the ship and chats with guests as they enjoy their day. Captain Kate McCue - YouTube Check back each Monday for the latest interview. It's such a happy place. I promise some people care. The people and the crew members whom I get to call family. Yes, even sisters ships are slightly different in certain things so you always need a familiarization period when you first enter the ships. Its just phenomenal. Like 'your ignorance. McCue said she later applied to Miami-based Royal Caribbean International in hopes of more advancement opportunities with a larger company. Captain Kate has transcended what it means to be a captain as a voice and example of inclusivity, diversity, and change, said Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. When Celebrity Cruises Captain Kate McCue became the first American woman to captain a mega cruise ship in 2015, it didn't take her long to bring her hairless Sphinx aboard. Usually I'm in bed at a pretty decent time. As Covid worries heightened and uncertainty grew, he traveled back to Vegas, and McCue planned to follow. McCue was referring to Palmyra Atoll, which is in the Northern Pacific. She and Celebrity CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo had briefly touched on the strategy during an interview last fall when they were promoting a sailing helmed by the first all-female bridge team. Once completed, the third Edge-class cruise ship will be 140,600 gross tons with a guest capacity of 3,260 along with 1,400 crew members from 60 countries. captainkatemccue (@captainkatemccue) Official | TikTok A Celebrity spokeswoman confirmed that McCue was the line's biggest social media star; in second place is McCue's hairless cat/sidekick, Bug (@bugnaked, 44,500 followers). Any time the bridge team needs support whether there are additional ships in traffic or we're close to land, or the weather changes they call me. Captain Kate McCue is currently captain of Celebrity's newest ship, The Edge. Explore our newest ship, Beyond, with her captain, Kate McCue, and see the ship getting ready for the inaugural sailing on Apr. We were bringing bananas from Ecuador to Long Beach, California. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. And well be at the top of it with pots and pans and anything we can make noise with to welcome them back on. Basically, you have first officers who stand eight-hour watches on the bridge. The Luminaries: Captain Kate McCue Wants More Women to Lead Ships - Insider In one older post, she's on the bridge in full regalia (an image of her and other women officers -- her "sea-sters" -- wearing sky-high Christian Louboutin heels was captioned "heart and sole"); in another she's wearing Celebrity coveralls to help reorient an osprey that got stuck on the open deck ("on a wing and an osprey'er"). The ship also took provisions and mail from Florida to the other ships. McCue says the crew on Edge rallied around one another, and she celebrated every time a crew member successfully disembarked the ship and reunited with their loved ones. I have an executive committee made up of staff captain (the second in command), chief engineer, hotel director, and human resources manager, and they handle their respective departments. In 2015, Kate McCue made history when she became captain of the Celebrity Edge at the age of 37 years old. She constantly thinks about how she can go above and beyond, mirroring the exceptional design and imagination of the ship she will captain. She lives in landlocked Cleveland with her travel writer husband, David Molyneaux. Then you have autopilot. We'd like to sail with her again. The 43-year-old Celebrity Cruises captain has amassed nearly 3 million followers on TikTok, regaling them with videos about life at sea, her career and videos of her cat Bug Naked. I would love to build a ship, to take it from the time the keel is laid until she is put into service. I take her up to the bridge when I do the inside access tours, which is a good opportunity for a diehard Bug Naked fan to meet her. Captain Kate McCue - Brains and Beauty on the Edge They come onboard to have a good time and when people are putting out that positive energy it gets your adrenaline going. Captain McCue played a major role. My goal since then was to become a captain," she says. . "I 'sea' what you did there," she riposted when I called her out on it during a recent phone call. FollowAAA ExplorerandWestwaysfor the latest on what to see and do. Normally the ad cost for an Instagram ad post is based on the number of followers on the account. I did all the training for the crew and was in charge of safety on board. I worked hard for the captain title. PS: Don't you think there should be a separate section called "Cruise Critical" where you can criticize everything you don't like? I moved to Royal Caribbean International, coming in as a second officer, and worked my way up. The places we could go. Yes, the captain does drive. He loves coming onboard. Kate McCue Born: January 6, 1978 (age 44years), San Francisco, California, United States, Kate McCue Education: Cal Maritime, Lakeside High School. Kate McCue went on her first cruise at age 12. Captain Kate McCue, a trailblazer, is at the helm as U.S. relaunches Crazy, right? I finally got a job with Disney Cruise Lines as a third mate. Free expert cruise tips and news from Cruise Hive! Our maritime training included things like celestial navigation, advanced firefighting classes, medical first aid, and hands-on practice maneuvering ships.