Who is Captain Kate?
Captain Kate McCue is the first American female captain of a large cruise ship. In the cruise industry, most captains are male and this major accomplishment is one that Kate has dreamed of since the first cruise she took with her family. Captain Kate is leading future generations by encouraging youth to pursue their dreams until they happen. At first, Kate wanted to be a cruise director but with encouragement from her parents, she decided to pursue something that would pay better.
Captain Kate obtained her degree at Maritime Academy at California State University. She obtained a Business Administration degree and also studied celestial navigation during sailing trips over the summer breaks. While she attended California Maritime Academy, she completed an internship for Chiquita Brands International working aboard a cargo ship. Her plate must have been full as she set out to accomplish all that she wanted to do. After graduation, she moved to Hawaii and worked onboard a catamaran, as a general deckhand, that tourists booked for day trips.
Shortly thereafter, Kate began applying to cruise lines. After nine months, she gained a job with Disney Cruise Line in an entry-level position as a third mate. She kept her eyes open for other positions in the cruise line industry until 2003, she became a second officer for Royal Caribbean. While her role on Disney saw her travel around the Caribbean, her new posting saw her travel all over the world. After a year, she was promoted to first officer. She attended the Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies in Baltimore in 2009 where she earned her Chief Mate and Master’s License to enable her to take command of a vessel. When she returned to Royal Caribbean, she was promoted first to a chief officer and then to staff captain (the second in command) in 2011. Four years later, Celebrity Cruises (owned by Royal Caribbean), hired her as Captain on Celebrity Summit. Her journey with Celebrity Cruises took her on numerous ships but most recently was hired as Captain of the newest and greatest Celebrity Beyond. Her sphynx cat, Bug Naked, sails with her aboard and has attracted lots of attention!
Nuvo360 was hired by Celebrity Cruise’s to create virtual tours of staterooms and venues, and had the privilege to to capture the Bridge and meet Captain Kate McCue and Bug Naked. Bug Naked was a very patient cat as we captured the Bridge in its entirety. If you look closely, I think he even smiled for us.
