On February 24, 2025, Captain Kate McCue announced that she was leaving Celebrity Cruises. It was a complete shock to the cruise world.
Captain Kate is iconic. In 2015, she became the first American woman to command a “mega” cruise ship when she took the helm of Celebrity Summit. Captain Kate went on to command Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Edge, and – most recently – Celebrity Beyond.
Captain Kate broke the news with a video posted to her Instagram page, highlighting her 22-year career with Royal Caribbean Group.
Captain Kate assured everyone, though, that her sailing days are far from over. “I’ve got too much salt in my veins to leave the sea behind,” she wrote.
A Celebrity Captain
Captain Kate’s gathered quite a following over the years. Along with her seafaring Sphynx cat Bug Naked (who sadly passed away back in December), she’s become a social media sensation. Captain Kate has given her followers an inside look at what it means to work aboard cruise ships. As a result, she’s arguably become the most famous cruise ship captain of today.
Captain Kate McCue is something the world hasn’t seen in a long time: a celebrity captain (who just so happened to have worked for Celebrity).
During the Golden Age of ocean liners, ship captains were often celebrities in their own right and developed loyal followings. For instance, Captain Edward Smith of Titanic fame had been nicknamed the “Millionaire’s Captain.” Wealthy passengers would frequently change their travel arrangements just to be able to sail with him. Captains would frequently publish popular autobiographies too, like Cunard Line Commodores Harry Grattidge and Geoffrey Marr.
My wife and I took a cruise on Celebrity Beyond last April solely because we wanted to sail with Captain Kate and Bug. We’re far from the only ones who’ve done that too. While aboard, we were invited to the Captain’s Circle reception and had a chance to meet her. Captain Kate was gracious, kind, and absolutely hilarious. She got excited when I told her I used to work on the Queen Mary. The captain then told us how she stayed onboard the ship before her Second Mate’s examination for “those good vibes.”
Fair winds and following seas, Captain Kate! We really hope that we have the pleasure of sailing with you again in the future.
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