Captain Kate McCue – more widely known as Captain Kate – is set to leave Celebrity Cruises after 22 years with the Royal Caribbean Group.
Captain McCue was the first American woman to be appointed captain of a large commercial cruise ship, and has been, most lately, captain of the Celebrity Beyond ship; firstly making captain rank on Celebrity Summit in 2015.
She is also a famed social media star: having around 84,000 followers on YouTube and more than 1 million followers on Instagram; with her Captain’s Log short videos actively watched.
Captain McCue broke here news via her Instagram feed, saying: “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!”
She added: “You might be wondering why I am leaving. Simply put, life has an incredible way of reminding us what’s important and changing up priorities. I’ve recently had some big life changes, and this just happens to be one of those. Are my sailing days over? Absolutely not. I’ve got too much salt in my veins to leave the sea behind.”
Celebrity Cruises directly responded by saying: “The journey we have shared together has been absolutely amazing. You brought passion and heart to everything you did, inspiring so many along the way, and leaving a lasting mark on our industry. We wish you fair winds and following seas, always.”
