To call Kate McCue, Captain of the Celebrity Beyond mega-ship, a fan favorite would be an understatement.
McCue is not only a cruise ship captain, but is a social media star, with over 1 million followers on Instagram, more than 84,000 YouTube subscribers, and her popular Captain’s Log short video series that can be found on several social media platforms and regularly get hundreds of thousands of views per video.
She started her career in the cruise industry in the early 2000s, when she got hired by Disney Cruise Line as a third mate, subsequently joining Royal Caribbean in 2003. Over the following years, McCue worked her way up the ranks, obtaining her Chief Mate and Master’s License along the way, which cleared the way for her to take the helm of a ship on her own.
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McCue made history a decade ago when she was named captain of Celebrity Summit, making her the first American woman to ascend to the rank of captain on a large cruise ship in history. 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 mega-ship, when it launched in Spring 2022.
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McCue has been captain of the Celebrity Beyond.
Image source: Celebrity Cruises
Captain Kate unexpectedly announces her departure
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 capital 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,” she shared.
McCue’s departure was certainly a surprise to Celebrity cruisers, as well as to the more than 1 million people who follow her on Instagram.
She continued, “You might be wondering why am I 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.”
While it’s unclear exactly what changed in McCue’s life to prompt such a change, one recent event was the loss of McCue’s beloved hairless cat Bug Naked, who received special permission to live aboard Beyond.
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Bug passed away in late December during a routine dental procedure. Bug Naked had sailed with Captain Kate since she was three months old and had become almost as much of a social media star as the captain herself. To be sure, we don’t know that her feline companion’s unexpected loss had anything to do with her decision, but this would certainly qualify as one of the “big life changes” McCue referenced in her post.
What is next for Captain Kate?
Many cruisers were clearly disappointed. Within an hour of posting the news of her departure on Instagram, McCue’s post had received nearly 1,200 comments, most of which wished Captain Kate well, but expressed sadness they wouldn’t see her on their next Beyond sailing.
McCue didn’t reveal any future plans, other than to say that her sailing days aren’t over, saying that this is the “start of the Captain’s Log: New Season.” Fans will have to stay tuned and follow McCue’s social media (Instagram @capitainkatemccue) to find out.
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