Who is Captain Kate McCue? Everyone’s Favori...

Captain Kate McCue is the primary American girl captain on a big cruise and is at present the grasp of Movie star Past. Nevertheless, she’s notable for a lot extra — right here’s every thing you would possibly must know.

1. She Fell in Love with Cruising at a Younger Age

According to McCue’s website, she’s lengthy been an avid fan of cruising. Born in 1978, she took her first cruise at simply 12 years of outdated (to the Bahamas), after which she determined she’d prefer to pursue a profession as a cruise director. 

Nevertheless, her open-minded father inspired her to consider all the varied completely different careers that exist on a cruise ship. This prompted McCue to determine that, maybe, she would possibly develop into a cruise ship captain.

2. She Has At all times Had a Profession in Crusing or Cruising

Whereas a few of us hop from job to job earlier than selecting a profession path, this wasn’t the case for Kate McCue. 

McCue’s School Years

That willpower, as a preteen, to enter the cruise business continued all through her faculty years. She attended the California State College Maritime Academy and graduated after three years of research, in 1999, with a bachelor’s diploma in enterprise administration.

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Whereas she was in faculty, she additionally studied celestial navigation, in addition to essential maritime expertise akin to ship maneuvering and medical first assist. She was in a position to benefit from hands-on coaching experiences at sea throughout her research, which took her crusing to locations like Easter Island and all through the South Pacific.

Her Internship at Chiquita 

She additionally interned on a cargo ship for Chiquita (sure, the banana firm), crusing between Ecuador and California. 

In a Cosmopolitan interview, she mentioned of the expertise, “My job was to face watch on the bridge and help with cargo operations — whether or not it was loading the bananas, killing these big spiders that come out of the bananas, guaranteeing temperatures have been maintained within the cargo maintain or unloading bananas.”

It was this expertise, McCue mentioned, that solidified her want to work on cruise ships sooner or later. Engaged on a cruise ship consists of superb eating, leisure and opulent shore excursions — a lot better than killing spiders on a cargo ship.

Her First Crusing Job

Her first cruising job after commencement was in Hawaii, however this wasn’t on any big cruise ship like what she sails at this time. As an alternative, she labored on a tour catamaran, finishing no matter jobs have been wanted, performing as deck hand, bar tender, surf teacher and extra.

Working at a Main Cruise Line

After a quick stint engaged on land in logistics for a container delivery firm, she landed her first job with a serious cruise line: Disney Cruise Line.

She began out as a 3rd mate, which, on a cruise ship is principally the fourth-in-command and a security officer. Disney stored her totally on routes within the Caribbean. On the time, Disney Cruise Line was very small, with solely two ships. 

Constructing Her Profession at Royal Caribbean

After some time, McCue moved on as much as a brand new place as second officer, however with a brand new cruise line: Royal Caribbean. She took this job in 2003, however by 2004, she had already gained a promotion and develop into first officer. 

Nonetheless, you possibly can’t simply transfer from first officer to ship’s captain. McCue wanted extra {qualifications}, so she achieved her chief mate and grasp’s license on the Maritime Institute of Know-how and Graduate Research in 2009.

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After this, she was in a position to obtain much more promotions at Royal Caribbean, lastly transferring as much as the second-in-command place as employees captain in 2011.

Throughout her time at Royal Caribbean, McCue sailed the next ships: Brilliance of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Attract of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas and Jewel of the Seas. 

3. She Made Historical past in 2015

After her lengthy profession at Royal Caribbean, Movie star Cruises reached out to McCue in 2015 with a tempting supply: develop into a captain, permitting McCue to attain the dream she got down to pursue so a few years earlier, as a preteen. As soon as McCue accepted the job, she made historical past as the primary American girl to captain a mega ship, Movie star Summit. 

This can be a big accomplishment as, at present, ladies solely characterize 2% of the complete maritime business. Wanting extra intently at simply bridge groups, ladies make up about 32% of the people on these groups, although that share was solely at 4% when McCue’s profession started.

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Taking her position critically, McCue’s title tag solely says “Captain” on it, as, given the generally unconscious sexism inside the business, a previous title tag with “Captain Kate” on it led to cruisers solely calling her “Kate,” inadvertently dropping her hard-earned title — and that’s a title I feel we are able to all agree that Captain McCue deserves. 

4. Her Job Entails far Extra Than You May Suppose.

Because the captain of a ship, McCue’s job entails quite a bit. Being a ship’s captain isn’t just standing round, steering a really giant boat. 

McCue likens the expertise to transferring a really giant lodge, however past maneuvering the ship, her job additionally consists of overseeing the crew, being on name 24/7, attending varied features the place she mixes and mingles with the cruisers and extra. On the finish of the day, she’s fully in command of every thing happening, on the cruise ship. 

Whereas McCue relishes her way of life as a captain, although, she doesn’t should be “on” 24/7/365. Ship captains work 12 weeks on and 12 weeks off, so McCue has a three-month break between stints at sea. 

5. Her Movie star Cruises Profession Continues

Since taking the helm of Movie star Summit, McCue has captained a number of completely different ships inside the Movie star Cruises fleet. In 2018, she moved to Movie star Equinox.

In 2019, she took over Movie star Edge (and, truly, she captained the ship when it was the primary ship to sail from the U.S. following the Covid-19 cruising shutdowns). In 2022, she took on Celebrity Beyond, because the ship’s very first captain from launch. 

6. She As soon as Rescued a Ship Misplaced at Sea

In 2017, McCue led a rescue operation, when her cruise ship came across a small boat that had been adrift for a number of weeks. There have been six people on the boat, two of which have been pregnant, and so they had already ran out of water and meals. McCue and firm had simply been on their approach to Curacao, after they got here throughout the adrift boat and have been in a position to carry out a rescue.

McCue carried out different rescues in 2023 and in early 2024, when she and the crew both solely executed or assisted within the rescue of greater than 200 migrants, alongside the Italian Navy. 

McCue has lengthy documented her adventures as a ship’s captain on varied social media platforms. She has greater than 1,000,000 followers on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, and Movie star Cruises notes that McCue is the model’s greatest social media star.

Her posts vary from academic movies that reply questions on life on a cruise ship or as a cruise ship captain, to wanderlust-esque imagery that will make anybody wish to e book their subsequent cruise. 

All in all, although, McCue’s social media presence primarily goals to indicate different ladies that the cruising business is accessible, and that they, too, can have a maritime profession. (Though, in a Travel Age West article, McCue famous that one in all her favourite issues to publish are movies of her officers maneuvering the ship for the primary time — a second of satisfaction for all concerned!)

A number of of McCue’s posts have gone viral, akin to, in 2024, when the captain hit back over over crew member tipping.

If you wish to comply with McCue’s social media-savvy from the beginning, you possibly can simply return to when her YouTube channel started, 4 years in the past, and watch her “How I Sea It” collection, that give an inside take a look at a ship captain’s life. 

8. Her Cat is Nearly as Well-known as She is

Throughout a lot of McCue’s social media, followers might, up till not too long ago, ceaselessly spy one very particular visitor: Bug Bare, a hairless sphynx cat that traveled with McCue around the globe. 

Bug typically appeared carrying varied costumes and uniforms in McCue’s social media posts, and she or he was a favourite with crews on the varied ships that she and McCue known as residence. Bug might be seen accompanying McCue as she went about her every day routine, on the ship’s bridge. Bug even had her personal passport!

Sadly, the beloved cat with an enormous fanbase died on Dec. 26, 2024, following routine dental work. 

On the time, McCue posted on Instagram: “The feelings since dropping Bug are one thing I’ve by no means skilled. The gaping gap in my chest seems like a void that may by no means be stuffed…”

Bug was eight years and 6 months outdated, and had begun crusing with McCue at simply three months outdated, in 2015. McCue mentioned in a Instagram video that she had initially needed to get a pet monkey to accompany her on her cruises, however when her superiors denied her request for a monkey, she discovered Bug. 

9. She Met Her Husband on a Ship

McCue’s husband is Nikola Petrovic, a chief engineer within the cruise business. She met him on a ship and was in a position to work with him, on the identical vessel, after they each labored for Royal Caribbean.

Nevertheless, this was not an choice on Movie star Cruises, as McCue would technically be Petrovic’s boss, resulting in a battle of curiosity. As such, the 2 work individually now. 

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After leaving Royal Caribbean Cruises in October 2017, Petrovic joined Virgin Voyages, the place he labored for practically 5 years, earlier than returning to Royal Caribbean in late 2022.

10. She Just lately Launched a Nautical-Themed Jewellery Assortment

McCue has established herself as a private model past her work with Movie star Cruises, and with which have come alternatives to launch different attention-grabbing endeavors — like a brand new nautical-themed jewellery assortment that she crafted with Dune Jewellery.

The lady-founded model is understood for creating jewellery that encompasses sand and earth parts from distinctive places throughout the globe. 

The Captain Kate x Dune Jewellery Assortment options sterling silver and gold vermeil designs, and gem stones like rainbow moonstone, which have traditionally been prized by sailors pretty much as good luck charms.