Captain Kate is leaving Celebrity Cruises

One of the world’s most famous cruise ship captains is sailing in a new direction

Captain Kate McCue, widely known for her social media posts (but also, more importantly, for being the first American woman to be named Captain of a mega cruise ship) is bidding farewell to Celebrity Cruises.

"Today, I saw farewell to Celebrity," Captain Kate, as she is known, wrote on her Instagram on Monday (Feb 24). "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!"

According to her LinkedIn, Captain McCue began working for Royal Caribbean Group as Second Officer onboard Nordic Empress in 2003.

She then became a First Officer on Brilliance, Mariner, and Independence of the Seas.

But she rose to fame when she became the Captain of the Celebrity Summit at 37 years old in 2015.

Throughout her time as a Captain, she gained significant notoriety online, amassing more than 4.6 million combined followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, where she offers a glimpse into the daily life of being a cruise ship Captain.

In spring of 2022, then-Celebrity Cruises President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo announced that Captain McCue would take the helm of Celebrity Beyond, which debuted in spring 2022.

"You might be wondering why I am leaving," Captain Kate wrote in her Instagram post. "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 her sailing days over? “Absolutely not,” she wrote. “I've got too much salt in my veins to leave the sea behind."

Sandra Pennington, field sales manager for Western Ontario at Celebrity Cruises, took to her Facebook page to wish Captain Kate well.  

“She will be missed. I know we have all enjoyed watching, meeting and being inspired by Captain Kate McCue,” Pennington wrote in a post, sharing a career recap reel McCue posted.

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