An American woman Kate McCue is on her maiden voyage at the helm of the Celebrity Summit. She's leading the 14-day cruise with more than 2,100 passengers and a crew of about 950.
Kate McCue, 37, took the helm of her maiden voyage on the Celebrity Summit ship on Sunday as the 91,000 ton cruise vessel set sail to New England and Canada.
Captaining cruise ships still remains a profession dominated by men. But McCue’s boss, the first female chief executive of Celebrity Cruise Lines, said she hopes McCue’s example would “makes girls and women raise their hands and say, ‘yeah, I think I’d like to do this too.'”
According to a report from CBS, Kate McCue said: "Everyone has a stereotypical idea of a captain and I'm missing some pounds. I don't have entirely gray hair. I don't have a beard or a parrot but I think when the guests meet me they're pleasantly surprised."
McCue's dream to command her own vessel began at the age of 12 when she took her first family cruise to the Bahamas. She said when she told her dad that she wanted to be a cruise director, he gave her the response that would change her life.
The cruise company , which operates a fleet of 10 ships, has elevated McCue to the position of Captain based on her 15 years of successful experience and leadership in the maritime industry.
During her tenure, McCue has managed ship logistics while sailing worldwide itineraries, including Europe, Asia, Australia, the Caribbean, the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and along the Panama Canal.
Captain McCue has also served as a maritime leader while sailing several transatlantic and repositioning cruises, and played a notable role in the revitalization of ships in Singapore.