Beloved Celebrity Beyond Captain Kate McCue bids farewell – but where is she going?

• Captain Kate McCue of Celebrity Beyond announced her farewell from Celebrity Cruises after 22 years.
• Many are speculating that this move could be linked to the sudden death of her beloved cat, Bug Naked.
• She has reassured her followers that she will be back at sea soon, prompting fans to ask, where is she going?

Captain Kate McCue, the world’s most-followed seafarer, has announced her departure from Celebrity Cruises, following 22 years in the Royal Caribbean Group.

McCue is known for her presence on social media, amassing over 1 million followers on Instagram and 84,000 subscribers on YouTube. Her videos documenting her life at sea consistently garner hundreds of thousands of views, giving her fans an intimate insight into her action-packed career.

Announcing her farewell

McCue announced her departure from Celebrity to her fans through a video on Instagram which showed a montage of heartwarming clips from her time with the line. She 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.”

Despite her impressive following, Captain Kate McCue is much more than just an internet sensation- she is a trailblazer for women in the maritime industry. This was cemented in 2015, when she was appointed Captain of Celebrity Summit, making history as the first American woman to achieve the rank of captain on a ‘mega’ ship. 

In the last decade, she has captained an array of ships, including Celebrity Equinox, Celebrity Edge, and, most recently, Celebrity Beyond. Whilst captaining Celebrity Edge in 2020, she led an all-female bridge and officer team in a historic voyage from Florida to Mexico, as a celebration of International Women’s Day.

McCue’s reasons for leaving Celebrity were vague, leaving fans unsure of what prompted this transition.

“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.”

The unexpected death of Bug Naked

Many are speculating that the unexpected death of McCue’s treasured hairless cat, Bug Naked, is one of these ‘big life changes’. McCue spoke about her sadness at Bug’s death on social media, sharing her feelings of grief. On one Instagram post, she spoke about how she took on Bug to comfort her during “one of the loneliest jobs out there”. 

Bug passed away at the end of 2024 after over 8 years as McCue’s companion. McCue was granted special permission to bring her along to sea, and Bug amassed an impressive Instagram following of 84.7k, as fans loved seeing her funky outfits and pictures with the crew (@bugnaked).

McCue also shared on Instagram that her parent’s beloved dog, Dewey, passed away just 4 days after Bug. She captioned the post “When you think your heart can’t break anymore…” referring to the untimely death of Bug. It is not unreasonable to think that this challenging end to 2024 could be a factor in the Captain’s decision to leave Celebrity.

What is Captain Kate McCue’s next move?

McCue’s Instagram post announcing her departure was met with disappointment from fans, who conveyed their sadness at the news in the 2500 comments left on her post. However, they were reassured that this does not mean she is retiring from the sea: 

“Are my sailing days over? Absolutely not! I’ve got too much salt in my veins to leave the sea behind.”

While it’s uncertain when exactly McCue will resume her role as a captain, fans continue to follow her journey on social media and wish her luck in the future. It will be intriguing to see what her next move is.