Celebrity Cruises' Captain Kate McCue has achieved a level of fame that's rare for a cruise ship officer.
She received notice in 2015 for becoming the first American woman to captain a large cruise ship: Celebrity Summit. In October 2021 she took the helm of Celebrity Beyond. And she has built on her distinctive career path with her popular "Captain's Log" Instagram video blog.
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In her series she documents a different part of life on board each day. That could be her sharing what the day is like for her hairless cat, Bug, or showing what a captain does when docking during bad weather.
Many of Captain Kate's fans know she is married, but her husband does not live with her on Celebrity Beyond.
He works in the industry, so he does understand her schedule, but in her latest Captain's Log, Season 2, Episode 44, she shared how the couple has made this long-distance relationship work.
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Celebrity Beyond's captain shares her secret to a happy marriage
Captain Kate, who is 46, opened her latest video with Bug poking out of her shirt while holding a pillow version of her husband.
"People always assume that this career means long-distance relationships are a fact of life and relationship balance isn't attainable," she said. "But when it's all you've known for nearly two decades together, I always joke that the secret to a happy marriage is different time zones and never being in the same place at the same time."
In reality, while separation is part of her marriage, Captain Kate and her husband do get other benefits that people in traditional jobs don't experience.
"The truth is that I have someone who understands me and supports what I do for a living," she says. "Yes, work takes us away from each other for months, but it also gives us the opportunity to be together 24/7 for the three months of vacation."
Captain Kate works a three-months-on, three-months-off schedule.
"We basically get to retire and enjoy new things together six months out of the year. without the added pressure or responsibility of work," she added.
Her husband also works on ships and has been involved in a project on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. That means the two do sometimes get to see each other when both ships dock in Miami.
Celebrity Beyond sails from Fort Lauderdale, so when both ships are in port, he (Nikola) can come visit his wife on her ship. The couple will also spend time together when their ships happen to be in the same ports.
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They don't plan those visits, however. They let themselves be surprised when they end up in the same spot.
"Other than the turnaround days we don't usually check our schedules to see if the ships will meet up because sometimes the best dates are the impromptu rendezvous in a new place," she shared.
"For example, we have had surprise reunions in Puerto Rico, New Orleans, Dominican Republic, Naples, Italy, and my favorite, Dubrovnik, Croatia."
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