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Celebrating The Women At Sea This International Women’s Day!

Celebrating The Women At Sea This International Women’s Day!

To celebrate international women’s day, here at Cruise.co.uk we wanted to shine some light on the amazing women working in the cruise industry and how cruise lines are constantly making improvements to bring equality to the sector.

Starting Celebrity Cruises and their first all-female crew! The first American female cruise ship captain, Kate McCue, will be leading the team of 26 women. The 27-strong crew onboard Celebrity Edge will have three British women onboard; first officer Rachel Arnold, cruise director Sue Denning and guest relations director Julie Sherrington. This historic sailing celebrating International Women’s Day is part of Celebrity Cruises #BRIDGEthegap initiative. The initiative highlights the sector being male-dominated when it comes to leadership roles. Celebrity Cruises said although only 2% of the world’s mariners are women, its bridge teams are 22% female.

Captain Kate McCue has stirred up the cruise world as of late with her hugely popular Instagram account amassing over 115k followers. She posts daily life onboard Celebrity Cruises ships and all of the unbelievable destinations her dream job allows her to visit. After becoming the first female American megaship Captain in 2015 Kate has used her new visibility in the role to encourage the next generation of female cruising pioneers. 

Captain Kate McCue

Next up is the much-adored traditional cruise line Cunard, which has appointed its first female captain, Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge, to take the helm of their dazzling new vessel Queen Anne. Previously to her cruise industry career, Captain Inger spent four years on ferries and Ro-Ro ships. She worked on Cunard’s Queen Victoria ship in 2010 and has worked with other top cruise lines such as Princess Cruises, Seabourn and P&O Cruises. She has an immense passion for guest and crew welfare, as well as green cruise initiatives and technologies.

Captain Inger

Another female cruising pioneer is Belinda Bennett, who became the first black, female cruise ship captain when she took the helm of Wind Star in 2018.  Her 25-year journey has taken her from deck cadet aboard a Royal Mail ship, to Captain of the 148 passenger Wind Star. Along the way, she received a Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service from Her Royal Highness Princess Anne. In a recent interview, she was asked about the barriers she has faced in her career “I’ve run into both racism and sexism over the years, but I have never let it be an issue. It’s not my problem, it’s theirs!” 

Captain Belinda Bennett. Credit: Windstar Cruises

Of course, we can’t celebrate how far these women at the helm have come without talking of the first woman to captain a major cruise ship. In 2007 Karin Stahre-Janson took command of the late Monarch of the Seas. Growing up in Sweden she started her career onboard cargo ships and to date, has now captained four mega cruise ships.

Captain Karin Stahre-Janson. Credit: Crew Center

As of early 2019, one of Disney’s most beloved characters finally got her stripes. Disney Cruise Line decided to promote Minnie Mouse in hopes it would help inspire the next generation of female leaders in the maritime industry. The initiative also included the debut of a new youth program where Captain Minnie Mouse helps train young passengers in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills that are needed for success on an ocean liner.

Bulletin Editor

Editor and Creative Copywriter of Cruise.co.uk's bulletin blog, bringing you cruise news, tips and guides daily! - Contact: [email protected]

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