Capt. Kate on the Summit.

[ChucktownSteve]

OMG is this thread really still going on and on? Kapt Kate enjoys the Camaraderie with the guests and their picture taking. Ask her next time you see her. She is very approachable.

[divingaggie]

Captain Kate was fantastic! I actually looked forward to her morning and evening announcements. She is a highly intelligent, incredibly witty, and friendly woman who never took herself too seriously. We loved her!

 

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[calvins5]

 

 

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[Jayneykul]

I think if you sail other lines then celebrity you are blown away by how personable the captains are they really add to the overall experience.

[excitedofharpenden]

I think if you sail other lines then celebrity you are blown away by how personable the captains are they really add to the overall experience.

 

It's not unique to Celebrity. Try Azamara for "personable" on a completely different level (in fact all of the officers), but then they are much smaller ship and only four Captains between two ships. My experience on Reflection in October was less than stellar I'm afraid, but I think I might have just been unlucky with the Master.

[donaldsc]

I just do not get this big deal about captains. Their job is to run the ship in a safe manner and to manage the crew and staff so that the passengers get a good cruise experience. I could care less if they are personable and if they get out and mix with the passengers. I could care less if their announcements are interesting. I could care less if they are male, female or any sexual orientation in between. I don't even need to know who the captain is as long as they do their job.

 

DON

[Wine-O]

Obviously, you don't seem to understand. The morale and esprit de corps of any ship begins at the top. It's called Leadership. You can feel it with the staff and crew once you board. Captain Kate possesses that leadership attribute.

[Fish Lover]

Obviously, you don't seem to understand. The morale and esprit de corps of any ship begins at the top. It's called Leadership. You can feel it with the staff and crew once you board. Captain Kate possesses that leadership attribute.

 

Well said. Just like a CEO creates and contributes to company culture and morale, so does the Captain of a ship. Especially since this a 24x7 environment for both staff and passengers.

[excitedofharpenden]

I just do not get this big deal about captains. Their job is to run the ship in a safe manner and to manage the crew and staff so that the passengers get a good cruise experience. I could care less if they are personable and if they get out and mix with the passengers. I could care less if their announcements are interesting. I could care less if they are male, female or any sexual orientation in between. I don't even need to know who the captain is as long as they do their job.

 

DON

 

That's your opinion. Many others don't share it. I agree with Wine-O. The attitude filters down to all of the crew from the top.

[chengkp75]

Obviously, you don't seem to understand. The morale and esprit de corps of any ship begins at the top. It's called Leadership. You can feel it with the staff and crew once you board. Captain Kate possesses that leadership attribute.

 

Well said. Just like a CEO creates and contributes to company culture and morale, so does the Captain of a ship. Especially since this a 24x7 environment for both staff and passengers.

 

I'll just post my thoughts on this, and then let you get back to arguing about it. I completely agree that the attitude and morale of the staff and crew reflect on the Captain's leadership. However, I haven't found that a Captain's propensity for mingling with the passengers does much for this attitude and morale. The time the Captain spends with the crew, talking with them, calling them by name, asking about family, how's the job going, etc., lends far more leadership to the crew than the crew seeing the Captain mingling with the passengers.

[ChucktownSteve]

I'll just post my thoughts on this, and then let you get back to arguing about it. I completely agree that the attitude and morale of the staff and crew reflect on the Captain's leadership. However, I haven't found that a Captain's propensity for mingling with the passengers does much for this attitude and morale. The time the Captain spends with the crew, talking with them, calling them by name, asking about family, how's the job going, etc., lends far more leadership to the crew than the crew seeing the Captain mingling with the passengers.

 

True. I've witnessed her stopping to speak with the crew as she passed in the buffet line and other places around the ship. Her personality, I believe, is true regardless of who she's with.

 

I was on the Summit when she Mastered in September last year and on the Summit with another Captain in August this year. I saw a definite difference in staff attitude from my perspective. Maybe it was coincidental. Maybe it WAS the Captain. I don't know but I felt that even before reading this thread.

[florisdekort]

Obviously, you don't seem to understand. The morale and esprit de corps of any ship begins at the top. It's called Leadership. You can feel it with the staff and crew once you board. Captain Kate possesses that leadership attribute.

 

 

Why? Because she speaks to passengers? That tells me near zero about her leadership skills and won't do much for morale either.

 

 

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[Wine-O]

Why? Because she speaks to passengers? That tells me near zero about her leadership skills and won't do much for morale either.

 

Strange -- I never mentioned passengers. :rolleyes:

[Jayneykul]

I think it enhances the experience tremendously having a captain who is joyful in joining in the holiday atmosphere much better than say the Cunard captains who make you feel you are in a gentlemans club without the correct membership card!

[donaldsc]

Obviously, you don't seem to understand. The morale and esprit de corps of any ship begins at the top. It's called Leadership. You can feel it with the staff and crew once you board. Captain Kate possesses that leadership attribute.

 

That would seem to be covered very well by this part of my post - "manage the crew and staff so that the passengers get a good cruise experience".

 

DON

[Wine-O]

That would seem to be covered very well by this part of my post - "manage the crew and staff so that the passengers get a good cruise experience".

 

DON

 

Yeah, but when you read your entire post, it appears that the intent was to inflame rather than inform. :rolleyes:

[Beanb41]

I fail to understand that now almost a year on since Kate was appointed there is still discussion about her being a Captain and how she interacts with crew and passengers. Most male Captains interact with both crew and passengers. The big difference with the Males is that they are for the most part Greek and their speaking of English is sometimes a little difficult to understand unlike Kate being American English is her first language and more easily understood by Westerners especially Americans. All male captains I have come across are personable and interact easily but more importantly from my perspective keep the ship going where it is supposed to and keep me safe. If a female Captain does the same and is personable that is all I ask.

[mit429]

I was on the Summit a few months ago and loved Captain Kate, she really gave a different vibe to the entire sailing and I noticed that in the staff as well.

 

I spent a lot of time talking with the staff I got close to and a lot of them talked about how personable and approachable Captain Kate was, that they all felt like they were part of a larger team or a family.

 

I think she does an amazing job and I can't wait to see her get promoted through the ranks to bigger and better ships!

[donaldsc]

Yeah, but when you read your entire post, it appears that the intent was to inflame rather than inform. :rolleyes:

 

I have been on a significant number of ships. I have no idea who was the captain on any of them nor did I care. The only reason that I know that none of them were Captain Kate was that all of them were male.

 

I might point out that for a long time, there were were no airline captains on major airlines that were female. Now I have been on flights where the airline captain was female and I did not see the passengers making a big deal about that. To me, it is demeaning to Captain Kate to make a big deal about the fact that she is both a captain AND a female. The world should be as gender neutral as possible and making a big fuss about her sex is not being gender neutral. Just my opinion.

 

DON

Edited December 5, 2016 by donaldsc

[Fish Lover]

I have been on a significant number of ships. I have no idea who was the captain on any of them nor did I care. The only reason that I know that none of them were Captain Kate was that all of them were male.

 

I might point out that for a long time, there were were no airline captains on major airlines that were female. Now I have been on flights where the airline captain was female and I did not see the passengers making a big deal about that. To me, it is demeaning to Captain Kate to make a big deal about the fact that she is both a captain AND a female. The world should be as gender neutral as possible and making a big fuss about her sex is not being gender neutral. Just my opinion.

 

DON

 

OMG...I actually agree with you regarding the extended hoopla regarding Captain Kate. It is newsworthy hat she broke the glass ceiling and because the first woman, however that should be the extent of it. The whole point of it being news is that it doesn't matter what gender the captain is.

 

This is why I, as a woman, object to the ERA. Why should I need a constitutional amendment to say that I am equal, when I am already guaranteed that right?

 

Anyway, I don't agree with the comments regarding the personality, accessibility, etc of the officers on board. The culture is established top down. If this is the example she sets, then it stands to reason that everyone will follow her lead. That in turn will affect the overall experience for passengers. Her technical abilities for guiding the ship are a given.

[chengkp75]

OMG...I actually agree with you regarding the extended hoopla regarding Captain Kate. It is newsworthy hat she broke the glass ceiling and because the first woman, however that should be the extent of it. The whole point of it being news is that it doesn't matter what gender the captain is.

 

This is why I, as a woman, object to the ERA. Why should I need a constitutional amendment to say that I am equal, when I am already guaranteed that right?

 

Anyway, I don't agree with the comments regarding the personality, accessibility, etc of the officers on board. The culture is established top down. If this is the example she sets, then it stands to reason that everyone will follow her lead. That in turn will affect the overall experience for passengers. Her technical abilities for guiding the ship are a given.

 

While the Captain's personality definitely has much to do with the success of a cruise, I will still disagree that their willingness to mingle with the passengers is the primary conduit for that success. I have known Captains that run fantastic ships, get great reviews, the crew love him, and he knows nearly all of them long before their contracts run out, but who heartily detest mingling with the passengers.

[Fish Lover]

While the Captain's personality definitely has much to do with the success of a cruise, I will still disagree that their willingness to mingle with the passengers is the primary conduit for that success. I have known Captains that run fantastic ships, get great reviews, the crew love him, and he knows nearly all of them long before their contracts run out, but who heartily detest mingling with the passengers.

 

I don't doubt your experience at all. I am sure this is quite true. The captain being accessible, a good sport, and willingness to participate and interact with passengers is just a plus that passengers enjoy. Of course there are many other important qualities that make one a good captain. Still all comes down to leadership and top down example.

[Finabear]

Captain Kate is not the first female captain of a cruise ship. She is the first female American captain. Although she is the first for Celebrity, RCI has at least one other female captain. Of all our cruises I only remember two captains by name. One was captain Liz from Vision of the Seas and the other captain Leo from the Summit right before captain Kate came on board. Both captain Liz and captain Leo were memorable for their visibility and friendly participation in various events - captain Leo plays a mean game of water volleyball, and captain Liz led the charity walk and was wonderful at the captains corner. On our second Celebrity cruise our waiter found out we had just been on the Summit and told us he had been on the Summit for 6 years and was so "homesick". He pulled out his phone to show us pictures and we pointed out who had taken care of us. He was so happy to see us all week. Honestly, he was the highlight of that cruise. Captain and officers - not so much. I think the captain can have a huge impact on the ship's overall personality.

[Laurab23]

Does anyone know when Capt Kate will be on vacation in 2017?

 

Laura

[BosoxI]

If I ever meet her, do you think we could be best friends? :)