Celebrity Cruises has announced in a press release that it will be holding a reunion web event one year after its historic all-female crew sailing on March 8, 2020.
During the web event, which will be broadcast on Facebook, Captain Kate McCue, the first American female cruise ship captain, and Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, the first female President & CEO of Celebrity Cruises will “reflect on the historic sailing, discuss the challenging year that followed, share their stories of joy and heartbreak and why it’s more important than ever to #choosetochallenge.”
They will be joined by Chief Officer Rachel Arnold (UK); 2nd Officer Elizabeth Marami (Kenya); Chief Security Officer Mor “Mia” Segev (Israel); Hotel Director Niina Huataniemi; Assistant Hotel Director Milana Dortangs; Guest Relations Director Julie Sherrington (UK); and Cruise Director Sue Denning(UK).
“Making history with these women was quite extraordinary for our industry and an honor for me. It was a dream come true for all of us,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “Our mantra has been to use this time away from the water to come back stronger than ever and reuniting these incredible trailblazers is a sign of that. Together, we will continue to sail beyond conventional thinking and wisdom into a new world of opportunity.”
According to Celebrity, only two percent of mariners globally are women. Celebrity Cruises in just six years has raised the percentage of qualified women on its navigational bridges from three percent to 28, “making 2020’s historic WOMANned sailing onboard the award-winning Celebrity Edge possible,” it said.
The reunion conversation will take place at noon ET on March 8, International Women’s Day, as a Watch Party on Celebrity Cruise’s Facebook page. During the airing of the conversation, Captain Kate will take over Celebrity Cruises’ Facebook page to take specific questions from the public and offer additional commentary, the cruise line said.