Celebrity Cruises Captain Kate offers key tips for passengers

Captain Kate McCue’s “Captain’s Log” video series gives viewers a special look at how cruise ships operate.

Sometimes it looks at something small, like how the coffee machine on the bridge works. On other occasions, she gives a real behind-the-scenes look at how she and her bridge crew run the ship.

In a recent installment of the video series, she delved into something many passengers probably never thought about.

Related: Celebrity Cruises Captain Kate Shares Two Key Decisions

“Captain’s log today, let’s talk about the bridge wings. I wanted to bring this up because someone asked us the other day if we were ever going to sail from the center cockpit, because they only see videos of us on the wings of the bridge,” she shared.

Celebrity Beyond, the ship she commands, has enclosed wings that extend either side of the bridge to provide visibility to the sides of the ship.

“For the most part, we sail from the center cockpit and then we’ll manually remove the controls from the bridge wings as we begin the docking maneuver or vice versa for decoupling,” she added.

“We also use the wings when navigating narrow waterways such as the Panama Canal or when operating the magic carpet for tender operations.”

The Magic Carpet is an extra space on the side of Celebrity Beyond that can be moved up and down a ship. It is used in various ways, including as a boarding area for tenders, small vessels that bring passengers to ports where larger ships cannot dock.

Be the first to see the best deals on cruises, special sailings and more. Sign up for the Come Cruise With Me newsletter.

Celebrity Beyond is an Edge-Class ship.

Image Source: Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Captain Kate warns about windows

The wings of the bridge allow the bridge crew to see what is happening on the ocean. That’s why warnings are posted in some ocean view balconies and cabins. They ask passengers in those rooms to turn off their lights at night when using the balcony or have the balcony or window curtain open.

“The bridge wing deck windows also give us a great vantage point when anchoring,” says Captain Kate. “The equipment on the wings mimics the equipment in the center cockpit so we don’t have to keep running back and forth. The wings have radars, electronic charts, radios, thrusters and azipod controls, dynamic positioning and my favorite, the whistle”.

Azipod controls allow a ship to stay put without dropping anchor.

McCue also outlined a common interaction with passengers, along with a warning.

“It’s funny because we do a walk-in tour for guests, and when they come up to the bridge, we take them out on the wing of the bridge and we hear the same thing over and over again. They say, oh, we can see you from our room. she said. “Yes, we can see you all, too.”

READ ALSO: The best travel agents tell you how to get the best price on your cruise

Having worked on a variety of ships, McCue likes Celebrity Beyond’s design.

“I’ve sailed on ships with both closed and open bridge wings, and having been in cool Alaska or the heat of the European summer, I’ll take closed bridge wings any day because it means you’re not maneuvering while standing out, be rain, shine, snow, wind or hail,” she added.

Taking a cruise or thinking about taking one? Visit our Come Cruise With Me website to get all your questions answered.