Get an inside look at what happens on the bridge of a cruise ship, which is the place where the captain and crew navigate and steer the vessel.
In this video, Captain Kate McCue, the first American female captain of a cruise ship, takes us on a cruise ship bridge tour of the Celebrity Equinox.
Inside the glass-domed bridge’s cockpit, which is known as the heart of the bridge, McCue explains in detail the three different tools that she and her crew use to navigate the cruise ship.
The first is the wheel or helm of the ship, which is surprisingly smaller than the steering wheel of a car. While they don’t use the wheel of the ship throughout the journey, they do use it when they are entering and leaving port destinations.
There’s also the ship’s autopilot feature, which automatically takes the ship where it needs to go, while also taking into account changes in wind and current conditions.
Finally, there are the ship’s digitized navigation charts. One of the highlights of Celebrity Equinox is that it is completely paperless, meaning it doesn’t carry traditional paper charts on board and instead uses navigation paths that are completely digitized.
During the video, Captain McCue’s cat, Buck Naked, makes an appearance, right before she takes a moment to explain one of her biggest pet peeves: when people use the “b” word (boat) to refer to her ship.
“Size does matter,” she explains. “Simply put, you can put a boat on a ship, but you can’t put a ship on a boat.”
Watch the cruise ship bridge tour of the Celebrity Equinox and learn more about the most surprising thing that happened on board (a heartwarming story about rescuing six people who were stranded at sea), her best piece of advice for first-time cruisers, and her favorite place to sail into.
Start planning your next vacation aboard Celebrity Equinox by booking your next cruise vacation on our website or calling one of our vacation specialists at 1-800-852-8086.
