On July 29, 2011 Cruise Industry News reported that the Captain of Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas will be Lis Lauritzen, their second female Captain of their fleet. Although this isn't Lauritzen's first contract as a Captain (she has worked as a Captain on the Jewel of the Seas already), female Captains in the cruise industry tend to make news. Here are the industry's news-making female Captains.
First Female Cruise Ship Captain: Karin Stahre-Jansen
Royal Caribbean International made history when they promoted Karin Stahre-Jansen to Captain in 2007. In a press release, Royal Caribbean stated that the Swedish mariner is the first female Captain of their fleet as well as the first woman in the industry to command a major cruise ship.
Stahre-Jansen's first contract as a Captain was on the Monarch of the Seas, an 880-foot long cruise ship that carries 2,400 guests and 850 crew members. Before joining Royal Caribbean in 1997 as a First Officer, Stahre-Jansen spent nine years working on cargo ships.
Female Captain P&O Cruises: Captain Sarah Breton
P&O Cruises Australia posted on their website this month that Captain Sarah Breton officially took the helm of the Pacific Pearl on July 12, 2011. Although she makes Australian history for being the first female Captain to sail in Australasian waters, this is not Breton's first contract as a Captain. She was promoted to the role of Captain with P&O Cruises in 2010 at the age of 45 with her first contract as a Captain on the Artemis.
Breton began her career on ships as a cadet on a freighter and then joined P&O Cruises in 1989 as a third officer. Since then she also worked for Princess Cruises (another Carnival Corporation brand) moving up in ranks from third officer to safety officer. She was promoted to Staff Captain in 2001 on the Princess Cruises' Pacific Princess.
Cunard Line's Female Captain: Captain Inger Olsen
Captain Inger Olsen is Cunard Line's first female captain at the age of 43. Danish-born Olsen took the helm of the Queen Victoria in December 2010. As reported by msnbc, Olsen began working at sea on a cargo ship at the age of 16. She got her first taste of working on cruise ships when she signed on with Cunard Line in 1997. During her career as a deck officer she has also worked for other brands owned by Carnival Corporation such as Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises.
In a role dominated by men, it is still news when a woman becomes a Captain. Olsen thinks that a life working at sea may not suit every woman. "You're away for three or four months," she explained to msnbc. "Most women who have kids don't want to be away for that long."
Renee Ruggero - Renee is a published travel writer and cruise industry insider with more than 1,000 days on cruise ships, visiting over 50 countries.
