My Daughter’s Lost Teddy Bear, Captain Kate McCue Going Above & “Beyond”, and What “Moments” Truly Mean

On one of my first Seabourn cruises, I bought my daughter, Devin, a Seabourn teddy bear, which for more than two decades she has called Seabourn Bear.  Seabourn Bear has seen Devin through a lot, from the normal trials and tribulations of youth, her parents’ messy divorce, getting through college and graduate school at a ridiculously young age, losses of boyfriends (fortunate and not so much), and so much more.  Because of this, Devin takes Seabourn Bear everywhere with her.

Last week Devin went on a cruise with a friend on the Celebrity Beyond. Before her cruise I had her watching the Beyond’s master, Captain Kate McCue, on TikTok to help get her excited about the ship. 

Now, I don’t know how or why she left Seabourn Bear in her stateroom when they disembarked, but I figure it probably was a late last night/early morning kinda thing. But alas, Seabourn Bear was lost!

I heard a ding on my phone at 5:55 AM with a desperate message from Devin, “I left Seabourn Bear on the boat!”  This was not my birthday morning message I was expecting; no less that early.  I gave her the number for Celebrity’s lost and found, she called, she texted a crew member she met, and then she wrote me:

I am sobbing in the Fort Lauderdale airport at 23 because I lost my teddy bear. This is humbling. Also, Happy Birthday.

And then: Silence.

Then I received this message from Devin: 

Through the power of TikTok I was able to get Captain Kate to send people to find Seabourn Bear.

And Captain Kate found Seabourn Bear!

What can I say other than this was an absolutely amazing example of customer – no “HUMAN” – service by Captain Kate McCue and her team on Celebrity Beyond…right down to Captain Kate’s response.

This sort of intangible is not something that can be taught or put in a manual. It is quintessential leading by example and inspiring others to rise above that which is expected.  

And, of course, Devin and I have been big fans of Celebrity Cruises even before this episode. My kids have teased me for years, “Yeah Dad. We know. Celebrity is the best bang for the buck in the business!“

But with this sweet story, there is also something that makes it bittersweet. You see, Seabourn used to consistently have such service. In fact, one of the last conflicts I had with Seabourn’s marketing was that it perverted the term “Seabourn Moments“. It used to mean that something happening like what Captain Kate just did for Devin. Something more than just memorable. Something that touched your heart or another emotion.  But with the loss of those at Seabourn that truly lived to provide Seabourn Moments, the term became a marketing ploy. And, thus, “This is Your Moment”, which I have always seen as a more selfish version; making it about “you” rather than “the other person”.  

Words matter. How you use words can matter. But more importantly, how you act to meet the lofty goals those words are to portray, matters deeply.

Thank you, Captain Kate, for this “Celebrity Moment”! 

Up Next: Seabourn Sells the Seabourn Odyssey