WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2013

Young Thomas Hinderhofer never considered a
career as a cruise ship officer. Yet practically everything
he did in high school prepared him for
just that.
In less than a decade after high school graduation,
he has risen to the rank of Staff Captain,
second in command on a 2,100-passenger cruise
ship plying oceans and seas around the world. In
an industry where ranking officers tend to be veteran Europeans,
Hinderhofer is one of only a handful of Americans to rise to this
level of leadership position.
Hinderhofer was raised on New York’s Long Island just off Exit
66 of the Long Island Expressway. “It’s a good reference point,”
he says with a smile during a break from his duties one sunny afternoon.
“You won’t believe how many people I talk to who know
exactly where that is. Many of them say, ‘Hey I used to live off
Exit 68, or my cousin live just a few exits away.’”
Although surrounded by water, Hinderhofer wasn’t drawn to the
local marine scene. “I never saw myself sailing on ships,” he says
when asked about his career plans growing up. “Although I lived
by the water, I never had a boat. A friend did have a rubber raft
and we used to go fishing on the lake by my house. But you know,
I was actually really terrified – you never knew what was inside
that lake.”
Hinderhofer thrived in school, excelling in academics, sports
and extracurricular activities. “I liked the social aspect of it
all,” he recalls. “High school wasn’t only about education and a
career. It was about meeting people, helping people and giving
back to the community. “
“I never saw myself sailing
on ships. Although
I lived by the water I
never had a boat. A
friend did have a rubber
raft we used to paddle
around and go fishing
on the lake by my house.
But you know I was actually
really terrified
– you never knew what
was inside that lake.”
Left: Staff Captain Thomas Hinderhofer is second in command
of the Celebrity Infinity above.
winedineandtravel.com | 33