Leadership change at Crystal Cruises

Travel industry veteran and former Disney Cruise Line executive Tom Wolber has been named president and CEO of Crystal Cruises, following the sudden departure of Edie Rodriguez from the luxury cruise line last Friday.

Rodriguez joined Crystal in October 2013 and was promoted to the role of president and CEO in May 2015 following the acquisition of the company by Genting Hong Kong, during which she oversaw the cruise line’s recent expansion. Rodriguez was quoted in the Miami Herald as stating the departure was “very amicable,” adding that she will be joining another venture in the coming weeks.

Wolber brings more than three decades of experience in general management, operations, new-build construction and business development to Crystal. Much of that experience comes from the Walt Disney Company where he served in various executive roles for 28 years, 10 of which were with Disney Cruise Line where he served as senior vice-president of operations, which saw Wolber involved in transforming Disney Cruise Line from a Port Canaveral based vacation provider to a global cruise line with itineraries covering North America, the Mediterranean and the Baltic.

During his time at Disney, Wolber assisted with the successful design and launch of new builds including Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy. Wolber also served as president and CEO of Euro Disney, Paris and has held senior executive positions in Disney theme parks and resort operations at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.