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Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES she resigned for new opportunity

Von
The former CEO of CRYSTAL CRUISES, Edie Rodriguez has resigned for a new opportunity. Leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES while in the beginning or middle of restructuring and building up an intergrated luxury tour operator, for luxurious cruises, yacht cruises, luxurious expedition cruise tours and luxury air travel and cruises, make me a bit wonder.
by Earl of Cruise
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
Edie Rodriguez promoting the CRYSTAL JET at Seatrade, Miami - courtesy CRYSTAL CRUISES
GENTING, Hong Kong, just announced the appointment of Tom Wolber, born in Essen, Germany, as new president and CEO of CRYSTAL CRUISES, effective September 15th, replacing Edie Rodriguez, who has been with CRYSTAL CRUISES for four years. Wolber brings over three decades of experience in general management, operations, new-build construction and business development to CRYSTAL CRUISES.
`Is CRYSTAL really on the tracks?´
My question: `is Mr. Wolber familiar enough with the special luxury market, as he has been with a mass market brand?´
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
Tom Wolber, new CEO and President of CRYSTAL CRUISES - courtesy GENTING HOLDING
On the other hand, most managers in the high end luxury hospitality is of European origin, either from Germany, Switzerland or Austria, they are a majority there.
Agents, such as VISTA TRAVEL in Hamburg, Germany, were surprised by CRYSTAL CRUISES’ announcement on Friday that Tom Wolber, a former DISNEY CRUISE LINE and WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORTS executive, had become the luxury cruise company’s new president and CEO, effective September 15th. The news release praised Rodriguez for her contributions to the line’s development and growth.
Tom Wolber joins CRYSTAL CRUISES most recently 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. He helped transform 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, Mr. Wolber assisted with the design and launch of new builds, including DISNEY DREAM and DISNEY FANTASY. Additionally, he 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 RESORTS in Orlando, FL.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
CRYSTAL ENDEAVOR, the expedition yacht, the first of three - courtesy MV WERFTEN, Wismar
CRYSTAL CRUISES is scheduled to take on the delivery of four ships in 2017 and 2018, including the first ENDEAVOR Class expedition yacht in 2019. The last of these Tom Wolber will have a direct hand in designing.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
Rendering of the EXCLUSIVE Class 117,000 GT, 1,000 pax, 1,000 crew luxury cruise vessel - courtesy LLOYD WERFT, Bremerhaven
"Since acquiring CRYSTAL CRUISES in 2015, GENTING has worked tirelessly to expand the CRYSTAL brand by launching two river vessels with a third imminent, an expedition yacht and a private Boeing 777," said Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay, chairman of GENTING, Hong Kong and CRYSTAL CRUISES, in a written statement. "Thanks to Edie Rodriquez´s leadership, CRYSTAL has successfully launched three new brands: CRYSTAL YACHTS, CRYSTAL RIVER CRUISES and CRYSTAL AIR. We thank Edie for her service to the company, appreciate all of her hard work, and wish her the very best in future endeavors."
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
Edie Rodriguez former CEO President at CRYSTAL MOZART´s introducing - courtesy CRYSTAL CRUISES
Sometimes a good running company needs some input from outside, as the most are acting `never change a winning team!´.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
CRYSTAL AIR BOEING 777-300 - courtesy CRYSTAL CRUISES
Edie Rodriguez joined CRYSTAL as president and COO in October 2013, and was promoted to president and CEO following the acquisition of the company by GENTING, Hong Kong, in May 2015. Prior to CRYSTAL, Edie Rodriguez held senior marketing, sales and business development positions with other notable companies, top cruise companies and travel companies. She has not yet announced what her plans are following her departure from CRYSTAL.
Edie Rodriguez is known on the other hand as a manager pushing a company a new needed direction, or setting up a new branch. She is known as innovator.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
CRYSTAL BACH, prpared for the open sea journey in the Nord-Otsee-Kanal - courtesy CRYSTAL CRUISES
The luxurious river cruise vessel is the first of four to four
Chatting briefly in a telephone conference with Edie Rodriguez, the former president and CEO of CRYSTAL CRUISES, she stressed that "I resigned for a fabulous new opportunity that I’ll be announcing soon. I did resign, it was a very amicable departure, and I wish CRYSTAL continued success,” said Ms. Rodriguez. “I’m very excited about my new opportunity."
While Ms. Rodriguez wouldn’t provide any hints of what that opportunity is, she again said that should be revealed soon. 
`Ms. Rodriguez, you arrived at CRYSTAL from AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES four years ago, what you consider your top achievements at CRYSTAL.?´
"First and foremost it was working with J. P. Morgan to find a new owner to fund growth for the brand," Ms. Rodriguez emphasized. "Then it was building a great new CRYSTAL team in combination with the existing team there - to position the brand to handle the new growth."
Edie Rodriguez also cited the robust line-up of new products launched during her time at the ultra-luxury line’s helm: CRYSTAL YACHT EXPEDITIONS, CRYSTAL RIVER CRUISES, CRYSTAL LUXURY AIR (with a 12-passenger, private charter Bombardier aircraft) and CRYSTAL AIR CRUISES with CRYSTAL SKY, the line’s new Boeing 777-300er, just introduced in August.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
CRYSTAL AIR, lounge in their new BOEING 777-300 - courtesy CRYSTAL AIR
CRYSTAL CRUISES is on the tracks, despite any romours about the change of its fleet, from one expedition type yacht, ENDEAVOR to three of them, but putting the three EXCLUSIVE Class 100,000 GT cruise vessels second in line, and on a good way. The three expedition yachts are built at MV WERFTEN in Wismar, which is part of the GENTING purchase some time ago. And the three EXCLUSIVE Class vessels are on the drawing boards. LLOYD WERFT in Bremerhaven is doing the design and construction plans and the vessels will be built in Mecklemburg-Vorpommern at the GENTING shipbuilding sites. German labour is cost intensive, yes, but the quality ... expect some projects were self-exaggerated politicians mingle (BER - airport WILLY BRANDT) or frauding managers and engineers (VOLKSWAGEN) `play a dangerous game´ ... is top, and woth the money!
Further the Hongkong based GENTING Holding has a foothold in the EU. Here the supply chain is easy to axcess. And also interesting, the employees know how to build cruise ships. And with its move buying the scatered remains of NORDIC, GENTING build a strong following within the employees ... and to top it, they need more employees.
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
MV WERFTEN, Rostock - courtesy MV WERFTEN
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
MV WERFTEN, Stralsund - courtesy MV WERFTEN
Edie Rodriguez is leaving CRYSTAL CRUISES
MV WERFTEN, Wismar - courtesy MV WERFTEN
To me, buying the former NORDIC YARDS, thanks to missmanagement and corruption (Panama Papers),  in severe troubles, and LLOYD WERFT in Bremerhaven, is a smart move. GENTING, the new owner, make himself independent from the major shipbuilders, as MEYER, FINCANTIERI, STX FRANCE.
And there is something disturbing to mention too ... some of the Megalodons in the cruise industry threat shipbuilders not to build with them any more, if they do certain projects ...
These shipbuilders are most interested in constructing ships as a platforms, as each single ship construction, or small series, is too cost intensive in a market where mega corporations dictate the price. Further the own ship builder can build for others and take part in the `Ship building gane´, but more interesting own innovations are for others harder to copy ... And a copy is never the original idea!
"I have been involved with selling CRYSTAL for 28 years and I love selling this wonderful product," said Ruth Turpin of CRUISES Etc., Fort Worth, TX. "I have been through many management changes and the onboard quality has always been fabulous." and continued: "Edie Rodriguez did a great job of making CRYSTAL a household name. She was tireless champion of the brand. We now move on with a new era and the product remains fabulous."
Stay tuned here for any future announcement from Rodriguez.
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