Photo: Crystal Cruises media center

Jack Anderson is the new CEO of Crystal Cruises, having taken the helm of this company on October 2, 2020, according to the Crystal Cruise website.

Mr. Anderson's tenure began on a Friday, as he took over from outgoing CEO Tom Wolber, who had been in the captain's seat for about three years. According to Crystal Cruises, Mr. Anderson's tenure is on an "interim basis", based on the headline.

What is particularly interesting is that Crystal Cruises own media department describes Mr. Anderson as being a "cruise industry veteran" who has served as an advisor for the past three years to the outgoing CEO.

We have to ask: Did Mr. Anderson suggest to Mr. Wolber that guests be told they would receive refunds, but not actually get their money back?

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Photo: Crystal Cruises media center

Tom Wolber is the outgoing CEO of Crystal Cruises. His three-year reign came to an end at the close of September, 2020, according to the company's own website.

Mr. Wolber is the man who, for the past 36 months, has defined the zeitgeist of Crystal Cruises. As the old maxim goes, "The speed of the boss is the speed of the crew".

Given the current refund situation for Crystal Cruises guests, who had their cruises canceled BY THE COMPANY, how does Mr. Wolber explain the policy that informs guests that refunds are coming, when they don't actually send the refund?

According to Crystal Cruises, Wolber stepped down to "spend more time with his family and to pursue other interests".

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Photo: Crystal Cruises media center

Karl Muhlberger joined the "expanding fleet of Crystal Experiences" in late February, 2020, according to the Crystal Cruise media pages.

Mr. Muhlberger, at the time, was said to report directly to Tom Wolber, then the CEO of Crystal Cruises. We are sure he reports to Mr. Anderson, these days, now that Mr. Anderson is the new CEO.

Crystal Cruises has touted Mr. Mulhberger's extensive culinary experience, which leads me to wonder whether he deals with more than food when it comes to cooking things.

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Photo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/walterlittlejohn/

This is Walter Littlejohn III, who bills himself on his LinkedIn profile as a "senior cruise industry executive". In its media, Crystal Cruises calls him the Senior Vice President and Manager of Cruise Operations.

Mr. Littlejohn is quoted at length by Crystal Cruises, in their own news release dated Augsut 10, 2020, discussing welcoming guests back aboard and working to "ensure their wellness and peace of mind when that day comes". I guess know the exact date of anything, a future cruise or a refund, is a problem for this company right now.

So, is this the guy?! Is this the manager who made the decision to cancel cruises, then tell guests a refund was on its way, then take a refund vacation?

In my opinion, it's not an unfair question to ask. In fact, you might say, it's the '83-Thousand Dollar Question!'

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Photo: CruiseIndustryNews.com

Kari Tarnowski is the Vice President of Marketing for Crystal Cruises, and she has been with the company since 2017, according to industry news.

Ms. Tarnowski has worked at a number of luxury cruise lines, according to Cruise Industry News, including being a chief marketing officer at Elite Island Resorts.

How difficult do you think the marketing job is going to be when people have to ask whether the ship will sail? In this case, it might be worth it to feel a bit sorry for Ms. Tarnowski. She's going to have a tough job when this all shakes out.

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Debbie Doty is currently the Strategic Business Development Manager for Crystal Cruises. She has been with Crystal Cruises since at least 2010, according to industry news.

Ms. Doty was also recently the Group and Incentive Sales Manager of Crystal Cruises, according to her LinkedIn profile, and she started with the company as part of the a regional sales team in California, according to Cruise Industry News.

Finding more information about Ms. Doty is difficult. She does not say much on her LinkedIn profile. There's nothing written about her on the Crystal Cruise website, but we know she works there.

The question now is whether Ms. Debbie Doty develops the refund strategy, too, or just sales and business development.

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