Where is cruise director Kirk Detweiler now? Update on Amy Bradley is Missing

All eyes are on the Amy Bradley is Missing case following the release of the new Netflix documentary, but there’s one contributor who has garnered unexpected attention from viewers: former cruise director ​​Kirk Detweiler.

Amy Bradley, from Petersburg, Virginia, was 23-years-old when she went missing during a Royal Caribbean International cruise holiday with her parents, Iva and Ron, and her brother, Brad. 

After a night of partying, she vanished in the early hours of March 24, 1998, while the ship was en route to Curaçao. Despite extensive searches and an FBI investigation, no trace of Amy was ever found, and theories quickly emerged.

The Netflix documentary Amy Bradley is Missing revisits the case with new interviews and archival footage, shedding light on everything from suspicious passengers to alleged sightings and disturbing trafficking claims – with cruise staff like Detweiler offering crucial insight.

Where is Kirk Detweiler now?

Kirk Detweiler is currently living in Columbus, Ohio, where he’s served as the executive director of the Marion Palace Theatre since 2021. 

The 63-year-old was born in Marion before his family moved to a farmhouse outside of Waldo when he was 12. He graduated from Kent State University in 1980 with a degree in telecommunications and minors in theater and dance.

Detweiler went on to spend 36 years working on cruise ships. The reason he’s interviewed for Amy Bradley is Missing is because he served as cruise director for Royal Caribbean for 20 years, including on the Rhapsody of the Seas – the ship Amy vanished from. 

“The cruise director is the face of the ship. Every cruise was different, you’d get a different crowd every week,” he says in the new docu-series. 

Speaking about the trip in question, Detweiler explains, “This particular cruise is March of 1998, and I remember that cruise very well. We were doing seven-day cruises out of San Juan, and we did Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, St. Thomas.”

He goes on to describe the moments after the Bradley family realized Amy was missing, saying that the 2,400 passengers were getting ready to get off the ship in Curaçao, and that he was “probably spritzing” his hair before his appearance on the gangway. 

Detweiler recalls hearing an announcement asking for Amy to contact the purser’s desk. “The hotel director kind of debriefed me, ‘Oh, this girl’s missing.’ But at the time, I still had to make the clearance announcement,” he says. 

Even though Iva was begging the staff to not let the passengers off until they found Amy, their pleas fell on deaf ears. “We’re not going to stop everybody’s cruise because there was a missing girl,” Detweiler continues.

“That’s one family’s unfortunate incident but we still had 2,400 people who paid a lot of money, and as cold as that sounds, that’s the reality.”

In Episode 3 of the true crime docu-series, the former cruise director speaks about Alister ‘Yellow’ Douglas, a member of the ship’s live band and one of the last people seen with Amy before she disappeared. 

He’s long been suspected of being involved in the case, but there have never been any convictions and Alister himself denies the allegations. 

Detweiler describes him as a “good guy,” adding, “He was in the wrong place, wrong time, dancing with the wrong girl.” He goes on to say that the theories about what happened are “grasping at straws,” accusing the Bradleys of “not facing reality.”

The incident never impacted Detweiler directly, and he continued working for Royal Caribbean until 2011, when he took on a role at Silversea Cruises, followed by Jalesh Cruises, before eventually landing at Marion Palace Theatre.

Amy Bradley viewers slam cruise director 

Detweiler’s choice of words and his take on the case have garnered a strong reaction from many Amy is Missing viewers, with some suggesting he lacks empathy towards the Bradley family. 

“The cruise ship director is so obnoxious,” said one on Reddit, while another agreed, “Zero empathy from that man.” A third added, “He acted more like someone from Royal’s PR or legal department. Cold as ice.”

A fourth chimed in, “‘Life goes on. Cruises go on.’ I was like Jesus Christ did he really just say that?” To which a fifth replied, “Right! No compassion or sympathy whatsoever omg he’s cold.”

One even went as far as to say they’ll be avoiding Royal Caribbean. “On the basis of that alone, I would never go on a Royal Caribbean Cruise,” they said.

“This dude was the cruise director and he comes off like a total a-hole. Is there any chance he was paid to act like this to spice this up? Why would anyone come off like that regardless of what they believed happened.”

Another responded, “I’m only like 15 mins in and I had to come here to see if anyone else was thinking the same thing! He has no empathy, the way talks is about how ‘it’s oh well she’s gone, let’s get back to our vacation!’ is crazy!”

Is Royal Caribbean International still operating?

Yes, Royal Caribbean International is still in operation and remains one of the world’s largest cruise lines, offering voyages across the globe. However, the company has long been criticized for its handling of Amy Bradley’s disappearance. 

In 1999, the Bradley family filed a lawsuit against Royal Caribbean, alleging negligence, defamation, and intentional emotional damage – particularly in allowing passengers to disembark before a full search was conducted – but the case was dismissed in 2000. 

Royal Caribbean has rarely commented publicly on the incident, although it did argue at the time that it acted “appropriately and responsibly at all times.”