Celebrity Cruises Launches New Millennium Liner

SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND - June 27, 2000 - Celebrity Cruises last night celebrated the newest addition to its award-winning fleet, the cruise ship Millennium. In naming ceremonies in Southampton, England, the premium cruise line formally launched the 1,950-guest Millennium and unveiled intriguing design details about the ship.

One of the many distinguishing elements of the vessel is an authentic and exclusive maritime treasure: Adorning the interior of Millennium's specialty dining room is the actual interior paneling from the R.M.S. Olympic, sister ship to the celebrated R.M.S. Titanic.

Celebrity Cruises' first specialty restaurant, appropriately named "The Olympic," is a gem of history recreated within a 134-seat gourmet restaurant. The origin of the room's design stems from a rare collection of wood paneling that once graced the premier a la carte dining room onboard the glamorous R.M.S. Olympic. First launched in 1911, the R.M.S. Olympic drew the wealthiest and most influential travelers from Europe and the United States who enjoyed dining in Louis XV splendor within the ship's most elegant dining room.

First discovered by Celebrity Cruises in a private English residence and offered for sale at Sotheby's, the paneling from R.M.S. Olympic's restaurant has been installed onboard Millennium to become the genesis for the stylistic statement of the room, and a framework for theming The Olympic restaurant.

The room becomes the signature for fine dining afloat, creating a commanding visual statement as well as an outstanding culinary experience. Millennium's Olympic restaurant also offers the industry's first demonstration galley, along with a dine-in wine cellar.

"Millennium's Olympic restaurant offers our guests the opportunity to experience the elegance and romance of one of the great, turn-of-the-century trans-Atlantic liners," said Celebrity Cruises President Richard Sasso.

To make the experience even more enticing, Master Chef Michel Roux unveils the French culinary arts of decoupage and flambé within The Olympic restaurant, where Celebrity's gourmet cuisine is theatrically presented and finished tableside by a special team of highly skilled servers and maitre d's trained by Mr. Roux and his senior executive staff.

Additional Shipboard "Firsts" Just as Celebrity's cuisine captures accolades, so does its powerhouse technology onboard Millennium. Millennium is the first cruise ship to incorporate gas turbine technology, a propulsion system which reduces exhaust emissions by up to 90 percent and considerably curtails noise and vibration, offering guests the ultimate in cruising comfort.

"Celebrity Cruises is incredibly enthusiastic about moving into the new millennium with a state-of-the-art cruise ship that blends the beauty and grandeur of turn-of-the-century luxury liners with the amenities and breakthrough technological advances that our guests demand," said James Lomonosoff, senior vice president of Marketing for Celebrity Cruises.

Maintaining Celebrity Cruises' trendsetting tradition, Millennium offers a number of other new features and amenities, several of them industry "firsts": Millennium offers 80 percent ocean-view staterooms, 74 percent with verandas. Millennium presents the industry's largest Penthouse Suites, encompassing nearly 3,000 square feet with veranda, and including such opulent appointments as a butler's pantry, personal exercise equipment, and Baby Grand piano. Millennium's 25,000-sq.-ft. AquaSpaSM is the largest and most sophisticated spa at sea, and the first to feature unusual, exotic concepts from Elemis Ltd. "The Emporium," Millennium's 14,000-sq.-ft. shopping area, is the largest designer boutique afloat, including fashion labels never before available at sea. Millennium introduces the industry's first exterior, glass-enclosed elevators, offering guests captivating, panoramic ocean views as they move from deck to deck. Millennium is the first ship in the Celebrity fleet with an Internet café, Online@CelebrityCruises, with 18 individual stations for guests. In addition, Millennium offers Internet access in suites, with flat screen PCs and printers. Millennium unveils the industry's first music library, "Notes," offering thousands of selections of digital recordings and individual listening stations. Expanded choices for the physically challenged are available onboard Millennium, with accommodations in a variety of categories, including suites. In addition to its new public spaces, Millennium also expands upon Celebrity Cruises' highly acclaimed, fleetwide signature elements, including museum-quality contemporary art collections, Cova Café Milano, Michael's Club cigar lounge, and Martini and Champagne Bars serving caviar and other delicacies.

Itineraries for the New Millennium Millennium offers five varied European itineraries from July through October 2000, before beginning alternating eastern and western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale in November 2000.

"Millennium's itineraries in 2000 offer cruise enthusiasts an incredible array of enticing ports of call," said Lomonosoff. "The potential for sailing to additional worldwide destinations is virtually limitless, as our Millennium-class ships are built to Panamax standards, enabling Panama and Suez Canal transits." Like Millennium, the three additional Celebrity Millennium-class ships have a contract price of approximately $350 million each and are under construction at Chantiers de l'Atlantique in St. Nazaire, France.