NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 1996 -- The appointment of Richard E. Sasso to the position of president of Celebrity Cruises Inc. and chief executive officer (USA) has been announced by the cruise line. He previously served as Celebrity's senior vice president of sales and passenger traffic.

Mr. Sasso succeeds Harry A. Haralambopoulos who has retired as president of Celebrity Cruises Inc. and chief executive officer (USA). Mr. Haralambopoulos continues as a director on the board of Celebrity Cruises Inc.

The company has also announced the relocation of its marketing department from New York to its Miami headquarters during the second quarter of 1996. The move will allow the marketing department to work more closely with the rest of the organization.

Celebrity's senior vice president of marketing and passenger services, Albert C. Wallack, has announced that for personal reasons he is unable to move to Miami and will therefore assume a new role as consultant to the cruise line, effective June 30, 1996, for a period of one year.

In making the announcements, Celebrity Cruises Chairman John D. Chandris thanked Mr. Sasso and the entire Celebrity Cruises team for their hard work and dedication, and expressed the company's "deep appreciation to Mr. Haralambopoulos and Mr. Wallack for their many important contributions in the successful development and outstanding recognition of Celebrity Cruises."

A 25-year veteran of the cruise industry, Richard Sasso held senior management positions at Costa Cruises, prior to joining Chandris Fantasy Cruises in 1987 as senior vice president of sales and passenger traffic. He was a member of the senior management team that successfully launched Celebrity Cruises in 1990. Mr. Sasso is a former member of the grievance committee of the Florida Bar Association, the marketing committee of the Cruise Lines International Association, the legislative committee of the International Council of Cruise Lines, and chairman of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association. He currently holds memberships in the Association of Retail Travel Agents (ARTA) and the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA).

The December 1995 launch of Celebrity's luxury ship, CENTURY, will be followed in 1996 by the debut of the 73,000-ton GALAXY and the introduction of new cruises to Alaska. With the launch of a third new vessel in late-1997, the Celebrity Cruises fleet of six ships will total more than 9,000 berths.