MIAMI, Jan. 29 -- Royal Caribbean International has awarded
$310,000 in seven grants to marine conservation organizations through its
Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund, Chairman and CEO Richard D. Fain announced today.

In the 15 months since its launch, the Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund now has
donated $805,000 to 15 groups working to protect the marine environment. Grant
recipients have included the Center for Marine Conservation, Earthwatch
Institute, National Audubon Society, and The Nature Conservancy initiatives in
the Florida Keys and U.S. Virgin Islands.

Grants ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 have underwritten projects from
marine mammal research to protection of marine sanctuaries with mooring buoys,
environmental volunteer programs and community education.

"We are impressed by the scope and the diversity of the efforts in marine
conservation that all Ocean Fund recipients have undertaken," Fain said. "By
supporting these vital projects, we hope to see even greater progress in the
protection of our oceans and coastal communities."

The newest grants include $50,000 for the Oceans program of Earthwatch,
which oversees up to 25 marine science research expeditions that study species
ranging from lemon sharks in the Bahamas to humpback whales in Hawaii and
Australia.

"We are delighted that Royal Caribbean has chosen to support our vital
marine research and education programs," said Marie Studer, Ph.D., executive
director of Earthwatch's Center for Field Research. "We believe these programs
provide scientifically valid data leading to well-conceived marine management
decisions and an educated public."

Organizations receiving the newest Royal Caribbean Ocean Fund grants are:

-- Cabrillo Marine Aquarium: $60,000 to inaugurate a youth conservation
"Sea Rangers" program at the Los Angeles facility, training high-school
students as guides to the seashore habitat

-- Clean Islands International: $50,000 to restore VIERS - the Virgin
Islands Environmental Resource Station - where environmental education
programs and research in marine biology and ecology can be developed on St.
John

-- Coastal Conservation Association Florida: $5,000 to reproduce the video
Hook Into Something Wild and distribute it through its 27 chapters

-- Earthwatch Institute: $50,000 to support the Oceans program, which
annually organizes and monitors up to 25 global expeditions for marine science
research and public education

-- National Audubon Society: $50,000 to support Living Oceans, directed by
Carl Safina, and focused on science-based policy analysis to promote the
protection of endangered fish populations

-- The Nature Conservancy (Virgin Islands): $50,000 to sustain ongoing
activities such as the mapping of marine habitats, monitoring turtle-nesting
beaches and managing natural preserves

-- Reef Ecology Foundation: $45,000 to install and maintain a system of 95
mooring buoys around St. Thomas and St. John in U.S. Virgin Islands,
eliminating the need for charter boats to drop anchors

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise company operating two cruise
brands, Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. The brands'
combined fleet consists of 16 vessels in service and three ships on order,
representing a total capacity of nearly 38,000 passenger berths by the year
2000. The ships currently visit Alaska, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Canada, the
Caribbean, Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, New England, the Panama Canal and
Scandinavia.