NEW YORK - January 6, 2000 -- Honoring the glamor and tradition of ocean travel, Cunard's newly refit Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) is returning to service with a 104-day Millennium World Cruise. New York based passengers commenced that journey today.

For full details on the refit, see our article on QE2's 1999 Refurbishment. Highlights of the $18 million initiative include:

• Design concepts by internationally acclaimed Tillberg Design firm
• New furnishings, draperies, carpeting and woodworking throughout the vessel
• Restoration of grand lounges, restaurants and luxurious accommodations
• Public areas depicting British-style decor
• Harrods, the London-based luxury department store, the first ever to open at sea

The vessel will call at Los Angeles and San Francisco before setting sail across the Pacific Ocean to New Zealand and beyond. For three months guests aboard the QE2 will travel in grand style on a magnificent odyssey, visiting many of the world's most exotic and exciting destinations -- from the Americas, to Polynesia, Australia, Indonesia, and the Orient, then on to South Africa and Europe.

BACKGROUND: Cunard Line, one of the world's most-recognized brand names with a classic British heritage, is operated by Miami-based Cunard Line Limited, which also operates Seabourn Cruise Line. The Cunard fleet includes the famed Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia (formerly Vistafjord). QE2 was launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 20, 1967.