LOS ANGELES, Jan. 24, 2002 -- Crystal Cruises will set sail for its eighth annual World Cruise in winter 2003, touring four continents and visiting 37 ports of call in 15 countries.

Two firsts will distinguish Crystal Symphony's globe-spanning cruise, "Wonders of the Southern Seas," the luxury liner will depart from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, Crystal's first-ever East Coast embarkation for its annual World Cruise, and she will navigate through Antarctica's icy waters, a destination never before visited by the floating resort. Also new for the 2003 104-day journey are a circumnavigation of South America and Australia, and a host of other exotic locales in North America and the South Pacific.

While the "Wonders of the Southern Seas" concludes in Los Angeles, those who prefer a round-trip Ft. Lauderdale voyage may continue on a convenient 15-day Panama Canal cruise from Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale.

As in past years, Crystal Cruises surveyed thousands of past guests and top-producing travel agents regarding their itinerary preferences. The resulting 2003 World Cruise was crafted from responses earning the highest level of interest. "Each year our goal is to create the luxury cruise experience of a lifetime," says Gregg L. Michel, president, Crystal Cruises. "We also appreciate -- perhaps more so than ever -- that many of our guests value the convenience of domestic embarkation and disembarkation ports."

Crystal Symphony's 2003 World Cruise itinerary travels from sunny Caribbean climes to South America's diverse topography, around Cape Horn and Antarctica, into the hallowed South Pacific, onto the untamed outback of Australia, stopping in the Hawaiian Islands and returning to Los Angeles. The voyage features four maiden calls, including the island of Huahine in the Society Islands of French Polynesia, the Australian ports of Launceston and Exmouth in the provinces of Tasmania and Western Australia, and Porto Belo, Brazil.

Other ports of call on the world cruise are St. John and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; St. Kitts, West Indies; Fortaleza and Rio, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; Buenos Aires, Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia, Argentina; Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, Valparaiso and Easter Island, Chile; Adamstown, Pitcairn Island; Papeete and Moorea, Tahiti; Bora Bora, Society Islands; Nuku'alofa, Tonga; Auckland and Christchurch, New Zealand; Tasmania; Melbourne, Adelaide, Perth, Darwin, Cairns and Sydney, Australia; Noumea, New Caledonia; Lautoka, Fiji; Honolulu and Lahaina, Hawaii.

Guests can delve into the diversity of the world's wonders, as Crystal Cruises has once again developed a full array of enriching experiences in its noted land and overland adventures. Urban escapades such as a tango in Buenos Aires, the "Paris of the South," the mystical experience of pondering Easter Island's "Moi" and the exploration of the natural wonders in Kakadu, Australia's largest terrestrial national park are a few of the excursions being planned.

World Value Fares for the full 2003 World Cruise start at $41,455 per person, double occupancy, and include round-trip First or Business Class air transportation (depending on stateroom category) from a Crystal Cruises North American air gateway city, private car airport/ship/home transfers, pre-paid gratuities, $1,000 shipboard spending credit, luxury overnight hotel accommodations and gala bon voyage party in Ft. Lauderdale the night before embarkation, as well as overnight programs and exclusive events in key destinations, such as Buenos Aires and Sydney. Crystal Cruises offers savings of 3.5 percent if payment in full is received 180 days prior to departure.

Guests who wish to sail on shorter passages -- ranging in length from 18 to 27 days -- may join the cruise in Buenos Aires, Valparaiso, Auckland, or Sydney. These voyages may be shorter, but they do not skimp on luxury. The same opulent appointments, crystal glassware, fine linens and personalized touch of daily fresh flowers, extend to every guest. Cruise fares for the shorter World Voyages begin at $7,610 per person, double occupancy, and include a complimentary pre-cruise, two-night hotel package. Complimentary air transportation is also included for guests who sail for two or more of the World Voyages. Guests booking a single World Voyage option can also take advantage of specially priced airfares.

The 50,000-ton, 940-guest Crystal Symphony and her sister ship, Crystal Harmony, are two of the most spacious and luxurious vessels cruising the world. Their unique size in the luxury market allows for smooth sailing and a wide range of innovative facilities, generous amenities and elegant accommodations. The Six-Star rated liners feature pampering refinements such as grand lounges, a lavish spa adhering to the principles of Feng Shui, and exquisitely-appointed staterooms, more than half of which offer private verandahs. Coupled with these luxurious appointments are expansive decks, two pools, a full-service fitness facility, Computer University@Sea, Crystal Cruises' award-winning cuisine plus entertainment and the only Caesars Palace at Sea casino.

Crystal Symphony and Crystal Harmony are operated by Crystal Cruises, winner of the travel industry's most distinguished hospitality awards and guidebook ratings. For the sixth consecutive year, Crystal Cruises was named best large-ship line in the 2001 readers' surveys conducted by Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure magazines.

Crystal Cruises is booked exclusively through professional travel agents. For a complimentary 2003 Cruise Guide, please call 800.820.6663. Visit the luxury liner's web site at www.crystalcruises.com.