MIAMI, Jan. 30, 2002 -- The top information technology (IT) official at Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has been recognized by a leading national newsweekly as one of the top 100 people in the IT field.

Thomas Murphy, Royal Caribbean's chief information officer, has been recognized by Computerworld, as one of the business world's Premier 100 IT Leaders. The award honors individuals who have had a positive impact on their organizations through technology.

In its third year, the Premier 100 IT Leaders award recognizes individuals for exceptional technology leadership, innovative approaches to business challenges, and effective execution of comprehensive IT strategies. Murphy will be honored at the Computerworld Premier 100 IT Leaders Conference, at which he also will be a featured speaker, in March.

"This is a great honor, and one that must be shared with all of my colleagues at Royal Caribbean," Murphy said. "We are a team that has faced many challenges in the past year, however, by staying focused and working together, we are contributing to the ongoing success of Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. My office and I are very fortunate to be supported by a management team that understands the value of technology and the value of assembling the best team of IT professionals in our industry."

Murphy was selected from hundreds of nominees based on those leaders who most closely matched Computerworld's Leadership Index, a set of characteristics that describes business and technology people who guide the effective use of IT in their organizations. Other award winners include leading IT executives from corporations such as The Bank of New York, Hewlett Packard, Staples, FedEx Corporation and Walt Disney World.

"Computerworld's annual Premier 100 IT Leaders list honors individuals who display exceptional technology leadership in their organizations," said Maryfran Johnson, editor in chief, Computerworld. "The honorees for 2002 join an elite class of innovative thinkers dedicated to solving business problems through creativity and effectively managed IT strategies."

Murphy joined Royal Caribbean in 1999. Since that time, he has aligned the IT organization with the company's many strategic initiatives, supporting the company's objectives of focusing on its customers, employees and supply chain. Since 1999, Royal Caribbean's IT organization has been recognized nationally for its diversity, innovation, and as one of the 100 best places to work in IT.

Computerworld is a business unit of IDG, the world's leading technology media, research and event company. IDG publishes more than 300 magazines and newspapers and offers online users the largest network of technology-specific sites around the world through IDG.net (www.idg.net), which comprises more than 300 targeted Web sites in 70 countries.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Celebrity Tours. Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises have a combined total of 23 ships in service and six under construction or on firm order. Royal Celebrity Tours operates land-tour vacations in Alaska utilizing the world's largest glass-domed railcars. Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com or www.rclinvestor.com.