LOS ANGELES, April 23, 2008 -- Crystal's Wine & Food Festival cruises this October will feature renowned chefs, wine experts and enrichment in the Mediterranean and New England.

October 18, 2008 12-day voyage from Rome to Barcelona on Crystal Serenity: Michelle Bernstein, former James Beard nominee and famed chef/owner of Michy's in Miami, and wine expert/author Lettie Teague of Food & Wine Magazine will dazzle Crystal Serenity guests with Mediterranean inspired cuisine and wine appreciation.

October 19 10-day cruise from Montreal to New York on Crystal Symphony: Henri Brosi, executive chef of London's Dorchester Hotel, will showcase the techniques that have earned him worldwide critical acclaim. Joining him is wine "wizard" Keith Goldston, one of the world's youngest Master Sommeliers.

Onboard lectures, cooking demonstrations, tastings, and dinners of signature dishes promise food and wine enthusiasts access to the insights and talents of these culinary stars through their award-winning cuisine and their passion for fine food and wine.

"The luxury of benefiting from the creative expertise of the innovative names in the culinary world is an example of the one-of-a-kind encounters guests have come to expect aboard Crystal ships," says Toni Neumeister, Crystal vice president of food and beverage operations.

Throughout each voyage, carefully crafted optional shore excursions offer guests authentic regional culinary experiences, such as cooking lessons at a Michelin star restaurant in Sorrento, wine tasting in the Sicilian countryside, a lobster lunch on the coast of Nova Scotia and a three-course gourmet meal and blind wine tasting in Saint John's.

Bernstein and Brosi are among a roster of internationally recognized world-class chefs headlining Crystal Cruises' six Wine and Food Festival voyages in 2008.

Crystal Serenity's 12-day cruise from Rome to Barcelona October 18, 2008, features calls in Naples and Sicily/Catania, Italy; Gibraltar, United Kingdom; and Malaga, Cartagena, Valencia and Palma de Mallorca, Spain; concluding with a shipboard overnight call in Barcelona. Fares begin at $4,445, per person, double occupancy.

Crystal Symphony's 10-day cruise from Montreal to New York, October 19, 2008, features calls in Quebec City, Quebec; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John's, New Brunswick; Bar Harbor, Maine; Boston, Massachusetts; and Newport, Rhode Island. Fares begin at $3,435, per person, double occupancy.