LOS ANGELES, July 14, 2004 - For an unprecedented ninth-consecutive year, luxury cruise specialist Crystal Cruises has been voted the "World's Best Large-Ship Cruise Line" in Travel + Leisure magazine's annual readers' survey. At 89.16, Crystal's score topped all cruise lines in the small-ship category as well as the large-ship cruise line poll.

Crystal's award-winning fleet consists of the luxurious 940-guest, 50,000-ton Crystal Harmony and Crystal Symphony, and the 1,080-guest, 68,000-ton Crystal Serenity, which was launched a year ago.

"Each year we are thrilled to win this award from the well-traveled readers of such a prestigious publication like Travel + Leisure magazine," says Gregg L. Michel, president, Crystal Cruises. "This year is perhaps even more gratifying as we launched our new ship within the year, which increased our capacity by more than 50%, and yet we were able to provide our high service standards and renowned product features. This record achievement attests to the dedication, creativity and talent of our shipboard and shore-side staffs, and Crystal's winning formula of delivering the best service, space, quality and choices."

"The winners of our World's Best Awards readers' survey distinguish themselves against others in their highly competitive field because of their consistent level of quality and attention to every detail. They are experts in providing not only a sense of satisfaction and security, but also an element of dazzle, which makes the memory linger and maybe even enrich over time," says Nancy Novogrod, editor-in-chief, Travel + Leisure.