World’s largest ship ‘Independence of the Seas’ joins Royal Caribbean International fleet

Company Brief

New Delhi, April 24, 2008

Continuing its legacy of creating revolutionary vacation experiences, Royal Caribbean International took delivery of its newest innovative ship – Independence of the Seas - during a ceremony at Aker Yards in Turku, Finland, today. Just days away from her debut in Europe, Independence of the Seas, is the third of the line’s Freedom class of ships and will be the largest cruise ship ever to be home-ported in Europe. In a few days she will sail out of Southampton, United Kingdom, for her inaugural season. Independence shares the title of world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship with sister-ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, which were launched in the U.S. in May 2006 and 2007 respectively.

In the first nationwide search of its kind in the United Kingdom, Royal Caribbean is bestowing the title of Godmother of Independence of the Seas to an ordinary woman who has done extraordinary things to further the well being of youth in her community. The search was conducted with the cruise line’s charity partner and British five-time Olympic gold medalist, Sir Steve Redgrave. The Godmother, will be selected by a distinguished panel of judges, including Sir Steve Redgrave; Royal Caribbean executives and guest judges. She will have the honour of participating in the inaugural celebrations and official naming ceremony of the cruise ship in Southampton on April 30.

“We are delighted to welcome Independence of the Seas to our fleet and to introduce her to vacationers throughout the United Kingdom and Europe,” said Adam Goldstein, president and CEO, Royal Caribbean International. “Positioning one of our largest and newest ships in Southampton reaffirms Royal Caribbean’s strong commitment to the region and will provide the opportunity for more European guests to experience the distinctive and award-winning vacations our brand has become recognized for throughout the world.”

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Gautam Chadha, CEO, TIRUN Travel Marketing said: “To have the new innovative Ship - Independence of the Seas added to our fleet is an honour for all of us and I feel extremely proud today as we all welcome her into our fleet. With this we offer our customers many more choices and a global footprint.”

Following a series of preview sailings in Oslo, Norway and Southampton, Independence will embark on her maiden voyage on May 2. Through the summer of 2008, she will sail 14-night ‘Mediterranean Treasures’ and ‘Italian Mediterranean’ itineraries round-trip from Southampton. Guests can also enjoy two, four-night getaways from Southampton to Cork, Ireland and St.Peter Port, Channel Islands. Three, 11-night Canary Islands itineraries, also roundtrip from Southampton, will close the fall season. Independence then heads to the United States to begin a series of warm weather Eastern and Western Caribbean sailings from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.starting in November 2008.

At 160,000 GRT and a capacity of 3,634 guests, Independence of the Seas will feature all of the industry-first amenities which are trademarks of the Freedom-class ships: a FlowRider surf simulator; the H20 Zone water park with its interactive sculpture garden for families; cantilevered whirlpools suspended 112 ft. above the ocean in the adults-only Solarium; a full-size boxing ring and a 14-person family suite. Unlike her sister-ships, all pools and the water park on Independence will be heated. The Independence has a cruising speed of 21.6 knots and a length of 1,112 feet, approximately the size of four football fields. It also has dedicated meeting space with breakout rooms and a reception area to accommodate up to 400 people. The facilities include high-tech presentation rooms with colour touch screens, wireless remote controls, teleconferencing equipment and more.

Independence also will feature some of the other distinctive offerings the global cruise line is known for including, an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall, an award-winning children’s program, fine to casual dining venues, Broadway-style entertainment and the Royal Promenade – an entertainment boulevard stretching the length of the ship with its shops, restaurants, bars and lounges, which provides guests with an endless variety of choices and experiences to suit their taste and preference.

For further information, please contact:

IPAN

Geetanjali Lahiri

Tel: +91-11-42492100

e-mail: geetanjali.lahiri@ipan.com