AIRLINES

NEW SERVICE

• Canadian low-cost carrier WestJet has begun seasonal service between Toronto and Miami. Nonstop flights operate five times a week until Dec. 16, then become daily through April 30.

• AirTran will offer service between Fort Lauderdale and Lexington, Ky., three days a week beginning Feb. 11.

CRUISE LINES

CRUISECRITIC PICKS TOP SHIPS

Royal Caribbean won the award for best family cruise line and Carnival won in the category of best for first-time cruisers in CruiseCritic.com's annual editors' picks awards.

Royal Caribbean's Freedom Class of ships also won the awards for best cruises for kids and best for teens.

Holland America won in the best for cabins and best for activities categories, while Carnival won best for nightlife.

Other honors included Princess winning best for weddings at sea, the Celebrity Solstice and Equinox sister ships winning for best new ship, Carnival winning for best main dining, Oceania for best specialty restaurants and Celebrity winning for best healthy dining.

Best cruise for couples honors went to Azamara, while best for sophisticated singles went to Cunard. Crystal won best luxury cruise line, while Princess won best for romance and Lindblad won best for adventure.

The award for best river cruise line went to Uniworld, while Windstar won for best sailing ship.

Disney's Castaway Cay was named the best cruise line private island.

WINTER TRAVEL

MAGAZINE PICKS TOP SKI DESTINATIONS

The November issue of National Geographic Adventure magazine is recommending 11 ski destinations from Oregon to Maine. They are:

• Snowmass in Colorado, described as an alternative to the ``hustle and bustle of downtown Aspen.''

• Sun Valley, Idaho, which the magazine says is launching its first gondola this winter for the ride 2,000 vertical feet up Bald Mountain.

• Park City Mountain Resort in Utah, where you can reach the High West Distillery and Saloon's bar and tapas restaurant on skis via the Quittin' Time run.

• Rossland, in British Columbia, described as a ``no-stoplights, no-Starbucks former mining town'' with incredible backcountry.

• Northstar-at-Tahoe in California, with a new Ritz Carlton and a new gondola to complement the deep Sierra snows and tall ponderosa pines.

• Mount Bachelor in Oregon, where daily lift tickets this season will be priced $49, $59 or $69, depending on lift-serviced available terrain and weather factors such as visibility, wind, precipitation and temperature.

• Whistler Blackcomb in British Columbia, where only 10 percent of the mountain will be closed to the public during the Olympics.

• Sugar Bowl in the Lake Tahoe-Truckee area, where a new Olympic sport, skicross, will be featured on a new course in a pre-Olympics show, Feb. 1-17. The sport involves four skiers at a time down a course with banked turns and jumps -- think Moto Cross on skis.

• Jay Peak Resort in Vermont, which is opening a new luxury hotel this season, the Tram Haus Lodge.

• Cannon Mountain, in New Hampshire, which this season will provide shuttle transportation to Mittersill, an abandoned ski area that can now offer backcountry skiers access to ungroomed terrain.

• Saddleback in Maine, where the owners have been increasing skiable terrain and improving facilities, and will open a new glade this winter.

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