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Regent Seven Seas Cruises is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise Line.

Regent operates a fleet of elegantly appointed ships that visit more than 300 worldwide destinations on seven to 119-night voyages. The company is the world's only cruise line that includes award-winning service, acclaimed cuisine, premium spirits and fine wine, gratuities and sightseeing excursions in every port for the ultimate "ultra-luxury" vacation. Its fleet includes the Seven Seas Voyager and Seven Seas Mariner, both of which are all-suite, all-balcony ships accommodating 700 guests. Its ship, Seven Seas Navigator, is all-suite with 90% having balconies.

With some of the highest space-per-guest rations in the cruise industry, accommodations on-board the intimate Regent Seven Seas ships are considered among the most luxurious afloat and include such requisite amenities as down comforters, fine Egyptian cotton linens, flat-screen televisions, DVD players and Wi-Fi access. Top suites have iPod music systems with Bose speakers.

What really makes the Regent experience different from the other cruise lines, is that it provides the most inclusive ultra-luxury cruise experience with an incomparable array of complimentary features and services. Regent Seven Seas Cruise fares include economy class air fare, unlimited shore excursions, all fine dining options, fitness programs, complimentary beverages (including fine wines and premium spirits, beer, etc. served throughout the ships), and all shipboard gratuities. The only out-of-pocket expenses guests incur on board are for shopping or spa treatments.

For 2010, Regent Seven Seas ships has partnered with world famous Canyon Ranch, the leading operator of destination health resorts, to operate state-of-the-art spa, wellness and fitness facilities on-board all three vessels. The ships' Canyon Ranch SpaClub offers the most desirable spa amenities available: massage, body and skin-care treatment rooms, a gym and weight room with cardio and weight training equipment, a juice bar, men's and women's locker rooms, thalassotherapy, sauna and steam rooms. Regent is also featuring Canyon Ranch's Spa Cuisine and Canyon Ranch-certified fitness instructors.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises also has an exclusive partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau. Under the agreement, the renowned filmmaker, environmentalist and educator will lecture several times per year on Regent Seven Seas ships. In addition, Cousteau's Ocean Futures Society counselors will lead the line's Ambassadors of the Environment youth enrichment program on select Alaska and Caribbean cruises. The program introduces young travelers to extraordinary natural wonders and offers imaginative ways to build sustainability and conservation through direct, hands-on experience.

Many of the cruises commence in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. while some launch from Barbados, Puerto Rico or Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Caribbean voyages are offered during the months of November through April. Regent's 5, 10 and 11 day long Caribbean cruises in April are aboard its 490-guest Navigator, which just underwent a complete stern-to-stern refurbishment. Regent will soon offer a 24 night Amazon cruise, round-trip from the U.S.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Regent's Seven Seas Cruises

Founded in 2002, Oceania Cruises, the world's only upper premium cruise line, is a nominee for a Reader's Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise.

The company's three 684-guest ships – Regatta, Insignia and Nautica – convey guests to 300 different ports of call as part of 34 different itineraries around the world. Next year, the 1,258-guest Marina will join Oceania's fleet, complete with ten on-board dining venues, including six restaurants. All of Oceania's vessels offers arts and crafts classes, as well as lectures given before reaching port of call about its local culture and history.

The Regatta , which is the flagship of the Oceania Cruises fleet, handles the company's Caribbean traffic. Built in 1998, the ship's decks are resplendent in the finest teak, custom stone and tile work while her lounges, suites and staterooms boast luxurious, neo-classical furnishings. The Regatta offers every luxury one might expect with four unique, open seating restaurants, eight lounges and bars, a world class fitness center and spa, a casino and 342 suites and staterooms, nearly 70% of which have private verandas. The ship's staff of 400 pampers up to 684 guests on every voyage; itineraries range from 10-24 days. The Regatta's Caribbean Pearls' itinerary includes stops in bustling St. John's, scenic Tortola, and the posh port of Gustavia in St. Bart.

The Canyon Ranch SpaClub on board Oceania's ships offer a full range of spa treatments from body wraps and acupuncture to ayuryeda, massage and skin care.

The 12-day version of Oceania's "Caribbean Pearls" cruise runs just shy of $3,000 for an ocean view room; suites can be had for just north of $6,000. As an added bonus, airfare is included in both fares for early bookers.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Oceania Cruises

Arguably the grandest, most magnificent ocean liner ever built, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise. Queen Mary 2 is the flagship of Cunard, whose history dates back to 1839 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria awarded Sir Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first ever license to deliver mail across the Atlantic Ocean.

While she is described as "timeless elegance", Queen Mary 2, which debuted in 2004, offers the latest luxury amenities, from the pampering services of the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub® at sea to a pool with a retractable roof, allowing it to be enjoyed in inclement weather. Queen Mary 2 also offers an award-winning intellectual and entertainment enrichment program led by prestigious experts in a variety of fields, including literature, the arts, politics, the sciences, culture, maritime history and academia.

The ship, which cost an estimated $800 million to build, is 1,132 feet long--113 feet longer than her predecessor Queen Mary, with space for 2,592 guests in lower berths and 3,056 total guest capacity, when including third and fourth berths. Her crew numbers 1,253.

Queen Mary 2 has more than 10 different restaurant and other dining venues, including the first eponymously named restaurant at sea by celebrity chef, Todd English. She also boasts the only planetarium at sea (also serving as a movie theater and lecture hall) and a casino with 12 gaming tables and 115 slot machines. There are a total of six swimming pools on the ship, including one designed especially for children. There's an authentic English pub, complete with darts, ale and traditional pub fare including cottage pie and fish and chips. Guests can dance the night away in the elegant Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea. The Royal Court Theatre, which can accommodate 977 guests, features lavish theatrical productions and guest entertainers. Sports enthusiasts can enjoy two golf simulators, paddle tennis, basketball and shuffleboard. The Zone/The Play Zone children's programs provide age group-specific activities and entertainment and even certified British nannies for the youngest guests.

During November, December and January, Queen Mary 2 offers 10-, 11- and 15-day voyages to the Caribbean, all round-trip from New York. The 15-day Festive Caribbean itinerary includes stops in Grand Turk, Tortola, St. Maarten, Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St. Thomas; the 11-day Caribbean Delights itinerary stops in St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Grenada, Barbados and Grand Turk; and the 10-day Caribbean Calypso voyage calls into St. Thomas, St. Lucia, Barbados and Grand Turk. There's also an option to extend the Caribbean Delights voyage to 17 days by adding a six-day Transatlantic Voyage from Southampton, Great Britain. Click here for more information about dates and rates.

Accommodation onboard Queen Mary 2 is lush, stylish and contemporary. Nearly three-fourths of the staterooms have private balconies. Suites, called the Grills, range in size from 506 square feet to enormous Grand Duplex apartments of up to 2,249 square feet. For her Caribbean voyages, per person rates start at $1,695 for inside rooms, while suites start at $3,955 per person. All rates are based on double occupancy and do not include government taxes and fees, air or ground transfers. Cunard's Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, which debuts in Fall 2010, also offer voyages to the Caribbean. Click here for information about fares and itineraries.

For more information about Cunard Line, consult your Travel Professional, call toll-free 1-800-7-CUNARD or go online to www.cunard.com.

Vote now for what you believe is the best of breed for each of the Winter Travel categories. Readers' Choice Awards for the Best in Winter Travel will be announced on January 31st.

Gallery: More from Cunard

The 2009 Tobacconists' Association of America (TAA) Convention kicks off on Sunday, March 8. Tobacconists and manufacturers from around the world will converge on the CasaMagna Marriott for four days of reconnecting, deal-making and of course plenty of cigar smoking. I'm currently at this Cancun resort and am happy to give the attendees – and jealous onlookers – a few insights into the event's host.

Surprisingly, smoking bans have crossed the border, forcing the CasaMagna to be smoke-free. The lobby, restaurants, bars and guestrooms, for the most part, are off-limits for puffing. Fortunately, poolside smoking is fine, and you can light up in the bar that sits alongside the beach.

Igniting your cigar may be a challenge. With airlines frustrating efforts to carry torches, matches may be your only available option (unless you bleed your lighter and find someone to refill it for you in Cancun. The wind off the Caribbean is strong, so look for sheltered corners to use when firing up (there are a handful of them almost everywhere on the property).

A loophole in Mexico's smoking laws allows CasaMagna to welcome TAA's smokers into the Sa Si Thai restaurant, as it is a covered outdoor space. So, you'll be able to enjoy your favorite Avo, Fuente or Davidoff (or anything else) unmolested. The hotel has extended this restaurant's hours of operation to accommodate late-night indulging. After last call, you can retreat to your room's balcony to tie off the night with your preferred stick.

Gallery: CasaMagna Marriott