October 2013

This interactive crossword puzzle is no longer available online.

On select 2013-2014 “Caribbean Baseball Cruises” with MSC Cruises (Fort Lauderdale, FL; 877/665-4655), passengers will interact with former baseball stars like Cincinnati Reds All-Star Ken Griffey, Sr. (Jan. 12, 2014), and American League home-run king Gorman Thomas (May 10) in a variety of events, including question-and-answer sessions, free autograph sessions, player-hosted trivia games and pitching, hitting and defense strategy clinics.

Panama’s new BioMuseo, aka Museum of Biodiversity [website in Spanish only], is scheduled to open in January 2014. The 43,000-square-foot museum, designed by Frank Gehry, will include eight display galleries highlighting Panama’s flora and fauna, from the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama 3,000,000 years ago to the present day. 

The website Special Needs at Sea (800/513-4515 or 954/585-0575) now posts the accessibility features of the ships of four cruise lines: Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean International. 

Special Needs Group, Inc., plans to add one cruise line per month to the portal until all ships used in the North American market that have features for the mobility limited have been included.

Verona, Italy — For €2-€3 each, visitors can climb to the top of the 84-meter-high Torre dei Lamberti on foot or by elevator. (I’d recommend spending the extra euro to do the latter.) Located off Piazza Erbe, the tower offers an incredible 360-degree view over Verona, a portion of which is seen above.

— Beth Habian, ITN

(Second of two parts)

When my wife, Gail, and I visited the Southern Caribbean island of Aruba in June 2013, we found multiple choices for exploring the island via land-based tours. 

The app Waterkeeper Swim Guide, available on iOS and Android devices, has data on many beaches in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The app detects the user’s location and shows which beaches are safe to swim in, accessing recent data from government agencies and local Waterkeeper Alliance chapters. The data is also available online at www.theswimguide.org.

When I’m far from home, I become a cultural chameleon. I eat and drink regional specialties with gusto, feasting on steak and red wine in Tuscany and stuffing down tapas at midnight in Spain. So when I travel to countries that are known for their beer, I morph into the best beer aficionado I can be.

In the port of Bluff, near Invercargill on New Zealand’s South Island, the Bluff Oyster & Food Festival (phone 03 212 8889) will be held May 24, 2014, to celebrate the Bluff oyster, a local delicacy. Tickets cost $25 each and can be purchased in advance through Ticket Direct New Zealand (phone 0800 484 2538).

(Part 1 of 2)

Most Americans have never heard of Vanuatu, and even fewer have heard of its capital, Port Vila. Yet Vila, as it is often called, is becoming a major cruise destination, with about 140 port visits planned by cruise lines over the next 12 months, or about one every two or three days.