At over 403 feet, the tallest Ferris wheel in Japan, the Redhorse Osaka Wheel, opened on July 1 at Expocity (2-1 Senribampaku Koen, Suita-shi, Osaka, Japan; www.expocity-mf.com/en/access). The wheel has 72 glass-bottomed cars, including two luxury cars, which take 18 minutes to make one full revolution. A standard car seats six people and a luxury car, four. A ticket costs ¥1,000 (near $10), standard, or ¥8,000, luxury.

Located at the Bampaku-kinen-koen monorail station,...

As of July 15, passengers on Norwegian Cruise Line (866/234-7350, www.ncl.com) ships are not allowed to take any beverages on board (including water) other than sealed bottles of wine (no boxed wine). Norwegian said it had been taking too long to inspect each beverage during boarding, causing delays.  

Wine must be checked upon boarding and will be held until it's consumed on board or until disembarkation at the final port. There is a corkage fee of $15 for a 750ml bottle or...

Guests can stay in the 18th-century, hexagonal-tower Wicklow Head Lighthouse, near the town of Wicklow in eastern Ireland. Housing a total of four people, it has two bedrooms, a bathroom, two common rooms and, on the top floor, a kitchen.  

The 6-story tower has not been a working lighthouse since it was struck by lightning in 1836. It was acquired by the Irish Landmark Trust in 1996 and restored and updated. The minimum, 3-night, stay starts at €614 (near $680). Visit www....