Fort Lauderdale News from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 106

4J NewsSun-Sentlnel, Sunday, September 25, 1988 rl Sail through the Panama Canal in as little as seven days Grand ff Marsh Harbour (WBSt Palm Afcaoo uauusi won. Atlantic Ocew Miami 1 now from only L7 Bimini lolands tt'leuthera CP 2fi Andros New ProvMonce fcsland The Bahamas 'Met 0 ft; Only Cunard offers you a choice of sailing through the Panama Staff graphic Canal in 7, 8, 1 0, 1 1 1 7 or 1 8 days. Sail between Florida and BIMINI Puerto Caldera in 7 or 8 days. Or, sail between Florida and Acapulco IF YOU'RE GOING in 10 or 1 1 days. If you have more time, cruise all the way to Los Angeles in 1 8 days.

Regardless of the voyage you select, you'll journey through the Panama Canal, one of todays most ingenious feats of engineering. Rates for seven day cruises aboard the Cunard Princess are from $495 to $1,910. Designed For Excitement. You'll love cruising on the informal Cunard Princess, which offers a wealth of activities and entertainment that suits any style. Enjoy ocean-view dining, take a dip in the terraced pool with outdoor JacuzziWhirlpool Baths, take in the casino or cabaret, or dance under the stars at the stunning IndoorOutdoor Center Low-Cost Air Travel.

Now it's easier than ever to sail with Cunard. For your convenience, Cunard offers low-cost air travel. i -i i i i i hor details on the Cunard t-rincess cruises tnrougn the Panama Canal, consult your local travel agent or Cunard. 4 SfafcV Getting to Bimini is easy. Several flights leave daily from Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach.

You can take a Chalk's seaplane directly into the harbor at Alicetown, or fly Aero Coach to South Bimini and hop the ferry to the city. Round-trip airfare is about $100. Boaters often make the trek when the sea is calm. For safety's sake, they usually travel in groups. Boaters wishing to cross, but not having anyone to cross with, can call the U.S.

Coast Guard Auxiliary. It Is usually aware of groups or organizations of small boaters going over. It can also provide information about crossing. Another way to find other boaters is simply to ask around at area marinas. Generally someone is heading over and company is always welcome.

If you don't have a boat, there are several drift boats that cross from marinas in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Pompano Beach. They usually go for a few days at a time and have arrangements with local hotels for accommodations. Again, asking around at the docks is a good way to find them. Dive boats also make the crossing. Check with local dive shops; they should put you in contact with the right people.

There are several hotels on the island, with accommodations that run from spartan to luxurious. Make reservations. For more Information about Bimini and the rest of the Bahamas, contact the Bahamas Sport Aviation Information Center at 1-800-327-7678. They will send you a package about hotels, restaurants, fishing, boating, diving and any-, thing else there is to do in the is-' lands. Or contact the Bahamas Tourist Office, 255 Alhambra Circle, Coral Gables, Fla.

33134, 1-442-4860. For a free brochure or Cunard Princess videotape for $8.95, please call 1-800-247-4400. Cunard Princess is registered in the Bahamas. Rates are per person, double occupancy, dependent upon departure dates; taxes extra. 1988 Cunard A41269 Five-Plus-Star-QUEEN ELIZABETH 2, SAGAFJORD.

VISTAFJORD. SEA GODDESS I II Four-Star-COUNTESS, PRINCESS FROM PAGE 1J Strange formations on sea floor mystify historians, divers Another earlier mystery has puzzled historians for some time. When flying over the area just south of Bimini, there appear to be flat, symmetrical patterns on the ocean floor. They are square blocks that look as if they form roads and platforms. Charles Berlitz, in his book The Bermuda Triangle, says divers claim to have discovered columns supporting some of the stones.

Believers in the Antediluvian World and the lost city of Atlantis say these stones are part of that ancient civilization. Given their proximity to the equally mysterious Bahamas Blue Holes (huge underwater caverns leading to the bowels of the island chain), and all the strange happenings fn the Bermuda Triangle (Bimini is right in the middle of it), who is to say what those formations represent? Diving, fishing There are miles of shallows for snorkelers here, plenty of deeper live-coral reefs for the more experienced divers, and the famous Bimini Wall for the bravest of the brave. The Bimini Wall is just what its name implies: a sheer precipice that drops from 125 feet to more than 2,000. Even experienced divers have been known to crawl on their hands and knees to the edge, peer over into the abyss, then crawl away. There are fish of all shapes and sizes here, as well.

All year, anglers from Florida pilot their boats across the 50-mile stretch of water separating the islands from the mainland in pursuit of the excellent marlin, wahoo, bonefish and bottom fishing to be had here. In the early 1930s, Ernest Hemingway tried the fishing and found it superb. So much so, that he made the island a second home. Hemingway liked to frequent The Compleat Angler, a hotel and bar on The King's Highway overlooking vast shallow-water flats. He liked to sit around the fireplace in one of the hotel's sitting rooms and swap fish tales with other well-heeled anglers of the day.

Today, little has changed in the hotel. The rooms are still the varnished dark wood they were then, the views are the same Papa Hemingway gazed upon, and much of the furniture is original. The walls of the Angler are covered with vintage photos showing Hemingway and other famous people of the era proudly displaying their catches. There are also candid shots that give a bit of insight into the type of man he was. The hotel has become a sort of Hemingway shrine.

The time to visit The Compleat Angler is in the middle of the afternoon. By nightfall the divers are back, the sports fishermen have docked, a reggae band starts playing and the place gets crowded. But by 2 or 3 a.m. the bars close (there are several on The King's Highway, from your basic dive to A NNOUNCING TMAR'S SPECIA STANDBY PLAN TOTH i modern-day disco), the music dies, and most of the revelers are either fast asleep or in a coma. In a few hours the sun will rise and the island will be peaceful again.

Morning exploration At dawn, the sea is unusually still, and most of the people are still asleep. It's a good time to explore Bimini on foot, although the island's mosquitos can be fierce. Churches abound on Bimini, and provide some insight into the people. One wooden Baptist church dates from the 1850s, while the island's Catholics are just finishing a gleaming coral-and-glass edifice. Sam Brown, local historian, philosopher, tour guide and driver of the Bimini Bus since 1966, says there are almost as many churches as there are bars on the island.

Bimini also has two old cemeteries. And by studying the headstones, you can get a feeling for the early settlers and how most of the islanders are related. Bahamians aren't the only ones buried on the island, either. Several headstones for people from the United States also can be found. One can only speculate that they found a home and wanted to spend eternity in this small bit of CARIBBEAN CRUISE 10 DAYS $1J45 Everyone should have an opportunity to sample Sitmar Class, especially wMe soaking up the Caribbean sun.

So we've created a special program to make it easy for you to save $1,000 or more per couple. Here's the plan: Sign up now to stand by for one of two spetial 10-day cruises departing November 30 and December 10 for just $1,145 per person? double occupancy Pay within seven days. Then at least 21 days prior to departure, you'll be notified whether you've been confirmed on die cruise of your choice. If not, you'll receive a full refund. If you're confirmed, you'll sail on Sitmar's magnificent FairSky to 6 magical ports of call Visit Nassau, St Croix, Antigua, Barbados, Martinique and the shopper's mecca, St.

Thomas. All the while you'll be treated to the Caribbean sun and the rare combination of warmth and professionalism we call Sitmar Class. Contact your travel agent today and save while you discover why Sitmar Class is the choice of experienced cruisers. Cincinnati to mark 200th year PER PERSON, Kentucky Derby. DOUBLE OCCUPANCY Visitors will be able to board some of the riverboats for tours and cruises, some of them dining cruises.

To book harbor and dining cruises, call TicketMaster in Cin cinnati at 1-513-749-4949. For additional information about the 'Based on space available. Airfare not included. Cancellation penalties Chicago Tribune Cincinnati is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, and from Oct. 14 to 16, the "Queen City," which sits on the Ohio River across from Kentucky, will take on the flavor of yesteryear.

The weekend will be a return to the riverboat era of the 1800s when 14 historic vessels paddle-wheelers and steamboats will arrive for the Tall Stacks celebration. A highlight of the weekend should be the rematch of the river-boat race between the Delta Queen and the Belle of Louisville it's a race that is held in May during the and other restrictions appl see your travel agent lor details cruises and tours, call the Talking Yellow Pages in Cincinnati at 1- iililiiisSilill, Jk 513-333-4444. For more information, contact the Greater Cincinnati Bicentennial Commission 1175 Chiquita Center, Fifth and Sycamore streets, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202; 'Earthquake' to shake up studio I I u.v Liberian fefssiry 'WORLD TRAVEL AND TOURS smells of a powerful 8.0 temblor" will open on a sound stage. According to the publicity release, "The ground will shake beneath the wheels of the hapless pas-senger tram and eventually collapse, trapping visitors in a setting of falling telephone poles and cement walls and so on. The whole thin? ends with a flood.

Staff reports Universal Studio Tours in Los Angeles, which offers visitors trips through the lot, sound stages and plenty of special effects during rides around the studio, is opening a new thrill experience that might be a bit too real for comfort. On Nov. 21, Earthquake, a simulation of the "sounds, sights and Everything You Dreamed A Vacation Cc World Travel offers the lowest Prices Available on all Sitmar Cruises, Canal, Caribbean, Alaska, Europe and South Pacific. Book Now for best selections. 2691 E.

Oakland Park Blvd. Fort Lauderdale, FL 33306 563-1177 1-800-843-1736.