Swim at Hearst Castle

Imagine taking a dip in one of Hearst Castle's ornate pools on a warm summer evening. The historic swimming pools at the opulent private residence of William Randolph Hearst in San Simeon, Calif., will open for pool parties on select evenings — for $1,250 per person. The Neptune Pool, famous for its sweeping colonnades and Italian relief sculptures, will be open 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. July 6, Aug. 3 and 24, and Sept. 21. Pool parties are limited to 40 guests. For the same price, the indoor Roman Pool, which shimmers with deep blue glass tiles and is decorated with statues of Greek and Roman figures, will open the same hours to just 20 guests on July 20 and Oct. 19. Tickets go on sale Monday. Without a swim, travelers can take the 60-minute guided Grand Rooms Tour and see both pools ($25 for adults). Info: foundationathearstcastle.com/events.

Los Angeles Times

Delta offers waivers for Dominican

On the heels of reports that at least 10 American tourists have died in the past year in the Dominican Republic, Delta Air Lines is allowing passengers to cancel or change their flights to Punta Cana without a change fee. To qualify, the original ticket must have been purchased by June 21 for travel by Aug. 15, and any rescheduled trip must begin by Nov. 20. Other airlines, such as American and United, say they will work with customers wanting to change or cancel their flights to the Dominican on a "case-by-case" basis. Vittorio Caruso, 55, of New York, became the latest American to die in the country on June 17 after "drinking something"; the country's attorney general said the cause of death was respiratory and heart failure. Dominican and U.S. officials have attempted to alleviate concerns, saying that travel to the Caribbean nation remains safe.

Simon Peter Groebner

New form for New Zealand

Starting Oct. 1, Americans visiting New Zealand will need to take some extra minutes of pre-departure planning. Americans will need to apply for a New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA). The new requirement applies to visitors who plan to stay in the country for a maximum of three months. The form will become available in July. The cost: 9 New Zealand dollars (about $6) for the app submission and 12 New Zealand dollars (about $8) for the online form. Visitors must also pay a new levy earmarked for tourism infrastructure and environmental protection. The fee costs 35 New Zealand dollars, or $23. The New Zealand Embassy in Washington, D.C., said travelers with a clean criminal record will most likely receive a green light.

Washington Post

Hiking New Zealand’s Fox Glacier.

United might wait for you

United Airlines is trying to get smarter about figuring out when planes can afford to wait for passengers with tight connections so that they aren't stranded. The airline is using a software tool it says has kept about 14,400 passengers from missing flights in four months. For now, it's in use only in Denver and Chicago, but United has plans to bring it to all airports where it operates. The system scans for passengers on connecting flights at risk of arriving late, then determines how long their next flight can wait without inconveniencing others, said David Kensick, United's managing director of network operations control. So far, flights that United deliberately held back waited six minutes on average. About 90% still arrived on time, and so far none of the flights held back caused additional connection problems, Kensick said.

Chicago Tribune