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Month: June 2023

Royal Caribbean cooks up new venues for world’s largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas

Royal Caribbean cooks up new venues for world’s largest cruise ship Icon of the Seas

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MIAMI — The Royal Caribbean culinary team has spent more than 500 hours working on its macaroni and cheese, which is getting a starring role among a spate of new dining venues coming to Icon of the Seas when it debuts out of Miami in just over six months.

“It’s about consistency,” said Michael Jacobs, a director of culinary operations during a recent tour of Royal’s headquarters where it workshops ideas for everything from attractions to bars to the new dishes set to appear on board its upcoming fleet. “It has to coat the pasta. Each pasta is cut for its own sauce.”

A test kitchen full of chefs concur for what turned out to be an unusually long mac-and-cheese-related conversation as visiting media tried samples of a variety of dishes coming to what will be five food hall options within the planned AquaDome Market, itself just a small corner of the massive AquaDome superstructure at the top of the 20-deck, 250,800-gross-ton cruise ship currently under construction in Finland. read more

Brightline service from South Florida to Orlando could be cut in half under Coast Guard plan for St. Lucie River drawbridge

Brightline service from South Florida to Orlando could be cut in half under Coast Guard plan for St. Lucie River drawbridge

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A proposed U.S. Coast Guard test program to require a railroad drawbridge over the St. Lucie River to stay open for longer periods of time may force Brightline, the higher speed train service, to cut its planned service to Orlando by half, railroad officials say.

The span is a critical segment that Brightline must use as part of its highly anticipated expansion to Orlando from West Palm Beach. The new passenger service is expected to start late this summer with 16 trains a day in each direction.

The bridge is also currently used by more than a dozen Florida East Coast Railway freight trains a day. The FEC owns and operates the bridge, which is part of a 351-mile coastal rail corridor between Jacksonville and Miami. Its freight trains move products ranging from automobiles, perishables and packaged foods, to building and industrial materials, ethanol, bio-fuels and liquid natural gas. Rail officials fear the proposed test will cause significant delays to and from  Port Everglades, the Port of Palm Beach and PortMiami. read more