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Another Florida-bound cruise ship had its first sea trial over the weekend as Celebrity Xcel hit the ocean off the coast of France.

The fifth of Celebrity Cruises’ Edge-class ships went through functional maneuvers near the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France on Saturday helmed by Capt. ‘Kirk’ Kyriakos Matragkas.

Its inaugural sailings this November will bring it to Port Everglades on seven-night Caribbean itineraries before heading back to Europe next summer to sail the Mediterranean.

Just like its sister ships, Celebrity Edge, Apex, Beyond and Ascent, the vessel has the same design including the Magic Carpet — an exterior elevator platform that acts primarily as an innovative way for passengers to disembark and reboard the ship when it tenders at ports of call, but also doubles as an entertainment and dining venue.

The cabins will once again feature the popular Infinite Verandah staterooms in which the balcony is part of the cabin.

One unique thing about this new ship will be its capability to use methanol as a fuel source, the first for any ship in the Royal Caribbean Group family of cruise lines and an effort to reduce its carbon footprint. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

McDonald’s said Monday it plans to invest $200 million over the next seven years to promote regenerative agriculture practices on cattle ranches.

The Chicago burger giant said the investment was its largest to date in support of regenerative agriculture in the U.S. The company has also funded regenerative projects on potato farms in Canada and Europe.

“As a brand that serves more than 90% of Americans every year, we recognize the responsibility we have to help safeguard our food systems for long-term vitality,” Cesar Piña, McDonald’s chief supply chain officer for North America, said in a statement.

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Universal Orlando has confirmed that contruction work moving forward in the Lost Continent area of its Islands of Adventure theme park. Details about what might go there and in what specific timeframe remain unrevealed.

“In the coming months, there will be construction activity in Lost Continent as part of site planning to ensure the area is ready for any future developments” is the official stance from the company.  A demolition permit has been filed with the city of Orlando.

Lost Continent is one of the original lands of IOA, which opened in 1999. Two of its primary attractions were “The Eighth Voyage of Sindbad,” a stunt and stage show that closed in 2018, and Poseidon’s Fury, a walk-through experience with special effects, which closed in 2023. Both structures currently remain standing.

In the beginning, Lost Continent also was the home of the Dueling Dragons roller coaster, which later was absorbed by the original Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

The land, sandwiched between Seuss Landing and Wizarding World, now includes a handful of merchandise stores; Fire-Eater’s Grill, a counter-service restaurant; and Mythos, a full-service restaurant that looks over the park’s central lagoon. read more

By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — China accused Nvidia on Monday of violating the country’s antimonopoly laws and said it would step up scrutiny of the world’s leading chipmaker, escalating tensions with Washington as the two countries held trade talks this week.

Chinese regulators said a preliminary investigation found that Nvidia didn’t comply with conditions imposed when it purchased Mellanox Technologies, a network and data transmission company.

The one-sentence statement from the State Administration for Market Regulation statement did not mention any punishment, but said it would carry out “further investigation.”

An Nvidia spokesperson said, “We comply with the law in all respects. We will continue to cooperate with all relevant government agencies as they evaluate the impact of export controls on competition in the commercial markets.”

Regulators said in December that they were investigating the company for suspected violations stemming from the $6.9 billion acquisition of Mellanox. The deal was completed in 2020 after the Chinese regulator gave conditional approval for Nvidia to buy the Israeli company. read more