(Press Release)_WEST PALM BEACH, FL – August 31, 2017 – Florida East Coast Industries (FECI), Lincoln Property Company and Moss marked completion of its innovative residential building structure at a “topping out” ceremony today. Under the recently unveiled real estate brand Park-Line, the 290-unit tower in the heart of downtown West Palm Beach will debut fall 2018 offering residences for lease with unparalleled connectivity to the major urban centers of South Florida. The construction milestone of this significant project reemphasizes the demand for new residential buildings connected or in close proximity to transit solutions including Brightline, in urban environments. 

“We are pleased to reach another important milestone in the development of Park-Line Palm Beaches and welcome our first residents next year,” said Daniel Quintana, vice president of development for Florida East Coast Industries. “West Palm Beach is a dynamic city, and we look forward to building on the positive impact our unique residence contributes to the community.”

“It’s exciting to see our combined vision take shape as we move closer to completing construction,” said Chuck Shallat, executive vice president of Lincoln Property Company’s Southeast Region. “Park-Line will set a new standard for downtown West Palm Beach living.”

Moss is the general contractor, and the company recently completed construction on the Brightline West Palm Beach train station. The residential building and parking garage was built by approximately 250 workers. The entire Park-Line Palm Beaches structure from foundation to the roof was completed in just 46 weeks. More than 1,000 cubic yards of concrete a week was poured to complete the foundations in just under four weeks, and a total of 35,500 cubic yards of concrete was utilized for the project. Baker Concrete was the concrete subcontractor.

“As a South Florida-based company, with offices located near all the Brightline stations, Moss is very excited to have reached this milestone in Palm Beach County,” said Bob Moss, chairman & CEO of Moss. “We are honored to have partnered with Lincoln Property Company and FECI to construct this residential tower as we continue developing transformative properties in the Palm Beach Community.”

Park-Line Palm Beaches will feature multi-family residences for lease including studio, one and two-bedroom apartments. Every residence will be highlighted by floor-to-ceiling windows, classic designer finishes and a collection of unparalleled amenities. Amenities making Park-Line one of the most sought after addresses for today’s professional seeking a modern urban living experience include: a full-service poolside lounge; open-air cross training course; yoga lawn and fitness center with juice bar; private cabanas with outdoor grills and intimate seating areas; shaded dog parks and pet grooming salon; event lawn with movie screen and full social calendar of resident events.

Park-Line Palm Beaches residences will be located within steps of the Brightline express intercity train service connecting Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach with new downtown stations, a fleet of innovative trains and a complete customer-centric operating and communication offering that redefines what it means to travel by train in America. Partnering with Lincoln Property Company, among the most respected and diversified names in residential real estate services, Florida East Coast Industries will bring the Park-Line experience to life.
​

(Press Release)_MIAMI (August 31, 2017) – Carnival Cruise Line will introduce its first-ever teppanyaki dining venue when the new 133,500-ton Carnival Horizon debuts in Europe in spring 2018.

Teppanyaki is a traditional method of Japanese cooking whose name is derived from the combination of the words “teppan” or iron plate with “yaki” meaning grilled or pan-fried.   Teppanyaki combines ancient Japanese cooking techniques with modern performance art to create a feast that is both culinary and visual.

Located on Carnival Horizon’s Promenade Deck, Bonsai Teppanyaki will offer a wide-ranging menu with authentic delicacies from the Far East prepared by highly skilled chefs who will create tantalizing dishes on custom-built stations that form the center of the venue’s two eight-seat tables. 

In keeping with Carnival’s atmosphere of spirited and participatory fun, dinner at Bonsai Teppanyaki will be an unforgettable culinary experience with chefs engaging with diners and dazzling them with their amazing knife skills and other performance elements.

(Press Release)_​MIAMI, FL – August 22, 2017 – Celebrity Cruises is proud to announce a unique partnership with the Regional Maritime University (RMU) in Ghana. For the first time in cruise industry history, female bridge officers will be openly recruited from a West African country through a new Celebrity Cadet Program in partnership with RMU.
 
With the announcement, the brand is also excited to welcome the first official new crew member from the program, RMU Cadet Nicholine Tifuh Azirh, who will be joining the bridge team onboard Celebrity Equinox.
 
The partnership with RMU came about when Celebrity’s President and CEO Lisa Lutoff-Perlo met with students from the Mandela Washington Fellowship at Florida International University (FIU). There, she met Tifuh Azirh who shared her inspiring story of perseverance; Tifuh Azirh holds two degrees, yet following graduation she struggled to find opportunities in the maritime industry as an African female despite her academic performance, subsequent teaching at RMU, and cadet experience.
 
“After hearing Nicholine’s story, I met with our SVP of Global Marine Operations, Patrik Dahlgren, to see what we needed to do in order to give her, and others, the opportunities they’ve earned. A year later, I’m so excited to share the news of our partnership with RMU and to welcome Nicholine onboard,” said Lutoff-Perlo. “Nicholine isn’t just a new-hire, she symbolizes hope for women around the world who dream of working in a very male-dominated industry; she’s the face of our industry-leading partnership; and she is an incredible example of Celebrity’s commitment to opening up the world.”
 
“Nicholine’s success is our entire world’s success. Her story shows the power of win-win partnerships and the positive impact they have on our communities – and beyond,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “FIU is proud to be the only university in Florida to host the Department of State’s Mandela Washington Fellows program – and use our resources, talent and partnerships to help prepare the next generation of our world’s leaders. We are so proud to have been a part of Nicholine’s journey to a successful career!”
 
“The goal of our partnership with RMU is to inspire and disrupt the social norms that burden female officers in western African nations, such as Ghana,” said Patrik Dahlgren, SVP of Global Marine Operations, Celebrity Cruises. “Nicholine is our pioneer cadet and a pioneer for women in her country; moving forward, we will continue to evaluate candidates and continue to push the envelope in developing a growth sector for marine officers in a part of the world that traditionally underserves female officers.”
 
Tifuh Azirh is scheduled to join the Celebrity Equinox family on August 27, 2017.

For those who enjoy an elegant, leisurely, sit-down breakfast (and that would include us), Discoveries Restaurant on Azamara Quest and Journey is the place to be. Especially since they have just announced a new menu, based on "inspired dishes that are completely new, with global flavors and ingredients," with options noted for vegan, gluten free, healthy and vegetarian. Such as:
 

• Japanese zucchini noodle breakfast bowl with a friend egg; Asian chicken and rice congee with ginger and scallion; Arabic Shakshuka with hummus and olives and Mediterranean ratatouille toast with scrambled eggs. It's like dining around the world all in one place. Here's the full menu:

​Royal Caribbean’s Chief Meteorologist James Van Fleet and Oasis of the Seas Captain Per Kristoffersen collaborate to navigate toward the path of totality for the Great American Eclipse – a celestial phenomenon 99 years in the making.

Party-time for eclipse watchers. (It is okay to view the video, BTW).

One of our favorite dining spots in Melbourne Beach is Coppola's Bar and Grille at the historic Sebastion Beach Inn. Grab an oceanside table on the outdoor patio, listen to the waves and watch the birds soar by as you sip a drink and munch on appetizers. We highly recommend the Haddock Bites and the Onion Petals, BTW.

On a recent visit we spoke with Josh Baker, the marketing director, and he alerted us to another popular happening at the restaurant -- skydiving.

In association with Skydive Sebastian, skydivers arrange to land on the beach at the restaurant. When Baker had a chance to try it for himself, he "jumped" at it, literally. (See the video below). If you are looking for adventure and an unbeatable view of the ocean, check it out. Then celebrate with a drink at Coppola's.

Read more about it here.

That vapor trail in the middle of those clouds is from the Atlas rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Friday morning, viewed from Melbourne Beach, some 30 miles away. At this point, the actual rocket was hidden in the clouds.  (NPBL Photo)

Last year, Pam wrote a profile of Christine Costello, the daughter of famed comedian and actor Lou Costello. As a high schooler, Chris and some of her friends formed an all-girl band called The Bootiques, who Columbia Records signed to a contract -- thinking they were a musical group from England.  They released a song called "Did You get Your Fun?"  Just this week NBPL heard from Ken Friedman, host of the radio show "All Heart But No Chart" on WHUP 104.7.  Ken featured The Bootiques in his latest broadcast, which is archieved for two weeks here. He talks about The Bootiques at the 30:55 mark.

Christine -- any chance to get the group back together? 

​MIAMI (Aug. 16, 2017) – Following strong response to its first-ever cruises to Cuba announced earlier this year, Carnival Cruise Line has added five more voyages featuring extended calls in Havana in 2018.
​
The new voyages include three five-day cruises to Havana and Cozumel or Key West departing Feb. 17, July 2 and Sept. 5, 2018; a six-day sailing featuring Havana and Grand Cayman departing Aug. 26, 2018; and an eight-day voyage with stops at Havana, Grand Cayman and Cozumel departing Aug. 18, 2018.  

All of the voyages include a day-long call and overnight in Havana with the eight-day cruise of Aug. 18, 2018, offering two full days at the historic Cuban capital.

“Our cruises to Cuba have been very well received and we’re delighted to provide our guests with additional opportunities to experience and explore this fascinating and sought-after destination,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line.

Earlier this year, Carnival announced a series of four- and five-day voyages to Havana that kicked off in late June.  Upcoming voyages in the initial program include four-day cruises departing Aug. 24, Sept. 7 and 21, and Oct. 5 and 19, 2017 as well as May 3, 2018 and five-day voyages departing Aug. 28, Sept. 25 and Oct. 9, 2017. 

Carnival Paradise guests can select from nearly 20 different shore excursion experiences that showcase Cuba’s vibrant culture, majestic beauty and centuries-old architectural landmarks.

Aboard Carnival Paradise, guests enjoy an array of amenities and a full schedule of daytime activities and nighttime entertainment, including newly added Cuban-themed entertainment and activities. Dining options include two full-service main dining rooms and expansive poolside eatery with a 24-hour pizzeria.

The ship also features a 12,000-square-foot Spa Carnival health and wellness facility and an exclusive Serenity adults-only retreat.  Family-friendly programming includes Seuss at Sea in partnership with Dr. Seuss Enterprises as well as fun, supervised activities for kids in three age groups.  Four swimming pools and a 115-foot-long cascading water slide are also featured.   

The visits to Havana comply with regulations of the U.S. Department of Treasury that permit travel operators to transport approved travelers to Cuba to engage in activities as defined by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Foreign Assets Control.