Congratulations!

We have signed up just under 30 total cruisers for the Carnival Spirit 8 Day Mexican Riviera Cruise! Thank you for your cooperation in getting the payments in on time... we are all now confirmed!

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Another 8 have also signed up outside of our package and we will welcome them to join in our fun, but they will not receive our:
☆ two category upgrade, ☆$50 on-board credit, ☆complimentary wine, ☆hosted cocktail party, or other BajaGay benefits.☆

We think we may sign up another 5-6 between now and the final deadline. If you are one of those waiting until the last minute... please let us know so we can answer questions and smooth your way. At this moment we believe we can guarantee all your benefits and amenities because there is still open cabins on the ship... but please don't wait too long. If you have any potential friends who are interested, please get in touch with them and let's get them signed up. There is still time.

Plus, on every cruise there are other gay men who are cruising. Usually, every day there will be a "Friends of Dorothy" gathering listed in the daily Carnival Capers newsletter. So in addition to our group, we will meet other guys who are sailing with us. Our group will be reserved for early dining every evening, so we will be going from dining room to the showroom at Pharaoh's Palace for Las Vegas style floorshow every night!

➜Now that you are signed up and paid, by now you should have received your confirmation and Carnival booking number from Terry. If you have not received your booking number contact Terry at: terrysummers@gmail.com

➜Once you have your booking number, you can go directly to http://www.Carnival.com and explore your cruise details. You can also input your passport information and answer the TSA/Homeland Security questions. This will speed things up when we get closer to our sailing date. About two weeks prior to sailing, we will be able to print out our boarding information/pass and luggage tags. Hold off on doing this right now because we will not have final room assignments until later.

Halloween!

Recall that we will be on-board October 31st for Halloween. That means we will be celebrating a gay man's favorite "dress up" day! If anyone has any ideas of a good theme for costumes, please let me know or post at BajaGay. We have heard suggestions of: Pirates (we are on a ship ya know!), military uniforms, or... well I'm not fond of the others, so I hope you come up with something better or agree with the other suggestions.

So... thanks again for joining us and your cooperation. We'll be working with you regarding the luggage tags and all the information about boarding.

Stay tuned!

Ken in Rosarito
619-819-2858 US#
661-612-5768 MX#

TRAVEL DOCUMENTATION - all ports

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using FUNPASS, it is still the responsibility of the guest to bring all required travel documents. Guest should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of immigration requirements.

Recent guidance received from the Department of Homeland Security indicates the documentary requirements under WHTI for “closed loop” cruises are not limited to cruises that travel only to contiguous territories or adjacent islands. This means U.S. citizens calling on ports in Honduras, Panama, Costa Rica and Belize will also be exempt from the passport requirement.

U.S. citizens taking “closed-loop” cruises are not required to have a passport, but will need proof of citizenship such as an original or certified copy of a birth certificate, a certificate of naturalization, a passport card, an enhanced driver’s license (EDL) as well as a government-issued photo ID. Children are also required to bring proof of citizenship, and if 16 and over, a photo ID is also required. Canadian and Bermudian citizens are required to have a passport for air, land and sea travel, including all Carnival cruises.

Although a passport is not required for U.S. citizens taking “closed loop” cruises, we strongly recommend all guests travel with a passport (valid for at least six months beyond completion of travel). Having a passport will enable guests to fly from the U.S. to a foreign port in the event they miss their scheduled embarkation or to fly back to the U.S. if they need to disembark the ship mid-cruise due to an emergency.

If a cruise begins and ends in different U.S. ports or begins and ends in a foreign port (such as our Alaska cruises and Hawaii cruises) a valid passport or other recognized WHTI-compliant document is required. A valid passport is required if you are traveling on any of our Europe cruises.

For more information, a complete list of WHTI-compliant documents or to obtain a passport application, visit http://www.travel.state.gov.

U.S. Alien Residents need a valid Alien Resident Card, Non-U.S. citizens need a valid passport and a valid, unexpired U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa, if applicable.

AIR TRAVEL

Passports are required for air travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, The Bahamas and Bermuda. This will impact all guests traveling by air to embark or debark in Vancouver for our Alaska or Hawaii cruises; and our Canadian guests that travel by air to or from any of our U.S. embarkation ports. This will also enable guests to fly from the U.S. to meet their ship at the first port should they miss their scheduled embarkation and allow guests that must debark the ship before their cruise ends to fly back to the U.S without significant delays and complications.
Guest names on travel documents (passport, Alien Resident Card, birth certificate, etc.) must be identical to those on the cruise and airline tickets. Otherwise, proof of name change (e.g., a marriage license) or a valid driver's license (or other government-issued photo ID) must be presented.

On occasion, non-U.S. citizens and U.S. Alien Residents may be asked to surrender their passport and/or Alien Resident Card at time of embarkation. These documents will be returned upon completion of the Immigration inspection at the time of debarkation. Non-U.S. citizens that are eligible to apply for admission under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program, must still have a valid unexpired passport. U.S. State Department regulations require all guests traveling from visa-waiver countries be in possession of a machine-readable passport that includes a biometric identifier - e.g., embedded digital photograph. Otherwise, guests will be required to obtain a U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa. Guests without proper identification may be refused boarding or entry into the United States.

For Europe and Transatlantic cruises, U.S. citizens must have a valid passport. Alien Residents and all other non-U.S. citizens are advised to check with their travel agent or appropriate government authority to determine the necessary documents. Certain foreign nationals will be required to obtain a Schengen Visa and/or Croatian Visa.

For sailings to Canadian ports of call, certain foreign nationals must obtain a Canadian visa in addition to the U.S. Multiple Re-entry Visa. Non-U.S. citizens must contact the appropriate consulates, U.S. Embassy and U.S. Immigration office to inquire about necessary travel documentation.

For sailings to Bermuda, U.S. Alien Residents must present their valid Alien Resident Card in addition to their passport or birth certificate from country of origin. These documents will be returned upon completion of the Immigration inspection.
To debark for more than 24 hours in Mexico, guests must have obtained a Mexican Tourist Card from either a travel agent or a Mexican consulate prior to their departure.

When traveling with a minor and both parents/legal guardians are not cruising, we strongly recommend bringing an original signed letter from the absent parent/legal guardian authorizing the minor to travel with you. This will expedite processing by the Department of Homeland Security. Please note that a notarized letter to this effect is required if debarking with children in Mexico.

Click here in order to complete Carnival's FunPass, your online boarding pass. This will help expedite your check-in on your long-anticipated cruise vacation.

Hello Cruisers,

Two weeks and counting!

Here are some pics of the B Street cruise pier in San Diego, with the Carnival Spirit docked at the left. You will notice the buildings on the right.



On our day of embarkation, we will of course enter from the street, and the luggage collection will be taking in the area between the Spirit and the buildings.



(That's a Holland American ship on the right... we will be probably be boarding TWO ships at the same time, so you have to make sure you get your luggage on the luggage racks going to the right ship! There are a lot of people giving directions and signs, so it would be hard to get your luggage on the wrong ship, but it can happen, so pay attention!)

***See Luggage Tag NOTE at the bottom.***

After you make sure your luggage gets on the right luggage rack, you will be directed to enter the buildings on your right. Again, you will be well guided to the right lines, where you will have your Identification and Boarding Pass inspected by the TSA. So long as you have your Boarding Pass (which you should print out at home from the Carnival.com website) and your Passport or Passport Card in your hand at the ready, you will proceed quickly and efficiently.

After you pass through the TSA inspection, you will be directed to the Carnival check-in. There they will want to see your Boarding Pass and your credit card. They will charge $200 to your credit or debit card at that time. You can also place a cash deposit in any amount over $200 instead of your credit or debit card if you choose.

They will take your picture and electronically embed your information on the Sign and Sail Card.

This S&S Card will be the identification you need to get on or off the ship for the rest of the cruise. This card is how they take a roll call to know who is on the ship, or who didn't make it back from a shore excursion. While you may have to show a passport or passport card to Mexican customs at some ports, you won't have to use it for Carnival again. This Sign and Sail Card is the ID you will use for every thing from now on... and it is also the key to your stateroom.

Luggage Tags: On previous cruises, we were asked to print out luggage tags from the Carnival.com site on our home printer. It appears that this option is not available, and they have a different process in place. I am "efforting" to get a verification and will advise everyone on the BajaGay.com website and/or email.

Hope this information will help you prepare and be better informed about the check-in process.

See you on the 26th!
Ken Bell