MIAMI (January 15, 2008) – As part of a unique Valentine’s Day promotion, Carnival Cruise Lines is awarding a free “Fun Ship” cruise to a couple who submits the most romantic story to the line’s Web site, carnival.com.         Through the “Read My Valentine” on-line contest, which runs from Jan. 14 – Feb. 14, 2008, couples can recount a romantic story about their partner on any topic they’d choose – from an interesting “how we met” tale to a memorable Valentine’s Day gesture or their favorite romantic memory from a “Fun Ship” cruise.         The top five entries will be selected by a team of judges from Carnival and then posted on carnival.com where visitors to the site can vote for their number one choice. The contest winner will receive a four-day western Caribbean cruise for two in the luxurious owner’s suite aboard the 2,052-passenger Carnival Imagination from Miami or Carnival Inspiration from Tampa.          The winner will also have his or her story featured in the summer 2008 edition of Currents, Carnival’s travel publication mailed to more than three million of the line’s past guests.         “Valentine’s Day is a wonderful reminder to people to take the time to express their love for one another. And with Carnival such a popular venue for couples to celebrate special occasions, the ‘Read My Valentine’ promotion is a fun and engaging way to commemorate this treasured day,” said Vicki Freed, Carnival’s senior vice president of sales and guest services.        In addition to being featured on flash banners on Carnival’s Web site, the “Read My Valentine” contest will be promoted via e-mail blasts, CarnivalConnections.com, the line’s online marketing community, as well as on the blog of Carnival Senior Cruise Director John Heald (accessible via carnival.com or johnhealdsblog.com). Official rules for the contest are posted on carnival.com. 

 

 

 

U.S. citizens may begin applying in advance for the new U.S. Passport Card beginning February 1, 2008, in anticipation of land border travel document requirements.  We expect cards will be available and mailed to applicants in spring 2008. 

The passport card will facilitate entry and expedite document processing at U.S. land and sea ports-of-entry when arriving from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Bermuda.  The card may not be used to travel by air.  It will otherwise carry the rights and privileges of the U.S. passport book and will be adjudicated to the exact same standards.

The Department of State is issuing this passport card in response to the needs of border resident communities for a less expensive and more portable alternative to the traditional passport book.  The card will have the same validity period as a passport book: 10 years for an adult, five for children 15 and younger.  For adults who already have a passport book, they may apply for the card as a passport renewal and pay only $20.  First-time applicants will pay $45 for adult cards and $35 for children.   

To facilitate the frequent travel of U.S. citizens living in border communities and to meet DHS’s operational needs at land borders, the passport card will contain a vicinity-read radio frequency identification (RFID) chip.  This chip will link the card  to a stored record in secure government databases. There will be no personal information written to the RFID chip itself.