Tribe Embarks on Shipboard Gamble

Alice Ford’s birthday trip to Rosarito on Friday night fell short by a mere 50 feet.

That was as close as the ship on which she stood, margarita in hand, would come to the Mexican coastal city’s new pier during this voyage--the inaugural run of a daily casino cruise from San Diego that marks a novel venture for a California Indian tribe.

Opening-night delays and concerns about a damaged section of dock kept Ford and the 400 other passengers from disembarking. The arrival, a cruise company official said, nonetheless meant the journey complied with a California law that permits gambling on California-based cruise ships in international waters if they have a destination outside the state.

Ford, a Minnesota resident celebrating the second day of a birthday extravaganza with her son and daughter-in-law, sounded a glum note at not being able to land. She had planned a mad dash to the nearest duty-free shop. “It was a high point,” said Ford, who wouldn’t reveal the number attached to her latest birthday. “It was kind of a big plan.”

It was a night of big plans--and no small risk--for the 850-passenger floating casino, half-owned by the Viejas band of Indians that runs a large casino on its San Diego County reservation. The partnership with Commodore Holdings Ltd. of Florida is thought to be the only such enterprise for a U.S. tribe.

Although most cruise ships offer gambling in international waters, this is the only ship in Southern California that operates as a seafaring gambling shuttle, offering single-day or night trips.

The one-day journey also is a first for Rosarito, where the owner of the Rosarito Beach Hotel built the 1,800-foot, $3.5-million pier as part of an exclusive partnership with cruise operators.

In the weeks before the maiden voyage, the tribe sought a change in a 1950s state law requiring that shipboard slot machines be locked up when a ship is within state waters. Slots are illegal in California except on Indian reservations. Instead, the tribe wanted to simply unplug the electric machines, a much easier task. Gov. Gray Davis refused to approve a change.

The ship set sail at 7 p.m.--its machines under locked covers or behind closed doors until the craft reached the three-mile limit that marks international waters.

Despite a variety of annoyances, from delays in food service to faulty television reception in the sports bar, the ship’s passengers wagered heartily at slots, cards, craps and roulette.

The crowd, mainly in its 30s and 40s, danced and partied on deck until after midnight. Some women wore black dresses and heels, others wore jeans and sneakers. A few men donned sport coats, but most were in casual wear. They seemed generally pleased at spending seven hours to complete a round-trip, international cruise of only 50 miles.

“I’m having the best night of my life!” exulted Kim Knight, a 32-year-old Chula Vista resident who builds computers. Her joy was not limited to having hit three slot jackpots for $900 by mid-trip. Her husband, Tony Knight, had just gotten down on bended knee and offered a ring, proposing a renewal of their marital vows on their 10th anniversary in June. “We’re getting married on the beach!” she gushed.

Tony Knight, a 30-year-old truck driver, said the cruise marked fulfillment of a series of promises he made to his wife at the time of their marriage. The other vows, recently completed, included a limousine ride and an Aerosmith concert. “I worked 28 days in a row so I could get the night off” for the cruise, he said.

For passengers skittish about crossing the border into Mexico, the evening cruise represented a no-hassle foreign excursion.

“It’s like a smooth crossing of the border,” said Kammy Thomas, a 37-year-old sales representative dressed in a tiger-print dress and matching cowboy hat. “It doesn’t feel like you’re really leaving.”

Indeed, few on board were aware when the ship glided south past the U.S.-Mexico border and, later, north again. Most were indoors, taking stabs at the electronic slots or letting out whoops at the crap table. The Enchanted Lounge featured music videos on an oversized screen and later a magic show.

And as at any casino, gamblers grazed in the buffet line of the dining room until shortly before the 2 a.m. arrival in San Diego.

The tribe and Commodore spent more than $25 million to convert the 25-year-old ship, which is 433 feet long. For the tribe, whose reservation casino receives about 2 million visitors a year, the cruise is part of a plan to develop diverse businesses. The Viejas band has bought a television station and is considering other entertainment-related enterprises.

Commodore officials see the cruise, which is to sail nightly from San Diego and during the day on weekends at prices from $49 to $59, as a first step in a West Coast push. By Saturday afternoon the cruise had completed its second voyage with a successful docking at the pier.

Business leaders in Rosarito are hungry for new visitors, whose ranks have fallen 25% since last August. The drop is attributed to crime concerns, fallout from publicized car crashes involving U.S. residents and a confusing tourism fee levied by Mexico.

But passengers such as Tiffany Nguyen, a 23-year-old insurance underwriter from San Diego, said Mexico offered little to lure them ashore. “It isn’t why I came,” said Nguyen, taking in the music videos with her boyfriend, Sam Phu. “I’d just as soon park out here.”