B737-300 DID NOT GET SPECIFIC CLRNC TO ENTER COMPANY RAMP AREA.

Narrative

WE LANDED AND EXITED THE RWY TO THE L AT TXWY. CLRED TO CROSS RWY. AFTER XING; I TURNED R ON TXWY DUE TO ACFT TAXIING N ON TXWY; SINCE THIS IS THE PROC COMING OFF OF RWY. AT THIS TIME; FO CALLED GND AND TOLD THEM OUR GATE WAS GATE X. WE DID A 180 DEG TURN AT TXWY AND NOW WE WERE GOING N TOWARD X ENTRY TO OUR RAMP. FO CALLED RAMP AND CONFIRMED GATE NUMBER FOR US. BY THIS TIME WE WERE RIGHT AT THE X ENTRY AND I ASKED FO IF WE WERE CLR ON THE R. HE BROUGHT MY ATTN TO A VAN ON OUR R SIDE WHICH WE BOTH WATCHED AS I STARTED TO TURN DOWN INTO THE LINE FOR GATE X. I SWITCHED MY RADIO UP TO THE RAMP FREQ AT THIS TIME AND SOON CAME TO A STOP ABEAM GATE Y BEHIND AN AIRBUS. THEN I HEARD RAMP TELLING US WE DID NOT CALL BEFORE ENTERING THE RAMP AND SHE HAD STOPPED A PUSH THAT HAD JUST BEGUN AT GATE Y OFF OUR R SIDE. AT THIS POINT; I REALIZED WE HAD MADE A MISTAKE. WE APOLOGIZED AND PROCEEDED TO OUR GATE. AFTER DEBRIEFING OURSELVES AT THE GATE; WE CAME TO THESE CONCLUSIONS. FO DID NOT TELL RAMP WHERE WE WERE; ON FIRST CONTACT; TO CONFIRM GATE. THEREFORE; RAMP DID NOT REALIZE HOW CLOSE WE WERE TO THE ENTRY TO OUR RAMP. I DID NOT CONFIRM WITH FO THAT; NOT ONLY THE GATE WAS CONFIRMED; BUT THAT WE HAD ALSO BEEN CLRED TO ENTER RAMP. IT IS A BUSY TIME COMING OFF OF RWY AND XING AND GOING INTO X ENTRY. I NEED TO BE SURE WE NOT ONLY CONFIRM GATE BUT CHK AT X ENTRY THAT WE ARE ACTUALLY CLRED INTO RAMP AREA.