I finally had a chance to go through my photos from my Alaska Cruise last week! Wow! It certainly was a fantastic experience on so many levels! This was the first incentive trip that I've actually taken after my third year of being a trip achiever and it was everything that I heard it was going to be! It's so very true that Stampin' Up! completely spoils us on these trips! I definitely felt pampered and appreciated, and my husband Andy and I thoroughly enjoyed a full week of rest & relaxation in a gorgeous part of our country!
I'll be sharing more about the actual cruise and the beautiful Alaskan scenery on my next post, but for now, I wanted to focus on some of the Stampin' Up! exclusive highlights! This trip was designed to be a true vacation, so Stampin' Up! doesn't plan many activities for us throughout the week. But, they still managed to sprinkle in all kinds of prizes, gifts, creative ideas and extras that were amazing!
Opening Events—Friday night began with a lovely welcome reception with tons of desserts and mocktails. It was a chance to mingle with our fellow trip achievers, reunite with stamping friends and rub elbows with the corporate team. Early Saturday morning was our General Session, which was similar to an OnStage general session, but we were able to bring our guest along. My husband really enjoyed hearing about the company, seeing some new product demonstrations and participating in the giveaways! The very first giveaway was for the guests and it was funny to see how uncomfortable the husbands were to have to stand up until they received their prize while all the wives were woohooing! That's what's pictured above.
The guests received a cool water bottle with an Alaska-themed, woodgrain pattern. Andy must have liked it because I haven't seen it since this first photo!
Prizes, Prizes Prizes—During the General Session, there were several Prize Patrols, but I was not a lucky winner of those. Nobody left empty-handed, though, because Stampin' Up! had several All-Attendee Giveaways, and all of the items were from the new Holiday Catalog! We received a cool new Take Your Pick Tool with a spatula tip and sticky tip to help pick up small embellishments. It's a must-have! We also received the Joyous Noel Designer Series Paper, Suite Season Specialty Washi Tape, Corrugated Dynamic Texture Impressions Folder and Real Red Memories & More Note Cards & Envelopes!
Holiday Catalog—One of the highlights of the General Session was that we all received the Holiday Catalog! What a treat to be the first ones to get it in our hands! We also got to watch several presentations featuring new products. I'll share some of the projects we saw very soon, so you can get a peek at what's to come in the Holiday Catalog starting on September 5.
Stamper's Base Camp—Stampin' Up! had a conference room open all week where we could come, hang out, get questions answered and chat with members of the corporate team. The whole place was set up with an Alaskan theme, with Adirondack chairs, woodsy pillows, coolers, folding camp chairs and lanterns.
Family Vacation—There was even a tent set up so kids could play inside or demos could have a photo op! We had the opportunity to buy additional rooms, so many demos brought their kids for a family vacation. There were 400 trip achievers on the ship and more than 1000 from Stampin' Up! when you included family members and guests. Wow!
Candy Buffet—Kids and grownups alike enjoyed the candy buffet in the Base Camp! There were buckets and jars and bowls of candy everywhere!
Spin For A Prize—Every day, we could visit the Stamper's Base Camp and spin the wheel to win a prize. Wheeee! All of the staff had on their flannel shirts.
Here are the prizes I won with the wheel: new Country Lane DSP, new Sprig Punch, new Merry Merlot & Copper Reversible Ribbon, Real Red Rhinestones, Gorgeous Grape Mini Striped Ribbon, Regals 6×6" DSP and Big Plans Memories & More Pack.
Nightly Pillow Gifts—One of the highlights of the entire trip was coming back to our cabin each night to an awesome pillow gift on our bed! Here is our first night's gift.
Each gift had a little tag on it with the contents and our name.
On Friday, we received this really nice sweater jacket, complete with Stampin' Up! logos on the sleeve and collar. It has thumb holes in the sleeves and a little pocket on front to hold your phone. This will be perfect for my daily walks in the fall!
That first gift also included the new Swirls & Curls Texture Impressions Folder from the Holiday Catalog. Sweet! I love the little muslin bags that some of the gifts came in!
On Saturday, we received this beautiful purse and a pack of new All Is Bright DSP from the Holiday Catalog.
Sunday brought us the Merry Christmas To All stamp set and coordinating Merry Christmas Thinlits! Wow!
On Monday, we received a gorgeous blanket with a Stampin' Up! logo tag on it, plus some new All Is Bright Clips!
Tuesday's gift was a really nice wireless speaker and new Real Red Mixed Satin Ribbon.
Wednesday brought another bundle, this time the new Making Christmas Bright stamp set and matching Christmas Bulb Builder Punch.
For our final night, we receive another awesome bundle with the Dashing Deer stamp set and Detailed Deer Thinlits. We also got a scratch-off world map, so we can keep track of where we had visited.
Share Fair—On Thursday, we had our only demo-only event where several demonstrators shared projects created by some of the new Holiday Catalog merchandise. Lots of creative ideas that I'll be sharing later!
Look who I ran into at Share Fair! Shelli Gardner, co-founder of Stampin' Up!, was quick to give me a hug when I stopped to chat with her and thank her for an amazing incentive cruise!
I was blown away by the swag that they bestowed on us and the attention to detail they gave to every aspect of this trip! Kudos to Stampin' Up! and especially to this lady, Laura Thomas, who was the head coordinator of the incentive trip!
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Stay tuned to my next post, which will focus on the actual cruise! I'll have more photos coming to my Too Cool Stamping VIP Facebook Group page as well.
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