Here's part of our group after the Captain's Formal Dinner.

On Wednesday, September 3rd 2008 the fourth Chippers Cruise will be departing from Anchorage, Alaska on Carnival Cruise Line's beautiful ship "SPIRIT". If you are a chip collector, whether just starting out or a seasoned pro, then you will want to be on board so mark your calendar now and get your deposit in to reserve your spot. Think of it... you will have seven days and seven nights in the best available balcony, oceanview or inside stateroom. That's right lean against your balcony rail or gaze out the large picture window as we cruise through some of the most gorgoeus scenery in the World. Our Sailing Our Ship, SPIRIT Never been on a cruise before? then you are in for the time of your life and a vacation like no other. You can do everything or lie back and do absolutely nothing, it's your vacation. There are so many positive and wonderful things about taking a cruise. The only negative that comes to mind is that it ends way too soon. Jacqui and I had never been on a cruise before so we were a little unsure what to expect so we only booked the three day cruise, saying to ourselves if we liked it we'll do it again, if we hate it we'll never cruise again. What a big mistake we made by not booking the seven day cruise. We loved EVERY minute on and off the ship. It was a great time from the excellent food to the entertainment to the service on the ship not to mention our trade sessions. It was the best three day vacation we ever had! Mike Custodio Egg Harbor, NJ "We loved every minute on and off the ship. It was the best three day vacation we ever had!" In 2004 we combined a three night and four night cruise. We gave chippers the option of going for the three nights or extending their vacation for the whole seven nights. Everyone who just went on the three days thought it was just too short. Everyone who extended their cruise were very happy that they did. Two years ago we spent eight days/nights in the Western Carribean and it was JUST PERFECT! Last year it was eight days/nights in the Mexican Riviera and it too was AWESOME! So for the fourth annual Chippers Cruise we once again looked for an new and exciting adventure... ... and we found a GREAT one! The best thing about seven nights... four different ports and you never have to pack or unpack. When you are cruising the destinations come to you! So you're asking... OK what's going to happen on board that will make this a "chipping event"? The simple answer... not much, except for all the chippers that are attending. Initially we had a grand vision of taking a fun, but educational approach. We were going to have industry speakers, panel discussions, a whole chip-workshop at sea. Then we started talking to fellow chippers and we found that this was not really what they wanted. Sure the idea of the "workshop approach" was OK, but what would be even better would be a "trade session free for all". Quite frankly the idea of vacationing and hanging out with like minded collectors was the trip they'd like to attend more so than listening to someone lecture about the details of chip manufacturing processes. So we're giving them and you what was asked for... It was wonderful to be away from the telephones, computers and outside world for a few days. I think my favorite part was dinner. The food was great (I still didn't make the midnight buffet) but I enjoyed the fellowship with friends. It is so hard to sit and really talk at the convention - this gave us the opportunity to get to know one another better. We're definitely interested in next year's trip! Belinda Hixon Texas "It is so hard to get to sit and really talk at the convention - this gave us the opportunity to get to know one another better" Here's what's planned as far as organized events that we can do as a group. There will be eight networking dinners. We will have a block of tables. Other passengers are assigned a table for the duration of the cruise, but you'll be free to sit with whomever you like within our table block. There will be a few scheduled trading sessions. We'll have a large room to mingle in, enjoy refreshments in and plenty of tables & booths to sit and show your traders off. Lastly, there will be TWO one-hour long open bar parties on two different evenings. So not only will there be lots of free time to enjoy the ship, the port(s) and your fellow cruising-chippers but there will also be lots & lots of time to spend with your spouse and family. After all why go on a cruise if you don't have time to enjoy the shipboard activities and scenic environment with your loved ones. Traveling without a family? You will be amazed at all the things there are to do for singles and how many other singles will also be traveling on board. Who knows the Spirit may just be your very own "Love Boat"! We're providing the trip but you spend your seven nights doing what you like, as you see fit. Celebrate with friends at our private open bar "Bon Voyage" party. Relax by the pool in a hot tub with your spouse or new found friend... With round robin meal seating you will meet lots of fellow chippers and break bread with the experts... Enjoy the glitter and excitement of a broadway style show after dinner Explore four beautiful Alaskan ports... dance at a local nightclub or watch for exotic wildlife. Shop duty free in stores. Try your hand at the slot machines or the BlackJack tables onboard the ship's casino (bet they'll have a close eye on their roulette chips though!). Enjoy delicious gourmet meals, 24 hour room service, or the 24 hour pizzaria or deli. You'll NEVER be hungry on a cruise. Pamper yourself with a full body massage. Participate in onboard games and contests. Treat yourself to a FIVE STAR meal at the ship's specialty restaurant. What a fabulous time: food, fun, friends and gaming. Did I mention food?! We all had a really good time There were several scheduled get togethers, but no one was compelled to attend. Some of us brought traders, while everyone brought stories. We had plenty of opportunities to be together and many more to do our own things! Young, old and otherwise, there was plenty to do and plenty not to do. My many thanks to those I traded with, those whom we broke bread with and in-general, had a very nice time. The Welcome Aboard Grab Bag was great!! I hope to be there next year! Jim Follis Las Vegas, NV "The Welcome Aboard Grab Bag was great!!" But what about the kids, can they come too? The whole family is invited. We'll have our child there and we urge you to bring yours too. Families are a major market for Carnival with a minimum passenger age of 4 months. The kids will be kept busy and entertained with the ship's fully staffed "Camp Carnival". Camp Carnival's team of incredible counselors offer free supervised play for the kids from 9 AM till 10 PM and paid babysitting till 3 AM if needed. From several recent cruises we took I can tell you that our nine year old daughter just couldn't WAIT to get to Camp Carnival each morning. She had a total blast and we got lots of much needed alone time for ourselves. Camp Carnival was for both her and us one of the highlights of our cruise. Don't think there are just activities for the younger kids though. There are plenty of things to do for pre-teens and teens alike including a separate teen disco, arcade and a large swimming pool. Again though, this is not just a cruise for families and couples. Don't miss out because you think there is no room for a single person. All are welcome and all will have the time of their lives. Some folks think everybody should go on a cruise at least once. I agree. Some folks think everybody should go on a cruise once a year. I agree to that too, now! The Carnival ships aren't known as "The Fun Ships" for nothing... It'd be about impossible to not have fun on one of these cruises! You like to eat? Feel like eating seven times a day? No problem. All of your food is included in the price of your room. No looking at the prices on the menus, they don't exist. You like to shop? There's plenty of duty free shopping available both on board the ship and in your port of call. You like to gamble? The ship has a casino that is larger than I was expecting... blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Let it Ride, Three Card Poker, Roulette, Craps, Slot Machines, Video Poker and Tournaments. You got kids? Bring 'em along! The ship has special activities for kids of every age. Spouses and other family members who wouldn't find interest in a chip show would (and did) have a great time at an event like this. I hope to see everyone again, on the ship next year, as well as a whole bunch more of the good folks within this hobby. IT REALLY WAS FUN! Bob Orme Colorado "Spouses who wouldn't find interest in a chip show would have a great time at an event like this." The Price... The hobby has been very good to us over the years and we'd like to give something back to it. That is why we have designed the pricing structure at a break even price. We are not hosting this cruise to gain financially. In fact we will be pleased if we don't lose too much on it. The truth is that we won't even be using our merchant account to charge your credit card. We will pass your card number directly to Carnival Cruise Lines and they will be charging both your deposit now and balance towards the middle of June. This should make you feel secure knowing that even if we fall off the face of the earth, your cruise is still in place directly with the cruise line. And remember, Carnival will issue you a full and complete refund should you need to cancel your trip anytime up through June 15th. We have arranged to offer you an all inclusive price. Your cruise, taxes, port charges, fuel surcharges and destination fees are all included in one flat fee. You will only have to settle up with your bar bill, any shore excursions or personal services such as a massage or hairstyling. Although not included in our price, we'll have you prepay the tips so your room steward, your waiter, your bus boy and your Matire'd are all taken care of before you even ever set a foot on the boat. Do you realize that when you see a price of the cruise advertised in a newspaper or online it is only a base rate? Once you add the government fees, the port charges, the customs fee, the $5-per-day-per-passenger fuel surcharge and various other fees/taxes your base price will likely increase by as much as 80%. Often those advertised rates are for the bottom of the boat "coffin rooms" without a window. Know that our block of rooms have been upgraded to a higher floor with a balcony or huge window in every cabin. Your price will be all inclusive and get this... right now it's $50.00-$108.00 less then if you called Carnival right now and tried to book a comparable cabin for the same time. We have a group discounted rate that we are passing right on to you. Not to mention if you were to book it yourself you wouldn't have access to our round robin dinner seating, our reserved meeting rooms or the open bar party. OK, how much you ask... Seven nights of luxurious accomodations are yours for only $1,397.00 per person (double occupancy required) for a balcony cabin, only $1,197.00 for an oceanview room and just $997.00 for an inside cabin. For about a $170.00 a day you can enjoy an oceanview cabin, all the food you can eat, all the onboard entertaiment & activities, you'll be waited on hand & foot by an incredible staff and you'll get to travel to the beautiful Alaksa ports of Sitka, Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan. Not to mention the chance to enjoy our hobby with so many other like-minded chippers. Lifetime memories have never been so affordable. Bringing your kids? The rate for a 3rd or 4th person sharing a room with you is $677.00 for a balcony cabin, $627.00 for an oceanview room and only $597.00 for an inside cabin. Breakfast On Your Balcony Overlooking the Gorgeous, Rugged Alaska Coastline? Balcony Cabin Book Now and pay $1,397.00* for seven nights * Based on Double Occupancy Oceanview Cabin Book Now and pay $1,197.00* for seven nights * Based on Double Occupancy Interior Cabin Book Now and pay $997.00* for seven nights * Based on Double Occupancy Every Carnival guest is assured of spacious, comfortable accomodations. All staterooms feature the luxury of your Carnival Comfort Bed, soft carpeting, indirect lighting, ample drawer and closes, private facilities, telephone and color television showing first-run movies. Click Here for more information about our cruise! But you need to act quick. At this time we only have a block of fifteen rooms for the adventure. Several cabins are already spoken for and we won't be adding any more. Our cruise agent tells us that those who sign up first with paid deposits will have FIRST DIBS for possible UPGRADES and SURPRISE BONUSES. More the reason to get yourself signed up soon. Remember once our block of cabins are sold our group is final. That'll be it... We need to have our group completely finalized by June 15th so we will be accepting no new guests after that point. Wait till June 16th and as they say... "you've missed the boat". However, understand that you can cancel your reservation at any time up to June 15th and still receive a 100% refund. At this time we are asking you for a $500.00 deposit for each person in your stateroom for the seven night cruise. The balance will be charged directly by Carnival Cruise Lines towards the middle of June. This deposit will secure you and your guest's spot on the fourth chippers cruise. Just think... click this link and you can reserve your cabin and you can start looking forward to September's Alaskan chipping adventure. This is bound to be one of the chipping highlights of 2008... do you really want to take a chance and miss it? Once you pay your deposit we will email you a document covering the other details of the cruise like the optional but strongly encouraged TravelGuard Trip Cancellation Insurance, what documentation you will need to travel and other pertinent details and information about September's big event. In case you are wondering who the travel agency is behind our cruise we are more then happy to share our secret. This cruise was booked through Captain Lou Edwards of the Little Shop of Cruises. Click Here to visit his website if you, your relatives or friends ever need an honest, moral, ethical and extremely helpful & friendly cruise agent. We can't speak highly enough for what he has done for us getting this (and the three previous) cruise off the ground. So thanks Captain Lou! Got specific questions about cruising? Visit Captain Lou's FAQ section of his website. The inaugural Chippers Cruise was great! We really enjoyed getting to know our fellow chippers better. They're a great bunch of people. Our "floating hotel" was super. The food was wonderful and plentiful. The ship's staff was friendly, helpful and provided top notch service. All in all an awesome experience. Bruce & Mary Ann Massey Las Vegas, NV "We really enjoyed getting to know our fellow chippers better."

Want to know more about Chippers Cruise 2008? Then enter your name and email address to stay abreast of all future announcements regarding September 3rd's fourth Chippers Cruise voyage. Please note that we will not sell, trade or use your email for any purpose other then notifying you of the cruise updates Your First Name:  Your Email address:

Because we are booking this cruise through Captain Lou's "Special Events At Sea" Service, in addition to getting "best available" staterooms at the lowest pre-negotiated rates as low as $997.00, the group will also receive:

TWO Complimentary Open Bar Cocktail Parties

A Bon Voyage Surprise In Every Stateroom

Personalized Group T-Shirts

Round-Robin Dining So You Can Sit At ANY Of The Groups Tables

Photo-Sharing Website After The Cruise...And MORE!

We truly hope that you will join us!

Dave & Debbie Harber E-Mail P.S. Don't miss the boat and 2008's chipping highlight of the year. Not only can you experience a wonderful cruise for less then if you booked it on your own but you'll get to hang out and enjoy the company of fellow chippers just like yourself. If there was ever a no brainer, this is it! Approximate Countdown to Chippers Cruise 2008! Here we are in the Pasage of India Lounge after a trading session and open bar party. Notice some of us wearing the blue Chippers Cruise 2004 matching polo shirts! The inaugural Chippers Cruise was a fun and successful trip on many levels. The Carnival Cruise Line staff went out of their way to make sure everyone was comfortable. Activities for all ages - all day and night long, excellent food and service, personable employees, and round the clock room service are but a few of the things that stand out with my family. One of the best things about the Chippers Cruise was getting to know some of the wonderful people that a hobby had in common. We loved hearing about their careers, families and experiences, as well as what types of casino collectibles were of interest to them. Corni Quinlivan Yorba Linda, CA "One of the best things about the Chippers Cruise was getting to know some of the wonderful people that a hobby had in common."

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