Please Don't Advertise In My FE

[jjje]

I think the advertising is tacky but it wouldn't offend me. I would be offended by religious and/or political pamphlets. That just seems really not at all what a FE should be about.

 

[cris0809]

Whoa. That's seriously tacky. Advertising for your business OR your religion. In my neighborhood that is grounds to call the police.

Guess it is one more thing to add on to my mental list of reasons why I don't find the FEs appealing.

 

[owensamo]

In the past we've gotten advertisements, but I didn't mind so much because they were things like a small Tupperware utensil and a business card, or a Mary K sample and a business card. They almost always included candy. I seriously doubted that the giver intended anyone on the ship to actually buy stuff from them - why would I get my Mary K from someone on the other side of the country when I know someone here who sells it? - but they do pay for their samples, and if they wanted to include their information when they give them out, that's fine by me. If any Pampered Chef or Tastefully Simple consultants want to pass out samples on my next cruise, feel free to put any extras in my FE! And Oragami Owl? I'll take any sample charms available, please!

TAs don't often have samples to offer. We've gotten a number of laminated bookmarks in the past - and use them frequently - so I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it myself. I tend to be a glass-half-full kind of person, so would have assumed they were just getting started, this was a cruise to help with their business, and they didn't have the time/money for more.

 

[simbasmom2]

We have never received advertisements/business cards in our 4 FEs that we have participated in. I, too, would tend to think they were just leaving their name with the gift especially if they didn't have it somewhere else.

 

[ThePicketts]

Actually, nons of that stuff has bothered me in the past. Keep the gift and dispose of what you don't want.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

I've seen people buy really cute little things from their home state or country (candy, hot sauce) that were awesome.

When I read the words 'hot sauce,' my first thought was...'this cruiser MUST BE from Texas.' Yep! "Hot sauce" is another food group in Texas.

That said, I'm in the low percentage of those who don't mind advertising. I'll actually save a business card if it's something in which I might eventually be interested. I'll toss out the others.

 

[canadiandisneyfamof4]

I don't mind the advertising if it is built into an FE gift or attached to one.

We got a religious pamphlet last time, but all the cabins in our area did not just the FEs

 

[kdeans1010]

I think the religious stuff would bother me more than the advertising.... and that's just because religion is such a personal thing.

 

[NancyIL]

I don't participate in the FE because I don't cruise with kids, I don't want to lug the stuff to the ship, and I don't need more clutter at home. However, I hope those who DO like to participate haven't been discouraged by this thread - thinking they have to spend hours MAKING gifts!

 

[neg58]

I wouldn't mind an advertisement IF it accompanied something in the spirit of the FE.

To me the spirit of FE is that you give what you want others to have, use, exchange. I've received a lot of things that were just not to my taste, I couldn't use, or were just junk. I either tossed or tried to give to someone else. So me things we use or displayed on the cruise, like magnets, but didn't take them home. Most of the 'packaging', including business cards, gets tossed.

Whether it comes with a business card or not, some FE gifts are not 'wow' value while others are over the top fantastic. It's really just luck whether you are the recipient of things that are the same quality as what you made or gave, but the original intent of the FE was just a light exchange of fun things. I actually prefer the small little things, especially something from the giver's home town.

Nancy

 

[chrisrunty]

Tacky YES... but I wouldn't stress it. Overall FEs are so much fun and totally worth doing! We've been cruising DCL since 2001... do you how many FEs we have not taken back home with us on the plane over the years? Quite a bit, but we also have had a lot FEs that we still use/ display that we just love so much! I wouldn't think too much about tacky behavior on vacation!

 

[PizzieDuster]

Tacky YES... but I wouldn't stress it. Overall FEs are so much fun and totally worth doing! We've been cruising DCL since 2001... do you how many FEs we have not taken back home with us on the plane over the years? Quite a bit, but we also have had a lot FEs that we still use/ display that we just love so much! I wouldn't think too much about tacky behavior on vacation!

Sometimes I wish my fellow cruisers could see how much I love some of the things we've received and how much I use them! Or even how much I love looking at them

 

[Kristibo42]

How do you get into the exchanges?

 

[SoozCruise]

But if that's your creativity limit, why join the FE group? I'm not creative in any way that impresses other people, so I'm not going to join the groups.

I don't think that should be a requirement, though. I have no idea if what I'm going to make will impress anybody, but I hope they will appreciate that I put some thought and time into it, and if they don't, then next time they can go form their own FE group and publish their creativity standards in advance.

 

[ThePicketts]

How do you get into the exchanges?

Find a thead for your particular cruise. Then just ask about it. Surely someone wilk have already organized one.

 

[Donna3271]

Actually, nons of that stuff has bothered me in the past. Keep the gift and dispose of what you don't want.

Good attitude! I am glad I chose never to do fish extenders. It seems like it is stressful.

 

[ThePicketts]

It isn't stressful at all.
Or at least it doesn't need to be.