Fish Extender

[Wolfcat]

What is a fish extender and how do I get one? We are going as a family on our 1st DCL 2/12. Thank you.

 

[Loriekins]

What is a fish extender and how do I get one? We are going as a family on our 1st DCL 2/12. Thank you.

Under : *** DIS DCL FAQ - New Alphabetical Listing of DCL Information ***
sticky on the top of the disboards there is a section on FE's. There is instructions on making your own or you can buy one off of ebay.

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Just a little info:

A fish extender is the hanging bag you place outside of your cabin; you can make one, buy one or use any variety of bag.

To participate in the fish extender exchange, you need to sign up with your cruise meet group. There it'll be decided how many people are participating, how distribution will be handled, and the overall parameters of the exchange.

The expectation is that it's an exchange. If you plan to participate, you may want to start thinking about what you're going to give - some people make things, and some people buy things. Often these are things either related to your home town, handmade goodies, pirate stuff, beach stuff, disney stuff, cute stuff, useful stuff, or fun stuff. Really - almost anything goes.

Definitely take a look at the links about FE's and post on your meet thread for more information.

 

[sistert]

What is a fish extender and how do I get one? We are going as a family on our 1st DCL 2/12. Thank you.

Congratulations on your upcoming DCL cruise!

Mom and I have lots of fun participating in fish exchanges. This will be my husband's first time and he's already getting a bit overboard. He's helping decorate the door and it should be a doozie!

It's not a mandatory experience but if you want to add a little extra magic to your trip, participating in an exchange is a fun way to do it.

First the extender itself:
- You DO NOT have to have anything extravagant for a fish extender. Mom and I make ours but then we sew (well she sews, I try). If you don't sew, you can be creative and use bags. I even saw a very smart person take one of those small shoe trees and cut it down to have just enough pockets for each member of the family. They put each member's name on a pocket and some Mickey ears drawn on. You can purchase pre-made ones on eBay but IMHO, it's just not necessary.

Here's a link to pictures of people's extenders here on the DISboards.

- From our experience, a deep pocket(s)/bag(s) is better than a wide one. You don't want it too narrow but shallow extenders are a big complicated to get certain gifts into. In our first exchange, the kids of one of the participants made a decorated picture frame for each room. While delivering our goodies, I noticed that for some rooms they had to prop the frame against the door. Again, the extender doesn't need to be HUGE just reasonable. And then, if several gifts are delivered at the same time, there may be no choice but to prop them against the door.


What to give:
- Let your imagination run wild!

- If you're crafty, making something is a fun activity. It doesn't need to be over the top, just something you'd want to receive yourself. On our first exchange, our host hand crocheted each participating room 2 Wave phone holders. I still have mine! Mom made Disney Dream candy wrappers to go over Hershey bars one time. As a chef, I've been inspired to make cookbooks for each exchange. On mom's last cruise, she and her friend received Post-It notes that had a custom made cover on it! If you're children are old enough, let them participate by making something they can contribute to the fun.

Here's a link to a discussion of handmade FE gifts you might enjoy.

- If you're purchasing, same rule applies. It doesn't need to be over the top, just something you'd want to receive yourself. Consider going to your local dollar store for useful items (small containers of hand sanitizer for example) or something that can be modified. Party stores are great for little extra trinkets that can be included in your gift (is using). Postcards from where you live. Small non-perishable food items (honey, jams, jellies, nuts, etc...) that are locally made.

- Don't spend a ton of money; this is just a fun experience you're sharing with other Disney and Disney cruise fans (you will be hooked).

How much to give:
- This is a tricky one. Everyone has a different idea of how they like to handle this. Some people do one special item (the Wave phone holders) while others give an assortment of inexpensive gifts and candy.

- Because we make the majority of our gifts, Mom and I typically give about 5 items to one room and a few separate items if there are children in the room. That way the kids have their own gifts to enjoy. The first year, each person in the room got their own bag of goodies, the adults in the room we split the gifts among and the kids got their very own. I'm not sure how mom did it last September. Once I get everything laid out for our December cruise, I'll decide how we'll distribute but I suspect we'll have a single bag for adults in a room and again the kids will get their own.

- How you are getting to the ship will play a huge part in what you're giving. Mom and I didn't take this into consideration on our first exchange. We flew to Florida and were only taking carry-on. We had to use our beach bags as our purses in order to carry all of the stuff we brought for the exchange! It was nuts! This time we're driving down so it's not an issue. Some people have mailed FE gifts to friends in Florida, directly to the ship, or to a postal pick up place. If you're flying to Florida consider FE items that pack easily, are small, or if you'll have access to a car in Florida, picked up when you get there (eg. candy).

What to expect in return:
- That's the fun of it, you just don't know! On our first exchange, it was small (maybe 8 rooms) and it ranged from amazing items to one person who simple gave some cheap leftovers just so they could participate. It happens, we've done art exchanged were this happens. You take the good with the bad. On mom's last exchange though, she was truly blown away. People just went all out in that group. It's like Christmas I guess. You get presents that you've always wanted and then that gift or two from distant relatives that you wonder what in the heck they were thinking!

Good luck and have fun!

 

[anjiellisvt]

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[Tami0220]

We participated in the FE exchange on the Panama cruise. There were almost 100 of us who participated. The variety of gifts was amazing! CDs, zip ties, bandaids, postcards, candy, scrapbook stuff, cards, games more candy, door magnets. I could go on and on. With all those parcipants there wasnt even duplicates, except for the candy, lol. What we didnt eat we left for the room stewards. Definitely participate you will have a great time. We would come back to our room and say "we got tree mail" ha ha, we are also Survivor fans. Have a good time.

 

[sistert]

...With all those parcipants there wasnt even duplicates, except for the candy, lol. What we didnt eat we left for the room stewards...

We do the same thing! We leave a note letting our steward know that it was theirs to enjoy and to share with the other CMs if they wanted to.

 

[Roxy217]

We are first timers on DCL. We will be celebrating my husbands parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. I'm signing up right now!!

 

[melmar136]

We did a fish extender with our group on our cruise this past Aug. It was our first time and it was so much fun. We actually had one made from a woman on ebay, and she did a great job with it!

 

[Roxy217]

Can you send me the link so I can order one? Or do I just search "fish extender" on eBay?

 

[tessasmom]

Just put in Disney fish extender on eBay or Etsy.com!

 

[OMD13]

I would love to be part of the exchange on our cruise in 2013. Do you leave a gift everyday? Is a gift given to each family member in the cabin. I look forward to getting more info.

 

[ravensilverlight]

I would love to be part of the exchange on our cruise in 2013. Do you leave a gift everyday? Is a gift given to each family member in the cabin. I look forward to getting more info.

It all depends on your group. Sometimes you'll have a specific day during the cruise to leave your gifts, some people like to spread them out throughout. Other people like to do special things on certain days, like pirate gifts on pirate night and so on. Someone on your cruise meet thread usually takes charge of setting up the list and the "rules" are kind of a group decision. You can leave just one gift for the whole family, or one for each person; it's up to you.

Check in the cruise meets section to see if there's already a thread for your cruise, or feel free to start one if you like! This early, there may or may not be a thread already started.

Enjoy!!!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I would love to be part of the exchange on our cruise in 2013. Do you leave a gift everyday? Is a gift given to each family member in the cabin. I look forward to getting more info.

On your cruise meets thread, if a FE has been set up, all these questions are handled there.

Different FE groups have different "rules".

I see you're cruising in 2013, so it may actually be a little early to expect a lot of activity on your cruise meets thread.

 

[Patrickprincess]

On your cruise meets thread, if a FE has been set up, all these questions are handled there.

Different FE groups have different "rules".

I see you're cruising in 2013, so it may actually be a little early to expect a lot of activity on your cruise meets thread.

Help can any one give me some help? I'm making travel jourals for my EF gifts and This will be the first time I've made jourals> How big should they be and how are they put toeather. Also what kind of paper should i use for the pages? Thanks

 

[luv2sleep]

Should there only be one pocket per family member?

 

[ravensilverlight]

Should there only be one pocket per family member?

Usually there's one pocket per person. Some families use one pocket for each child and the adults share a pocket. It's up to you!

 

[luv2sleep]

Usually there's one pocket per person. Some families use one pocket for each child and the adults share a pocket. It's up to you!

Ok thanks!

 

[viniesmom]

What is a fish extender and how do I get one? We are going as a family on our 1st DCL 2/12. Thank you.

Stitches and Bows - ETSY. I just got mine and she does a great job!

Enjoy your cruise!