Have you done a Fish Extender? Will you do it again?

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We are sailing on our 6th cruise in May and signed up for the FE for the first time. I am doing it because I wanted to add some extra magic this year. My husband passed away the night before my son's birthday last year. So not only will my son celebrate his birthday on board, but it will also be bittersweet as we will be quietly marking the 1 year anniversary of my husbands passing. Will my son care if he gets what others deem "crap"? Absolutely not! He will be over the moon at finding gifts left for him! I am not crafty, and yes I had to buy my gifts, but I did spend a lot of time and put a lot of thought into what I am giving out. I sincerely hope people appreciate what I give them, but we live in a world where you truly cannot please everyone!

Sending you hugs!! I can't even begin to imagine the loss you and your son suffered and good for you for celebrating his bday extra special!!!

I hope you both have a magical time and create many happy memories together that will last a lifetime. I'm sure your husband will be smiling down at you both

Have a great time,
Heather

 

[Silverfox97]

The begining of this thread is sad. We enjoy doing this and while I do have some craft skills I dont have the time. Our first time we brought special M&Ms that were not cheap and had Disney/Cruise information on them. In fact they weighted so much we had to put them in our carryon bags.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the OP did not say anything about cost or saying it "had" to be crafty or home made. She mentioned instead thoughtfulness. We received M&Ms like yours before (just this past Dec.) & those were one of the few pieces of candy we kept in the mass of mounded candy we received. Very neat! We also love candy from the UK, different things like that. I'm not complaining - as I said, I paid it forward & gave a LOADED huge zip lock of candy to the kids club staff on the last night - all from our FE.

Listen, I've been in 6 FE exchanges & I think the more you do it, the more the novelty does wear off. Trust me, I'm not at all greedy. Not in the least bit, but after 6 FE exchanges, there are people that participate just for something "to do," and there's no thought put into it. I have not always made gifts; I've hit the $1 spots at Target & Michaels as well. We've made CDs. That stuff still beats plastic pirate coins & thin flimsy beach-themed rulers from OT. Period. I don't keep track of who gives FE gifts, either. (I wouldn't even know who sprinkled Hershey's Kisses in each of our FE pockets.)

I love to give gifts. I don't care what I get in return. Just this Christmas, I gave a very close friend a very thought out gift. I made her a basket full of things and spent about $50. Did I receive anything even close to that caliber in return? No. Do I care? No.

I will repeat, it's not an issue of GREED, but more one of thoughtfulness. That is the tone I got from the OP. Tell you what, you guys participate in a few FEs and then rethink this thread. I see a lot of you have done it once or not at all. We are in the minority and cruise 2-3 times on DCL a year. The OP has been in 6 FEs as well. I think this does indeed make a difference to some of you who cruise less often.

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[JackieO]

We are sailing on our 6th cruise in May and signed up for the FE for the first time. I am doing it because I wanted to add some extra magic this year. My husband passed away the night before my son's birthday last year. So not only will my son celebrate his birthday on board, but it will also be bittersweet as we will be quietly marking the 1 year anniversary of my husbands passing. Will my son care if he gets what others deem "crap"? Absolutely not! He will be over the moon at finding gifts left for him! I am not crafty, and yes I had to buy my gifts, but I did spend a lot of time and put a lot of thought into what I am giving out. I sincerely hope people appreciate what I give them, but we live in a world where you truly cannot please everyone!

I'm sorry for your loss. Enjoy your cruise and I hope it brings you comfort.

 

[Mom323]

Glad you did a FE on your cruise. But, we did our first one way before your cruise 4 years ago. Our granddaughter 12 & 14 absolutely love coming back to the room and looking for gifts. And, our 28 year old daughter is a lover of rubber ducks.

Did you read EpcotFilterFan's post I added, she started the FE on the first PC cruise in 2005. I never said I did. I only wanted to point out what her original intent was when she started it.

"The intent is to share with other DISr's. Put a gift in and if you get a gift in return that is a bonus!"

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My current FE group has a Facebook group.
I asked to be add it to participate in FE and DISmeet about 2 weeks ago.
Our FE organizer hasn't add me in it.
I learned that everyone in my FE group is on Facebook and have been chatting to each other over there instead.
I sent a request to join the Facebook group and is still in pending.
I just now realized what was going on and I feel left out.
So I cancelled my request this morning.

Yeah, that's pretty much my story. Someone in the group (early on) decided that it would be "easier" to handle the DISmeet for our cruise on Facebook. Problem was, not everyone is (or want to be) on FB.

OK, when this was brought up, we were told that those of us who didn't want to participate in FB, would be kept abreast of the discussions over on FB. Didn't happen.

Sorry, I have to go now.

EDIT: OK, I'm back.

Anyway, on our first cruise that we did FEs, all the discussions as to what/where/when things that the group was planning was done on the DISmeet forum. There were those in that group who "got together" over on FB to get more personally aquainted. It think that's fine. Our most recent cruise, the group basically moved everything over to FB, and, if anyone felt like doing so, it might be posted back on our DISmeet thread what was going on, but we really had no input.

So, if future cruises I take do their planning like that, I won't be participating. If the DISmeet stays on DISboards, I would probably take part.

 

[Mom2Finn]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the OP did not say anything about cost or saying it "had" to be crafty or home made. She mentioned instead thoughtfulness. We received M&Ms like yours before (just this past Dec.) & those were one of the few pieces of candy we kept in the mass of mounded candy we received. Very neat! We also love candy from the UK, different things like that. I'm not complaining - as I said, I paid it forward & gave a LOADED huge zip lock of candy to the kids club staff on the last night - all from our FE.

Listen, I've been in 6 FE exchanges & I think the more you do it, the more the novelty does wear off. Trust me, I'm not at all greedy. Not in the least bit, but after 6 FE exchanges, there are people that participate just for something "to do," and there's no thought put into it. I have not always made gifts; I've hit the $1 spots at Target & Michaels as well. We've made CDs. That stuff still beats plastic pirate coins & thin flimsy beach-themed rulers from OT. Period. I don't keep track of who gives FE gifts, either. (I wouldn't even know who sprinkled Hershey's Kisses in each of our FE pockets.)

I love to give gifts. I don't care what I get in return. Just this Christmas, I gave a very close friend a very thought out gift. I made her a basket full of things and spent about $50. Did I receive anything even close to that caliber in return? No. Do I care? No.

I will repeat, it's not an issue of GREED, but more one of thoughtfulness. That is the tone I got from the OP. Tell you what, you guys participate in a few FEs and then rethink this thread. I see a lot of you have done it once or not at all. We are in the minority and cruise 2-3 times on DCL a year. The OP has been in 6 FEs as well. I think this does indeed make a difference to some of you who cruise less often.

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Then certainly don't do it if they are no longer fun for you. But why start a thread just to complain about things people give you?

 

[Miss Peach]

This is an interesting thread, and I salute the OP for her honesty. Obviously her opinion doesn't reflect the experience of many people, but that is the nature of life!

Since the dawn of time I have been bringing tiny gifts and leaving them in a holder for my own family, on the INSIDE of our door. When the children were young it helped to let mom and dad sleep in a little longer on vacation.

I would never feel comfortable participating with strangers. Everyone has such different ideas of trash vs treasure. And vacations are really for me and my family to enjoy each other not to secret Santa people I don't know! Spending two hours a day trawling the halls seems silly to me!

But I have to love the INVENTION of the Fish Extender. The name alone makes me gag a little, Tuna Helper, anyone? I know the gift holders hang from the fish outside the staterooms, but there has to be another way to say it!

But, really, if it fun for you, enjoy! And may your fish be always extended!

 

[Silverfox97]

Yeah, that's pretty much my story. Someone in the group (early on) decided that it would be "easier" to handle the DISmeet for our cruise on Facebook. Problem was, not everyone is (or want to be) on FB.

OK, when this was brought up, we were told that those of us who didn't want to participate in FB, would be kept abreast of the discussions over on FB. Didn't happen.

Sorry, I have to go now.

I hear ya Shmoo. We are not on FB, nor have a desire to join. That happened to us in June (although we did get info brought back to the DIS, the group was pretty "clique-y" already, and there's one for our Oct cruise (and that meet thread is dead.) We booked a March 2014 cruise on opening day (by moving a dummy date). DH started a DIS meet thread and on the 1st day, an FB group was already started. Really?

Sigh.

Sorry to go off topic.

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[Miss Peach]

Then certainly don't do it if they are no longer fun for you. But why start a thread just to complain about things people have you?

If we rule that complaining has no place on the DISboards, they are closed for business!

 

[Silverfox97]

Then certainly don't do it if they are no longer fun for you. But why start a thread just to complain about things people have you?

I never said it wasn't fun and with all due respect, I don't need you telling me not to participate. Save your snarky comments for someone else.

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[violetmonarch]

Gracious speech and good communication help to establish and sustain peaceful relationships. In fact, doing what we can to improve our relationships with others can improve our communication with them. Reaching out to others with sincere, kind acts—finding opportunities to help, giving a gift from the heart, extending hospitality—can contribute to open communication.

Just saying

We are a military family stationed in Germany, would people think it cool or lame if I gave things like magnets from our military base or German candy?

Then that is what I will do! Germany is famous for their gmmy bears you know!

I wanna sail with you!

 

[Wendy&Grumpy]

I hear ya Shmoo. We are not on FB, nor have a desire to join. That happened to us in June (although we did get info brought back to the DIS, the group was pretty "clique-y" already, and there's one for our Oct cruise (and that meet thread is dead.) We booked a March 2014 cruise on opening day (by moving a dummy date). DH started a meet thread and on the 1st day, an FB group was already started. Really?

Sigh.

Sorry to go off topic.

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What is your October date & ship?

I just joined the meet for the October 19th Fantasy cruise and I'm feeling like the new kid in class in a town that hasn't had a new family move in since the early 1900's!!!

 

[Silverfox97]

What is your October date & ship?

I just joined the meet for the October 19th Fantasy cruise and I'm feeling like the new kid in class in a town that hasn't had a new family move in since the early 1900's!!!

Right before yours; Oct 12th

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[cflmom]

Hmmmm...

I wonder if anyone thought my FE gifts were junk...

For adults I bought plastic pirate shot glasses from (gasp!) Oriental Trading and packaged them up with mini rum bottles, pirate beads, and self made personalized magnets.

For kids I bought - again from Oriental Trading - pirate themed bandannas, felt eyepatches, dog tag necklaces, rubber bracelets, tattoos, and rings (different versions for boys & girls) and packaged them up with "Jack Sparrow's How to be a Pirate Guide" and self made personalized magnets.

Junk????

Sounds great! Don't waste another second worrying about it! OT can have some hidden gems. Sounds like you found some.

Janet

 

[KingRichard]

I still reach into the bag of goodies we got 2 years ago and give my DD a trinket.

She has no idea they are 2 years old(3 then, now 5 years old).

What did strike me was after the cruise we had 3-4 people post that they didn't know they were supposed to give gifts?????

One guy had a paper bag on his door?!

Kind of took the fun out of it.

Yes we for sure had things stolen out of our FE. How do I know? I put then in there. lol

 

[Miss Peach]

Candy--

I don't/can't eat candy.
Food! The ship is filled with food, why would I want more.
Ack! Processed in a plant that handles nuts! Death trap!
Hershey! How cheap! I only eat Godiva!
Eew! Left over from Halloween, probably! Cheapskate!
Candy! I love candy!

Handmade--

Oh, good grief, who told this person they have any talent at all!
More junk to carry home!
Oh my! They spelled cruise wrong!
This does not match my decor!
Oh, I was hoping for candy!
Love it! I will cherish this forever!

Trinkets--

If I had wanted cr-p I would have bought it myself.
I only use things made in the U.S.A.
CHOKING HAZARD!
Princess for girls, pirate for the boys! How sexist!
More junk to carry home!
Play today, throw away tomorrow, perfect!

Celebrate MY hometown--

If I wanted a magnet from OshKosh, I would have gone there!
This isn't all about YOU!
Shot glasses! Are you implying devil rum would pass my lips!
This will be a great addition to my keychains of the world collection!

 

[wdw_monster]

Candy--

I don't/can't eat candy.
Food! The ship is filled with food, why would I want more.
Ack! Processed in a plant that handles nuts! Death trap!
Hershey! How cheap! I only eat Godiva!
Eew! Left over from Halloween, probably! Cheapskate!
Candy! I love candy!

Handmade--

Oh, good grief, who told this person they have any talent at all!
More junk to carry home!
Oh my! They spelled cruise wrong!
This does not match my decor!
Oh, I was hoping for candy!
Love it! I will cherish this forever!

Trinkets--

If I had wanted cr-p I would have bought it myself.
I only use things made in the U.S.A.
CHOKING HAZARD!
Princess for girls, pirate for the boys! How sexist!
More junk to carry home!
Play today, throw away tomorrow, perfect!

Celebrate MY hometown--

If I wanted a magnet from OshKosh, I would have gone there!
This isn't all about YOU!
Shot glasses! Are you implying devil rum would pass my lips!
This will be a great addition to my keychains of the world collection!

Lol this actually makes feel better about doing our 1st FE, I've been stressing over what gifts to get but I guess I can't please everyone.

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[SigalTchelet]

Wow . Isn't the joy in the giving ? In any gift I've ever given , large or small , handmade or store bought its always been given with the thought that the receiver would appreciate the gift .. We have participated in two FE's and would do so again . We made our gifts and also brought Canadian favorite candy for movie night for the kids .. We received great gifts , some handmade some store bought and all were enjoyed..
This thread could totally hurt some people and put off many more who were thinking of participating ...
Don't do it to receive gifts , do it to give a smile to a child or a kid at heart adult and that's it .start comparing gifts and the joy is gone ..
Sad

Exactly! This will be my first Disney Cruise and FE. I am doing it fir the joy of giving. I'm on a limited income (the cruise is a gift) and I am having a ball picking up gifts for the kids, and hope I can find something I casn handcraft or pick up for the adults. I am looking forward to the giving, not expecting the receiving!!!

 

[Miss Peach]

Lol this actually makes feel better about doing our 1st FE, I've been stressing over what gifts to get but I guess I can't please everyone.

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Good! Enjoy your trip!

 

[kimgg]

Love it miss peach! Funny, BUT sadly, some may mistake your post as actual opinions as it sounds so close to many posts on the dis.

For those who have done the FE many times, remember the majority of cruisers don't have the fortune of getting to cruise as often as others. This is my second cruise coming up, but first FE. Judging others harshly for being first timers is unfair. This thread could have been (and still is) helpful to us newbies, but can also discourage some from doing it at all by the harsh tone of some of the opinions given. Publicly calling another's gift "crap" is not the way to go about helping others. I like the other thread that gives good ideas as it is positive and not so negative. Thanks for that one!!