dizney-cruiser
DiZney CraZy ºoº<br><font color=blue>we dont want
- Joined
- May 13, 2004
Some Fish Extender Questions
What is a Fish Extender?
Everyone wants to know what a fish extender is, and the answer is simple. . . it is something that you hang off the fish that is next to your stateroom door. The fish actually is part of the ship, put there so that DCL Cast Members can leav you mail or messages. By hanging the Fish Extender off of the fish, the Cast Members can still use it for its original purpose.
What does it look like? And where can I get one?
The most common Fish Extenders are ones that have a pocket for each person in that stateroom. Some are very fancy, some are very plane. Some are store bought, some are homemade and many are bought on ebay (search on "disney fishextender" and you will get options ranging from $15 to about $35 - the higher priced ones are normally personalized for your family).
You do not need to go over the top to join in for this fun exchange! Many are now opting to simply hang a single bag (or a small tote bag) on the fish extender and they still have just as much fun!
Size does Matter!
You need to make sure your Fish Extender is no more then 8" wide.
Why do I keep hearing about Fish Extenders?
Many of the DisGroups arrange the Fish Extender Exchanges. Everyone that would like to participate will sign up by a deadline. Normally the deadline will be about 2 - 3 weeks before we sail. This allows everyone ample time to pre-buy what they want to exchange, even if you are adding a stop to Walt Disney World before we sail.
If my group has three staterooms, do I get 3 Fish Extenders?
Some people choose to leave one item per stateroom, so I would recommend you have one for each stateroom, but, there are no set rules!
What do we exchange?
Pretty much anything goes here! Some of the things people have given are:
- - - Magnets from their home state
- - - Anything Pirate
- - - Anything Disney
- - - Anything with our cruise sailing dates on it (pencils, pens, candy . . . )
It isn't about how much you spend, it is about the fun in exchanging and seeing what you get!
Who can join?
Anyone and everyone! Even if your stateroom is 2 adults, you can join and have just as much fun!
What is the next step?
Once we get a volunteer to handle the exchange, we will each provide that person with our info. You will turn in: Your Stateroom number, Number of Participants and ages of each person involved. If the group that wants to play gets to be too large, we might split into more then one group. You will most likely get told the day you are to deliver your gifts so that not all gifts come the same day.
When leaving a gift, do we identify who it is from?
This is totally optional. We have gotten them both identified and unidentified. I personally prefer to know who it is from but each person can decide for themeselves.
Will we have to walk all over the ship?
If the group gets to be too large we will most likely split the group up by location. If we end up being one big group, I suggest you break up your items by stateroom number before leaving home. Use large ziploc baggies - the empties can be used for so many other things - maybe even bringing your FE items home!
Do people carry all their gifts in their suitcases?
You can ship your items down. They must arrive by the day before you sail and contain no food items (they will get snagged by the dogs and get held up). Make sure you packaged addressed exactly how your name is in your reservation and it will be in your stateroom when you get there (even before your luggage!).
I'm just curious, how did this Fish Extender idea get started?
The idea was the brainstorm of DisBoard member EpcotKilterFan (Debbie). For the first Magical Sailing through the Panama Canal back in 2005. Debbie thought it would be a fun way for Disboard members to exchange gifts. Apparently a lot of people agreed with her!
Anything else I need to know?
Yes, this is your vacation! You do not have to feel obligated to join anything you don't really want to do! You can join everything or nothing at all!
Here are some examples:
Here are some examples on things people put into the Fish Extenders:
Instructions to make a "no sew" Fish Extender:
After several requests I have finally gotten around to writing the directions to how I did it. What I did is very similar to the directions on earlier posts so those provided great guidance.
Supplies:
2 yards of fabric (two colors one yard each)
Double fold bias tape
Dowell Rod
Iron-On Patches
1 Package of Iron-On Interfacing
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew Ultra Hold 7/8 in. hem
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew 1 Yard
Various Colors of Ribbon
1. Cut fabric to be used as the body of the FE to be 8 in. wide by 58 in. in length. When folded the FE will be 29 in. in length.
2. Cut fabric for the three pockets, cut each pocket 11 in. wide by 12 in. in length. When folded each pocked will be 6 in. in length.
3. On the inside of the FE body piece and each pocket iron on the interfacing. Once cooled completely I ironed on the sheet of Heat-n-Bond cut 8 in. by 29 in. to the inside of the body of the FE.
4. On each of the 3 folded pockets I made pleats so that the pockets were 2 in.-pleat-4 in.-pleat 2 in. To secure the pleats I used the Heat-n-Bond Ultrahold hem. This was done on the cut side so that the top edge would be folded and clean.
5. Next I used the heat-n-bond hem to add 8 in. strips of the double fold bias tape to the bottom of each pocket.
6. Next I lined up the pockets on the body of the FE starting 8 in. from the top and then about 1 in. apart. I market the spots with a pencil and secured the bottom and sides of the pockets using the heat-n-bond hem.
7. Once all cooled. I used the double fold bias tape for the perimeter of the body of the FE which again was secured using the iron on hem.
8. Once cooled I ironed on the patches to each of the pockets.
9. I then folded down the top of the FE about 2 inches and secured to the back of the FE by the iron-on hem creating a little opening to insert the dowel rod.
10. Using the multicolored ribbon I made it long enough so that the FE would hang approximately 7-8 in. from a hanger.
11. For our names I bough iron-on computer paper and printed the names on the computer. Then I cut and surrounded the paper with double fold bias tape attached using the iron-on hem. Finally I ironed on the name piece.
I think thats all. Ive never tried to write directions for anything like this before. Everything I used I bought from either Wal-Mart, Michaels, or Joanns Fabrics.
BY disgirl83
What is a Fish Extender?
Everyone wants to know what a fish extender is, and the answer is simple. . . it is something that you hang off the fish that is next to your stateroom door. The fish actually is part of the ship, put there so that DCL Cast Members can leav you mail or messages. By hanging the Fish Extender off of the fish, the Cast Members can still use it for its original purpose.
What does it look like? And where can I get one?
The most common Fish Extenders are ones that have a pocket for each person in that stateroom. Some are very fancy, some are very plane. Some are store bought, some are homemade and many are bought on ebay (search on "disney fishextender" and you will get options ranging from $15 to about $35 - the higher priced ones are normally personalized for your family).
You do not need to go over the top to join in for this fun exchange! Many are now opting to simply hang a single bag (or a small tote bag) on the fish extender and they still have just as much fun!
Size does Matter!
You need to make sure your Fish Extender is no more then 8" wide.
Why do I keep hearing about Fish Extenders?
Many of the DisGroups arrange the Fish Extender Exchanges. Everyone that would like to participate will sign up by a deadline. Normally the deadline will be about 2 - 3 weeks before we sail. This allows everyone ample time to pre-buy what they want to exchange, even if you are adding a stop to Walt Disney World before we sail.
If my group has three staterooms, do I get 3 Fish Extenders?
Some people choose to leave one item per stateroom, so I would recommend you have one for each stateroom, but, there are no set rules!
What do we exchange?
Pretty much anything goes here! Some of the things people have given are:
- - - Magnets from their home state
- - - Anything Pirate
- - - Anything Disney
- - - Anything with our cruise sailing dates on it (pencils, pens, candy . . . )
It isn't about how much you spend, it is about the fun in exchanging and seeing what you get!
Who can join?
Anyone and everyone! Even if your stateroom is 2 adults, you can join and have just as much fun!
What is the next step?
Once we get a volunteer to handle the exchange, we will each provide that person with our info. You will turn in: Your Stateroom number, Number of Participants and ages of each person involved. If the group that wants to play gets to be too large, we might split into more then one group. You will most likely get told the day you are to deliver your gifts so that not all gifts come the same day.
When leaving a gift, do we identify who it is from?
This is totally optional. We have gotten them both identified and unidentified. I personally prefer to know who it is from but each person can decide for themeselves.
Will we have to walk all over the ship?
If the group gets to be too large we will most likely split the group up by location. If we end up being one big group, I suggest you break up your items by stateroom number before leaving home. Use large ziploc baggies - the empties can be used for so many other things - maybe even bringing your FE items home!
Do people carry all their gifts in their suitcases?
You can ship your items down. They must arrive by the day before you sail and contain no food items (they will get snagged by the dogs and get held up). Make sure you packaged addressed exactly how your name is in your reservation and it will be in your stateroom when you get there (even before your luggage!).
I'm just curious, how did this Fish Extender idea get started?
The idea was the brainstorm of DisBoard member EpcotKilterFan (Debbie). For the first Magical Sailing through the Panama Canal back in 2005. Debbie thought it would be a fun way for Disboard members to exchange gifts. Apparently a lot of people agreed with her!
Anything else I need to know?
Yes, this is your vacation! You do not have to feel obligated to join anything you don't really want to do! You can join everything or nothing at all!
Here are some examples:
Here are some examples on things people put into the Fish Extenders:
Instructions to make a "no sew" Fish Extender:
After several requests I have finally gotten around to writing the directions to how I did it. What I did is very similar to the directions on earlier posts so those provided great guidance.
Supplies:
2 yards of fabric (two colors one yard each)
Double fold bias tape
Dowell Rod
Iron-On Patches
1 Package of Iron-On Interfacing
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew Ultra Hold 7/8 in. hem
1 Package of Heat-n-Bond No Sew 1 Yard
Various Colors of Ribbon
1. Cut fabric to be used as the body of the FE to be 8 in. wide by 58 in. in length. When folded the FE will be 29 in. in length.
2. Cut fabric for the three pockets, cut each pocket 11 in. wide by 12 in. in length. When folded each pocked will be 6 in. in length.
3. On the inside of the FE body piece and each pocket iron on the interfacing. Once cooled completely I ironed on the sheet of Heat-n-Bond cut 8 in. by 29 in. to the inside of the body of the FE.
4. On each of the 3 folded pockets I made pleats so that the pockets were 2 in.-pleat-4 in.-pleat 2 in. To secure the pleats I used the Heat-n-Bond Ultrahold hem. This was done on the cut side so that the top edge would be folded and clean.
5. Next I used the heat-n-bond hem to add 8 in. strips of the double fold bias tape to the bottom of each pocket.
6. Next I lined up the pockets on the body of the FE starting 8 in. from the top and then about 1 in. apart. I market the spots with a pencil and secured the bottom and sides of the pockets using the heat-n-bond hem.
7. Once all cooled. I used the double fold bias tape for the perimeter of the body of the FE which again was secured using the iron on hem.
8. Once cooled I ironed on the patches to each of the pockets.
9. I then folded down the top of the FE about 2 inches and secured to the back of the FE by the iron-on hem creating a little opening to insert the dowel rod.
10. Using the multicolored ribbon I made it long enough so that the FE would hang approximately 7-8 in. from a hanger.
11. For our names I bough iron-on computer paper and printed the names on the computer. Then I cut and surrounded the paper with double fold bias tape attached using the iron-on hem. Finally I ironed on the name piece.
I think thats all. Ive never tried to write directions for anything like this before. Everything I used I bought from either Wal-Mart, Michaels, or Joanns Fabrics.
BY disgirl83
We actually were in Toronto several years back and loved the city. How old are your children. We will have a DD 12, DD 6, DS 8 and DS 3. We are going to be going on a 4 nite cruise this Dec 7th and can't wait! We are really looking forward to this cruise too and are looking forward to cruising during Halloween!
