FE disapointment?

[Kimosabe]

We did it last month for the first time (third cruise), and I was very glad to discover that my kids were much more into the giving/delivering than the receiving. Yes, it was fun for them to find things in their FE pockets, but they really enjoyed exploring the ship (we had members of our 15-family group all over the Fantasy...multiple decks, forward, mid and aft!) and making the deliveries. We gave a mix of things we had created and things we had stumbled across at significantly discounted prices, but for the most part, what we gave was more an investment of time than money, and it was fun putting it all together. As for what we received, it was a real mix. Had we gone into this expecting an elaborate collection of personalized and expensive (relatively speaking) gifts that we could use on a daily basis both on and off the ship, we would have been sorely disappointed....but you can't go into it that way. It's simply an added experience to the cruise, and just knowing that anybody else took the time to get stuff AND find the time to stop what they were doing and deliver gifts to our specific cabin was pretty cool....and honestly, a lot of the things I thought my kids wouldn't like ended up being some of their favorites, and vice versa. And as for adults participating, lots of the families participating had gotten to know each other online before the cruise, so simply being in the FE group went a long way toward the enjoying of our overall cruise, as we got to hang out with new friends (our kids did the same and both said it was by far their favorite cruise ever). We would (and will) definitely do it again.

 

[lfishe3]

I posted...on a different thread about FE's...pick one/any one....that I just don't get adults participating in the exchange
anyhow, there were myriad replies (some indignant) pointing out how much the grown-ups LOVED getting bottle-openers, key chains, and/or tiny boxes of candy (which I wonder how they don't melt on the way to the ship...but THAT's another thread)....I'll be ding-donged if I want or need any of those things. Send me the money you would have spent and I'll apply it to my account

My DH and I have participated in 2 FE exchanges. We don't have kids yet. It was fun. I loved making little gift bags for all the kids. We have never spent a lots of money. We also loved all the little things we got in return. Just because I'm an adult doesn't mean getting a little extras pixie dust doesn't make me excited.

 

[Kimberly1]

I'm an adult as well and I love finding things for adults. Of course I love giving period - I comment all the time that if I won the lottery I'd go broke buying for other people.

 

[Julylady]

I have done FE with kids along and on an adults only trip. Both were fun. As an adult I enjoyed returning to the room to find little surprises. Dare I say it made the trip more magical!

 

[5xdisneyfans]

I do love giving people stuff but it is good to know that it isn't always so many rules. I think I may give it another try without having to stress about making everything perfect for everyone. Just do my best and let the kids enjoy. Like I said before I didn't express any disappointment with anyone and just let the kids have fun. I was just thinking it would have been more personal because that is what it saying in the post. I will still probably make things for some but just a general Disney theme without searching for the perfect colour and character for each person. We just sign our kids up for it.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I do love giving people stuff but it is good to know that it isn't always so many rules. I think I may give it another try without having to stress about making everything perfect for everyone. Just do my best and let the kids enjoy. Like I said before I didn't express any disappointment with anyone and just let the kids have fun. I was just thinking it would have been more personal because that is what it saying in the post. I will still probably make things for some but just a general Disney theme without searching for the perfect colour and character for each person. We just sign our kids up for it.

Yes, give it another go without stressing so much. It sounds like you got caught in a very unusual FE group. This is the first time I've heard of one that was picky about personalized gifts. Mostly, I see families giving out the exact same gift to every stateroom.

 

[bumbershoot]

I was so excited to do it being our first Disney cruise. I planned, made and picked everything for each person according to there favourite colours and characters.

Then when we received all of our gifts I was very surprised and disappointed after all the hype and work I put into ours. We mostly received just candy. None of the character stuff was the right characters.

I was just wondering if more people have the experience we had or if the FE was everything they thought it would be? Not posting to complain but booked our second cruise and not sure if I should give it another try?

I think that if you're going to give expensive, or incredibly crafty, gifts, and it's going to bother you to get something different in return, it's best to not participate. Not everyone is crafty, not everyone is talented, not everyone has imagination, not everyone has the extra bucks. Take it as it turns out, or don't participate.


A poster was correct in saying that FE participants are in the absolute minority on cruises, so you won't be alone at all if you don't participate. I never have and never will participate, and don't feel I'm missing out on anything at all.

 

[3Down1Up]

I was posting this out of being curious on how it went for everyone else. Our one and only FE so was our first Disney cruise. I signed up and was given everyones favourite colour and character, shoe size, shirt size.....everything! Was told to customize each persons gift to what they like. So I made real effort to pick/make stuff for each person according to the likes. Then when we received all of our stuff it was all the same for each person and nothing personal about it. So only expected something different because of what I was told what to do. If it wasn't for the way it was set up I would have not expected anything. I am debating about doing it again next cruise because my kids did love it and I never said anything negative to them about it last time. I just put alot of time and effort into each persons so that is all I was expecting in return was more personal picks of stuff. So I just seeing if this is the usual experience or not. I am totally cool with whatever we would get if it wasn't made to sound like it was going to be more personal. I never complained to anyone about what we received and kept my thoughts to myself because it was only because of all the work I put into mine that I was disappointed. Will be more happy and relaxed the next time if it is kept more simple. Thought the instructions were always the same in every group so it is good to know it isn't.

We did our first FE on our last cruise, and we all filled out something similar - asking for favorite characters, shirt size . . . my gifts were broader than "favorite character", and I certainly didn't get everyone tshirts in our FE group! But neither did everyone else - we didn't get one shirt as a gift. And not all gifts involved a character, and some were different characters than what we filled out.

So it sounds like whoever organized your FE gave you some pretty stringent requirements that don't match reality. I don't think you had a typical experience. I think those questions that we fill out for FEs are to be used as guidelines. Hints if you are trying to think of ideas. But if an FE organizer is telling you that you are required to give a certain kind of gift, with a certain kind of theme, then I would get out of that group. That is no fun and not typical of the FE process.

 

[3Down1Up]

I have little tolerance for people who come on here and complain about the gifts they received (too much candy, too much dollar store/Oriental Trading suff, etc.).

But don't you think that for every post along the lines of "I didn't get the kind of FE gift I was expecting . . . " there are always many more who respond with "I'm happy with what I get"? I think those that are unhappy about their FE gifts, and complain about it, are rare, all in all. I think the vast majority of FE participants are truly happy with any gift, and truly enjoy giving as much as, or more than, receiving.

The posts about FE theft, or not getting gifts, or not getting good gifts - those posts all give FEs a bad name, and they generate the most attention. I don't think enough people post that they were happy with their FE process. So I am going to do that right now - my kids and I really enjoyed our FEs, both giving and receiving. Nothing to our knowledge was stolen, we didn't make all our gifts by hand, we didn't break the bank on gifts, and we still had fun with it. And we will do it again.

 

[JenPinks]

We are going with another family and are doing the FE exchanging amongst ourselves. I did not want to spend my first cruise making and passing out things. This way we know exactly what our kids will be getting. We are also giving each other treats so this will be fun!!

 

[mhconley]

I participated in the FE on our first cruise and had a lot of fun. It's not about what we got but about participating and seeing what unique ideas others came up with. We got candy from a couple of cabins but no sundae kits or glow sticks. I'd have loved a sundae kit. We got a white board which we used the rest of the cruise, coasters we still use today, a first aid kit which came in handy, and other keepsakes. We gave Mickey and Minnie Mouse pens to the adults and teens and Princess and Cars marker sets to the kids.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” - Alexander Pope

Martin

 

[elaine amj]

I do love giving people stuff but it is good to know that it isn't always so many rules. I think I may give it another try without having to stress about making everything perfect for everyone. Just do my best and let the kids enjoy. Like I said before I didn't express any disappointment with anyone and just let the kids have fun. I was just thinking it would have been more personal because that is what it saying in the post. I will still probably make things for some but just a general Disney theme without searching for the perfect colour and character for each person. We just sign our kids up for it.

Could you perhaps have misunderstood your organizer's explanation of FE slightly? Most FE groups that I have seen do ask for a lengthy questionnaire to be filled out - just so the crafty ones have access to all the info if they want to get crafty...not so much as "this is the rules" but more as a "please fill this out so ppl who want to get crafty can do a bit more." There are some who really do enjoy going all out with FE gifts. I have see photos on here that are incredible. The vast majority tend towards being simpler though. Also, your organizer could have been one who really likes crafty gifts and pushed a bit harder for that.

When I've read about how FE got started on the DISboards in the first place, it was primarily handcrafted stuff that eventually morphed as FEs grew bigger.

I do prefer smaller FE groups myself - it was a lot of work to prep so many gifts. Thankfully part of my gift was glowsticks - which was super easy to add to each bag. The handcrafted stuff took hours.

 

[Jeff Spencer]

We're skipping the FE on our 8th cruise (EBTA) coming up in a few days because it has become a bit of a burden in terms of packing all the stuff. We are participating in the recipe exchange though. When I have organized the FE I always emphasize to participants that it about having FUN, not to STRESS, don't overdo it time-wise or money-wise.

 

[Jrimom1]

Our Cruise has come and gone and my family and I had a great time! (Disney Dream, May 1-4, 2015) I must say though, the FE was a bust. There was a list put out and my son was excited to get to work. We focused on the kids only. I have taught my son to appreciate what's given to him but my son rec'd something from 2 staterooms out of 19! My son was very disappointed everytime we went back to the room and nothing was there! I don't think that I would ever particiapte again! We gave gifts to 19 SR (to the kids, my son made them himself). I past another lady in the hallway giving gifts and she stated that a group was started on facebook. I am not on facebook, so I was not aware of that.

 

[MousseauMob]

We've participated, in a number of FE's and things have been getting a bit out of hand, I'm not sure I want to participate any longer. But I will say, when we started, we put together little bags of bought items, and as time has gone on, I've gotten a bit more crafty. IMO being crafty is not a requirement, some of my favorite items have been local things (spices, etc.).

The kids LOVE finding things when returning to the cabin, as well as delivering "ninja" style trying not to be caught! Some of the gifts have been really lovely and some, even the simplest still made me smile, like the homemade Popsicle stick frame, that I could just imagine some little one working hard on to give. Although I do it for the kids, I still have some things I treasure. It's supposed to be fun little surprises but sadly it has been evolving into more hassle and drama than it may be worth.

Exactly. That's why I've moved to the pixie-dusting format. I don't actually sign up for the FE exchange, but I get a copy of the list and I generally make little....well, I'm not going to say - you may be on a cruise with me someday . Anyway I make them for the kids on the list and drop them off. Adult gifts have gone by the wayside.

What a lovely idea, I'm definitely going this way once my youngest is old enough to be okay with us not participating.

 

[wcw57]

yeah.......

I agree, getting free stuff is fun! Love Christmas!!
However, what does one DO with all the fun adult trinkets one receives? Maybe my junk drawer is full or maybe I have enough coasters and don't need key chains/bottle openers.......or talcum powder sand removers.
I applaud those who are crafty and envy people who can spend copious amounts of money on a FE gift. Lord knows, I'm amazed by those with room in the luggage for all that. BUT, if I had mah druthers, I'll let the people save the money they would have spent on me or, better yet, spend it on their own kids!!

 

[EPCOTgrl1]

You get what you get with FE. I love the idea of it, but in the end you mostly get trinkets that you end up throwing away. I like it when a theme is made!

 

[yorkieteacher]

Of note, I've seen multiple people over the years who put one out and let the gifts be "magic" - from characters, or such - for their little ones and they put the gifts in them for them. This is another way to participate.

This is what we plan on doing for our grandson, age 3, who will be on our cruise, but I am going to "pixie dust" some others from our cruise meet thread (if they post cabin numbers as well as names and ages!) or just pixie dust some random ones. I am all about the pixie dust! We have some cute things for him, but I love picking up random Disney stuff from the Dollar Stores and such.

 

[southerngirl528]

Aw Jrimom1, that is sad. So sorry to hear your son only got 2 FE gifts out of 19 participants. I think that is very unusual. Though I think it rarely happens, I wonder if you happened to have someone removing gifts that had been left for your son? I hate to think that, but it seems very strange that your son got such a tiny percentage.

I did my first FE a year ago on a 4 nt Dream cruise with the tiny grand-princesses. I had booked very last minute and joined a latecomers FE group which had a very tolerable number of people in it, which is one of the main things that convinced me to try it. Every day that we came back to our room, the pockets on our FE had goodies in them, and the girls LOVED it all! They got all kinds of odds and ends, some cuter than others, but it was ALL great fun and just discovering what was there!

I would do another FE if it was a pretty small group. I'm hoping there's one (a manageable sized group) on my upcoming Hawaii DCL cruise 9/17!

 

[MelSpees]

Our Cruise has come and gone and my family and I had a great time! (Disney Dream, May 1-4, 2015) I must say though, the FE was a bust. There was a list put out and my son was excited to get to work. We focused on the kids only. I have taught my son to appreciate what's given to him but my son rec'd something from 2 staterooms out of 19! My son was very disappointed everytime we went back to the room and nothing was there! I don't think that I would ever particiapte again! We gave gifts to 19 SR (to the kids, my son made them himself). I past another lady in the hallway giving gifts and she stated that a group was started on facebook. I am not on facebook, so I was not aware of that.

Had you signed up for an FE anywhere? They are done through sign-ups. That way people know how many and who to give to. Sometimes the lists are handled through cruise threads here on the DIS, sometimes not. You should check there next time. If it's not on the thread, you can ask about it and find out what, if anything, is going on.