Fish extender or no fish extender.. we sail tomorrow

[Lizgistix]

I had read where guests were being asked to remove their fish extenders.

Weird, because they sell a cruise gift set that includes a fish extender.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I guess since they labeled it a “three person gift hanger” it’s really not a fish extender!

 

[TheBigErn]

What the heck is a fish extender

 

[yorkieteacher]

What the heck is a fish extender

Look at post # 13 a few back- they have a picture

 

[ArielRae]

What the heck is a fish extender

https://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-cruise-line/fish-extender-basics.htm

 

[HiStitch626]

What the heck is a fish extender

Something that was fun a number of years ago and involved people on the cruise sharing little trinkets from their homes. Not so fun recently as for many people it seem to turn into a contest of who could spend the most money and prepare the most elaborate gifts. We haven’t participated in years, but the last time we did one of the gifts we received was a personalized tote bag with other personalized gifts inside it. It must’ve cost at least $75. I was so uncomfortable with that experience, I said never again.

 

[Lizgistix]

I'd do it but people are just getting a magnet from the city I live in.
I thought about buying a few magnets and putting them into random people's fish extenders but covid killed that idea.

 

[leannak]

I wonder why these aren’t allowed. Haven’t the studies shown the virus isn’t spread via surfaces? And if anything I’d think this would space people out as it would give them something to do (delivering gifts) instead of waiting in line at the pool, for example. Just curious. Has Disney been wanting to do away with these anyway?

 

[BadPinkTink]

I wonder why these aren’t allowed. Haven’t the studies shown the virus isn’t spread via surfaces? And if anything I’d think this would space people out as it would give them something to do (delivering gifts) instead of waiting in line at the pool, for example. Just curious. Has Disney been wanting to do away with these anyway?

Disney dont want people congregating in the narrow corridors. A lot of Covid restrictions are about directing the flow of people and stopping people gathering in groups.

 

[Disneyland_emily]

I wonder why these aren’t allowed. Haven’t the studies shown the virus isn’t spread via surfaces? And if anything I’d think this would space people out as it would give them something to do (delivering gifts) instead of waiting in line at the pool, for example. Just curious. Has Disney been wanting to do away with these anyway?

it’s also with so many room changes, last minute cancellations and port testing there is zero guarantees everyone in a ‘FEgroup’ would even be aboard and in the same room.. so piles of stuff would be left at empty rooms and others upset they didn’t get anything in return.

the Flake rate on a typical cruise is already high in this environment all it’s really doing is wasting money..

 

[HiStitch626]

Has Disney been wanting to do away with these anyway?

I would not be surprised to see this policy continue. I have seen several occasions where people were at guest services complaining about items being stolen from their FEs. GS said they said they could not do anything about it. The people complaining were not happy, but I am not sure what they wanted DCL to do about it.

 

[BadPinkTink]

I would not be surprised to see this policy continue. I have seen several occasions where people were at guest services complaining about items being stolen from their FEs. GS said they said they could not do anything about it. The people complaining were not happy, but I am not sure what they wanted DCL to do about it.

Because people think its a DCL official guest activity due to the people running the cruise groups on other places who put "official" in their name.

 

[MomOTwins]

I would not be surprised to see this policy continue. I have seen several occasions where people were at guest services complaining about items being stolen from their FEs. GS said they said they could not do anything about it. The people complaining were not happy, but I am not sure what they wanted DCL to do about it.

I do see those people's point. If I had something stolen something of mine in a public area of the ship--say I set my sunglasses down on a pool chair for a moment and someone swiped them, I think it would be nice if DCL's security officer would work with me to review the security camera footage and see if the thief could be identified so that the item could be recovered by security. I wouldn't say I expect DCL to do something about it, but I would want them to.

Something that was fun a number of years ago and involved people on the cruise sharing little trinkets from their homes. Not so fun recently as for many people it seem to turn into a contest of who could spend the most money and prepare the most elaborate gifts. We haven’t participated in years, but the last time we did one of the gifts we received was a personalized tote bag with other personalized gifts inside it. It must’ve cost at least $75. I was so uncomfortable with that experience, I said never again.

I agree some people are very generous, but I've never seen anyone treat it like a contest. Sure some people will do more elaborate gifts, but I always did what seemed reasonable/affordable to me and enjoyed all the gifts I received whether they were fancy or not. Just like when we had our first kid, I had some relatives give a cute $10 baby toy or outfit, and others give a crib or stroller--it's only a contest if you think it is it one.

Disney dont want people congregating in the narrow corridors. A lot of Covid restrictions are about directing the flow of people and stopping people gathering in groups.

I don't think that's quite it. FEs never resulted in big crowds--it was by nature a bit of a solitary activity walking around the ship in empty halls. I think it is more to do with the concept of fomite/surface transmission--i.e., if Mary has Covid and distributes a bunch of water bottles to 10 staterooms, who then drink from those water bottles, is there a risk of spreading Covid that way. The science doesn't really support it, but it's probably something they just worried would be bad appearance-wise if an outbreak occurred on the ship and it was revealed there were hundreds of guests participating in guest-to-guest gift exchanges.

it’s also with so many room changes, last minute cancellations and port testing there is zero guarantees everyone in a ‘FEgroup’ would even be aboard and in the same room.. so piles of stuff would be left at empty rooms and others upset they didn’t get anything in return.

the Flake rate on a typical cruise is already high in this environment all it’s really doing is wasting money..

That actually is an issue; I could see that happening a lot. Not to mention some guests may get quarantined and moved to Deck 2 over the course of the cruise.

 

[HiStitch626]

I agree some people are very generous, but I've never seen anyone treat it like a contest.

I am glad you have not seen that. On our last cruise before the pandemic, the was an FB group that I participated in although I did not do FEs. They had many rules about types of gifts and how much you had to spend. Several people described packing an entire additional suitcase just for FEs. There have been FB groups focused on FEs and even threads here where people complained about the gifts they got, said they were cheap, and criticized the givers.

 

[Dug720]

I agree some people are very generous, but I've never seen anyone treat it like a contest. Sure some people will do more elaborate gifts, but I always did what seemed reasonable/affordable to me and enjoyed all the gifts I received whether they were fancy or not. Just like when we had our first kid, I had some relatives give a cute $10 baby toy or outfit, and others give a crib or stroller--it's only a contest if you think it is it one.

A few years ago there was a poster on here who admitted to waiting until the last day/evening to deliver her gifts - only to those she deemed "worthy" based on the spreadsheet she kept of what she received from whom.

 

[princessmommyx3]

I agree some people are very generous, but I've never seen anyone treat it like a contest.

Then you are very lucky. I have come home from multiple cruises to all sorts of drama on the FB page about people's gifts not being good enough. One time, someone had joined all 6 exchange groups on our sailing and thus gave/received something like 72 gifts. She kept a spreadsheet during the cruise to keep track of who she had received gifts from and on the last day wrote nasty notes to those rooms who had not given her gifts and put them in their FEs. Those involved (I was not) were able to figure out who it was by tallying all of the rooms who had gotten the nasty notes and this person was the only person who was a part of each of the groups affected. It was some crazy drama.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

A few years ago there was a poster on here who admitted to waiting until the last day/evening to deliver her gifts - only to those she deemed "worthy" based on the spreadsheet she kept of what she received from whom.

And I believe the original FE exchanges were done anonymously. You didn't know who gave you what. Seems like a much nicer way to handle it.

I've pulled out of FE groups that started having rules as to who can deliver when, minimum cost of gifts, being required to have givers name on them. Kinda took all the fun out of it.

 

[birdmom]

We just got off the Wonder this morning and I thought I would answer my own question. We did end up leaving our fish extenders at home because of the link I was provided. That being said, I wish I had not. People did have them up the entire cruise and they were also selling them in the gift shop. My group did a lot of Pixi dust and noting was ever said about items left outside the door or magnets placed on the door. If I had it to do again I would bring it for sure, better then all my stuff being left on the ground.