Fish Extenders-Be Honest

[mekay1012]

We just went on our first cruise and I decided to skip it. I was worried that my dd would see fe everywhere and feel left out, but that was not the case. We only saw 2 the entire time we were on the ship and they never had anything in them when we walked by. My dd didn't even notice. We did a 3 day cruise so there really wouldn't have been much time to be doing it. If we do a longer cruise, I'll think about it, but I don't feel like we missed out on anything by not doing it.

 

[MelSpees]

Hi,

We have jus booked our first ever Disney cruise (and first proper just the 3 of us family holiday!)
I've signed up to a fe group, mainly it's just because I love crafty things and think it will be exciting. Our son will be four then, what four year old doesn't love a surprise gift!

I do have some questions though:
Is it like secret gift giving or do you "sign" your gifts?
I've seen fe with personalised pockets, are you supposed to give a separate gift to each person in the room or just a group gift? If it's a group gift, how do you decide which pocket to put it in? Daft question, I know!
Love the idea of pixie dust, do you just randomly put things in fe's you see?

My better half isn't as excited about the gift making as me but he is happy I am excited and is giving helpful suggestions

Some people "sign" their gifts, some don't.
Some give a separate gift to each person, some to the cabin as a whole. Some give a cabin gift and an individual gift to kids. I put a group gift in a parent's pocket, if I can tell which is which.
If you pixie dust, you drop gifts in FEs that you see and want to. If you do Fish Extender then you sign up on your cruise meet thread for a group and there is a list made up for people to give (an receive) from.

Hope this helps. The best thing is to go to your cruise meet thread and see if there is a group set up. Some groups have specific rules, most are pretty casual. Have fun!

 

[pixie*duster]

Here is my experience FWIW:

Our first cruise was a 3 night on the Wonder. I had no idea there was such a thing. So thanks to these message boards, we participated for the first time on a 5 night Dream cruise. My daughter and I had so much fun wandering the hallways, feeling sneaky as we left surprises outside stranger's staterooms doors. I delighted in knowing I was helping to make people's cruises more magical. Coming back to our stateroom and finding gifts in our FE felt like Christmas morning. Sure, even on Christmas we receive gifts we wouldn't have bought for ourselves. But we smile because we received them, and then do what we must with them. (Leave for the stateroom host, re-gift or pixie dust them, etc.)

We participated again last year, this time on a 7 night. My kids are getting older and more difficult to impress. My daughter found it to be more of a chore this time to deliver the gifts, but I still had fun giving, and especially seeing my gifts being used out and about on the ship.

Which brings us to this year, we are signed up again for our Alaskan cruise in a couple of weeks. I personally love the planning process, it's like marking off items on a Christmas list. I also love to shop and have found great items with clearance prices. I also enjoy crafting and sewing so I can get creative with minimal effort. There is no stress involved. There's no hassle in delivery for me. I know to choose smaller items so that minimal real-estate is taken up in my suitcase. I'll like some things recevied and I'll leave some things received. No guilt, cause no one knows, and not even my own mother can buy me perfect gifts all the time. But with that being said, this will likely be the last time we participate. Not because it has been a hassle or I have been disappointed, but because participating in some things too often can sometimes make them less magical in my experience.

 

[st0nehedge]

Newbie to the DIS boards, but I have to say this thread has been very informative about FE! I didn't know what the term meant (the dictionary for the boards didn't include an explanation!) but now I know!
I think with something like this, either you will like it or you will not. You don't necessarily have to be crafty, young(er), or purchase expensive items to participate -- like someone said in an earlier post it's the thought that counts!
My mom and I are looking to take our first cruise to Alaska with DCL and are researching about cruises and all that there is to be. This sounds like something that would be fun to do, even for our first cruise! We would be able to get some walking in and see most of the ship while delivering items to fellow FE buddies.

 

[tlynk]

I love participating in FE's and DH and I travel without kids. The only time I think I wouldn't participate is if we were on a 3-4 night cruise. We have received some really nice thoughtful gifts over the years and LOTS of little toys meant for kiddos. We end up giving the toys away. Although, I usually buy my gifts- I have so much fun putting my gift bags together and then delivering them. I think that is what makes FEs fun for me. My next cruise is approaching soon and I can say I'm enjoying the of fun researching ideas for my next FE group!

 

[krisinparis]

We have done the FE on 3 of our 4 cruises. 2 of these were in Europe, so we received lots of "hometown" stuff from different countries-- very cool! Our last one was on the Wonder and I have to say we received some really nice gifts. Our next cruise is a quick 3 nighter so we are going to sit out since we have so little time on the boat. If you are on a longer cruise, I think the FEs are fun, especially if you have kids.

 

[Iamaplanner]

In my last FE group, we received some wonderful things that were very thoughtful and fun. As others have said, we still have them and use them. So it was a positive experience for us in terms of what we received. But when I weigh it all in - we will not do it again. I spent a lot of time and money getting our stuff together pre-cruise. I am not crafty (understatement!) so everything needed to be purchased. Plus, it really was a hassle to pack it all up and fly with an additional small suitcases devoted just to FE stuff. Finally, I found it a hassle to go around and deliver all of the stuff. I just didn't feel like walking all over the ship to drop off my gifts. My daughters loved being part of the FE and asked if we were doing it again for our upcoming cruise. I said no but that i would get them an extra little souvenir during the cruise to make up for it. They were okay with that

 

[Laine Anderson]

I am considering doing the fish extenders for our Alaskan cruise but it honestly seems like a lot of work and since we are flying to our port, it would take more luggage. Is it really worth it? I don't want to sounds selfish but it seems like we would have a lot of people to do gifts for. Please tell me your experiences.....good or bad.

My girls loved it! They were so excited to look through their pockets every time we got back to the room. They are 5 and 7. I made personalized magnets so those didn't take up much space in my luggage at all. If it were just me and my husband? There's no way I would have participated, I only did it for the kids. For the most part most of the gifts were thoughtful and cute, only a few were delivered late when they would have been better received at the beginning. (Q-tips, band-aids, etc...)

 

[minivan3]

Can someone give a few examples of what you considered "good" gifts that you received? Thinking about doing this in May and don't want to be that person that gives the stuff no one wants or appreciates.

 

[belac]

We liked all our gifts on ours, but we did have several people with allergies, so we ruled out food items for the entire FE group (mutual decision). We got great Tumblers, a Cruise Theme Door Knob Organizer, Sand Toys, a $5 Disney GC, Nice Picture Frames, Bunch of Great Magnets, Drink Coasters, Room Night Light, Travel Games, Activity Books for Kids, Journals for Kids, Mini Flashlight, Mickey Cookie Cutters with Recipes, and the little bottles of rum (no longer allowed). All great Ideas, except the later.

 

[krisinparis]

Some of my favorite gifts have included key fobs (I am using one right now!), personalized drinking glasses, personalized koozies, a cool trivia game that the kids played at dinner, Disney themed pens and highlighters, magnets and regional candies or small food items, laundry packs and mini first aid kits. My kids really like sundae kits. I am not a huge fan of glow sticks and pirate gear, although this is probably fun for smaller kids (mine are older).

 

[bethy]

I was hesitant to participate on our first cruise but our kids loooooooooved it. I think they think it is an included feature of a Disney cruise now I just bought some supplies for our next round of FE gifts - going to try individual sundae kits. My biggest challenge is finding packets of sauce but I know I'll figure something out.

This time, we will give out our gifts closer to the middle or end of the cruise. We received most of our gifts on the first day or two and then it was quickly done. Would be fun to get something later on

 

[turtle27]

I think we fall in the camp that it is the thoughtfulness that counts. It does not have to be a pricey gift to be thoughtful. Some of my favorite gifts have been useful items, pot holders, trivets, coasters, organizers, etc. Also enjoy magnets, laundry packs, mementos from the trip, etc.

 

[bethy]

I think we fall in the camp that it is the thoughtfulness that counts. It does not have to be a pricey gift to be thoughtful. Some of my favorite gifts have been useful items, pot holders, trivets, coasters, organizers, etc. Also enjoy magnets, laundry packs, mementos from the trip, etc.

Ditto! Seriously we love every single thing! Honestly for the kids the best part is coming back to the cabin to find something waiting!

 

[AngelinaVP]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in a few weeks. I joined a FE group cause I thought it sounded like fun. I do realize we aren't traveling with children and there is only one other cabin with adults only and it seems like they are grandparents of the family in the cabin next door that is also in the group. Does it seem weird that we are participating?

 

[belac]

My biggest challenge is finding packets of sauce but I know I'll figure something out.

http://www.amazon.com/J-Hungerford-Smith-Chocolate-Topping/dp/B0044V2VTE

Might want to try these, have to heat up, but nothing a cup of hot water can't fix

 

[Erica.M]

We did it on our last cruise and enjoyed it. We are in the cruise group for our next cruise, but have chosen not to do the full FE and just be on the Pixie Dust list.

What is a pixie dust list?

 

[Erica.M]

My husband and I are going on our first cruise in a few weeks. I joined a FE group cause I thought it sounded like fun. I do realize we aren't traveling with children and there is only one other cabin with adults only and it seems like they are grandparents of the family in the cabin next door that is also in the group. Does it seem weird that we are participating?

When we went we had several couples participate. They were awesome with their gifts! Not weird because everyone is a kid at heart!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What is a pixie dust list?

Generally, a list made of latecomers (ones who missed the original cut off date) who will give gifts, but may not get gifts.

 

[Erica.M]

Can someone give a few examples of what you considered "good" gifts that you received? Thinking about doing this in May and don't want to be that person that gives the stuff no one wants or appreciates.

We loved getting items from where people were from. We got wonderful personalized gifts too. We found something from our state and did a Disney pin for each party member.