Is this person on FB in charge of Fish Extender?

[pearlieq]

So what do I need to look for in a fb group to make sure I'm not getting anywhere near this nutter? I see a group for our date and there are 2 admins, neither of which seems to have a reference to anything that sounds like A.K. or Junkies, but this is the first time in a while I've done anything DCL related and I'm out of the loop.

 

[cadien]

How do you tell whether your group is on her page without being a member? When I do a FB search for our sail date, only our group appears.

 

[Stratus22]

How do you tell whether your group is on her page without being a member? When I do a FB search for our sail date, only our group appears.

Then you should be just fine. Enjoy your cruise group.

 

[mmmears]

How do you tell whether your group is on her page without being a member? When I do a FB search for our sail date, only our group appears.

I don't think you can. I found my group the same way you did, but then when I joined "that crazy group" I found my group listed there. I had no idea...

 

[gilsan]

So what do I need to look for in a fb group to make sure I'm not getting anywhere near this nutter? I see a group for our date and there are 2 admins, neither of which seems to have a reference to anything that sounds like A.K. or Junkies, but this is the first time in a while I've done anything DCL related and I'm out of the loop.

There a few other people that run groups in the same way. They don't allow anyone to start events without permission and they want to control everything. I was in one of the groups that they banned members (the 2018 WBPC), they were only allowing chosen people to plan events, there is also a lot of selling things to the group members; clothes, bracelets, pub crawl kits, only approved people are allowed to sell. In the new 2018 WBPC cruise group if someone has an idea and wants to organize something they can. We have people planning walking/running groups and they are giving away pins and bracelet for those who want to be involved, it is a much nicer atmosphere. I certainly don't blame people for wanting to recoup their expenses, but some of the things in AK's group seem to have a bit of a mark-up, I think it is icky to be making money off of members of your cruise group.

I have noticed that more frequently there is more than 1 group for cruises and people are less willing to combine groups. I think AK and her friends are the reason for it, once you have been involved in a group run by them you don't want to ever want to be in one again. I have been in many cruise groups and know that theirs are not the norm or a fun group, but if you have never been in a group before you wouldn't realize how badly they are running the group and how much fun a group not run by them can be.

 

[Shanti]

So what do I need to look for in a fb group to make sure I'm not getting anywhere near this nutter? I see a group for our date and there are 2 admins, neither of which seems to have a reference to anything that sounds like A.K. or Junkies, but this is the first time in a while I've done anything DCL related and I'm out of the loop.

How do you tell whether your group is on her page without being a member? When I do a FB search for our sail date, only our group appears.

You don't need to worry about it. I'm in a regular Facebook group for my cruise, and after reading this thread I went to this woman's FB page to see for myself. When you request to join, one of the questions it asks is if you understand that the way to find your cruise's FB page is to use a given link. So I pasted that link into my address bar & went there, and looked at the listed cruises.

My cruise page & its administrators were listed. I also noticed that the basic FE info sheet that my cruise uses was reprinted with permission from that woman. Maybe it's been edited, but there are no strict rules on it: no minimum spending amounts, no "don't buy this or that", no "you have to identify yourself as the giver". Nothing strict or weird. I also recognize that this is the same info sheet that the FB group for my last cruise used.

I've been a member of my cruise group for months and it's nice and normal. No controlling behavior in any way, just folks prepping for their own cruise. I'm a member of my cruise page's FE exchange group, too, which is also nice & completely normal with no strict rules at all. I checked my group's admin & member list & didn't see the woman who runs that other page on either list.

So just because your cruise page is listed on that woman's website, doesn't mean it's controlled by her or will be an unpleasant experience. Honestly, as someone who has completed two recent FE exchanges via Facebook and is in the process of preparing for a third, and has never had the slightest hint of a bad experience, I think some of the posts in this thread are exaggerating the scope of the problem. If you just avoid this one woman's particular page, you'll very likely have no problem at all.

 

[cyclenut]

So just because your cruise page is listed on that woman's website, doesn't mean it's controlled by her or will be an unpleasant experience. Honestly, as someone who has completed two recent FE exchanges via Facebook and is in the process of preparing for a third, and has never had the slightest hint of a bad experience, I think some of the posts in this thread is exaggerating the problem. If you just avoid this one woman's particular page, you'll very likely have no problem at all.

There may be *some* exaggeration, but not likely. I agree with you that most of the FB groups out there are a not a problem. I've only encountered this one time and it was for an upcoming cruise. The problem was, the group started out just fine. No special rules, lots of great banter, people volunteering to set things up. Then came the announcement. The group was getting too big so there were going to be some controls placed on the group. Seemed innocuous. I participate in a lot of moderated groups and forums and have for many years. No problem, right? Then came the voting. Activities that were already planned had to gain enough popularity and then they could be added to the list. Only activities that were on the list would be supported. Then came the rules about postings. If the admins didn't like a post or question, they would delete it. I get that if I was posting about something not related to the cruise that would be a problem, but even cruise related posts were considered an issue if the admins didn't like the content or if was asking about setting up an activity. I sent a PM to an admin to ask why a post I made was removed and I was removed from the group without a response. Zero tolerance. I was a member of that group from opening day of the cruise over 500 days before sailing. Then I was gone. Because I was being a troublemaker for asking questions.

 

[gilsan]

I think some of the posts in this thread are exaggerating the scope of the problem. If you just avoid this one woman's particular page, you'll very likely have no problem at all.

I agree I think in +95% of the groups you are not going to have any problem, it is only an issue if you are in a cruise group run by AK or one of her friends.

Honestly with the issues our group had I don't think AK had anything to do with them it was her co admin AM that was banning and blocking members. Also if you end up in a FB group you don't like you don't have to stay in it, you can start a new group if you want, or hang out on disboards. The groups are suppose to be a fun way to get to know your fellow cruisers. The new cruise group for our cruise started in August 2017 and has 327 members the other group started in October 2016 and has 450 members so both groups are very active. I also have never used a FB Disney cruise group to find my cruise group, I always do a search for the ship and cruise date, if you do that you will see all the groups available.

 

[cadien]

I’m actually not concerned. Morbid curiosity really. I’ve cruised enough to know you really don’t run into specific people once you’re on the ship. And we don’t even FE.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

It probably appears to be an exaggeration until you become a victim of them or someone you know. It's all good until it happens to you. This is a real problem and an ongoing problem.

 

[AquaDame]

I’m actually not concerned. Morbid curiosity really. I’ve cruised enough to know you really don’t run into specific people once you’re on the ship. And we don’t even FE.

Even then it is kind of annoying... on my last cruise there was a page for this woman and another one (that was started first by a very nice person I had sailed with prior) and trying to keep track even when I don't do FEs was annoying. Half of the conversations leading up to the cruise was asking why there were two and why couldn't they merge. She was able to get more traffic to her page so the inclusive one got less traffic and had a smaller group of FE participants.

Does it matter? No, but it is frustrating when the capitalist won't play nice as it lessened the fun for others.

 

[Stratus22]

It probably appears to be an exaggeration until you become a victim of them or someone you know. It's all good until it happens to you. This is a real problem and an ongoing problem.

And that’s the sad part. Many people have been a victim of these people and I just hope it doesn’t reflect directly on Disney. They ridicule if you ask a question that has been asked before, they jump all over you if you prove them wrong and then get banned from their group. A lady in that group asked a question and AK told her to use google and stop being so lazy and dumb. That was my last straw.

 

[mmmears]

It probably appears to be an exaggeration until you become a victim of them or someone you know. It's all good until it happens to you. This is a real problem and an ongoing problem.

EXACTLY! It hasn't infected my FB group... yet. But if things change I will be really disappointed. Just because it didn't happen to YOU doesn't mean it's not happening to other people. And the fact that it's growing and spreading means that your next cruise group can become a big mess. I don't do FEs anymore, but I do appreciate the questions and answers that people post on the group.

 

[Billinaz]

So what do I need to look for in a fb group to make sure I'm not getting anywhere near this nutter? I see a group for our date and there are 2 admins, neither of which seems to have a reference to anything that sounds like A.K. or Junkies, but this is the first time in a while I've done anything DCL related and I'm out of the loop.

Ask the admins if they are actually on the cruise.

 

[Billinaz]

You don't need to worry about it. I'm in a regular Facebook group for my cruise, and after reading this thread I went to this woman's FB page to see for myself. When you request to join, one of the questions it asks is if you understand that the way to find your cruise's FB page is to use a given link. So I pasted that link into my address bar & went there, and looked at the listed cruises.

My cruise page & its administrators were listed. I also noticed that the basic FE info sheet that my cruise uses was reprinted with permission from that woman. Maybe it's been edited, but there are no strict rules on it: no minimum spending amounts, no "don't buy this or that", no "you have to identify yourself as the giver". Nothing strict or weird. I also recognize that this is the same info sheet that the FB group for my last cruise used.

I've been a member of my cruise group for months and it's nice and normal. No controlling behavior in any way, just folks prepping for their own cruise. I'm a member of my cruise page's FE exchange group, too, which is also nice & completely normal with no strict rules at all. I checked my group's admin & member list & didn't see the woman who runs that other page on either list.

So just because your cruise page is listed on that woman's website, doesn't mean it's controlled by her or will be an unpleasant experience. Honestly, as someone who has completed two recent FE exchanges via Facebook and is in the process of preparing for a third, and has never had the slightest hint of a bad experience, I think some of the posts in this thread are exaggerating the scope of the problem. If you just avoid this one woman's particular page, you'll very likely have no problem at all.

I dont think they are exaggerating at all. Where the issue seems to manifest itself is when the cruise groups are put in a link on that page. There is a list of all cruises and then a link to the group. If a person creates a group close to the opening date then that group is listed. If there is none, they will create one even though they are not on the cruise, and the issues described happen. If one of the cronies happens to be on the cruise, your group will be deleted from the list, and they create a new one and tell everyone you are trying to "steal their reservation" and that you are a fraud so that they can get people to join their group.

 

[Billinaz]

Even then it is kind of annoying... on my last cruise there was a page for this woman and another one (that was started first by a very nice person I had sailed with prior) and trying to keep track even when I don't do FEs was annoying. Half of the conversations leading up to the cruise was asking why there were two and why couldn't they merge. She was able to get more traffic to her page so the inclusive one got less traffic and had a smaller group of FE participants.

Does it matter? No, but it is frustrating when the capitalist won't play nice as it lessened the fun for others.

Happened on my upcoming cruise. Luckily, the cronie who created the group wound up changing cruise dates, and the new admins who took over were glad to make it one large group (300 active members) and all is going well again. They just caused havoc and confusion for many, many months.

 

[runskyhy]

I truly hope someone can do something about this issue. I just returned from a 3-nt Dream cruise that I mentioned to in an earlier post here. I just discovered that this particular admin sent cruisers to the Keys bar for the private Mixology event... Except the Keys bar is on the Magic, not the Dream. Some new cruisers didn't realize this until after sail away and had no one on board to contact about it... Another reasons for cruisers to beware... if she is this negligent with people's vacation time and money, how negligent is she with their personal information that she collects?

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Another reasons for cruisers to beware... if she is this negligent with people's vacation time and money, how negligent is she with their personal information that she collects?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Nevermind

 

[st0nehedge]

Nevermind

She isn't in that group, but a few other ones.